NOTE THE DATE…. Today, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) hopes to lead a small army of right-wing activists around Capitol Hill, in the hopes of derailing health care reform. But let’s not lose sight of the context here — Bachmann has already referred to anti-reform activists as “insurgents” and “freedom fighters.” Last night, she went a little further, encouraging conservatives to try to “scare” federal lawmakers.
In a conference call Wednesday night with bloggers and activists for the advocacy group Americans for Prosperity, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) called on protesters to “scare” members of Congress into killing the proposed health care reform bill.
If the protesters succeed in scaring lawmakers, Bachmann said that it could cripple efforts to restructure health care for a decade.
“Nothing scares members of Congress more than freedom-loving Americans,” Bachmann said.
Referring to herself in third person, Bachmann added, “It is not Michele Bachmann’s fault” if the activists are angry tomorrow — “it is Speaker Pelosi’s.”
And when has Bachmann scheduled her Capitol Hill soiree? This afternoon — November 5 — a date widely known as Guy Fawkes Night. (You know, “Remember, remember, the fifth of November.”) In other words, Bachmann wants to rally right-wing activists, label them an “insurgency,” and encourage them to roam the halls of Congress deliberately “scaring” members of Congress, on the infamous date that marks an attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament.
From a security perspective, if Capitol Police aren’t operating at a heightened state today, they’re making a mistake.
From a political perspective, I wonder if Republican Party leaders are glad to see a right-wing, deranged lawmaker lead an angry far-right mob through the Capitol. Nothing says “American mainstream” like Bachmann and a confused horde shipped to D.C. by corporate lobbyists.
Postscript: On a related note, the day before the biggest day of the year for Bachmann, the deranged lawmaker’s chief of staff suddenly and unexpectedly quit. Bachmann refused to comment on the resignation. That’s odd.
