A closer examination of the list reveals that the comparison is apt – among the list of Cuccinelli supporters one will find some of the same women who rushed forward to defend Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock, who called a pregnancy resulting from rape “something that God intended.” It’s not surprising that they place Cuccinelli in the same company.

Many of these women have been affiliated with the organizations and candidates who are most adamant about denying women the opportunity to make decisions about their own body or curtailing their access to health care. The list also includes the sponsor of the Virginia legislation that would have required women to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound before they could have an abortion.

The “Women for Ken” have made clear that they support Cuccinelli because he shares their views on the treatment on Virginia women and families. It’s worth keeping in mind what he had to do to earn the support of people like this.

Kathy Byron

Byron Sponsored Virginia Bill Requiring Women To Receive Transvaginal Ultrasounds Before They Could Have An Abortion. According to the Times Dispatch, “The Virginia House of Delegates today gave preliminary approval to a measure requiring a woman to receive an ultrasound before having an abortion. Members advanced the bill to a final vote on Tuesday after rejecting an amendment proposed by Del. David L. Englin, D-Alexandria, to require a woman’s consent before undergoing a trans-vaginal ultrasound. ‘Most of us, when we think about an ultrasound, we think about what people refer to as the jelly on the belly ultrasound,’ Englin said, adding that during the first 8-10 weeks of pregnancy, the only way to perform an ultrasound is a trans-vaginal. ‘What we’re simply trying to do is say that before a woman in this commonwealth is vaginally penetrated against her consent, she has to consent to that,’ he said. ‘How difficult a moral concept is that to say before you perform an invasive procedure on our wives and our daughters, you have to get that woman who you’re going to use a probe inside, to sign a piece of paper saying, ‘yes I consent to having this done to my body’.’ Del. Kathy J. Byron, R-Campbell, sponsored the bill and urged rejection of the amendment. ‘If we want to talk about invasiveness, there’s nothing more invasive than the procedure that she is about to have,’ Byron said.” [Times Dispatch, 2/13/12]

Byron Claimed That Abortion Was Incompatible With “A Nation Founded With Words Proclaiming That Life, Liberty And The Pursuit Of Happiness Are Unalienable Rights.” According to The Virginian-Pilot, “Anti-abortion Republicans marked the Roe v. Wade anniversary in their own way, denouncing the decision in General Assembly floor speeches. Del. Bob Marshall of Prince William County called Tuesday’s commemoration ‘a macabre celebration of the deaths of 55 million children’ – a representation of the number of abortions that have been performed over the past 40 years. Abortion is incompatible with ‘a nation founded with words proclaiming that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are unalienable rights,’ added Del. Kathy Byron of Campbell County.” [The Virginian-Pilot, 1/23/2013]

Marjorie Dannenfelser

Dannenfelser Defended Richard Mourdock After He Said That A Pregnancy That Comes From Rape Was “A Gift From God”: “Richard Mourdock Said That Life Is Always A Gift From God, And We Couldn’t Agree More.” According to USA Today, “The Susan B. Anthony List, a conservative group that opposes abortion rights, restated its support for Mourdock and stressed its own ad campaign highlighting Donnelly’s abortion record. ‘Richard Mourdock said that life is always a gift from God, and we couldn’t agree more,’ said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the SBA List. ‘To report his statement as an endorsement of rape is either willfully ignorant or malicious. Congressman Donnelly should not underestimate our ability to understand Mourdock’s meaning.’” [USA Today, 10/24/12]

Dannenfelser Defended Todd Akin After His “Legitimate Rape” Claim: Akin “Has Been An Excellent Partner In The Fight For The Unborn.” According to the Washington Post, “Pro-life groups, however, have taken a decidedly different take. Both the Susan B. Anthony List and Family Research Council have stood by Akin. They don’t see him as a politician who has made a career ending gaffe. In their view, he’s a strong abortion right opponent who articulated a tenet of the pro-life movement: Abortion should be illegal in all situations, rape included. ‘Todd Akin … has a record of voting to protect human life,’ said Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser, reaffirming her support in a statement. He ‘has been an excellent partner in the fight for the unborn.’” [Washington Post, 8/21/12]

Dannenfelser Said The Susan B. Anthony Endorsed Romney Because He Opposed Abortions Without Any Exceptions. According to Right Wing Watch, “Marjorie Dannenfelser of Susan B. Anthony List, a major anti-choice group, in an interview with Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association insisted that the Romney campaign told her that Romney does not in fact believe in exceptions for the health of the mother, contradicting what he said in the Monday interview. If he did, Dannenfelser said, he would not have received the endorsement of her anti-choice organization.” [Right Wing Watch, 8/30/12]

