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Jan 27th, 2011


Chris Matthews: Michele Bachmann a ‘Balloon Head’

Bachmann thinks Founding Fathers worked ‘tirelessly to end slavery’

Video

How should Obama treat the Tea Party? (MSNBC “Hardball,” Jan. 25, 2011) — Tea Party Express co-founder Sal Russo and Salon.com’s Joan Walsh explain whether the Tea Party and President Barack Obama can find a way to reconcile their beliefs on various issues affecting the government. (09:14)

The Huffington Post
January 25, 2011

On Tuesday’s “Hardball,” Chris Matthews was so incredulous about Michele Bachmann’s interpretation of American history that he called her a “balloon head,” and he could hardly keep himself from yelling at a co-founder of the Tea Party group that selected the Republican to give a response to President Obama’s State of the Union address.

Matthews was speaking to Tea Party Express co-founder Sal Russo. He played the same tape which had also gotten Anderson Cooper riled up, where Bachmann lauds the Founding Fathers for working “tirelessly to end slavery.”

“I don’t know what to make of that, Sal,” Matthews said. “That’s balloon head. That’s not what our history was founded on. We founded on a Constitution which … treated slaves as three-fifths of a person. It went all the way to the Civil War.”

Matthews derided Russo and his group for making Bachmann their spokesperson.

“Why do you put someone like this forward who is a balloon head?” he said. “Who knows no American history? It’s a ridiculous decision you guys have made. Do you know how little this woman knows about our history?”

Russo started to respond, but Matthews interrupted him. “Did you just hear that stuff?” he said. “Did you just hear? You want me to play it again? We can rub it in, Sal. It’s horrendous.”

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1/28/2011 Update

Chris Matthews: Bachmann Displays ‘Profound Ignorance’

Video

Bachmann: The actual face of the Tea Party? (MSNBC “Hardball,” Jan. 26, 2011) — Tea Party coordinator Phillip Dennis and Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post join Hardball’s Chris Matthews to discuss the lawmaker’s response to the State of the Union and recent remark that the Founding Fathers “worked tirelessly” to get rid of slavery. (10:18)

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Related video

Keeping Them Honest: Bachmann Flubs History?
(Anderson Cooper 360°, Jan. 25, 2011)

Responding to the State of the Union

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: One Year Ago — January 27, 2010

The State of the Union …

Video

NBC poll: ‘Too much partisan fighting’ (NBC Nightly News, Jan. 26, 2010) — President Obama faces a skeptical audience on Wednesday’s State of the Union, with 58 percent of Americans believing the country is on the wrong track, according to a recent NBC/WSJ poll. NBC’s Chuck Todd reports. (03:16)

One year ago today, I reported that Americans were becoming increasingly fed up with Congress, the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, and the federal government.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: Two Years Ago — January 27, 2009

Pakistanis Protest U.S. Airstrikes

Image: Pakistani Islamist party Jamat-e-Islami protests
Supporters of the Pakistani Islamist party Jamat-e-Islami protest U.S. drone attacks in Karachi on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009. (Photo credit: Athar Hussain / Reuters)

Two years ago today, on Jan. 27, 2009, I reported that the new Obama administration had a clear message for Pakistan: No change in U.S. policy when it comes to going after al-Qaida and Taliban targets in Pakistan’s lawless border areas.





3 Responses to “‘Balloonhead’ Bachmann”
  1. Immelman for Congress » Blog Archive » Michele Bachmann Up-Close Says:

    […] » ‘Balloonhead’ Bachmann (Jan. 27, 2011) […]

  2. Immelman for Congress » Blog Archive » What Embarrassed a Bachmann Constituent Says:

    […] Michele Bachmann credited our nation’s founders for battling “tirelessly until slavery was no more.” Eight of the first ten presidents owned slaves, and it took nearly 90 years, the last five the bloodiest in history, to end that institution. […]

  3. Immelman vs. Bachmann » Blog Archive » Michele Bachmann’s ‘Unproven Allegations’ and ‘Twisted Facts’ Says:

    […] ‘Balloonhead’ Bachmann (Jan. 27, 2011) […]

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