Michele Bachman took every thing Chris Matthews had tonight and punched back, during her live election night MSNBC interview with the Hardball host. After a frustrated Matthews actually asked the Congresswoman if she was "hypnotized" and in a "trance" for not answering his questions the way he liked, Bachmann fired back: "The American people are the ones...coming out of our trance...I think people are thrilled tonight. I imagine that thrill is probably maybe quite not so tingly on your leg any more."
Bachman's point was hilariously underlined by a sign behind her that referenced Matthews' now famous Barack Obama induced thrills, which caused MSNBC's Rachel Maddow to whine: "Can we talk for a second about what they're trying to do there? With that sign they're trying to say MSNBC is in the tank and NBC is in the tank for Obama. That's what they're trying to say."
The following is the full exchange as it was aired on MSNBC's live election night coverage on November 2nd:
(video after the jump)
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Let's bring in U.S. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, Republican of Minnesota. Congresswoman, thank you for joining us. I haven't had you on in so long. I have to ask you, if your party gets control of the House of Representatives, will you use the subpoena power to investigate the Democratic members of Congress for un-Americanism?
MICHELE BACHMANN: Okay. So you're question was, if I heard you - I'm sorry, we got a very happy audience back here tonight.
MATTHEWS: Well, they're probably cheering me but-
BACHMANN: The question is will we use the subpoena power, is that the question?
MATTHEWS: Will you use the subpoena power which you will have as a majority, if you claim the majority of the Congress, it looks like you will, will you use the subpoena power to do what you said on my program you would do, investigate the Democratic members of Congress for un-American activities?
BACHMANN: Well, I think the first thing we're going to do is try and set the economy in order because jobs is the big issue. You were just having a discussion about that. And what people want to make sure is that no one's taxes are going up. So I'm calling on Speaker Pelosi during the lame duck session to listen to the American people. They're speaking overwhelmingly tonight. "Don't raise our taxes. Stop the out of control spending. " That's how we're going to get jobs back. So I hope that during the lame duck session, she'll have an extension of all of the current tax policy. Because the very sad story is that one second after midnight, every taxpayer in the United States will see a dramatic increase in taxes. No one can afford that right now. That's job one for the United States Congress. We better listen to what the people have been saying. We better do what they're asking us to do.
MATTHEWS: Well, your colleague Congressman Issa who is going to chair the Oversight and Government Reform committee has said he will use the subpoena power to investigate this administration. You have said on my program to me that you want to see the Democratic members of Congress investigated by the media, you put it that way. You wanted us to investigate the Democrats for un-American attitudes. I just want to ask you do you stick with that plan? Do you want us to do it or will you do it with the subpoena power? Who do you want to investigate the Democratic members of Congress for un-American thinking?
BACHMANN: Well, the plan that I've been talking about all through this election is really four things. And I would encourage the new Republican leadership to take this on as the agenda in 2011. And it's very simple. It's keep the current tax policy so no one has increased taxes. Number two, we need to put a full scale repeal of Obamacare passed through the House, hopefully it can get through the Senate, and then number three, we need to make sure that we secure the United States borders. And number four, we need to make sure that we don't have a huge increase in national energy tax. Those are the four issues that the American people want the Congress to deal with because they want to get certainty back into the economy.
MATTHEWS: Right.
BACHMANN: What this election shows is that people believe in this country, they love free enterprise -
MATTHEWS: Right.
BACHMANN -they love capitalism, they want to make sure that we have jobs going forward. That's job number one.
MATTHEWS: Let me ask you, Congresswoman. Congresswoman Bachmann, are you hypnotized tonight? Has someone hypnotized you? Because no matter what I ask you, you give the same answer. Are you hypnotized? Has someone put you under a trance tonight? That you give me the same answer no matter what question I put to you?
BACHMANN: I think, I think, the American people are the ones that are finally speaking tonight. We're coming out of our trance; really we're coming out of our nightmare. I think people are thrilled tonight. I imagine that thrill is probably maybe quite not so tingly on your leg any more. Not sure about that.
MATTHEWS: Your sign holder has already raised that issue. Well, some day we'll have you on the show again and we'll get to the investigations. But congratulations. I know you will never be defeated on your philosophy which is to investigate everyone for everything.
BACHMANN: Which is free markets and embrace the principles of our founders.
MATTHEWS: Okay. Okay. Thank you very much, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann who seems to be in a trance, but thank you back to you, Keith.
RACHEL MADDOW: Between the trance and the tingle, I feel like-
MATTHEWS: No, that's not a tingle. That's their word. I never used that word.
EUGENE ROBINSON: Where does this broadcast get physical? That's what I want to know.
KEITH OLBERMANN: 2006.
MADDOW: Can we talk for a second about what they're trying to do there? With that sign they're trying to say MSNBC is in the tank and NBC is in the tank for Obama. That's what they're trying to say.
MATTHEWS: No, let me get back to this. That's ad hominem.
—Geoffrey Dickens is the Senior News Analyst at the Media Research Center. You can follow him on Twitter here
