Top

Michele Bachmann

January 1, 2012 by · Comments Off on Michele Bachmann 

Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann, Desperate for a late lift in Iowa, Republican Michele Bachmann is increasingly stressing a distinction in the presidential field: She’s the only woman competing for the nomination.

The Minnesota congresswoman has made the gender card central to her closing argument. She’s urging voters to embrace the idea of a “strong woman in the White House” and is molding herself as “America’s Iron Lady” in the vein of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

It’s a play that carries as much risk as potential reward because some of the ardent religious conservatives she’s aggressively courting have traditional views about gender roles.

History is not on Bachmann’s side, either. Iowa has never elected a woman as governor or to its congressional delegation, a footnote shared only with Mississippi.

It was only a few years ago when GOP presidential nominee John McCain energized his campaign by putting Sarah Palin on the ticket, inspiring a hot pink-shirted army of voters the folksy former Alaska governor affectionately coined “mamma grizzlies.” Palin opted out of the 2012 race and so far isn’t pushing her followers in any direction.

Bachmann seldom underscored gender early in her campaign. She would sprinkle in mentions of motherhood and even shared an emotional story about how a miscarriage fortified her anti-abortion views. But she was mostly content letting voters notice the obvious difference on their own as she stood on debate stages surrounded by a bunch of men.

But as Bachmann darted around Iowa in the hectic days before Tuesday’s caucuses, she hit the woman theme hard.

“I’m an Iowa girl. And one thing I remember about Iowa is we are a state of strong women,” Bachmann told the lunch crowd at a 50s-themed burger joint in Mount Ayr. “We need a strong woman to turn this country around, right?”

Longtime residents Margaret Bickers and Mary Davenport, sitting in a booth near Bachmann, nodded in agreement.

“Women are just more passionate than the men,” Bickers told a reporter. “We need a woman who is not afraid to vocalize that passion and effect change.”

“It takes a woman to get things done,” Davenport chimed in. Both said they were inclined to caucus for Bachmann.

Bachmann dispenses warm hugs as readily as simple handshakes. She’ll sometimes run her hand along another woman’s back during conversations, extended contact her male challengers tend to avoid.

When a 90-year-old woman shared that she was a mother of 12, Bachmann crouched by her side to hear more. “What a blessing,” the candidate said.

Paul Ryan Response

January 26, 2011 by · Comments Off on Paul Ryan Response 

Paul Ryan Response, The GOP gathering Janesville Congressman Paul Ryan for replying cements its status as the opposite party.

Tonight was a special moment for those who know Paul Ryan.

Janesville Craig students walk by his picture in bars of gold every day, Paul Ryan, Class of 1988.

Principal Alison Spiegel said: “I think it says you can do what you’re about to do.”

Dedicated to the honor of the school wall for his achievements and his dedication to the community, Ryan continues to make his school proud.

Tonight he was chosen to give the response of the Republican Party State Chairman of the Union address.

Spiegel said: “Absolutely, it’s a learning opportunity for our students and do not fall into the laps of our teachers.”

One of them, a king of ball former class president and has spent much time on the student council and sports teams.

Even those that say they did not know Craig personally Paul says they have heard many stories because he is not the kind of guy you forget.

A quick buzz directory shows how much he was involved, Latin club, club history, club Letterman band.

Former Professor Sam Loizzo said: “Paul had a disk to him. He knew what he wanted in life and went after him. ”

Loizzo Ryan learned in U.S. government class and remains a friend today.

Ryan gave him this letter of thanks and a copy of a document of the Congress shortly after he was elected.

Loizzo said, “We can have a difference of opinion about issues, but it’s one of those things where you can not fault the man.”

For over 15 years Ryan has taken the time to give to current students or to come and speak to Craig or meeting with children in DC when they are visiting on trips.

(AP) – Moving quickly, House Republicans are taking another whack at the federal spending on the day after a State of the Union in which the president Barack Obama gave the country “ready for Progress and legislators signs both parties to do their job creation goal.

“The challenges we face are bigger than party, and bigger than politics,” the president said in a speech on national television at the dawn of a new era of divided government.

Republicans applauded the president politely and tempered their criticism post-speech on a night where civility reigned more than two weeks after the shooting in Tucson, Arizona that killed six, left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D- Ariz., injured and stunned lawmakers.

“I assure you, we want to work with the president to reduce federal spending,” Wisconsin Republic Paul Ryan said at times the official Republican response after Obama spoke.

But the chairman of the House Budget Committee and said that rotate rapidly in the last two years Obama had presided over a huge rise in spending on domestic programs. Democrats, then “made things worse” with a law of health care plush with taxes, penalties, fees and mandates that stifle job creation, “he said.

