# Michele Bachmann

Michele Marie Bachmann (born April 6, 1956) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for Minnesota's 6th congressional district from 2007 until 2015. A member of the Republican Party, she was a candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election, but lost the Republican nomination to Mitt Romney.

## Quotes
### 2000s

* Federal law forms a new governance structure that opposes both free enterprise and representative government…A new national curriculum is used that embraces a socialist, globalist worldview; loyalty to all government and not America.
** Michael J. Chapman and Senator Michele Bachmann, "How New U.S. Policy Embraces a State-Planned Economy" (2001)
* I am a tax attorney. I have to warn you, this is not a pretty sight. You have a tax attorney who's also a politician. So if there's anyone who needs sanctification, it is me.
* Spending comes just as natural to liberals in Minnesota and the Minnesota legislature as bashing decency comes to the editorial board of our major metropolitan newspapers.
** Edwatch conference, October 10-11, 2003
* It's all for the planned redistribution of wealth which is also stated in this document, the redistribution of wealth which is based on a new concept called equity. And it says this: we must not lose sight of equity, or fairness based on need. Where have you heard that here, today? From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.
** Edwatch conference, October 10-11, 2003
** on Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty's "Tax-Free Zones" initiative
* We're in a state of crisis where our nation is literally ripping apart at the seams right now, and lawlessness is occurring from one ocean to the other. And we're seeing the fulfillment of the Book of Judges here in our own time, where every man doing that which is right in his own eyes—in other words, anarchy.
* Listeners should rejoice right now, because there are believers all across your listening area that are praying now. And I would say that if you can't attend the rally, you can pray. And God calls us to fall on our faces and our knees and cry out to Him and confess our sins. And I would just ask your listeners to do that now. Cry out to a Holy God. He wants to hear us, He will hear us if we will confess our sins and cry out to Him. Our children are worth it and obedience to God demands it.
** Prophetic Views Behind The News, KKMS 980-AM, 6 March 2004 , hosted by Jan Markell
* It isn't that some gay will get some rights. It's that everyone else in our state will lose rights. For instance, parents will lose the right to protect and direct the upbringing of their children. Because our K-12 public school system, of which 90% of all youth are in the public school system, they will be required to learn that homosexuality is normal, equal and perhaps you should try it. And that will occur immediately, that all schools will begin teaching homosexuality.
* And what a bizarre time we're in, Jan, when a judge will say to little children that you can't say the Pledge of Allegiance, but you must learn that homosexuality is normal and you should try it.
* Our children will be forced to learn that homosexuality is normal and natural and that perhaps they should try it, and that'll be very soon in our public schools all across the state, beginning in kindergarten.
** Prophetic Views Behind The News, KKMS 980-AM, 6 March 2004 , hosted by Jan Markell
** on what would happen if a proposed Minnesota state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage failed to pass
* [Same-sex marriage] is probably the biggest issue that will impact our state and our nation in the last, at least, thirty years. I am not understating that.
* This is an earthquake issue. This will change our state forever. Because the immediate consequence, if gay marriage goes through, is that K-12 little children will be forced to learn that homosexuality is normal, natural and perhaps they should try it.
* We need to have the phone lines melted this week. We need people to melt the phone lines. Not to the House members, you don't need to call them, and you don't need to call the Republican Senators. It's the Democrat Senators that we need to melt their phone lines.
* This is a very serious matter, because it is our children who are the prize for this community, they are specifically targeting our children.
* This is not about hating homosexuals. I don't. I love homosexuals.
** Prophetic Views Behind The News, KKMS 980-AM, 20 March 2004 , hosted by Jan Markell
** on a proposed Minnesota state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage
* Iran is at a point right now where America has to be very aggressive in our response. We can't remove any option off the table, and we should not remove the nuclear response.
** interview on Minnesota Public Radio, May 3, 2006

#### Hardball Appearance (October 2008)

* The news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look. I wish they would, I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out are they are pro-America or anti-America.
** on MSNBC's Hardball With Chris Matthews, October 17, 2008
** on whether there are anti-American members of Congress
* I think the people that Barack Obama has been associating with are anti-American, by and large.
** on MSNBC's "Hardball With Chris Matthews," October 17, 2008
** on Barack Obama's advisers
* Absolutely, I'm very concerned that [Barack Obama] may have anti-American views.
** on MSNBC's "Hardball With Chris Matthews," October 17, 2008
** on whether Barack Obama himself is anti-American
* I'm not saying that his views are anti-American. That was a misreading of what I said and so I don't believe that that's my position.
** WCCO-TV, October 19, 2008
* I never questioned Barack Obama's patriotism.
** "'I never called all liberals anti-American'", Politico, 20 October 2008, retrieved on 2011-05-27

