# How safe is Michele Bachmann's seat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 28, 2010, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-michele-bachmanns-seat/544760 "2010-06-28T07:47:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-michele-bachmanns-seat/544760/1 "2010-06-28T07:47:58Z")
Other than as a font of shock-speak and radical thought promoted by Fox news, most of what I know of Bachmann came from the [Congresswoman with the crazy eyes](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=520775) thread (which hasn’t been updated since April). I believe she’s being challenged by [Tarryl Clark](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarryl_Clark#2010_Congressional_campaign) in the 2010 elections. Is this likely a gimme for Bachmann or does she have an electoral fight on her hands? ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-michele-bachmanns-seat/544760/2 "2010-06-28T09:26:57Z")
She won by three points in '08, which is closeish, but also was in a banner year for Dems and had record turn-out. Its hard to see her doing worse then that this time around, at least if she can keep from saying anything outrageously offensive for the the next few months. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-michele-bachmanns-seat/544760/3 "2010-06-28T10:25:26Z")
The D-Triple-C is not pushing hard on Bachmann, not nearly as hard as Harry Reid’s equally moonbat opponent, Sharron Angle is being hammered. Clark is a part of their “Red to Blue” campaign, 26 candidates that they’re giving special attention in an effort to unseat 26 “vulnerable” Republicans, but they’re not really making a lot of effort. It seems like a combination of Bachmann’s district’s vulnerability after Census enumeration and a concept of Bachmann being small potatoes, which is shortsighted. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-michele-bachmanns-seat/544760/4 "2010-06-28T11:52:48Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > The D-Triple-C is not pushing hard on Bachmann, not nearly as hard as Harry Reid’s equally moonbat opponent, Sharron Angle is being hammered. Clark is a part of their “Red to Blue” campaign, 26 candidates that they’re giving special attention in an effort to unseat 26 “vulnerable” Republicans, but they’re not really making a lot of effort. It seems like a combination of Bachmann’s district’s vulnerability after Census enumeration and a concept of Bachmann being small potatoes, which is shortsighted. Any statement from the DC[sup]3[/sup] about why? Is it that they feel the 3 points **Simplicio** referred to makes it too safe? That the risk of making the campaign too high profile will elevate her in stature? Though a junior congressperson, she is one of the defacto spokespersons for the right and a defeat could be turned into a repudiation of her batshittiness. Redistricting her out of her seat puts things off for three years at least, and gives her a victim card to play that’s wholly outside the policy sphere. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-michele-bachmanns-seat/544760/5 "2010-06-28T14:54:55Z")
Bachmann is arguably a liability to the Republican Party. I mean, if you imagine the Democrats “planting” a Congressperson to make the Republicans look silly, it would be tough to distinguish the plant from Bachmann. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-michele-bachmanns-seat/544760/6 "2010-06-28T15:46:25Z")
Are you calling her a potted plant? Interesting. ISTM that her egregiousness garners more votes than she’s losing. I’m just not comfortable with the idea that Bachmann et al are merely making the Republicans look silly. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-michele-bachmanns-seat/544760/7 "2010-06-28T15:50:19Z")
Its pretty safe. If she had a respectable GOP challenger, she might loose it, but that part of the state isn’t likely to go Democrat. Her biggest misstep is taking BP’s “side” - but I don’t think that will hurt her enough. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-michele-bachmanns-seat/544760/8 "2010-06-28T15:54:50Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Are you calling her a potted plant? > > Interesting. ISTM that her egregiousness garners more votes than she’s losing. I’m just not comfortable with the idea that Bachmann et al are merely making the Republicans look silly. I’m not saying she _is_ a plant. I’m saying that 90% of the nonsense coming out of her mouth is what I’d tell her to say if she _was_ a plant designed to drive independents away from the Republican Party. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-michele-bachmanns-seat/544760/9 "2010-06-29T20:59:07Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > **How safe is Michele Bachmann’s seat?** Pretty safe. I, at any rate, wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-michele-bachmanns-seat/544760/10 "2010-07-01T11:46:43Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Pretty safe. I, at any rate, wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole. 😉 I’ve always imagined that Michelle is quite the tigress in bed, for what it’s worth. Minnesotans, is her district the one that doesn’t get any education funds or what? I’ve always thought of Minnesotans as pretty tolerant and intelligent folks, how could you elect such a dolt? ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-michele-bachmanns-seat/544760/11 "2010-07-01T12:28:34Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I’ve always imagined that Michelle is quite the tigress in bed, for what it’s worth. I concur. There is no sex hotter than the crazy sex… and it is never remotely worth the aftermath. Thus count me with the Bargepole dude. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-michele-bachmanns-seat/544760/12 "2010-07-01T17:47:39Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > I concur. There is no sex hotter than the crazy sex… and it is never remotely worth the aftermath. Thus count me with the Bargepole dude. Don’t stick your Bargepole in the crazy. Words to live by. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-michele-bachmanns-seat/544760/13 "2010-07-01T21:06:29Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I’ve always imagined that Michelle is quite the tigress in bed, for what it’s worth. I’d hit that. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-michele-bachmanns-seat/544760/14 "2010-07-02T07:35:04Z")
I saw Tarryl Clark on Olberman the other night, and I wasn’t very impressed. I understand what she was doing – she had a script and some points she kept repeating, but they didn’t fit in very well with what she was being asked. So she didn’t come off as being very smart, or conversationally agile. Which makes her a pretty typical politician. I’m sure she would do a better job than Bachman but she doesn’t strike me as someone who is going to dazzle the folk in her district and get them to switch their votes. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-michele-bachmanns-seat/544760/15 "2010-07-02T07:37:35Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > I concur. There is no sex hotter than the crazy sex… and it is never remotely worth the aftermath. Thus count me with the Bargepole dude. It’s different with celebrity crazy. They don’t even want to admit you ever existed, so you don’t have to deal with any blowback after the blow job. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-michele-bachmanns-seat/544760/16 "2010-07-02T13:32:15Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I’m sure she would do a better job than Bachman but she doesn’t strike me as someone who is going to dazzle the folk in her district and get them to switch their votes. If her reading on the Bargepole Meter[sup]TM[/sup] results in even slightly more votes than Batshit, that’s all we can ask. ---
**Author:** ![sleeping](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@sleeping](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeping)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-michele-bachmanns-seat/544760/17 "2010-07-04T13:25:34Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I’m not saying she _is_ a plant. I’m saying that 90% of the nonsense coming out of her mouth is what I’d tell her to say if she _was_ a plant designed to drive independents away from the Republican Party. Well, she’s definitely a vegetable. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-michele-bachmanns-seat/544760/18 "2010-07-04T15:38:21Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > The D-Triple-C is not pushing hard on Bachmann, not nearly as hard as Harry Reid’s equally moonbat opponent, Sharron Angle is being hammered. The DCCC isn’t hammering any Senate candidates because it’s a Democratic House Committee that works to elect Democrats to the House. Reid was always going to attack his challenger hard. it’s not really a DSCC calculation to defend his seat as more valuable or winnable, he’s majority leader and he has a lot of fight in him and ability to fund raise. Otherwise I agree. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2010, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-michele-bachmanns-seat/544760/19 "2010-07-05T15:13:09Z")
Oddly, her election campaign and the opposition are really flying under the radar. I live in the Minneapolis Suburbs, and unlike two years ago, have heard almost nothing about the campaign for that district. Although it may be Media Burnout too, because we’re not getting buried in political ads (that I have seen) or media stories on ANY election up here right now. I’m extremely happy about that, as I get damned tired of being overwhelmed with bullshit political stuff for months and even years on end during the election cycles. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-michele-bachmanns-seat/544760/20 "2010-07-05T18:51:22Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Minnesotans, is her district the one that doesn’t get any education funds or what? I’ve always thought of Minnesotans as pretty tolerant and intelligent folks, how could you elect such a dolt? The counties she represents just skew really fucking conservative. It was a rather odd experience in 08 to walk off campus and see all the tinklenburg signs replaced by bachmann. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-safe-is-michele-bachmanns-seat/544760.md?page=2)