Bachmann Vows GOP Will Win Big in 2012
Michele Bachmann speaks Thursday night during a Republican Party fundraiser at the Pinehurst Country Club.
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Michele Bachmann, a Minnesota congresswoman and GOP presidential hopeful, brought supporters her own message of hope last week as she campaigned in Pinehurst.
Bachmann was in the area Thursday and Friday to help raise money for the Moore County Republican Party, as well as her own campaign.
A popular conservative, Bachmann is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, with hopes of facing President Obama in the 2012 presidential election.
On Friday morning, she held a “meet-and-greet” event at Country Club of North Carolina before heading off for a round of golf on the country club’s Dogwood Course with a few supporters.
Wearing a pink CCNC visor, she greeted supporters as she stepped onto the course. Bachmann said she could understand why so many of her fellow Minnesotans come to Moore County to retire.
“It’s a slice of heaven and paradise,” she said. “It’s absolutely beautiful. It’s beauty, but it’s also graciousness. This is really part of the best that America is — to come here and see what America has been able to build up. So, it’s fun to come here with like-minded people and to share their joy.”
Though she has recently dropped in the polls as one of the GOP front-runners, Bachmann said her campaign continues to remain strong and grow with support.
“We have so many small donors who have been contributing to our campaign, and when you put that massive number of donors together, continually contributing, that really makes for a successful effort,” Bachmann told The Pilot in an exclusive brief interview. “Every day, we’re adding more and more as far as voters are concerned, volunteers as well as donors. We’re very thrilled.”
When she announced her candidacy for president in June, Bachmann’s popularity among tea party supporters and conservatives, along with her victory in Iowa’s Ames Straw Poll in August, gave her a strong lead in the polls over other Republican candidates.
Recent national polls have shown Bachmann falling in the race behind candidates Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and emerging candidate Herman Cain, who recently won the Florida Republican straw poll.
On Thursday evening, supporters enthusiastically welcomed Bachmann during a fundraiser dinner for the Moore County Republican Party, held in the main dining room in the Member’s Club at Pinehurst Resort.
Initially, local organizers of the event said the Bachmann campaign insisted that the media be excluded. Later that evening, media were allowed to cover the fundraiser. Bachmann’s media coordinator, Alice Stewart, claimed Friday that the campaign never intended to keep the media out and that there had been some sort of mix-up.
After an introduction by Congresswoman Renee Ellmers, Bachmann said she expects big wins for the Republican Party in 2012 and urged supporters to mobilize now to secure that success in all election races.
The crowd erupted into applause when Bachmann said that the American people have already decided that Obama will be a one-term president.
“We might as well fire up the inauguration party because it’s going to be one sweet night taking the country back,” she said. “If we play this election right, if we make a decision that we aren’t going to settle in this election, we are going to run with the gusto in everything that’s within us. I have no doubt that we are going to sweep into office a wave of election.”
Bachmann blamed the Obama administration’s passage of ineffective legislation, especially the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which conservatives call “Obamacare,” for the lack of job creation and a continually weak economy.
She emphasized that Americans are looking for a president who understands how to get the country moving in the right direction again.
“When you look around North Carolina, there are people who are hurting and truly suffering in this state,” she said. “They know that Mr. Hope and Mr. Change is no Mr. Hope and Mr. Change.”
‘Core Principles’
Bob Levy, chairman of the Moore County Republican Party, said after Bachmann’s speech that even though the local party does not endorse any candidates in the primary, Bachmann is someone he can see in the Oval Office.
“She is wonderful,” he said. “I can tell you that I can imagine her as the president of the United States, and while our county party does not endorse any particular candidate for president, I would be very, very proud if she were elected president of the United States.”
He added that Bachmann’s appearance helped make the event one of the most successful for the Moore County Republican Party, and her popularity is because of her wide appeal to various voter demographics.
“I believe it speaks to her viability as a candidate with people in areas beyond the cities,” he said. “I believe that she is a person who really speaks to the workings of America, the people of America. [She came here because] Moore County is the central focus of the Republican Party in the state of North Carolina.”
Lois Mitchell, a member of the Moore County Republican Party’s Executive Committee, was quick to point out that the strong presence of local tea party supporters helped the event’s attendance.
“These are not Republicans,” she said during the dinner. “There’s a difference. We have the same core principles, and we get along with the tea party, but the success of this dinner tonight is really credited to the tea party folks.”
She said she believes that Bachmann can help bridge the apparent divide between Republicans and tea party members, as well as appeal to independents, in an election that will rely heavily on moderate voters.
“I think she is very well-received here by both the Republicans and the tea party,” Mitchell said. “She’s a strong Republican, and that’s great. And she also appeals to [the tea party]. If we’re going to win any election, we’re going to have to bring in independents and all the tea party folks.”