### 2010s

* Well I couldn't agree with you more, so the timing and the sense of urgency. That's why with everything within us we need to start literally banging garbage lids together, to create enough noise so that our neighbors and our co-workers realize where the time clock is at this point, because the second hand is literally banging up against 11:59 on the clock on freedom when it comes to health care.
** On right-wing radio station Hot Tea Radio, 2010-03-08
** Kleefeld, Erik (10 March 2010), "Bachmann: 'We Need To Start Literally Banging Garbage Lids Together' Against Health Care Bill", TPM via the Minnesota Independant, retrieved on 2016-11-18
* We are unwilling to let this cabal of radicals pull the rug of freedom out from under us in our lifetime. Now we have this glorious opportunity called November.
** Frederick County Republican Central Committee's Lincoln-Reagan Dinner, 2010-04-25
** Birkey, Andy (27 April 2010), "In Maryland, Bachmann calls Democrats a ‘cabal of radicals’", Minnesota Independent, retrieved on 2011-04-15
* Well, I think one thing that we can do, quite simply, is to withhold funding from Planned Parenthood. It's the largest provider of abortion in the United States. They are a billion-dollar industry. As a matter of fact, the head of Planned Parenthood in Illinois said that Planned Parenthood wants to be the LensCrafters of Big Abortion.
** Jeffrey, Terrence P. (6 December 2010), "Rep. Michele Bachmann: De-Fund Planned Parenthood", CNSNews, retrieved on 2011-04-15
** Misquoting Steve Trombley in a 2008 interview with The Wall Street Journal saying "I like to think of it as the LensCrafters of family planning."
* Remember, it was Michelle Obama who said she's only recently proud of her country. And so these are very anti-American views.
** Bakst, Brian (29 July 2011), "Spin Meter: Spouse standard shifts for Bachmann", Associated Press, retrieved on 2011-07-31
** Referring to Michelle Obama saying, at a February 2008 campaign event, "For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback."
* I don't know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians. We've had an earthquake; we've had a hurricane. He said, "Are you going to start listening to me here? Listen to the American people because the American people are roaring right now. Because they know what needs to be done. They know government is on a morbid obesity diet and we've got to rein in the spending."
** political rally, 2011-08-29, quoted in Smith, Adam C. (29 August 2011), "Michele Bachmann rally draws over 1,000 in Sarasota, but some prefer Rick Perry", St. Petersburg Times, retrieved on 2011-09-03
* Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of the victims. This isn't something that we take lightly. My comments were not meant to be ones that were taken lightly. What I was saying in a humorous vein is there are things happening that politicians need to pay attention to. It isn't everyday we have an earthquake in the United States.
** Wheaton, Sarah; Gabriel, Trip (29 August 2011), "Bachmann Plays Down Comments Linking Disasters and Deficits", The Caucus (The New York Times), retrieved on 2011-09-03
** asked about her "I don't know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians" remarks after her rally
* This happened and as of today the United States is willingly, knowingly, intentionally sending arms to terrorists, now what this says to me, I'm a believer in Jesus Christ, as I look at the end times scripture, this says to me that the leaf is on the fig tree and we are to understand the signs of the times, which is your ministry, we are to understand where we are in God's end times history.
* Rather than seeing this as a negative, Jan, we need to rejoice, Maranatha – Come Lord Jesus, His day is at hand. When we see up is down and right is called wrong, when this is happening, we were told this; these days would be as the days of Noah.
** Understanding the Times (October 5, 2013), quoted in Brian Tashman, "Bachmann: Obama Is Supporting Al Qaeda, Proving That We Are In The End Times", Right Wing Watch (October 7, 2013)
** regarding President Obama waiving the Arms Export Control Act to send defensive gear against chemical weapons to Syrian rebels
* And again, don't misunderstand. I am not here bashing people who are homosexuals, who are lesbians, who are bisexual, who are transgender. We need to have profound compassion for people who are dealing with the very real issue of sexual dysfunction in their life, and sexual identity disorders. This is a very real issue. It's not funny, it's sad. Any of you who have members of your family that are in the lifestyle — we have a member of our family that is. This is not funny. It's a very sad life. It's part of Satan, I think, to say this is "gay". It's anything but gay. It's profoundly sad to recognize that almost all, if not all, individuals who have gone into the lifestyle have been abused at one time in their life, either by a male or by a female. There's been profound hurt and profound things that have happened in almost all of their lives.
* Because the first thing that will occur, once the legalization occurs, is that if this curriculum is not being taught already, it will be mandated, it must be taught in the schools. You cannot get out of it. Why? If you would not teach this, it would be considered discriminatory.
* It leads to the personal enslavement of individuals. Because if you're involved in the gay and lesbian lifestyle, it's bondage. Personal bondage, personal despair, and personal enslavement. And that's why this is so dangerous.