Dannenfelser Called Planned Parenthood “America’s Largest Abortion Business” And Said Their “Death Toll” Was “Nearly One Million” Between 2010 And 2012. According to the Washington Times, Dannenfelser wrote in an editorial, “Planned Parenthood — America’s largest abortion business — has spent much of the last few years demanding that government add millions more in taxpayer dollars to their coffers, citing their nonprofit status and so-called focus on women’s health. They haven’t been disappointed. In 2011, government subsidies to Planned Parenthood reached an all-time high, with the abortion provider receiving a whopping $542 million in taxpayer funding — all while ending a record number of lives — 333,964. This brings Planned Parenthood’s death toll to nearly 1 million during the last three years.” [Washington Times, 1/22/13]

Nancy Pfotenhauer

Pfotenhauer Said That Northern Virginia Was Not Part Of “Real Virginia.” According to the Washington Post, “Sen. John McCain headlined a boisterous outdoor rally in Woodbridge, Va., today, while his campaign took heat for suggesting the populous region was not part of ‘real Virginia.’ McCain senior adviser Nancy Pfotenhauer, a self-described ‘proud resident of Oakton, Virginia,’ said on MSNBC that ‘Democrats have just come in from the District of Columbia and moved into Northern Virginia, and that’s really what you see there. But the rest of the state, real Virginia, if you will, I think will be very responsive to Senator McCain’s message.’” [Washington Post, 10/18/08]

Pfotenhauer Received A “Pants On Fire” Rating From PolitiFact For Claiming That “Hundreds Of Millions Of People” Will Lose Their Current Insurance As A Result Of The Affordable Care Act. According to PolitiFact, “In Pfotenhauer’s appearance on CNN, though, she said she understood the proposals but disagreed with them. Then she said — and this was not phrased as an opinion — that the plans will cause ‘most Americans to have their premiums increased, not decreased, and hundreds of millions of people to lose their current insurance coverage.’ There’s not an independent, nonpartisan analysis out there on the current Democratic proposals that shows that. These are Republican talking points that have repeatedly been proven false, but they keep coming back. Pfotenhauer’s statement is not just false, it’s ridiculously so. Pants on Fire!” [PolitiFact, 1/28/10]

Pfotenhauer Was The Chief Lobbyist For Koch Industries From 1996 To 2001. According to Think Progress, “During the Clinton years, she rejoined the Koch Industries machine as “executive vice president for policy” of the Koch front group Citizens for a Sound Economy. With her then-husband Daniel Mitchell, a Heritage Foundation economist, she co-hosted the call-in show “Mitchells in the Morning” on National Empowerment Television, run by Heritage Foundation founder Paul Weyrich. From 1996 to 2001, she was the top lobbyist for Koch Industries.” [Think Progress, 6/28/08]

Diana Banister

Banister Served As Christine O’Donnell’s Spokesperson. According to the Associated Press, “On Sunday, O’Donnell had been set to appear on ‘Face the Nation’ on CBS and ‘Fox News Sunday.’ Campaign spokeswoman Diana Banister cited scheduling conflicts and said O’Donnell needed to return to Delaware for commitments to church events and an afternoon picnic with Republicans in a key county where she has solid backing. ‘The priorities are back in Delaware,’ Banister said. ‘Those are people who supported her, who were very helpful to her in the campaign, and she feels obligated to be there and thank them.’ Banister said she was unaware of the previous commitments when she booked O’Donnell for the shows. She said she canceled with Fox News late Friday and with CBS early Saturday.’” [Associated Press, 9/19/2010]