‘True Conservative’
Neil Godfrey said he thought Bachmann’s speech was informative and inspiring. He said he believes Bachmann is a top contender for the Republican nomination and is a “very viable candidate” because her “excellent personality and past experience speaks for itself.”
While Godfrey wouldn’t say Bachmann was his primary choice for the nomination, he did say that she was “toward the top.”
“She’s a very good candidate,” he said. “She’s very straightforward, very open.”
That straightforward approach also appeals to Pauli Curl, who called Bachmann a “true conservative.”
Curli especially appreciated Bachmann’s opposition to the federal health care reform pushed by Obama.
“I liked what she said about ‘Obamacare,’” she said. “As a baby boomer, I don’t want 16 people making decisions for me. I think that she’s got the right stuff, and I found her to be very inspirational.
“She was not about fluff. She was about substance, and her presence and speech here tonight — a lot of what she had to say was love of country. It wasn’t about her. It was about our country and what we need to do to go back to being that beacon on a hill.”
Curl cited Bachmann's experience as a tax attorney and her reputation as a “woman of substance” as the reasons she supports her, though she wouldn’t say that she has made a decision to support a single Republican candidate.
“I see her as one of the top choices, but I think that right now, it is too early in the race,” Curl said. “One thing that is very important to me is that people speak the truth, and I believe she speaks the truth. She’s not telling me what I want to hear. I believe that she’s telling me the truth. There’s no easy road ahead, and she let me know that. But she also let me know that we could do it, and that really gave me hope.”
Contact Hannah Sharpe at hannah@thepilot.com.
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Comments
robb61 1 year, 7 months ago
Michele Bachmann for President! She is a true conservative.
SWISSBYNATURE 1 year, 7 months ago
Just another Republican dreamer. No one yet that can beat Obama in 2012 inspite of ratings.
madmama 1 year, 7 months ago
...keep dreaming.
sgmartin 1 year, 7 months ago
"Like minded people". ? Mental note...time to relocate
blessherheart 1 year, 7 months ago
Well her being with "like minded people" could be the country club set.
rightfield 1 year, 7 months ago
If you need help with a realtor let me know.
justmyopinion 1 year, 7 months ago
Bye. You won't be missed.
walter68 1 year, 7 months ago
michele said it herself," a man told me this and i will not give up" ," here missy ( gives her a quarter) go by yourself a clue." well said i would have to agree!!
Nezumi 1 year, 7 months ago
SNL? That was a good skit.
Yukonjohn 1 year, 7 months ago
Michelle Bachman? Are you serious? She is pretty, in that Sarah Palin kinda way, but she will never be the Republican nominee!!
JeremyG 1 year, 7 months ago
I see the crazy train has come to Moore County. I am glad I moved.
rightfield 1 year, 7 months ago
Me too (glad you moved).
alladat1 1 year, 7 months ago
Clueless in Pinehurst - Rightfield is too far right.
justmyopinion 1 year, 7 months ago
We are too but why are you still posting?
madmama 1 year, 7 months ago
Bachmann definitely has a vision and a passion for our country! It's always great to see someone with moral values standing up for what they believe in!
walter68 1 year, 7 months ago
what??! where have you been??? watching foxs news too?? she is a joke, anyone with common sense could see this.
BigE 1 year, 7 months ago
Since Ms. Bachmann's 15 minutes of fame are almost up, I am glad to see there are not 150 silly postings here and that the limited local interest in her is reflective of the national view. Maybe there still is hope for our country.
dustyrhoades 1 year, 7 months ago
Michelle Bachmann's campaign is circling the drain. Her last fundraising letter begged for 'emergency" funds. At an event in Cedar Rapids, aides handed out leftover brochures asking for support at the straw poll, more than a month ago. Her poll numbers are plummeting.
But please, keep hanging on to your falling star as she drags you into the pit with her. It's hilarious.
Oh, and your beloved Tea Party? Polling worse than Obama:
Just 28 percent of Americans hold favorable views of the tea party, an all-time low in the 19 months that CNN/ORC pollsters have gauged Americans' feelings about the movement. At the same time, 53 percent of Americans think poorly of the tea party, an all-time high. According to CNN/ORC, the movement's popularity peaked in the spring of 2010, when 38 percent of Americans said they liked the tea party and only 36 percent said they didn't.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/dislike-of-tea-party-is-key-to-2012-vote-20110928
madmama 1 year, 7 months ago
Wow...the country's view of the tea party and obama are about the same! :/
madmama 1 year, 7 months ago
A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll put Mr Obama's overall approval rating at just 44 per cent, with only 37 per cent of those asked satisfied with his management of the economy. In a sign some voters have already written him off, 54 per cent believed that Mr Obama faced a long-term setback from which he was unlikely to recover. A Washington Post/ABC News poll put Mr Obama's disapproval rating at 53 per cent, and 77 per cent said the country was on the wrong track. A third said Mr Obama's economic policies had done more harm than good.
