Bachmann's Questionable Record

Worth Clicking: Blasts from the past wound Romney

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May 16, 2011

Bachmann's Questionable Record

While Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has emerged as a darling of the Tea Party and conservative wing of the Republican party, she has largely avoided the kind of close scrutiny of her record that is a hallmark of a presidential campaign. Even before she officially launches her bid, Matt Lewis observes that "the Tea Party rhetoric doesn't always match the record... Bachmann would likely find herself defending a slew of questionable votes and decisions, including on earmarks, pardons and farm subsidies."

"The federalist argument is also severely undercut by the fact that since joining the U.S. Congress in 2007, Bachmann has appropriated more than $3.7 million in earmarks. What is more, when Republicans sought an earmark moratorium, Bachmann pushed to exclude transportation projects from the ban. Bachmann may also be plagued by her involvement in a controversial pardon. In 2007, Bachmann wrote a letter requesting a presidential pardon for a convicted drug-smuggler and money-launderer named Frank Vennes... Making matters worse, he and his wife donated a total of $27,600 to Bachmann's 2006 and 2008 election."

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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May 16, 2011