Michele Bachmann is a fairly unique GOP presidential candidate, in that she is obviously a woman. Other than that, she seems to want to conform to the new wave in the Republican Party. She is an ardent Tea Party supporter, perhaps the most dedicated out of the entire field. President Obama must have been thinking specifically about her when he quipped that middle Americans just "cling to their guns and religion." On that note, she seems to be the only truly evangelical Christian among the candidates.
Her Tea Party roots run deep. In high school she dated Thomas Jefferson AND John Adams. In college she was roommates with Sarah Palin. She drinks only Earl Grey. However, while claiming to really, really support the Founding Fathers, she has apparently found it necessary to add to their number when it is convenient per her "misspeaking" about to which generation John Quincy Adams belonged to. But let's get to the issues.
#1: The Economy: From her website:
"I will lead the way in cutting spending, reducing taxes and deep-sixing our 3.8 million-word Internal Revenue Code so companies can invest again. As a first order of business, I will direct the elimination of counterproductive regulations, repeal Obamacare and stop cap-and-trade in its tracks so companies can operate again. And a Bachmann Administration will create the climate of sound currency and certainty employers needed to start hiring again."
In keeping with the Tea Party NUMBER ONE MAIN GOAL, she wants to repeal Obamacare first. In addition, she supports a down-sizing regulation and creating the "climate of sound currency".
Sound currency is not a 'climate'. Speaking that way dangerously continues the philosophy that removed the gold and silver standards. To say that it is a climate implies that the government must constantly tinker with the economy, making sure everyone behaves. She includes another vaguely put point: "deep-sixing our 3.8 million-word Internal Revenue Code". That could mean almost anything.
#2: Immigration Reform: From the Orlando debate:
"The federal government has failed the American people and has failed the states. It's reprehensible that Pres. Obama has sued Arizona for trying to protect the people in Arizona. That's wrong. As president, I would do what my job would demand of me. That's to uphold the sovereignty of the United States of America. To do that, I would build a fence on America's southern border on every mile, on every yard, on every foot, on every inch of the southern border. I think that's what we have to do, not only build it, but then also have sufficient border security and enforce the laws that are on the books with the ICE agents, with our border security. And here's the other thing I would do. I would not allow taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens or for their children. That's a madness. End the madness for illegal aliens to come into the United States of America."
Apparently, she has not considered that approximately one half of our border with Mexico is along the Rio Grande. Building a fence here would be a foolish waist of funds, and it shows how little thought she has put into this issue.
In her defense, she does support upholding current immigration laws and not allowing taxpayer-funded benefits for illegals. Thus she basically supports what every other candidate except Rick Perry supports.
#3: National Security:
Her website's section on national security is mainly an attack on the current president. However, at the end of the section, she makes several claims that give us a picture of how she would run things. The point that jumps out the most is her last one, that she "will not rest until the war on terror is won." Unless she wants to go many, many years without sleep, she must come up with a more realistic, and specific solution. Does she support continuing the unpopular and expensive war in Afghanistan? Does she support expanding operations into Pakistan? Does she support increased military involvement in the Horn of Africa?
She also states that she will make sure America remains second-to-none in the military theater, while judiciously applying our forces. This is a noble goal, and she deserves to be praised for it. However, America is in a gigantic debt crisis. To do what sounds like increasing military spending is a dangerous thing thing, and not exactly something that Democrats will support.
#4: The Constitution:
No one has such a purported love for the Constitution than Bachmann. One is led to think that if the Constitution had not been written, she would just lay down and die. Which leads to a question: Does she fully understand the driving principles behind the Constitution? It is one thing to fully agree with every word in it, but yet another to know that it was, in fact, a compromise. While saying that she has a 'titanium spine', her claim to credibility is her undying support for one of history's most successful compromises.
It would be better if she spoke more about her position on the ideas from the opposing sides that built the document. Does she support a strong federal government? Or does she support strong state's rights?
In conclusion, Michele Bachmann seems to be a strong Tea Party favorite, but don't expect her to have broad appeal beyond that movement. She can't seem to come up with anything original to say, so we don't have many reasons to vote specifically for her.