** EdWatch National Education Conference, November 6, 2004
** "Michele Bachmann in 2004: Homosexuality is "personal enslavement"", CBS News, 13 July 2011, Archived from the original on 2013-06-28, retrieved on 2011-07-17
* It hasn't had a chance to be in place long enough to offer a critique of how it's working.
* The surge has only been fully in place for a week or so.
** Referring to the Iraq surge in summer 2007
*** Quoted in Shear, Michael D. (2007-07-10). "Bachmann: Surge needs time". St. Cloud Times. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
* [Pelosi] is committed to her global warming fanaticism to the point where she has said that she's just trying to save the planet. We all know that someone did that over 2,000 years ago, they saved the planet -- we didn't need Nancy Pelosi to do that.
** in "GOP floor revolt over inaction continues," by Jim Brown, One News Now, August 12, 2008
* Carbon dioxide, Mister Speaker, is a natural byproduct of nature. Carbon dioxide is natural. It occurs in Earth. It is a part of the regular lifecycle of Earth. In fact, life on planet Earth can't even exist without carbon dioxide. So necessary is it to human life, to animal life, to plant life, to the oceans, to the vegetation that's on the Earth, to the, to the fowl that — that flies in the air, we need to have carbon dioxide as part of the fundamental lifecycle of Earth...There isn't one such study because carbon dioxide is not a harmful gas, it is a harmless gas. Carbon dioxide is natural. It is not harmful. It is part of Earth's life cycle...And yet we're being told that we have to reduce this natural substance and reduce the American standard of living to create an arbitrary reduction in something that is naturally occuring in the earth.
** Johnson, Brad (24 April 2009), "Stumped By Science: Michele Bachmann Calls CO2 'Harmless,' 'Negligible,' 'Necessary,' 'Natural'", The Wonk Room (Think Progress), retrieved on 2011-05-27
* During the last 100 days we have seen an orgy. It would make any local smorgasbord embarrassed if you looked at this spending orgy we've seen in Washington. So it's no surprise our national debt is now soaring over $11 trillion dollars. The government spent its wad by April 26. Every dime government spends after April 26 throughout the rest of this fiscal year is borrowed money.
** 2009-05-02 rally, quoted in Delaney, Arthur (4 May 2009), "Michele Bachmann: Obama Led Spending "Orgy," Government "Spent Its Wad" (Video)", Huffington Post, retrieved on 2011-05-27
* And in the midst of that calling, God then called me to run for the United States Congress. And I thought, "What in the world would that be for?" And my husband said, "You need to do this." And I wasn't so sure. And we took three days, and we fasted and we prayed. And we said "Lord, is this what you want, are you sure? Is this your will?" And after, along about the afternoon of day two, He made that calling sure.
** at Living Word Christian Center, 2006-10-14, quoted in Bachmann Describes How God Told Her To Run For Congress. TheBachmannRecord.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-16.
* Lord, the day is at hand. We are in the last days. You are a Jehovah God. We know that the times are in your hands. And we give them to you…The day is at hand, Lord, when your return will come nigh. Nothing is more important than bringing sheep into the fold. Than bringing new life into the kingdom…You have weeded that garden. The harvest is at hand.
** Praying for You Can Run But You Can't Hide ministry in 2006
** Diamond, Marie (18 July 2011), "Bachmann Predicted The World Would End In 2006: ‘We Are In The Last Days’", Think Progress, retrieved on 2011-07-18
* Now ACORN has been named one of the national partners, which will be a recipient again of federal money. And they will be in charge of going door-to-door and collecting data from the American public. This is very concerning because the mother lode of all data information will be from the Census. And, of course, we think of the Census as just counting how many people live in your home. Unfortunately, the Census data has become very intricate, very personal (with) a lot of the questions that are asked. And I know for my family the only question that we will be answering is how many people are in our home. We won't be answering any information beyond that, because the Constitution doesn't require any information beyond that.
** Washington Times interview, 2009-06-17, quoted in "Michele Bachmann claims ACORN getting money to work for Census Bureau", Politifact, retrieved on 2011-04-15
* In 5,000 years of recorded human history... neither in the east or in the west... has any society ever defined marriage as anything other than between men and women. Not one in 5000 years of recorded human history. That's an astounding fact and it isn't until the last 12 years or so that we have seen for the first time in recorded human history marriage defined as anything other than between men and between women.
** Hunt, Kasie (11 April 2011), "Michele Bachmann burns up Iowa, decries gay marriage", Politico, retrieved on 2011-04-15
* I tell you this story because I think in our day and time, there is no analogy to that horrific action [the Holocaust]. But only to say, we are seeing eclipsed in front of our eyes a similar death and a similar taking away. It is this disenfranchisement that I think we have to answer to.
** "Bachmann uses Holocaust to illustrate tax issue", MSNBC, 30 April 2011, retrieved on 2001-05-01
** comparing the next generation paying high taxes to the Holocaust
* When I go on vacation and I lay on the beach, I bring von Mises.
** Wall Street Journal interview, 11 June 2011

