Bachmann again blasts settlement for black farmers
Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at 10:33 am
- 14 Comments
While on tour of flooded areas near the Missouri River in Iowa Monday, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann characterized a government settlement with black farmers who were discriminated against in the 1980s and 1990s as fraud, eliciting outrage from the farmers’ advocates.
Bachmann and U.S. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said the $1.2 billion extension, which was signed last year, could be put to better use helping flood victims in Iowa, according to the Associated Press.
John Boyd, president of the Black Farmers Union, told the told the AP that flood victims deserve “redress,” but that taking resources from people who had been historically denied them was a bad idea.
It isn’t the first time that King and Bachmann have beat on this particular drum. Bachmann sent out a press release last November alleging that the numbers of farmers involved in the settlement didn’t add up, because there were many more claims than black farmers.
In December 2010, the Star Tribune ran the numbers by U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota, who said there were more claims because many of the farmers had been forced out of business by being denied loans and other resources.
“The reason they’re not farming is they couldn’t get financing,” he said. “That’s part of their argument.”
King previously described the settlement, which is known as Pigford, as “modern-day reparations.” In November, he had this to say:
“Figure this out, Madame Speaker,” King said on the House floor on Monday. “We have a very, very urban senator, Barack Obama, who has decided he’s going to run for president, and what does he do?” King said. “He introduces legislation to create a whole new Pigford claim.”
Follow Jon Collins on Twitter14 Comments
Comment posted July 19, 2011 @ 10:59 am
MB and SK are very skilled at tossing out red meat to their crazy base.
If Bachmann (God forbid) wins the GOP nomination, I look forward to hearing how she will spin this when she has to step out of the cozy and secure confines of wing-nut region of western Iowa.
Comment posted July 19, 2011 @ 12:05 pm
Bachmann and King are just mad that money went to someone other than themselves.
Comment posted July 19, 2011 @ 2:22 pm
Well, I researched this and it only took about 10 minutes to find out the details, including how the judge set up guidelines on who could actually have a claim, and that in fact there were many black farmers that were denied only because they were black.
I think it is just another dippy and weird thing MB (and King) is announcing to storm up more hate filled rhetoric to get attention and to make people angry at the wrong thing to get the votes. Happens all the time, and she doesn’t have any conscious about it.
Comment posted July 19, 2011 @ 2:53 pm
How do make Michele’s head explode? She finds out two of her daughters are pregant by Muslims then come out of the closet as lesbian lovers planning to get married in her hometown in Iowa… but not to worry because after the abortions, they’ll both donate the fetus’ to stem cell research.
kaaa BOOOOOM !!!
Comment posted July 19, 2011 @ 3:12 pm
African-American farmers vs. Iowans likely to attend a Republican caucus.
Talk about a no-brainer.
Comment posted July 19, 2011 @ 3:42 pm
Is her campaign paying for all the ads on here?
And you guys take it?
Comment posted July 19, 2011 @ 9:16 pm
How does she feel about the GOP paying what they still owe to the counties from the recount? I bet she’s not in a hurry to pay that debt either.
Let’s have a balanced budget amendment for republican political campaigns.
Comment posted July 19, 2011 @ 10:18 pm
Team Obama member Jon Collins is so pathetic. The paper should be called “The Minnesota Democrat”. The paper has been on a multi-year jihad against Bachmann and to no avail. This latest manufactured controversy is even more laughable than the others.
Juan Williams wrote: Whenever the press attacks Bachmann she “gets a flood of support and money. She becomes ‘Every Woman,’ a misunderstood Tea Party mother of five facing down an elitist, arrogant, Obama-leaning press corps.” The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
7/19/11 A national poll from Public Policy Polling shows Bachmann is not just an early-state phenomenon, and she hasn’t yet hit her ceiling: Bachmann: 21% of Republican primary voters vs. 20% for Mitt Romney.
Comment posted July 19, 2011 @ 10:22 pm
Bachmann was right about this Dept. of Agriculture ripoff of the U.S. taxpayer.
John Stossel’s special “Freeloaders” did a segment on the Pigford settlement that centered around a lawsuit for black farmers and black farmers who “attempted” to farm.
http://www.holeinthehull.com/2011/03/john-stossels-special-freeloaderspigford-settlement.html
Take a look at the segment, which I watched on TV, and you will agree with Bachmann that the settlement was largely fraudulent, going to many black farmers who “attempted to farm” but did not actually farm.
Comment posted July 20, 2011 @ 10:08 am
From 1995 through 2006, the Bachmann family farm has received $251,973 in federal subsidies, chiefly for dairy and corn price supports.
Pingback posted July 20, 2011 @ 11:36 am
[...] Wow…she’s a terrible person.Here’s what those in her home state of MN had to say (Minnesota Independent):It isn’t the first time that King and Bachmann have beat on this particular drum. Bachmann sent [...]
Comment posted July 20, 2011 @ 11:41 am
Bachmann was right because John Stossel, Libertarian and racist extraordinaire says so? Please.
Comment posted July 20, 2011 @ 12:18 pm
The farmers who “attempted” to farm couldn’t do it because they couldn’t get the money. Is it that hard to understand? Or do the Bachmannistas just hate anything that helps out “the coloreds?”
Comment posted July 20, 2011 @ 3:39 pm
Mr. Witner, both you and Mrs. Bachmann need prayer!! I suppose you agree with her statement that “…Africans came here voluntarily to make a better life for themselves…” and her other ignorant statement, “John Quincy and our forefathers worked tirelessly to end slavery!” She has accomplished nothing in the state of MN!! She’s confused and any and everyone buying into her bullshit are sheep being lead to slaughter!!
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