Emily Buchanan

Buchanan Served As Director Of The Susan B. Anthony List, Who Aired An Ad In Support Of Todd Akin. According to US News, ‘The ad released by the Susan B. Anthony List group shows Melissa Ohden explaining her disturbing story of being plucked out of a trash can by nurses who heard her crying after a botched abortion. ‘I was aborted, and my body discarded … like I didn’t exist,’ Ohden, who survived the attempted abortion in 1977, tells the screen. ‘But a nurse heard me crying … and cared enough to save my life.’ Ohden goes on to say that as state Senator, Obama voted four times to deny protections for babies who survived an abortion, a claim Factcheck.org found to be misleading. ‘Is this the kind of leadership that will move us forward?’ Ohden continues. ‘Leadership that would discard the least and weakest among us?’ Susan B. Anthony List Executive Director Emily Buchanan told Whispers that the ad–which is now running in Missouri where Republican Rep. Todd Akin is fighting for his political life to take the U.S. Senate seat now held by Democrat Claire McCaskill –was a result of data that shows this issue can significantly move voters in the election. June polling from the anti-abortion Students For Life, for example, showed one-in-three young adults were less likely to vote for the president after hearing about his vote regarding abortion survivors while in the state Senate. Akin recently dealt a potentially fatal blow to his own campaign after explaining to a talk show host that women who were ‘legitimately raped’ could prevent pregnancy. It’s unclear whether this aggressive anti-abortion ad will shift the debate away from Akin’s political misstep and potentially put voters in the win column for Mitt Romney, who many analysts believe must make a good showing in Missouri to win the White House. Buchanan said they decided to run the ad first in Missouri because it is ‘at the center of the debate on abortion,’ though she did not refer to Akin’s comments specifically.” [US News, 8/29/2012]

Kay Cole James

James Said She Wanted To Outlaw All Abortion. According to The Washington Post, “Margaret Crow and her two young daughters made themselves comfortable yesterday on a small patch of grass on Western Plaza in downtown D.C., where more than 150 people, mostly women, gathered to hear the intimate stories of people who said their lives were, or could have been, made better because abortions are legal. At the same time, across the street in a crowded J.W. Marriott Hotel meeting room, officials and supporters of the National Right to Life Committee assailed the abortion rights activists’ letter campaign. Kay James, director of the antiabortion committee, said after a 90-minute press conference, ‘There are some things about which there ought to be no choice in a civilized society. One of those things is the killing of unborn children.” [Washington Post, 5/22/85]

James Wanted To Cut Off Federal Funding For Planned Parenthood. According to the Associated Press, “Two congressional Republicans launched a drive Wednesday to cut off federal family planning funds for Planned Parenthood and other organizations that provide abortion referral and counseling. Rep. Jack Kemp of New York said he will offer an amendment mandating such a funding cutoff to the continuing resolution for fiscal 1986 when it comes before the Appropriations Committee, of which he is a member. It is expected that the resolution will contain about $142.5 million for Title X of the Public Health Service Act. Kay James, director of public affairs for the National Right to Life Committee, also present at the news briefing, said that Title X ‘is the largest single funding source for a nationwide network of organizations which aggressively promote abortion’ as a method of family planning. She said some recipients of Title X funds promote abortion through counseling which presents abortion as a simple and often preferred option and through referral to abortion clinics. ‘In many cases, the abortion facilities are under the same roof, and are operated by the same corporation, as the Title X-funded clinic,’ James said. She said Planned Parenthood-operated facilities performed 87,000 abortions in 1984.” [Associated Press, 10/30/85]

Kristan Hawkins

Hawkins Argued HHS Contraception Mandate Violated Religious Freedom. According to the Catholic Standard, “’The HHS Mandate … affects every single American, regardless of their religion or view on abortion-inducing drugs,’ Kristan Hawkins, executive director of Students for Life of America, said at the rally. ‘If the government can force Americans to choose between violating their consciences or paying steep penalties, what religious or ideological demographic will they target next?’”[Catholic Standard, 6/15/2012]

Hawkins Argued That All Abortion, Regardless Of Circumstances, Should Be Outlawed. According to an op-ed written by Sharon Broussard for the Plain Dealer, “Kristan Hawkins, executive director of Students for Life of America, argued that abortion for any reason, including rape – which she called uniformly ‘morally evil and morally wrong’ – should be banned because of the ‘personhood of the child.’ And the woman isn’t a person?” [Plain Dealer, 8/29/2012]

Hawkins Claimed That Obamacare Was “The Biggest Expansion Of Abortion In Our History.” According to Rolla Daily News, “Hawkins said ‘Obamacare,’ which McCaskill voted for, ‘makes you and I complicit in abortion.’ Moreover, she said, the health care act requires all business and other employers to offer methods of contraception that some find in opposition to their religious beliefs and rights. ‘Obamacare is the biggest expansion of abortion in our history,’ she said.” [Rolla Daily News, 10/31/2012]

