# Bachmann announces she's running **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 14, 2011, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382 "2011-06-14T01:22:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 27
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382/521 "2011-07-19T20:15:24Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Well, just because it’s not some liberal rag trying to smear her, doesn’t mean it’s not some Chamber-of-Commerce rag trying to smear her. It’s possible it’s a set-up to get the front-running tea partier off the train so Mittens, the darling of the business wing, can get a clear shot. She’s [not denying it](http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2011/07/19/bachmann_migraines_wont_impede_white_house_goals/). > [@](#): > > She insisted that her symptoms are controlled with prescription medication and have not gotten in the way of a packed presidential campaign schedule or impaired her service in Congress. > > … > > Neither [campaign aides] nor Bachmann disputed accounts that she sought out urgent medical treatment during past migraine episodes. That doesn’t strike me as “controlled”. I guess as President she would have urgent medical attention available at all times, but I must confess I’m a bit troubled by the concept of a President that becomes incapacitated by stress-related migraines. ---
**Author:** ![CPomeroy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed8c4c/32.png) [@CPomeroy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CPomeroy)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382/522 "2011-07-19T20:45:04Z")
This poll was taken before the recent reveal on the heath issues, but still interesting. [http://www.startribune.com/politics/blogs/125812498.html](http://www.startribune.com/politics/blogs/125812498.html) ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382/523 "2011-07-19T20:45:31Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > That doesn’t strike me as “controlled”. I guess as President she would have urgent medical attention available at all times, but I must confess I’m a bit troubled by the concept of a President that becomes incapacitated by stress-related migraines. Possibly. Though there’s enough already wrong with the woman that I’d be more than a bit troubled about if she ever became president that a couple of migraines a month don’t even get a peek in the door. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382/524 "2011-07-19T20:46:21Z")
It’s not the migraines. It’s the pill popping. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382/525 "2011-07-19T20:51:10Z")
> [@tnetennba](#): > > It’s not the migraines. It’s the pill popping. I wouldn’t call taking legitimate prescription medication “pill popping.” I didn’t see that anyone was saying she was using illicit drugs. > [@CPomeroy](#): > > This poll was taken before the recent reveal on the heath issues, but still interesting. [http://www.startribune.com/politics/blogs/125812498.html](http://www.startribune.com/politics/blogs/125812498.html) Pawlenty is behind Cain AND Gingrich! My god. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382/526 "2011-07-19T22:01:54Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Possibly. Though there’s enough already wrong with the woman that I’d be more than a bit troubled about if she ever became president that a couple of migraines a month don’t even get a peek in the door. Yeah, I would echo what **jayjay** said. Michelle Bachmann’s deficiencies are so many and varied that migraines don’t even register. A number of presidents have served more-or-less effectively in spite of various ailments. JFK was in constant pain (and medicated) from back injuries, FDR was in pitiful shape, some say barely even aware, by the time he won a fourth term. Reagan managed to fill out his term effectively enough despite being in the early stages of alzheimer’s. Franklin Pierce was a hard core alcoholic and still managed to escape disaster, although no one has ever called him a good president. I’d be far more concerned about MB’s religious mania, fascistic bent, pathological lying and general craziness than pills and migraines. SS ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382/527 "2011-07-19T22:08:07Z")
> [@SeldomSeen](#): > > I’d be far more concerned about MB’s religious mania, fascistic bent, pathological lying and general craziness than pills and migraines. Yes, but it’s fun IMAGINING what the righties would have to say if it were revealed that Obama took a baby aspirin every single day to ward off potential heart attacks. Weakling!! Unfit for office! Pill-popper!! Junkie!!! Drug-dependant! Negro! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382/528 "2011-07-19T23:01:57Z")
That article says that she gets these migraines about once a week, and that each incapacitates her for a few days at a time. In other words, she spends a third to a half of her time incapacitated. There are very few jobs where that’s acceptable, and President of the United States isn’t one of them. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382/529 "2011-07-19T23:07:35Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > Weakling!! Unfit for office! Pill-popper!! Junkie!!! Drug-dependant! Negro! I regularly get called all these things (and often worse) every time I pop into my local bar for a quick beer… ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382/530 "2011-07-19T23:37:55Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I wouldn’t call taking legitimate prescription medication “pill popping.” I didn’t see that anyone was saying she was using illicit drugs. Elvis only took prescription drugs. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382/531 "2011-07-20T05:04:21Z")
