Today’s St. Cloud Times has a letter to the editor by Ray Rowland of St. Joseph, in which the writer offers a broad-ranging indictment of 6th District Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.). Rowland characterizes Bachmann as self-centered, unresponsive to the needs of her district, meager in her legislative accomplishments, and shirking the hard work of effective governance. It’s not until the end of the letter that Rowland touches on what I consider the real problem with Bachmann: her delusion-like paranoia, her shameless conspiracy-peddling, and her incessant fear-mongering; in short, as a figure of speech, Bachmann could more aptly be dubbed crazy rather than lazy. Following are excerpts from the letter annotated with added content for background context.

“In eight months, [Bachmann] was in 11 states other than Minnesota for political appearances.”

Where in the World is Michele Bachmann?

Michele Bachmann Found in Ohio (March 1, 2010)

“[Bachmann] bypasses the hard work of governing, calling attention to herself as a populist [actually, demagogue] spokeswoman of the ideological fringe.”

Bachmann on the Media Circuit (March 9, 2009)

Bachmann sounds the socialism alarm.
(Photo credit: CNN / Getty Images)

“[Bachmann] falsely claiming that the [health care] bill would allow ‘sex clinics’ to arrange abortions for teenagers.”

Bachmann ‘School Sex Clinics’ (Oct. 2, 2009)

From the C-SPAN transcript of Bachmann’s remarks:

Now the Federal Government is going the final step, and they’re saying, Let’s put sex clinics in our schools.

Can you believe this, Mr. Speaker? Let’s put sex clinics in our schools, and let’s put Planned Parenthood in charge of these sex clinics. … They would go into effect next summer so that these clinics would appear in public schools next fall [2010] …

Mr. Speaker, I am almost without words to think that we have come to the time when the Democrats … want the taxpayers, if they haven’t been beleaguered enough, to pay for sex clinics all across the United States. …

And now we’re going to have the sex clinics in the schools and they’re essentially going to take over the health care services of our kids?

“[Bachmann] recommends that people give only cursory information to census takers, encouraging those who think census information can be used to oppress citizens and take away their rights.”

Census: Bachmann ‘Pants on Fire’
(July 1, 2009)

Bachmann’s Census Paranoia
(June 27, 2009)

“Bachmann says President Obama might have ‘anti-American views’ …”

Bachmann’s ‘Anti-American’ Rant (Oct. 18, 2009)

“Bachmann says President Obama … practices ‘economic Marxism’ …”

From Talking Points Memo: The Year of Michele Bachmann:

Bachmann’s specialty has been the open use of revolutionary rhetoric … on a whole range of issues. “I’m a foreign correspondent on enemy lines and I try to let everyone back here in Minnesota know exactly the nefarious activities that are taking place in Washington,” she said in March. She also said she wanted her constituents “armed and dangerous” against the cap-and-trade bill, and added: “Thomas Jefferson told us, having a revolution every now and then is a good thing. And the people — we the people — are going to have to fight back hard if we’re not going to lose our country.”

Newscom/ZumaWire

Bachmann then stepped up the rhetoric, going on Sean Hannity’s radio show and accusing President Obama of “economic Marxism.” She called for drastic action: “At this point the American people — it’s like Thomas Jefferson said, a revolution every now and then is a good thing. We are at the point, Sean, of revolution.” …

“Bachmann says President Obama … wants to ‘annihilate’ conservatives and heads an administration that is a ‘gangster government’ …”

“She has spent about a quarter of a million tax dollars for self-promoting mailings.”

Bachmann Big Spender (June 20, 2009)

Rep. Michele Bachmann spent more than $100,000 on printing and franked mail in the first quarter of 2009. (Photo credit: John Shinkle /Politico)

“Bachmann is a favorite of the extreme conservative wing of the Republican party because of her paranoid and conspiratorial rhetoric, promulgating reckless fear-mongering.”

Bachmann Brainwashing Paranoia (April 8, 2009)

MN-06 Endorses Conspiracy Nut (March 22, 2010)

False Witness! The Michele Bachmann Story

Bachmann Conspiracy Nation (Feb. 20, 2010)

Town Hall Face. (Photo credits: Landov, AP, Getty Images / Newsweek)

‘Bizarre’ Bachmann ‘No Friend’ (Feb. 18, 2010)

Michele Bachmann is the modern face of an emerging brand of American protofascism being spawned by the “perfect storm” of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and the election of America’s first African-American president.

———

FULL TEXT OF LETTER

Bachmann Works for Herself, Not 6th District

By Ray Rowland, St. Joseph
Letter to the Editor
St. Cloud Times
July 21, 2010

Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District should be represented by someone who responds to the needs of the district. That isn’t happening.

Rep. Michele Bachmann won’t seek federal funds for district projects. She is on only one committee and hasn’t gotten any substantive bill passed to address the concerns of her constituents.

She has missed numerous votes in the House, attending a $1,000-per-plate dinner for her campaign on a day when 10 votes were taken. In eight months, she was in 11 states other than Minnesota for political appearances.

Instead of working her way up the ranks of the House, proving herself worthy of leadership positions, she bypasses the hard work of governing, calling attention to herself as a populist spokeswoman of the ideological fringe.

Bachmann says the government should “wean” people off Social Security and Medicare. She opposed health care reform, falsely claiming that the bill would allow “sex clinics” to arrange abortions for teenagers. When the bill passed, she immediately introduced a bill to repeal it.

She recommends that people give only cursory information to census takers, encouraging those who think census information can be used to oppress citizens and take away their rights.

Bachmann says President Obama might have “anti-American views,” practices “economic Marxism,” wants to “annihilate” conservatives and heads an administration that is a “gangster government.” She has spent about a quarter of a million tax dollars for self-promoting mailings.

Bachmann is a favorite of the extreme conservative wing of the Republican party because of her paranoid and conspiratorial rhetoric, promulgating reckless fear-mongering.

Our district needs better representation in Congress. Voters can make that happen in November.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: One Year Ago — July 21, 2009

War Comes Home to Minnesota

Spc. Dan Drevnick

Spc. James Wertish

Spc. Carlos Wilcox

One-year retrospective: One year ago today, I reported that the tragedy of war came home to Minnesota with news that five service members with connections to the state had died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On July 16, Spc. Daniel Drevnick of Woodbury, Spc. James Wertish of Olivia, and Spc. Carlos Wilcox of Cottage Grove were killed in a rocket attack on their base in Basra, Iraq.

All three soldiers served with the Minnesota Army National Guard’s 34th Infantry Division Red Bulls.

On July 17, Air Force Capt. Thomas Gramith of Eagan was killed when his F-15E fighter jet crashed in Afghanistan.

Capt. Gramith served with the 336th Fighter Squadron out of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.

On July 18, Cpl. Benjamin Kopp of Rosemount died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center of wounds sustained July 10 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit with small-arms fire.

Cpl. Kopp served with the 75th Ranger Regiment in Fort Benning, Georgia.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Two Years Ago — July 21, 2008

On the Campaign Trail: Day Seven

Two-year retrospective: Two years ago today, on the seventh day of my 2008 campaign against incumbent U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, I worked on my position statement on national security and studied a local controversy regarding illegal immigration.