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ORLANDO, Fla. — Michele Bachmann’s latest campaign rallying cry is a simple one — President Barack Obama is so unpopular that any Republican candidate can beat him in 2012, so Republicans should choose a bona fide conservative like her to challenge him.
Florida conservative activists got their share of that message this weekend, and they responded by handing Bachmann a last place finish in Saturday’s Florida GOP presidential straw poll.
The survey of Florida conservatives is the first major straw poll of the Republican field since Texas Gov. Rick Perry entered the race and Bachmann’s victory in the Iowa Straw Poll. Perry put a lot of stock in the contest, and came in second with 15.4 percent of the vote — everyone lost to pizza magnate Herman Cain, who won with 37.1 percent of the 2,657 votes cast. Bachmann came in eighth of eight, with 1.5 percent of the vote (full results can be found here).
Bachmann wasn’t actively competing in the contest, but she spoke twice and participated in a nationally televised presidential debate during this weekend’s gathering of Florida conservatives in Orlando. Activists at the event almost universally praised Bachmann for her conservative chops, but few were willing to throw their support behind the Minnesota congresswoman’s fast-fading presidential bid.
“We’ve been supporting her for a long time; we like Michele,” Floridian Bud Harter said as he waited in line to vote for Newt Gingrich in the straw poll. Harter questioned her ability to win a general election contest, mostly because he doubted the country is ready for a woman president.
The electability issue drove others to support Mitt Romney, who took third place in the straw poll despite, like Bachmann, no active participation in the event.
Jan Glassman, who splits her time between Florida and New Hampshire, said she was impressed by Romney’s experience and “even-keel” approach to the campaign trail. As for Bachmann, Glassman said she’s happy Bachmann decided to run, but she’d prefer to see someone else be the Republican standard-bearer in the 2012 race.
“I think she’s doing a great job as a congresswoman,” Glassman said.
Of course, Bachmann had supporters at the event. One of her most ardent fans was Chad Lincoln, a Broward Country committeeman who came to know Bachmann from a YouTube video of one of her House floor speeches. Since then, he’s been a big donor for the campaign.
“I think she is the best possible option for president of the United States,” Lincoln said. “She’s aces.”
One problem: Lincoln said Bachmann has no ground game in Florida. During a conference call with donors on Tuesday, Lincoln said Bachmann never referenced the Florida straw poll. Outside of her short Florida swing in August, Bachmann’s presence has been missing from the state.
Winning Florida
At this point, Bachmann is focused almost exclusively on Iowa, where the campaign first found heaps of support during the August Iowa straw poll.
“Iowa is a priority. If Perry loses Iowa, loses New Hampshire, loses South Carolina, he’s out,” Bachmann’s interim campaign manager Keith Nahigian said Thursday night. “You have to win Iowa. If you’re flying around the country doing stuff and you’re not focusing on where the train starts, you’re out.”
Florida conservatives warned not to ignore their state, which is setting itself up to be the fifth state to vote in the nominating process next February, and the first with a large number of delegates in play.
The Tea Party has emerged as a major voting bloc among Florida Republicans, Lincoln said, having driven the party to victory in recent races for governor, attorney general, CFO and agriculture commissioner. He said grassroots activists will eventually choose their candidate and work to broaden that person’s appeal beyond the base to independents and disenchanted Democrats.
“This party is going to fall behind a candidate,” he said. “There’s work to be done.”
Glassman said those grassroots efforts coupled with the kind of personal interaction New Hampshire voters have had with candidates will help best compel Florida voters toward a candidate.
“People are going to have a lot more confidence in somebody talking to them instead of the talking heads” of the media, she said.
Standing with his son handing out Mitt Romney stickers, a man who gave his name only as Eric said Florida’s demographics make it a good barometer of how a candidate will play in other areas of the state.
“Florida is so demographically, economically and geographically diverse that … if you can win in Florida, you can win across the United States,” he said.
Richard Boyman, who attended the weekend’s events with his wife and another couple, gave an indication of what’s at the front of many Republican primary voters’ minds.
“We’re not looking for perfection,” he said. “We’re looking for victory.”
Devin Henry can be reached at dhenry@minnpost.com.
The takeaway here is that Bachmann’s star has probably reached it’s zenith for this election cycle, and she won’t be the GOP candidate but you cross her at your peril.
For conservatives and other freedom loving Americans, Bachmann combines Palin’s appeal with a sincere dedication to the furtherance of the conservative movement that Palin lacks.
In short, if leftists think she’s headed to the dustbin of history, you’re in for an epic dissapointment.
So, Swift, what is that Palin appeal that Bachmann shares since it isn’t her conservatism. Is it her gender and looks or the simplicity of her thinking processes. Just wonderin’.
I like the way conservatives are always calling themselves freedom lovers, with the implication that people on the left must hate freedom, but they are always trying to restrict the freedom of others with their religion-driven amendments, support of wire taps and torture, and wars whose aim is to force other countries to behhave in ways they wish. Seems to me they love their own freedom, even if it is at the expense of the freedom of others.
This freedom-loving American thinks Rep. Bachmann would make a horrible president.
“Harter questioned her ability to win a general election contest, mostly because he doubted the country is ready for a woman president.”
Now this has been the nub of it from the beginning, imho. I do not believe a woman or a person of color can win the GOP nomination. I’ve long thought that her conservatism and qualifications were less at the heart of the matter than her gender (for the GOP).
Bachmann may be starting to realize that a party populated by people who so often put others down–gays, immigrants, low-income Americans, Muslims, atheists, etc.–cannot be expected to be open to the candidacy of a woman for President. Consider the popularity of Bachmann and Palin yet their inability to garner votes. “We like you, honey, but not for the Oval Office.”
