What about Bachmann coverage?

OK, I'll admit to not caring a whole lot about the politics of Rep. Michele Bachmann -- don't really care that she was elected to Congress and have better things to do than pay close attention to her career.

That leaves me relatively close to the mainstream of Minnesota media consumers, I'm guessing: fairly nonpartisan and unconcerned about her.

From that perspective, I can't explain why the Twin Cities media is so fascinated by her and ready to rip her apart. Sure, she glommed onto the president on State of the Union night, and she apparently said something stupid about Middle East politics in an interview with a St. Cloud reporter (who didn't even know she said something particularly stupid). But does Bachmann really deserve the buffoon's treatment she consistently gets in the Twin Cities media, including the ridiculous pic of her in the Star Tribune Saturday? (The pic above isn't it...couldn't find the photo on the Strib Web site.)

Maybe she does -- but to the typical reader, it looks politically inspired and unfair.

Comments

[Sean]

Why do you think Bachmann wants to control your life, Abe?

[Jim Rongstad]

Abe Froman:

"I am bothered by her because she knows what's right for me...wants to tell me how to live, but would be livid if I told her how to live."

Unfortunately that description applies to most members of Congress.

[William Prendergast's Mom]

An entire blog devoted to "Dump Bachmann"?! How about a blog called "Get Full Employment... and a Life"?

[AbeFroman]

Congresswoman Bachman has relevance to our city because she is has a vote in Congress...and while she does not represent our district, she certainly shouldn't be ignored.

I am bothered by her because she knows what's right for me...wants to tell me how to live, but would be livid if I told her how to live.

Oh, and having read and heard many of her speeches...she is nothing but another bottom of the barrel candidate. Even if you consider her the lesser of two evils...we end up with an evil.

Yay...we win again. More mediocrity!

[taxpayer]

She's not the rep for our district so who cares?

[Ryan]

Heh.

Furst Draft has attracted the Dump Bachmann crowd.

There goes the neighborhood.

[Prendergast's Mom]

The Dump Bachmann bunch are based in Roswell, NM, or is it Mars?

These people need employment, or a healthy hobby, far away from their body-fluid encrusted keyboards.

[Jay Furst]

Thanks for the comments -- my point remains out there (and pretty much is confirmed by the item from Politco posted on the anti-Bachmann site): a couple of miscues, one of them meaningless (the State of the Union thing), hardly justify the demonizing she TENDS to get in the Twin Cities media, and which would strike middle-of-the-road media watchers as over-the-top.

[Avidor]

Are you related to Star Tribune reporter Randy Furst?

[Eva Young]

That's very true. In fact, the City Pages was the only news media that did the real story on Michele Bachmann. Unfortunately they don't have the proper reach in the 6th District.

Stillwater area papers also have been covering her well.

[William Prendergast]

Two more points:

1) I will not defend a newspaper's choice of photo.

2) Reporting what Bachmann said about "an existing agreement with Iran to create a new terrorist state within a partitioned Iraq" was not an instance of "political press bias" against Bachmann

The so-called "Bachmannistan" story was national news--Associated Press accounts of Bachmann's allegation and subsequent denial ran in papers coast to coast. Local media, no matter what their view of Bachmann, had to comment on a story about a MN legislator that had already become a national news item. Here is the list of news outlets that published a *single* AP story on the affair because they found it newsworthy:

West Central Tribune, MN - Mar 1, 2007

WKBT, WI - Mar 1, 2007

WCCO, MN - Mar 1, 2007

KSTP.com, MN - Mar 1, 2007

St. Cloud Times, MN - Mar 1, 2007

San Luis Obispo Tribune, CA - Mar 1, 2007

The State, SC - Mar 1, 2007

Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN - Mar 1, 2007

Kentucky.com, KY - Mar 1, 2007

Biloxi Sun Herald, MS - Mar 1, 2007

Contra Costa Times, CA - Mar 1, 2007

Bradenton Herald, FL - Mar 1, 2007

Macon Telegraph, GA - Mar 1, 2007

Belleville News-Democrat, IL - Mar 1, 2007

Kansas City Star, MO - Mar 1, 2007

West Central Tribune, MN - Mar 1, 2007

Fort Worth Star Telegram, TX - Mar 1, 2007

Monterey County Herald, CA - Mar 1, 2007

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, GA - Mar 1, 2007

Examiner.com - Mar 1, 2007

Myrtle Beach Sun News, SC - Mar 1, 2007

And, of course:
Pioneer Press, MN - Mar 1, 2007

Minneapolis Star Tribune (subscription), MN - Mar 1, 2007

[William Prendergast]

Mr. Furst:

I write for a blog called Dump Bachmann; very definitely not a Bachmann fan.

You say you don't understand why Rep. Bachmann is receiving the kind of coverage she is getting this week.

Prior to last year's election, the very same papers that printed the "Bachmannistan" story were her best friend. They spiked dozens of Bachmann quotes that indicated that she was a bigot, a liar, and some kind of a conspiracy nut.

Now that she is in Congress, the least they can do for the voters is to begin to report these kind of statements, as she makes them.

If you doubt what I say or if you want to acquaint yourself with the politician you are defending, go to the website
www.thebachmannrecord.com and click on the link entitled "Bachmann Quotations." There you will find quotations from Bachmann herself, with dates and sources, drawn from audio, video, and documents by Bachmann herself.

This information has been available to the press for some time, but for whatever reason they chose not to acquaint their readers with Bachmann's peculiar "worldview" prior to her election. She is not being victimized by the local press--as a matter of fact, they helped to get her into office, by failing to report what she's said and done.