2012 Candidate Cheat Sheet: Michele Bachmann

by The Ology Team .

On Aug 07, 2011

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Losing track of all the candidates in the 2012 election? Keep forgetting who stand where on which issues and why? Don't worry, PoliticOlogy's got your back with our recurring feature, the 2012 Candidate Cheat Sheet. We'll give you a little background on each candidate, what they love, what they hate, and hopefully a few funny facts that you can steal to make yourself look cool at parties. Don't worry, we don't mind. Enjoy!

Who She Is: Current Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann has also been a state senator, runs a Christian counseling clinic with her husband, and is a found member of the House Tea Party Caucus. She's received a B.A. from Winona State University, J.D. from Oral Roberts University, and an LL.M. from William and Mary University. She worked for fifteen years at the IRS before quitting to become a full-time mother and, later, a politician. She's also had five children with her husband and helped raise 23 other foster children.  

Why She'll Win:

• Bachmann is a Tea Party darling and knows how to motivate her base. She's been hyping up the movement since it's very beginnings and has the full credibility of that group behind her. With Tea Partiers becoming a more and more influential aspect of the Republican party, she is probably best suited to garner their votes.
• Michele has her social conservative bona fides down pat. As a long-time Lutheran whose husband runs a Christian counseling clinic, there's no doubt where she stands on Jesus. There's also no doubt where she stands on gay marriage, as she has been extremely vocal in her wish to define marriage as between a man and a woman.
• She has financial background. Although her history as an IRS lawyer has taken a backseat to her religious views for much of the campaign so far, Bachmann actually can offer some credibility in financial debates. If she can succeed in publicizing this aspect of her experience, she can become a very balanced candidate on the two major Republican issues right now.

Why She'll Lose:

• Bachmann is polarizing, to say the least. Her unequivocal opposition to gay marriage, frequent demonizations of the current administration, and ability to gain free media exposure may have also labeled her as an extremist. Though these views may serve her well in the primaries, more moderate candidates tend to perform better in national elections.
• Along with being polarizing, Michele is frequently dismissed as a "less serious" candidate because of the publicity her religious views have received. As I mentioned in my third point above, she has some financial knowledge and could be an effective voice on the economy, but people would rather talk to her about gay marriage. She'll need to regain control of her image and balance out her credentials if she wants to become a serious threat.
• She's kind of Diet Palin. I don't mean that in the semi-misogynistic "I hope they split the MILF vote" Bill Maher sense, but they are very similar candidates. Both are heavily weighted towards the Tea Party, both are defined by their views on social issues more so than economics, and both use their polarizing personas to gain tons of free media. The only problem is, aside from Bachmann's financial cred, Palin basically just does everything else better. If (when) Palin enters this race, she may end up stealing all of Bachmann's thunder.

SumOlogy: If she can exercise her power on economic issues rather than just social ones, Bachmann's got a strong shot at the nomination and maybe the presidency. However, the looming specter of Palin waits in the wings, threatening to submarine Bachmann's campaign.

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Follow Jonathan Moormann on Twitter: @HeedTheWalrus.

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