Minnesota 6th Congressional District Rep. Michele Bachmann has responded to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s (DCCC) new “Bachmann Watch” site with a fundraising appeal.

The fundraising letter is not currently available on Bachmann’s campaign website; however, the full text is available on the Dump Bachmann blog, from which I’ve excerpted below.

Michele Bachmann’s Fundraising Letter

April 27, 2009
Special Edition: Bachmann Blast

[…]

Dear Friend:

It’s called www.bachmannwatch.com.

It’s the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee’s (DCCC) latest attempt to discredit every word out of my mouth and to paint anyone who disagrees with the liberal agenda sweeping through Washington as an extremist.

If you get a chance, check it out. It’s incredible how fast and loose they are willing to play with the truth. We thought we saw the height of their spin machine last October, but, really, it looks like this is just the beginning.

[…]

Now, it may just be a coincidence that my opponent from the 2008 election just made $250,000 in contributions to the DCCC — who knows? But, a quarter of a million will buy a lot more than one negative, mud-slinging, misinformed website. I need to be prepared for this being just the first hit of many.

Can you help me fight back?

[…]

Can you make a contribution to help me keep fighting for you?

I WANT TO HELP, MICHELE!

Can you share this email with five of your friends and ask them to help me too?

The Democrats are gunning for me because I refuse to shrink from a fight. With your help, I can keep fighting for your freedom, for your pocketbook, and for all that the Constitution has secured for the American people for generations.

Thank you for your generous support and your prayers.

Sincerely,

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann

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Link to my reporting on the DCCC’s “Bachmann Watch” site:

Bachmann Watch (April 25, 2009)

Link to Rep. Bachmann’s previous “Bachmann Blast” fundraising letter:

The Bachmann Blast: The DCCC is After Me Again (Feb. 23, 2009)

And here’s a link to my report on that fundraising appeal:

Bachmann: “DCCC is After Me (Feb. 26, 2009)

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How to Defeat Michele Bachmann

The DCCC’s attempt to defeat Michele Bachmann in the 2010 general election is all but an exercise in futility. In the past half a century, approximately 90 percent of incumbents have won reelection, and in the past decade the trend has been upward, in the region of 96-97 percent.

Moreover, Rep. Bachmann is a second-term incumbent, which will make her all the harder to defeat, especially in an off-year election in the first term of the Obama presidency; traditionally, the party that controls the White House loses seats in Congress in the first election cycle after the presidential election, which favors Bachmann.

But fortunately for voters in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District — the majority of whom oppose Bachmann – Minnesota has something most other states don’t: open primaries.

Minnesota does not have registered Democrats or Republicans, only registered voters. That means any eligible voter can vote against Bachmann in the Sept. 14, 2010 Republican primary to defeat her — a task that can be collectively accomplished by as few as 20,000 of the more than 400,000 registered 6th District voters.

So, the strategy to defeat Bachmann — and the only route to success — is straigtforward and clear: moderate Republicans, independents, and Democrats must join in a broad-based, cross-partisan coalition to defeat Bachmann in the Sept. 14, 2010 Republican primary.

Last year I conducted a pilot study of my strategy by filing as a Republican challenger against Bachmann. Here are the results of the 2008 Minnesota state primary:

Michele Bachmann (R) 19,127
Aubrey Immelman (R) 3,134
Elwyn Tinklenberg (D) 17,474
Bob Anderson (I) 828

Anti-Bachmann voters handily defeated Bachmann — or at least, they could have (by 21,436 to 19,127 votes), had those votes been cast in the Republican column against Bachmann instead of in the DFL and Independence Party columns.

The irony is that neither Tinklenberg nor Anderson had a primary opponent. If Tinklenberg voters had voted against Bachmann instead of for Tinklenberg, Bachmann would have been defeated last September.

It’s time for Rep. Bachmann’s unwilling constituents to shake of the partisan shackles of party-political identification and unite as reasonable, forward-looking Minnesotans — not Democrats, Republicans, or independents.

Too bad we lost an opportunity in 2008.

Don’t let it slip away from us again 2010.

Please send a strong message to Rep. Bachmann that enough is enough by contributing where it can make a difference, or volunteer to help at http://www.immelman.us/volunteer/

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Related report

Minnesota’s Bachmann seeks help: ‘I’m no extremist’

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5/5/2009 Update

Keep Your Donations Local!

In yet another response to Rep. Michele Bachmann’s latest fundraising letter, Dump Bachmann has cross-posted an appeal from the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Sixth Congressional District party unit:

Sixth Congressional District of Minnesota

Dear Friends,

Help defeat Michele Bachmann. In 2008 we came close to defeating Bachmann but money came in to late to to spend effectively. Right now we’re building the organization to defeat Bachmann but we need your help now. Your donation to the Minnesota 6th Congressional District will be spent on directly supporting our endorsed candidates and building the infrastructure to defeat Bachmann.

Additionally, if you live in Minnesota did you know that your contribution up to $50 to the 6th Congressional District is free?!

Click here to learn about the Minnesota Political Refund.

Donate here to defeat Bachmann.

Become a Congressional District 6 Sustainer. Donate $25 per month and guarantee we have the resources to keep up the pressure.

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Of course, in our opinion, a better option would be to contribute to Immelman for Congress to help make sure that Bachmann doesn’t even get through the gate on Primary Election Day, Sept. 14, 2010.

Click on the ‘Donate’ button to kick Bachmann off the Nov. 2010 general election ballot.