“We want a few simple beliefs: Endless borrowing is not a strategy, spending cuts must come first,” he said, the latest indication that the Conservatives in Congress intend to seek deeper cuts in spending and more profound changes for the benefit programs Obama or the Democrats agree.

“We are facing a crushing burden of debt, Ryan said in a speech to the committee room, where the Republicans will soon begin drafting a plan to cut spending and reduce deficits.” Debt will soon eclipse our whole economy and reach catastrophic levels in the years to come. ”

While Republican leaders sought to put Ryan on the front, their plan was complicated by the decision of the Republic Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota, a favorite tea party, for a speech of his.

Newly in charge of the House, Republicans have already made an advance payment down on their commitment to reducing costs, the vote to prepare their own office expenses and accounts committee of 5 percent. On Tuesday, hours before Obama spoke, they went on the record for the reduction of most national programs to levels in place when Obama took office, and 17 Democrats joined them.

Deeper cuts are expected in the winter turns to spring, but another change was relatively low on the agenda of the House for the day after Obama’s speech.

It would eliminate the program of matching funds from the federal government to help fund presidential campaigns, and supporters said the savings would be $ 520 million and more than a decade.

The White House opposes the bill, saying the system should be improved, not eliminated.

Majority Leader of the House Eric Cantor, said Wednesday that the GOP can work with Obama on programs to stimulate the economy and create jobs, but that significant spending cuts are needed immediately. “We need to force the budget down,” he said on CBS ‘The Early Show. ”

For his part, Obama’s speech was followed by a trip to Wisconsin to tout the recovery of the economy out of recession so far, and as he turns to his reelection campaign for the action he describes in discourse.

Obama walked down the aisle of a packed room in the house political form much stronger than we could have anticipated three months ago.

Unemployment remains at 9.4 percent but the economy is growing, and the polls instead of his approval rate of over 50 per cent higher than it has been for almost a year. A recent survey has recorded a double-digit growth in recent months among independent voters, who deserted the Democrats and Republicans swung behind last fall.

In a speech that took place over an hour, the president coupled his call for a moratorium of five years on national programs to a request to increase spending on areas such as rail and high-speed clean energy.

He said he was open to changing the legislation on health care, but Republican critics said it would not agree to their demands for repeal.

He drew applause from the GOP deficit hawks in his audience when he said he would veto legislation containing pet projects known as dedicated. But he challenged lawmakers to make public any meetings they have with lobbyists, a step he said the White House has already taken.

He said that the finances of Social Security must be improved “without slashing benefits for future generations, and without the income of Americans guaranteed retirement to the whims of the stock market.” It was a message to Ryan and other Republicans who want to allow younger workers to create private retirement accounts as an alternative to the current system of government benefits.

Republicans were unanimous on one point – that Obama’s calls to reduce the expenses were not strong enough. The leader of the Senate, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said President General had “changed the tone and rhetoric” in its first two years of his term. But, he said, “The freeze on public spending for five years to increase the levels of these last two years is really not enough. ”

Senator Jim DeMint, RS.C. who has supported many challengers argued tea party in elections last fall, was contemptuous. “When the president says:” investment “, he means more federal government and higher taxes. Americans sent a clear message to the 2010 elections. They do not want to” invest “in the plans for big spending President Obama. ”

Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a statement: “A partial freeze is insufficient at a time when we borrow 41 cents of every dollar we spend, and the administration is begging for another increase the limit of debt instead. Locking in spending spree job crushing the last two years, we strive to fulfill our promise to cut spending pre-‘stimulus, “for pre-bailout plan and to impose real spending limits. ”

And Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, who chairs the Republican Study Committee, said Obama’s proposed freeze was “nothing less than reckless driving towards a brick wall at 80 miles per hour, then placing on cruise control and calling it “the responsibility”. ”

Bachmann said that his speech was not intended to compete with the remarks of Mr. Ryan, but some Republican officials have privately expressed anger at his decision. Originally, his remarks were going to party supporters of tea, but that changed when CNN decided them live.

“Last November, you went to the polls and voted on politicians of great expense and put yourself in their place of men and women with a commitment to uphold the Constitution and reduce the size of government,” she said. “I think we’re in the beginning of a turn to make history.”

Bachmann has narrowly avoided a constitutional proportions gaffe in his speech.

Extracts published ahead of Obama calling for “a commitment to sign” a constitutional amendment to balance the federal budget.

The Constitution gives the president no role in the changes, which go directly to states for ratification after Congress approves them.

Complete his remarks, published a few hours after the extracts, dropped the reference to a signature and simply called Obama to support the amendment.

Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Bottom