#### 2012 Presidential campaign

* John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa. That's the kind of spirit that I have, too.
** Fox News interview, quoted in Dann, Carrie (27 June 2011), "Wrong John Wayne: Mix-up is opening day headache for Bachmann", First Read (NBC News), retrieved on 2011-06-27
** "Michele Bachmann on John Wayne Gacy", YouTube, 27 June 2011, retrieved on 2011-06-27
* I'm not pining for nostalgia back in the '50s and '60s, that isn't it. But that sensibility about how we were grounded here is so important. For instance, another American that was born in Waterloo was John Wayne. We were a very patriotic "yay rah rah America" city and nation and I think that's what America's looking for again.
** NBC News interview, quoted in Dann, Carrie (27 June 2011), "Wrong John Wayne: Mix-up is opening day headache for Bachmann", First Read (NBC News), retrieved on 2011-06-27
** Mixing up actor John Wayne with serial killer John Wayne Gacy
* I have prescription medication that I take whenever symptoms arise and they keep the migraines under control. I'd like to be abundantly clear: My ability to function effectively will not affect my ability to serve as commander-in-chief.
** Loffman, Matt (19 July 2011), "Bachmann says her migraines are controllable", First Read (MSNBC), retrieved on 2011-09-05
** responding to allegations in Strong, Jonathan (18 July 2011), "Stress-related condition "incapacitates" Bachmann; heavy pill use alleged", Daily Caller, retrieved on 2011-09-05
* The "Great Society" has not worked and it's put us into the modern welfare state. If you look at China, they don't have food stamps. If you look at China, they're in a very different situation. They save for their own retirement security... They don't have the modern welfare state and China's growing. And so what I would do is look at the programs that LBJ gave us with the Great Society and they'd be gone.
** CBS Republican Debate, 2011-11-12, quoted in Sarlin, Benjy (12 November 2011), "Bachmann: America Should Be Less Socialist… Like China", Talking Points Memo, retrieved on 2011-11-14
* This is a very dangerous time. If you look at Iran and if you look at Pakistan and if you look at the links with Syria — because Iran is working through proxies like Syria, through Hezbollah, through Hamas — it seems that the table is being set for worldwide nuclear war against Israel. And if there's anything that we know, President Obama has been more than willing to stand with Occupy Wall Street, but he hasn't been willing to stand with Israel. Israel looks at President Obama and they do not see a friend.
** CBS Republican Debate, 2011-11-12, quoted in Drum, Kevin (12 November 2011), "Tonight's Debate Highlights", Mother Jones, retrieved on 2011-11-14

### Misattributed

* If English was good enough for Jesus when he wrote the Bible, it should be good enough for Coke.
** Similar to a parodical Bachmann quote in "Top 10 upcoming Michele Bachmann gaffes", The Wacky Deli, 5 October 2011 : “If English was good enough for Jesus Christ, it's good enough for every child in America to speak.”, likely based on an apocryphal quote attributed to Governor Miriam A. Ferguson, “If the King's English was good enough for Jesus Christ, it's good enough for the children of Texas!”
** regarding a 2014 Coca-Cola television advertisement featuring Americans of various ethnicities singing "America the Beautiful" in various languages.

## About

* For Michele Bachmann to use ideology as a reason not to support equal opportunity and protections for all citizens shows she is losing touch with her district … With cuts in local government aid on top of tough economic times, it makes sense to support measures to keep our communities safe.
** Falldin, Brian (9 October 2009), "Reed Campaign Blasts Michele Bachmann for Not Supporting Our Troops and Military Retirees", MN Progressive Project
* I wouldn't want to call her the rock star of the whole thing.
** Deborah Johns, vice president of the Tea Party Express, quoted in Jonathan Allen & Meredith Shiner (6 November 2009), "Michele Bachmann's Healthy Prognosis", Politico
* If the Republican Party wants to make Michele Bachmann the voice of the party, that's more than fine with us.
** Democratic National Committee spokesman Hari Sevugan, quoted in Kevin Diaz & Eric Roper (6 November 2009), "Bachmann leads rally opposing health plan", Star Tribune

## External links

* Michele Bachmann Congressional campaign site
* MPR Michele Bachmann resource page
* Bachmann's page on Minnesota Senate site
* The Bachmann Record (an anti-Bachmann information website.)
* Dump Bachmann: an anti-Bachmann information website)