Dan Rather: 'Michele Bachmann Is For Real - Can Get GOP Presidential Nomination'
Dan Rather this weekend said Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is "for real" and that he can "imagine a scenario where she actually gets the Republican [presidential] nomination."
Maybe even more surprising, on the syndicated program bearing his name, Chris Matthews agreed (video follows with partial transcript and commentary):
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Dan, 60 percent of Iowa caucus goers call themselves evangelical Christians. My question: is Michele Bachmann got to jump in here and take the call of the wild here?
DAN RATHER: I don’t know if she’s got to. I think she will and it would be a mistake to underestimate her. This woman is for real, whether you agree with her politics or not. This is not Sarah Palin coming out of nowhere. She can run very well in Iowa. I can imagine a scenario where she actually gets the Republican nomination. But that's a long way down the line. Will she get in? I think the answer is yes. Will she do well in the early going? Again, I think the answer is yes. She has what the football coaches call breakaway potential, that is, if she gets in the open field, look out, because this woman is very articulate, she's pretty experienced, she’s smart. I'm not her campaign manager, but going after that Republican…
MATTHEWS: That would be a breakaway if you took that job.
RATHER: That would be a breakaway. But with that roughly third of the people who supported either Trump or Huckabee - I'm surprised Huckabee didn't get in. He had a very good chance of going all the way. But with those people, Michele Bachmann can be dynamite.
After the Washington Post’s Michael Gerson put in his two cents, Matthews, who has been highly critical of Bachmann, surprisingly agreed:
MATTHEWS: I’m with Dan, by the way. I find her 25 kids, foster children in her family. She is a real Christian in terms of her view of things, and she’s not somebody that has to wave the wace card, the race card like Trump did. She doesn't have to play tricks. She’s one of them.
Seems odd coming from a man that has regularly referred to Bachmann as a zombie. Makes you wonder what was in the water at the studio.
On the other hand, as we've learned from experience, liberal commentators saying anything good about a possible Republican presidential candidate is a Trojan horse.
We're going to have to look inside that mouth to make sure it's not a trap.
- Noel Sheppard's blog
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Comments
Blah - Blah - Blah
Submitted by ironhead4099 on Sun, 05/22/2011 - 3:07pm.
Same Old Shit from Chris Tingle and Dan Blather! When it comes to politics with these 2 it' 2 of the 3 monkeys, see no evil, speak no evil and speak no evil, when it comes to Democrats! Not so with Rebuplicans, ever thing about them to these guys is evil!
Matthews and Rather Agree on Michele Bachmann
Submitted by Conservator on Sun, 05/22/2011 - 3:25pm.
While laughable, there's a logical reason why these leftists are now stating positive things about her potential presidential bid - they believe she's the weakest candidate who would guarantee an Obama win in 2012. Let's not forget that Chris Matthews has repeatedly referred to Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) as a balloon head. See video below:
Matthews Attacks Bachmann Again Despite Being Accused of Sexism by Liberal Women's Advocate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ6gw796-2E&feature=player_embedded
I recommend rereading the following NewsBusters' article:
Chris Matthews Accused of Sexism by Liberal Women's Advocate, Attacks Bachmann Fifth Day in a Row - Tuesday, February 1, 2011
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/02/01/chris-matthews-accused-sexism-liberal-womens-advocate-attacks-bachman
Which begs the question
Submitted by Boudin on Sun, 05/22/2011 - 3:38pm.
Who do they think their fooling?
Dan in the spotlight
Submitted by CO2Maker on Sun, 05/22/2011 - 8:17pm.
You never hear from Dan the Man on HDNet until he comes out into view on a real TV program, not like his own whatever it is.
Just let this be a lesson, Keith: Dan Rather's fortunes are a preview of your own. Being news director on Algorithm's Current TV network will be like peeing on yourself in a dark wool suit. It will give you a warm feeling all over but no one will ever see it.
It's a trick! They want
Submitted by jessieH on Sun, 05/22/2011 - 9:54pm.
It's a trick! They want someone, anyone, to come up with a way to stop the first President in 30-40 years, who just happens to be a woman, with the forsight to put this country back on track. Between her & Herman Cain, obama is but a bad memory. It will be an historic debate. "Hey, I just made a prediction! Cool!"..
Stopped Clocks Right Again
Submitted by Avitar on Mon, 05/23/2011 - 3:06am.
They are right that she could win but they think that she is a weaker candidate than Herman Cain or Sarah Palin because she has to run out of the House. As VP she would be great. I will have to raise money for her if she gets in.
You are correct to be
Submitted by dscott on Mon, 05/23/2011 - 4:25am.
You are correct to be cautious, this is another case of the MSM attempting to manipulate the results of the Republican primary process. They are just being more sneaky about it by presenting themselves as being unbiased observers. There will be no repeat of the 2008 fiasco with the MSM choosing McCain for us, smothering other better qualified candidate's air time and then knocking McCain down for Obama. NO MORE OF THAT!
As much as I like Bachmann (Ann Coulter with legislative experience), she has a weakness, no CEO experience. She does not have any experience running a bureaucracy, not even in the government. Just because the country experimented and lowered the bar for Obama doesn't mean we have to make the same mistake again using a well meaning right of center candidate. Ideology is not enough, it must come with experience. Bachmann should be gunning for Speaker of the House, not POTUS or a committee chairmanship at minimum to build up her bonifides.
With Daniels and Huckabee out of the way, the field is firming up nicely with Cain and Pawlenty. Romney is a RINO and Ron Paul is insufferable, both being unacceptable. Huntsman is a non starter RINO with his stance on amnesty and in-state tuition for illegals; anyone who can't see how wrong it is to charge out of state US citizens more than illegals has their priorities wrong. Newt boiled himself in his own bubbling cauldren of slickness over the AGW issue and the rejecting of the Ryan Medicare Plan. I'm warming to the idea of a Pawlenty/Cain ticket, a good combo of government and business strengths.
I'm hoping John Bolton will be Secretary of State, muhaha, sure to make Chavez mad, upset the Islamic Extremists...
What does Dan Rather know
Submitted by wiwf on Mon, 05/23/2011 - 9:54am.
What does Dan Rather know about facts?