Five Reasons to Take Bachmann Seriously

Five reasons to take Michele Bachmann seriously:

(1) she’s running, (2) she’ll raise lots of money, (3) she’ll stand out at the debates, (4) she could be the only female in the field, and (5) she can fill the Tea Party void. …

By Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg

First Read
June 9, 2011

In the next week, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, thanks mostly to her decision to participate in next week’s Republican primary debate, is going to be getting her first big moment in the national political spotlight. For the last two years, she’s been a caricature — a spoof on “Saturday Night Live,” a political lightning rod, and an easy target for some folks to try and use her as a way to drive independents or moderates away from the GOP. But here are five reasons to take Michele Bachmann seriously in the race for the Republican nomination:

• One, there’s clear evidence she’s running (hiring Ed Rollins, participating at the debate).
• Two, she’s going to able to raise money, lots of it (take a look at what she raised last cycle).
• Three, she will stand out at the debates.
• Four, she’s going to be the only female in the field (if Palin doesn’t run).
• Five, and most importantly, she has the ability to win over the sizeable number of Republicans who were cheering on Donald Trump (for a while) and who are listening to Herman Cain (right now). This segment of the GOP wants a candidate who will carry the Tea Party banner, who talks strongly about his/her religious faith, and who will take the fight to President Obama.

A female Huckabee who can raise money?

In this respect, Bachmann has the potential to be this cycle’s female version of Mike Huckabee — and she can do something Huck never could do: raise lots of money. An instant player in Iowa and South Carolina? Check. A key attraction at the debates? Check. Will take the fight to Obama, as well as Romney, Huntsman, and Pawlenty? Check. Of course, this doesn’t mean she will catch fire come next year. But if we’re thinking about candidates who could be the lone alternative still standing against Mitt Romney after Feb. 2012, Bachmann has to be on the list.

More at First Read from NBC News

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Related reports on this site

Left, from top to bottom: Mitt Romney, Haley Barbour, Rick Santorum. Center: A Tea Party rally in Washington. Right, from top to bottom: Michele Bachmann, Tim Pawlenty, Newt Gingrich. (Photo credit: AP via Politico)

Michele Bachmann Looking Good (Aug. 10, 2011)

Michele Bachmann Surges in Presidential Polling (July 21, 2011)

Michele Bachmann Flying High in Iowa (June 26, 2011)

Michele Bachmann for President 2012 (June 1, 2011)

Iowans Are ‘Chomping at the Bit’ for Bachmann (May 28, 2011)

Bachmann Raises the Roof in Ohio (May 23, 2011)

Michele Bachmann: Eyes on the Prez (May 16, 2011)

Time Magazine Rates Bachmann ‘Influential’ (April 23, 2011)

Native Bachmann Running in Iowa (April 12, 2011)

Michele Bachmann Running for President (March 24, 2011)

Bachmann Makes Waves in New Hampshire (March 13, 2011)

Tea Party Presidential Primary (March 3, 2011)

Michele Bachmann Eyes ‘Madam President’ (Sept. 9, 2009)

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8/2/2011 Update

Click image for larger view

Empirical analysis indicates that Michele Bachmann has a congenial competitor (“happy warrior”) personality type, with a mixed Dominant/controlling and Outgoing/congenial primary personality pattern and secondary features of the Ambitious/confident personality style.

Personal Electability Index (PEI) Scores
of 2012 Presidential Contenders

The Personal Electability Index (PEI), developed at the Unit for the Study of Personality in Politics under the direction of Aubrey Immelman, Ph.D., has accurately predicted the outcome of every presidential election since 1996 prior to Super Tuesday. Following are the rank-ordered PEI scores of selected 2012 presidential candidates.

Michele Bachmann: PEI = 29
Barack Obama: PEI = 28
Tim Pawlenty: PEI = 9
Mitt Romney: PEI = 6

Michele Bachmann: PEI = 29

Scale:   1A  1B   2   3   4   5A  5B   6   7   8   9   0 Score:   14   3    5  10  0     0    3    3  0   0   8   0

Bachmann: [Extraversion (scale 3) = 10] + [Narcissism (scale 2) = 5] + [Dominance (scale 1A) = 14] – [Introversion (scale 8) = 0] – [Conscientiousness (scale 6) = (3 – 3)] = 29

Barack Obama: PEI = 28

Scale:   1A  1B   2   3   4   5A  5B   6   7   8   9   0 Score:   10   6   11  9   7     1    2     5   4    1   0   4

Obama: [Extraversion (scale 3) = 9] + [Narcissism (scale 2) = 11] + [Dominance (scale 1) = 10] – [Introversion (scale 8) = 1] – [Conscientiousness (scale 6) = (5 – 4)] = 28

Tim Pawlenty: PEI = 9

Scale:   1A  1B   2   3   4   5A  5B   6   7   8   9   0 Score:    5    3    6   6  10    2    1   12  0   0   4   4

Pawlenty: [Extraversion (scale 3) = 6] + [Narcissism (scale 2) = 6] + [Dominance (scale 1A) = 5] – [Introversion (scale 8) = 0] – [Conscientiousness (scale 6) = (12 – 4)] = 9

Mitt Romney: PEI = 6

Scale:   1A  1B   2   3   4   5A  5B   6   7   8   9   0 Score:    7    4    5   2   4    0     3   12  1   0   4    4

Romney: [Extraversion (scale 3) = 2] + [Narcissism (scale 2) = 5] + [Dominance (scale 1) = 7] – [Introversion (scale 8) = 0] – [Conscientiousness (scale 6) = (12 – 4)] = 6

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: One Year Ago — June 11, 2010

Bachmann Between the Lines

Rep. Michele Bachmann at a “tea party” rally on tax day.
(Photo credit: Bill O’Leary / The Washington Post)

One year ago today, I excerpted and annotated a mildly critical, though occasionally admiring, Washington Post profile of U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: Two Years Ago — June 11, 2009

Psychological Profile of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Two years ago today, on June 11, 2009, I featured my psychological evaluation of Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, with personality profile and threat assessment, conducted at the Unit for the Study of Personality in Politics.