> [@tnetennba](#): > > Elvis only took prescription drugs. So did Rush Limbaugh. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382/532 "2011-07-20T05:54:18Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > So did Rush Limbaugh. They both abused prescription drugs. Is she? ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382/533 "2011-07-20T14:42:52Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > They both abused prescription drugs. Is she? Of course not. Like both of them she’s white and affluent. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382/534 "2011-07-20T16:10:04Z")
The criticism of both Limbaugh and Elvis came because they were abusing prescription drugs. It’s not just because they were using them. Most people use prescription drugs, and there’s no stigma attached to that, obviously. So, I don’t understand where that criticism comes in, unless she’s abusing the drugs; taking them to get high or whatever. If she has a legitimate medical condition that she’s using the drugs to treat, what the hell is the matter with that? And what does her being white and affluent have to do with it? We’d look down on somebody who’s poor and black who gets migraines for taking anti-migraine drugs? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382/535 "2011-07-20T16:23:25Z")
That’s assuming the migraine story is accurate. I’m guessing (without evidence yet; that’s why it’s a guess) that the “condition” the pills are treating is withdrawal, and the hospitalizations have been for overdoses. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382/536 "2011-07-20T16:31:17Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > So, I don’t understand where that criticism comes in, unless she’s abusing the drugs; taking them to get high or whatever. If she has a legitimate medical condition that she’s using the drugs to treat, what the hell is the matter with that? And what does her being white and affluent have to do with it? We’d look down on somebody who’s poor and black who gets migraines for taking anti-migraine drugs? I used to work with a woman, who coincidentally was also one of the craziest people\* that I’ve ever had to deal with on a day-to-day basis, who also suffered from debilitating migraines. The problem was that she’d often call in sick to her work, saying she had to lie perfectly still on her bed with all sunlight blocked out. In today’s news the word is that Bachmann missed votes and had to stop work because of her migraines. So it’s certainly germane to her ability to govern. > [@](#): > > Politico has [one of the most comprehensive looks here](http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/59433.html#ixzz1Semb1KwM). The basics: Bachmann’s migraines have forced her to miss a number of votes during her time in Congress, and have also brought a sudden halt to her work day. > > “On multiple occasions, we had to basically turn out the lights in her office, shut the door, and put a virtual do-not-disturb sign on her office for hours on end so she could lie there and try to recuperate from the headaches,” one former staffer told Politico. > > Bachmann’s camp has pushed back hard – maybe a little too hard (see Update #2) – against the notion that the migraines could impede her ability to perform her duties if elected president. Above is from [Slate updates on the story](http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2011/07/19/michele_bachmann_migraines_headache_former_employees_presidency_.html). \*Maybe some migraine meds cause the Crazy? It would help explain why my cow-orker thought that the government was spying on her and controlling our thoughts with contrails. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382/537 "2011-07-20T16:37:54Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > The criticism of both Limbaugh and Elvis came because they were abusing prescription drugs. It’s not just because they were using them. Most people use prescription drugs, and there’s no stigma attached to that, obviously. Obviously. I really don’t think there’s a story here, unless even with meds Bachmann is frequently disabled by her migraines. That might be deemed a sufficiently severe health problem that the presidency would be a bad idea for her. Of course it’s a bad idea for her for manifest other reasons, having nothing to do with her health. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382/538 "2011-07-20T16:52:11Z")
What I find interesting is not that Bachmann has migraines, but rather that someone felt threatened enough by her to feel the need to leak this to the press. By the way, I’m not the CaptMurdock person. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382/539 "2011-07-20T17:06:51Z")
> [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](#): > > What I find interesting is not that Bachmann has migraines, but rather that someone felt threatened enough by her to feel the need to leak this to the press. Given the venue, I’m guessing that it’s somebody in the GOP Old Guard, worried that she’ll get nominated and lead them to a 1964-redux fiasco. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382/540 "2011-07-20T17:19:45Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > Given the venue, I’m guessing that it’s somebody in the GOP Old Guard, worried that she’ll get nominated and lead them to a 1964-redux fiasco. Or maybe it’s someone who realizes that a POTUS who can be suddenly unavailable for several hours/a day/some days at a time on random occassions, or during stressful occassions, would be bad for the country. If she’s really missed votes due to her migraines, Bachmann’s campaign is in a lot of trouble. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382.md?page=26) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-announces-shes-running/585382.md?page=28)