Heilemann: Bachmann Migraine Story 'Hit Piece' By GOP Rival—Not MSM Conspiracy
The story about Michele Bachmann's migraines was not the product of a "liberal media conspiracy." Instead, it was a "calculated hit piece" by one of Bachmann's rivals for the Republican presidential nomination.
That's the view emphatically propounded by John Heilemann on Morning Joe today. As evidence, the New York magazine editor and Game Change co-author noted that the story first appeared in the conservative Daily Caller. According to Heilemann, the story was the result of a "calculated leak of opposition research" by a Republican campaign.
Meanwhile, sisterhood was powerful for Mika Brzezinski. The MJ co-host sneered at the migraine story, chalking it up to "sexism" and saying Tim Pawlenty and others seeking to exploit it "should be ashamed of themselves."
View video after the jump.
Watch Mika's outraged reaction to the story, and Heilemann's adamant analysis. And consider that even if the MSM didn't originate the story, liberal outlets like the New York Times have gleefully sought to exploit it to Bachmann's detriment.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Coming up, Michele Bachmann offers up a doctor's note--this is ridiculous sexism at its worst.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Was it sexism?
BRZEZINSKI: Completely, completely! She shouldn't have had to say anything, and whatever idiots brought this up or capitalized on it like Pawlentyshould be ashamed of themselves.
----
JOHN HEILEMANN: This is a very simple story. The initial story appeared in the Daily Caller, which is a conservative website. This was a calculated hit piece by one of Michele Bachmann's rivals in the Republican field. I don't know which one, but there is no question but that is what happened. This was a calculated leak of opposition research to The Daily Caller. This is not a liberal media conspiracy.
SCARBOROUGH: It's Tucker Carlson [head of Daily Caller].
HEILEMANN: They took a shot at her. The Republican establishment is terrified about Michele Bachmann's strength as it continues to grow, and particular candidates stand to--she can derail various candidates' chances to ever get the nomination. I'm not accusing Tim Pawlenty's people of doing this at all, but the fact that Tim Pawlenty jumped on it in the way that he did yesterday, at a minimum points out exactly what the stakes are here. I mean, Michele Bachmann is the woman who could stop--if she beats Pawlenty badly enough in the Iowa straw poll next month, his candidacy could be over.
SCARBOROUGH: Guess what? She could stop Mitt Romney by embarrassing him in Iowa and South Carolina.
BRZEZINSKI: She's already embarrassing them all, and now they're embarrassing themselves.
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Comments
OK
Submitted by BobAnthony on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 8:04am.
That I am willing to believe. If it comes from Tim Pawlenty it wouldn't shock me. Nor should this shock any of you T-Paw fans out there...HE'S A FAN OF ILLUMINATI "MUSICIAN" LADY GAGA!
I HAVE HAD PAWLENTY ENOUGH OF THAT LAND OF THE 10,000 LAKES LOSER!
The reason the media is corrupt? Two words...OPERATION MOCKINGBIRD!
MOCKINGBIRD - The Subversion Of The Free Press By The CIA
Probably Romney.
Submitted by Satchmo on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 8:30am.
Probably Romney.
Probably Paul
Submitted by Boudin on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 8:55am.
See, we can guess with our head up our a$$ also
I had already thought
Submitted by Free Stinker on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 9:49am.
I had already thought Pawlenty was a RINO (h/t - Candance Moore), but anyone nicknamed "T-Paw" won't be getting my vote.
/// Sarah Palin Fan since July 11, 2007 /// خال
Worse. He's a RINO and a
Submitted by Satchmo on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 10:22am.
Worse. He's a RINO and a neocon.
And Satchmo is a troll.
Submitted by The Vet on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 10:50am.
You are a k00k and a troll. You --
You got 1 out of 19 correct
Submitted by Satchmo on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 12:05pm.
You got 1 out of 19 correct (the one regarding Lincoln). You showed a little improvement last time, but you're slipping. The irony continues to be thick, coming from one who calls people a liar yet deliberately misstates and misrepresents the views of others in order to satisfy his constrained (and warped) view.
Yeah, you go little troll.
Submitted by The Vet on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 12:47pm.
Tell us all what is the truth on any one you are claiming is a lie. Then I will pull the actual quote. You do that little sissy. Guaranteed, right here, right now. You will not point out any single one and say I misread what you wrote. And why is that little mollycoddle sissy? Because you know you will get smacked right upside the head with the truth.
So you go on and call me a liar Sissy. It is all you are good at. Telling the truth... Yeah, not so much.
Come on sissy. Which one did I get wrong and what is the truth in what you said.
Go for it sissy.
Tell the truth on any single one you claim I got wrong.
Do it sissy.
I friggin' dare you.
Tell the entire world what I got wrong and what is the truth.
I dare you sissy.
Told you.
Submitted by The Vet on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 9:21pm.
Me at 12:47 today: Guaranteed, right here, right now. You will not point out any single one and say I misread what you wrote
The sissy is big on walking around calling others liar. Actually telling the truth..... Yeah, not so much...
Still waiting sissy.
So why did Brian Williams pick up this trashy story?
Submitted by FVF on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 8:10am.
FROM THE DESK OF F. VENGENCE FLOOK:
I watched Brian Williams again (7/18). I refuse to call what he does “news.” Why did he need to go after Michele Bachmann with this silly story regarding the migraines that will keep her from being president. Why try to hide the disgust you have for Rep. Bachmann, Brian? Why don’t you just say it the way you normally would when you are off the air, “When, Rep. Bachmann, did you stop hiring four swarthy guys to tie up your husband so you could force him to watch you have sex with those four swarthy guys”? (For those of you who did not notice, this is my variation of the “When did you stop beating your wife, Senator” story.)