...I agree.
BigE 1 year, 7 months ago
You agree with what? The statistical accurracy of the poll? The approval numbers? His policies had done more harm? (And while you are at it... Which specific policies? What harm are we talking about? The lower taxes? His continued defense of America?)
Sean 1 year, 7 months ago
Rollingstone blog comparing negative poll ratings with positive poll ratings from two different sources. - Hmm. I love statistics : )
TOYTIME 1 year, 7 months ago
Dusty, I think the poll numbers for the TPs sound about right if your in the middle of vetting Republican candidates. You take out 45% of the population that's going to vote Democrat no matter what, then take out roughly half the Ford/Romney crowd and you have your number. I wouldn't look at the polls for congress as any help for BHO. I don't like the Pelosi and Reid bunch you don't like repubs, who does that leave? However the DUers as of this morning are having a fit about Obama. I was 9 years old at this point in 1979 so I remember and can compare (although limited) what was going on then vs. now. Only difference we don't have a Ronald Reagan waiting in the wings. Thoughts?
walter68 1 year, 7 months ago
i hope her golf game is as bad as she is.... prob the only reason she came here to start with... just sayin...
concerned 1 year, 7 months ago
She has never played a round of golf in her life and didn't play here Friday
walter68 1 year, 7 months ago
oh yes she did play golf while she was here! it was in the pilot
bones70 1 year, 7 months ago
Trust me when I say this: The crowd that night was a majority of 60+, Caucasian, Affluent, Arrogant, "please protect my retirement fund" folks. Didn't see one Prius(let alone a Dodge) in the parking lot. I find it remarkable, any amount of average folks would endorse a candidate such as Bachmann.
Courseaire 1 year, 7 months ago
Based on the number of Prius sold nationwide, I really don't think their votes will count for much.
Sean 1 year, 7 months ago
Over a million in the US!
Arestorer 1 year, 7 months ago
She'll still get the female vote.. :(
Sean 1 year, 7 months ago
I would wager a vast majority of her supporters are male.
justmyopinion 1 year, 7 months ago
And I would wager a vast majority of Obama's supporters are males.
AnimalLover 1 year, 7 months ago
Not this female.....
Bookman 1 year, 7 months ago
That's because most of average folks don't identify with her or her politics. She wants the votes of angry, white, Americans with money. But as she is finding out, it is not going to be enough to keep the campaign afloat. As Dusty said earlier, it is circling the drain. Besides the Republican powers that be aren't totally stupid, they know she has no electability on the national stage, so rats are deserting the ship. She might last to the first primary.
JER 1 year, 7 months ago
I think I see where this is all going. The Republican candidates have seen what Palin did with her "15 minutes". Each will fall out along the way, write a book about it and become a Fox News talking head expert. The last one standing will be their nominee (and that person may not yet be in the current batch of candidates ...there may be three or four more yet to enter the race for cash in the next few months). Bachmann is getting close to ending the spending and starting the cash raking. But I still would like to hear from all the Bachmann supporters who attended her Pinehurst fund raising events and have them tell us about their experience. Seems none of her loyal fans have much to say about it so far and it's been four days. Would have thought they would be gushing by now. Oh wait, maybe they didn't attend. Maybe they were not invited. Maybe they didn't have enough money to be considered. I'm sure Geoff Cutler was there. He has lots of friends in high places who could have gotten him in. Have not heard a peep from him either.
geoffcutler 1 year, 7 months ago
I'm in commenters anonymous. Working on the fifth step. "Don't comment if you have nothing to say, or can't say it without getting personal."
JeremyG 1 year, 7 months ago
Bachmann's campaign is imploding fast. She shall soon render herself back to irrelevance, to her own district, where gay teens are bullied and become suicidal in record numbers.
nothingspecial 1 year, 7 months ago
So happy for liberal and Democrat advice about who to vote for among the candidates of my Republican Party. We all love to snipe at times, but I'll wager Bachmann would eat for lunch all of her detractors here in a debate.
Sean 1 year, 7 months ago
To have gotten to the level she is at, one would assume she can speak clearly and with authority. And even about things she is not an expert. That doesn't have anything to do with what she believes, or whether or not she would make a good president.
Keep in mind Obama is no hack when it comes to debating, and you obviously do not agree with his policies.