Can’t say the Dems have done much better, frankly.
As a “leftist”, i.e. someone who does not ascribe to the furball of prejudices and half baked notions that constitute right wing ideology, I doubt I’ll ever be as disappointed in not seeing Bachmann assigned to the dustbin of history as Mr. Swift and his fellow Bachmann groupies are in seeing her moving in that general direction. Fortunately for them, this is America where right wingers never die, they just get consulting jobs on Fox news or some other sinecure with a right wing “think tank.” As Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and others of their ilk prove, there’s an insatiable market for right wing has-beens always on hand to fill dead time on Sunday mornings or Fox news all the time shaking their fingers at their audience and admonishing them with pithy cliches.
Bachmann is now trying to raise money by going after Perry on what she perceives as his stand on immigrants:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/25/michele-bachmann-rick-perry-immigration_n_979905.html
Seems to me that all Texas did was say “If you’re contributing to our economy, you’ll get the same treatment as our legal residents.”
Mr. Swift, if Michele Bachmann is more than a footnote in American politics 10 years from now, lunch is on me. (Assuming I’m still around for you to collect.)
“Florida is so demographically, economically and geographically diverse that … if you can win in Florida, you can win across the United States,” he said. – Now that’s an interesting quote. As a former Floridian, I can tell you that if it weren’t for Mississippi and Alabama, Florida would be last in almost every quality-of-life indicator there is. No, Florida has the soul and attitudes of the “old south.” All the tax-dodging Yankees be damned. Things don’t change that much down there.
@ Mr. Swift,
“conservatives and other freedom loving Americans.” Your statement implies that people that are “conservative” and “freedom loving Americans” are actually seperate entities. Considering conservatives are pretty much against any sort of legistlation that involves the freedom and enrichment for blacks, immigrants, gays (includes gay soldiers, as we just discovered) women’s health, science, teachers, the mentally ill, and the poor, I’m inclined to agree.
Oh, and by the way, Mr. Swift if, “[f]or conservatives and other freedom loving Americans, Bachmann combines Palin’s appeal with a sincere dedication to the furtherance of the conservative movement that Palin lacks,” why didn’t they vote for her in Florida? Could you be mistaken in your belief that Bachmann actually appeals to conservatives and freedom loving Americans? Or could you be mistaken that Bachmann has any appeal? Or could you be mistaken that Bachmann is sincere? Or could it be that these so-called “conservatives” that do find her appealing are duplicitous enough to not actually vote in what they believe in?
James, if Michele Bachmann is more than a footnote in American politics 10 years from now, it would give her a singularly influental political career that spans more than 30 years.
Not even many Presidents can make that distinction, but you’re on.
“Considering conservatives are pretty much against any sort of legistlation that involves the freedom and enrichment for blacks, immigrants, gays (includes gay soldiers, as we just discovered) women’s health, science, teachers, the mentally ill, and the poor, I’m inclined to agree.”
Nonsense. Conservatives understand that ALL of those people have the same constituional rights as anyone else. We don’t categorize people as members of a group for the purpose of who-gets-what, the way liberals do. The Constitution deals in individual rights, not group rights. Gay people have the same right to marry as I do. The right to marry a person of the opposite sex, for example.
And look: Palin and Bachmann are popular with conservative men because they represent the most attractive of their gender to a heterosexual male (the core of the republican party) … they look like women but they think like men.
Sixty percent of women vote for the candidate who promises to take care of them (only 40% of men do). And so it’s refreshing and encouraging to see and hear a woman who not only believes in the principles of liberty, self-reliance and minimal government, but is willing to actually lead the charge.
It’s instructive that the nanny statists reserve their most vile and personal hate for these women (and minorities) lest they succeed in attracting others in stopping the collectivist cause. Because there’s nothing more humiliating than being defeated by someone who is allegedly part of your natural constituency.
In ten years Bachmann will be caught hiding in the bushes at the inauguration of our first lesbian president.
True story.
@12
The GOP has to put a bimbo on the short list in order to keep the men interested.
Mrs. Bachmann might even get on the nominee’s VP short-list, though I don’t think she’s got the credentials to get picked. In any case, I’m sure she’ll kill at the convention.
@#12
“Palin and Bachmann are popular with conservative men because they represent the most attractive of their gender to a heterosexual male (the core of the republican party) … they look like women but they think like men.”
It’s fortunate that this not accurate for many men, or it would be the most compelling reason for lesbian relationships regardless of sexual orientation.
#12: “Gay people have the same right to marry as I do. The right to marry a person of the opposite sex, for example.”
That’s about as “freedom loving” (and meaningless) as saying “you have the same right to worship in a Christian church as I do.”
“It’s fortunate that this not accurate for many men, or it would be the most compelling reason for lesbian relationships regardless of sexual orientation”
Which explains, I suppose, why virtually all straight men love lesbians. In addition to being able to talk football with them, most of the ones I know are also politically conservative (the gay marriage thing notwithstanding).
@#17
Oddly, I’ve never met a politically conservative lesbian. But, I guess, it’s all about the circles in which you run.
You might want to check with “virtually all straight men” to see if and why they love lesbians, though. You might also want to check with lesbians, in general, on whether they are able to talk football. While you’re at it, check with “virtually all straight men” on whether loving anyone has to do with the ability to talk football or be politically conservative (if true, it might be the most compelling reason for gay male relationships regardless of sexual orientation).
You’re making some pretty broad stereotypes, there. Also, is it just me, or are you suggesting that “virtually half of all straight men” are actually gay because they 1. don’t want to talk football with anyone, and/or 2. are not politically conservative?