Current Events and the Psychology of Politics
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Summary: After voting against legislation to keep the government running, Rep. Michele Bachmann — somewhat hypocritically, considering she has also proposed freezing military veterans’ health care funding and cutting their disability benefits — said she would introduce legislation that would prevent troops from being “used as pawns in political negotiations.” … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on April 10, 2010, Aubrey Immelman reported that U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. Kurt Kruize arrived home for the last time. Sgt. Kruize is the first St. Cloud soldier to die in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the third in Central Minnesota. Staff Sgt. Brian Hellermann of Freeport died in 2003 and Cpl. Anthony McElveen of Little Falls was killed in Iraq in 2005.


Apr 5th, 2011

Summary: Rep. Michele Bachmann leads an anti-spending “Cut Spending Now” rally outside the Capitol near where she stood in November 2009 before thousands of angry tea party activists protesting a Democrat-sponsored plan to overhaul the nation’s health care system. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on April 5, 2010, Aubrey Immelman featured an Associated Press analysis of tea party operations in almost every state and examined whether the movement could be fomenting extraconsitutional rebellion.


Oct 19th, 2010

Summary: The Center for Public Integrity reports that Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) wrote behind-the-scenes letters requesting stimulus funds from the federal government. “Porkulus” Bachmann repeatedly badmouths “the failed Pelosi trillion-dollar stimulus,” yet slinks back when she thinks no one is watching to grovel for pork. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on October 19, 2009, Aubrey Immelman reported that the father of Army Spc. Stephan Mace, killed in action near Kamdesh, Afghanistan, when several hundred Taliban fighters armed with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades attacked and nearly overran Combat Outpost Keating, said the U.S. was “fighting a war with too few people” and that the troops at Kamdesh were “sitting ducks.”


Sep 6th, 2010

Summary: Anderson Cooper featured a segment titled “Michele Bachmann Up-Close” on Monday, Sept. 6, at 10 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. CT on CNN AC360° … Summary and documentation of U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann’s extremist rhetoric, incendiary demagoguery, and political paranoia.


Aug 25th, 2010

Summary: Biographical profile of U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann by Paul Harris of the London Observer, republished here for informational purposes and annotated with sidebars. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on August 24, 2009 Aubrey Immelman provided his weekly report of U.S. military deaths in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and reported that NATO deaths in Afghanistan had hit a record high.


Aug 11th, 2010

Summary: Primary election results in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District (MN-06). … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on August 11, 2009 Aubrey Immelman provided his weekly report of U.S. military deaths in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), compiled from U.S. Department of Defense News Releases.


Jul 29th, 2010

Summary: Tea Party groups in Missouri are furious that national tea party figurehead Rep. Michele Bachmann is endorsing Rep. Roy Blunt for U.S. Senate in Missouri. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on July 29, 2009 Aubrey Immelman reported that former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), Distinguished Professor in the Practice of National Governance at Georgetown University, had been selected to deliver the Third Annual Eugene McCarthy Lecture at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn.


Jul 21st, 2010

Summary: Today’s St. Cloud Times has a letter to the editor in which the letter writer offers a broad-ranging indictment of 6th District Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.). The letter writer 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. But it’s not until the end of the letter that the writer touches on what I consider the real problem with Bachmann: her delusion-like paranoia, her shameless conspiracy-peddling, and her incessant fear-mongering. This post contains excerpts from the letter annotated with added content for background context. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on July 21, 2009 Aubrey Immelman reported that the tragedy of war came home to Minnesota with news that five service members with local connections had died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.


Jul 15th, 2010

Summary: Two years ago today, I launched my campaign against incumbent U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on July 15, 2009 Aubrey Immelman noted that one year had passed since he launched his campaign against incumbent U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District.


Jun 18th, 2010

Summary: Rep. Michele Bachmann attacked President Barack Obama’s proposal for BP to arrange a $20 billion escrow account to pay for damages from the Gulf of Mexico oil gusher and aid spill victims, calling it a “redistribution-of-wealth fund,” warning BP’s chairman not to be an Obama “chump,” and predicting $9-a-gallon gasoline. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on June 18, 2009 Aubrey Immelman reported that intelligence reports indicated that terrorist groups that have long used the Internet to spread propaganda were increasingly tapping the Web to teach Islamic extremists how to be hackers, recruiting techies capable of breaching government or other sensitive network systems for cyberwarfare, and raising money through online fraud.