And FNC and MRC meekly point out how awful the MSM has become
Yours in truth,
F. VENGENCE FLOOK
Because it was low fruit
Submitted by Satchmo on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 8:25am.
Because it was low fruit provided by The Daily Caller and linked by Drudge. Of course the MSM was going to jump all over it.
In other obvious news, sun
Submitted by Satchmo on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 8:23am.
In other obvious news, sun rises in east, sets in west.
Satchmo = Troll
Submitted by The Vet on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 8:29am.
Ron Paul = Loon. Lew Rockwell = Racist Loon.
Ignore them all.
Newsbusters needs a "Like" button
Submitted by Free Stinker on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 9:16am.
(like)
/// Sarah Palin Fan since July 11, 2007 /// خال
Newsbusters needs a "Like" button
Submitted by Free Stinker on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 9:15am.
(like)
/// Sarah Palin Fan since July 11, 2007 /// خال
like button,
Submitted by Agnostic on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 9:22am.
personally, I don't like them. Having them wouldn't bother me but I've always thought to be too cliquish and usually there are no surprises - conservative site then conservative based responses or appropriate insults of liberals are liked, no big revelations. But that is just me.
It is all just deflection
Submitted by richb313 on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 8:30am.
It is all just deflection. It does not matter one little bit where the story originally came from. The only thing that matters is what people do with it. Judge people by thier actions and by thier actions I have judged the MSM to be Mean, Seffish, Massive Egos that need to stir the pot in order to make themselves seem important.
I just caught up on some of
Submitted by amyshulk on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 8:31am.
I just caught up on some of the MJ's from last Friday and Monday.
Monday was unwatchable. It looks like Mika got more than a raise - Willy's stand in for "Way Too Early" was doing the "boring" news items, while Mika only did the "juicy" ones, like on Murdoch. So it looks like she convinced them of her "value"
In response to Sen. John Barrasso, who calmly explained the situation and refused to go along with Joe's "Well, if the Pres. would give {pretend to cut in the future} would you give {more taxes now}" John Heilemann about jumped out of his seat and lisped and spit all over when he averred it's NOT the spending that's the problem, that revenues MUST be raised. So earnest and so very wrong. It was fascinating to watch.
The narrative, being bought into by all, except for the TP patriots we elected in 2010 plus a few stalwarts, is stunning in it's simplistic stupidity.
As to the story about Michele Bachmann's migraines being a hit job? John Heilemann WANTS to believe it.
Ronald Reagan
It should be a federal crime
Submitted by jessieH on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 8:55am.
It should be a federal crime to lie while in office. That should shut them all up.
Of course where did most people here about the headaches
Submitted by hbnolikeee on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 9:11am.
and where is it still be aired? Hmm, can you say MSM?
Does not really matter.
Submitted by Bob K on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 9:14am.
Even it was true, it does not matter. Once Rick Perry announces officially that he is in, it is all over for the rest of the hopefuls. The media will then turn their attention on him.
Isn't Rick Perry pro amnesty?
Submitted by Free Stinker on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 9:22am.
Isn't Rick Perry pro amnesty? I think the MSM is hyping him because he's GOP-lite
/// Sarah Palin Fan since July 11, 2007 /// خال
Gov. Perry is no conservative.
Submitted by CT on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 9:32am.
Rick Perry's campaign won't stand the light of day, he has more baggage than Mitt Romney.
Tim Pawlenty's campaign disgraces itself.
Submitted by CT on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 9:24am.
The damage here is the campaign fodder furnished to the opposition by Tim Pawlenty's campaign. These losers have disgraced themselves.
Difference
Submitted by Chris Norman on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 9:50am.
If the story had "originated" from a Democrat source:
A) It wouldn't have been labeled a "hit piece" by Heilemann.
B) It wouldn't have been called "sexist" by Mika.
I think crying "racism" at
Submitted by amyshulk on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 10:49am.
I think crying "racism" at every arrow slung at her perfect Pres. has made her so sensitive, I think she would have cried sexism.
Heilemann seems to take great pleasure in debasing others, so he probably would have slipped in a barb even if it was from the D's.
Ronald Reagan
But all of the other hit pieces...
Submitted by USMC8411 on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 10:16am.
ARE the product of a "liberal media conspiracy"?
Thanks Comrade Heilemann for the clarification.
The story came from recently
Submitted by bkeyser on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 10:25am.
The story came from recently released Bachmann staffers, is my understanding.
Interesting. Mika throwing
Submitted by amyshulk on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 10:41am.
Interesting. Mika throwing around her "seriously??? seriously!!!" complete with patented facial contortions so if her tone of voice and rising pitch didn't let you know just how disgusted by this she *really* is, those faces she made would.
Then 1 1/2 hours in, she ruins TIME's Rick Stengal {he of the Constitutional cluelessness} bit about their cover story and is brought to actually evaluate her "It's sexism - straight up" response - by Carl Bernstein!!! Now that was priceless!!!
Bachmann is a political threat - who threw the tomatoes and why matters less to me than the fact that this tells me she is a MUCH bigger threat than Joe "The Dr. said don't run" would have you believe.
Ronald Reagan
"which is a conservative website."
Submitted by theprofessor on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 2:23pm.
No, it isn't. It's a whring for hits tabloid.