Michele Bachmann's closing speech last night sounded to me like something you'd have heard from that poor woman on the street corner who everyone avoids making eye contact with. Perhaps the most disconcerting thing was that once her speech was done, the broadcast switched back to pundits who didn't seem the least perturbed by her tone or message.
Here, in its entirety (I don't know what a person would excerpt) is a piece from National Journal. What is missing is the strident, nearly hysterical tone of it. You judge whether these are the words of a woman who inspires confidence or just confusion.
In a speech before the doors closed at the Iowa caucuses, Rep. Michele Bachmann insisted on Tuesday night she won't allow President Obama to "implement socialism" in the United States.
Here's an excerpt from Bachmann's speech at Cedar Falls at the University of Northern Iowa, standing alongside her mother:
"Iowans are rejoicing tonight because of that opportunity to reclaim our republic. We will do that. Standing with me is the woman who gave me life right here in Black Hawk county 55 years ago, and as I think of her, and as I think of the sacrifices that she laid down and made in my own life, I think to myself that we don't stand here alone.
"We are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses of generations who have gone on before. Going back to the time of William Penn who came to this country to bring the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, to the time of the pilgrims who came here also to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, who stated that they willingly laid down their lives-- literally as stepping stones-- so that the next generation would prosper and know religious liberty.
"Generation after generation has sacrificed for us, including our military, including our veterans. My father signed up to serve honorably in the United States Air Force here in Black Hawk county. It is for them, it is for their memory that we are here tonight because we are here to reclaim the greatness of this country.
"We are unwilling to allow Barack Obama to implement socialism in the United States of America. That will happen on our watch! We won't let it."
Michele Bachmann was forced to end her campaign today. At moments like this, I'm inclined to believe that American democracy can be trusted.
Her speech makes perfect sense to the Religious Right. It seems like if you throw in "Jesus" and a reminder of the hard work of the ancestors (in other words, those socialists are not only robbing from you but from you entire lineage) that is enough to satisfy. It seems strange that she's not held more accountable and it also seems like the wackier a person is the less they know how to deal with them so they are treated gingerly when they should be decimated for some of the crappy speeches and stunts that they pull.
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