Susan Hirschmann

Hirschmann Argued Against Allowing Women To Serve In Combat. According to an interview on CNN regarding allowing women to serve in combat, “1st CALLER: Good morning, Donna. My name is Steve Shapiro. I chaired a New York City Bar Association Committee which drafted a report on this subject about a year ago, and I wonder if our conservative activist is aware that today there are absolutely no restrictions on women serving in combat roles in any of our armed forces except for Navy combat vessels. Further, I wonder if she’s aware that many of our allies in the Western Alliance and otherwhere [sic] are far more progressive on this issue than we are. Sweden, for example, includes women in its submarines. KELLEY: All right. Susan? SUSAN BRACKIN HIRSCHMANN, Conservative Activist: Well, I certainly hope that our country doesn’t use Sweden as the model by which to judge our military ability. I don’t know how many people are really afraid of the force of Sweden. And any kind of person- if I were engaging in combat and engaging in a war, Sweden’s not the first country I’d pick to model after or to have on my side.” [CNN, 5/25/1992]

Hirschmann Served As Tom Delay’s Chief Of Staff. According to Roll Call, “Susan Hirschmann, chief of staff to House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and one of the most powerful women on Capitol Hill, will soon leave her post, according to GOPsources, setting off a scramble for the top position on DeLay’s staff. The 38-year-old Alabama native has been rumored to be departing for months, although she only confirmed her decision to DeLay himself late last week following several days of vacillating over whether to stay or go. She is not expected to step down until the end of the session. DeLay is seeking to replace Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas)in the No. 2 spot in the GOPhierarchy behind Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.)during the 108th Congress, if the Republicanskeep their majority in the House this fall. The Texas lawmaker had been pushing Hirschmann to make a decision on her status, said several sources familiar with the situation.” [Roll Call, 6/17/2002]

Hirschmann Worked For Eagle Forum – Conservative Organization Headed By Phyllis Schlafly

Hirschmann Worked For The Eagle Forum, Advocated Abstinence Only Education. According to The Miami Herald, “But conservative critics warned that the new federal approach would encourage more sexual activity and abortions among teens and do little to prevent pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. ‘Teenagers are just not reliable contraceptive users,’ said Susan Hirschmann, a spokeswoman for the Eagle Forum, a group headed by conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly. ‘The answer is to teach the children to respect their bodies and to respect themselves and the only healthy solution for these kids is abstinence.’ Hirschmann called Elders ‘the wrong person to be giving advice to teenagers. Her statement that every girl should take a condom in her purse when she goes out on a date contradicts the values of most parents in this country.’” [The Miami Herald, 9/5/1993]

Phyllis Schlafly Founded Eagle Forum In 1972 And Remains President. According to the Eagle Forum website, “Phyllis Schlafly was named one of the 100 most important women of the 20th century by the Ladies’ Home Journal. She has been a national leader of the conservative movement since the publication of her best-selling 1964 book, A Choice Not An Echo, and a leader of the pro-family movement since 1972, when she started her national volunteer organization now called Eagle Forum. Mrs. Schlafly is the founder and president of Eagle Forum, a national organization of citizens who participate as volunteers in the public policymaking process. She and all Eagle Forum’s state leaders are volunteers. Eagle Forum maintains offices on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. and in Alton, Illinois. She is also the founder and president of Eagle Forum Education & Legal Defense Fund, a think-tank and library which has its national headquarters at the Eagle Forum Education Center in St. Louis.” [Eagle Forum, “Phyllis Schlafly,” Accessed 4/18/13]

Schlafly Said That It Was Impossible For A Rape To Happen Within A Marriage: “By Getting Married, The Woman Has Consented To Sex, And I Don’t Think You Can Call It Rape.” According to the Sun Journal, “At one point, Schlafly also contended that married women cannot be sexually assaulted by their husbands. ‘By getting married, the woman has consented to sex, and I don’t think you can call it rape,’ she said.” [Sun Journal, 3/29/07]

Schlafly Claimed The Decision To Let Women In Combat Meant That Sexual Assaults Would Skyrocket And Said That “Only Men Will Be Deemed At Fault Because It Is Feminist Ideology That Men Are Innately Batterers And Women Are Victims.” According to Human Events, Schlafly wrote in an editorial, “In a newsworthy act of political cowardice, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta ran through the Pentagon’s exit door as he announced he is striking down the 1994 Combat Exclusion Law. His timing means his successor, presumably Chuck Hagel, will inherit the task of defending the order to assign women to front-line military combat…Military women are already complaining about increased sexual assaults, and of course those problems will skyrocket. Only men will be deemed at fault because it is feminist ideology that men are innately batterers and women are victims.” [Human Events, 1/29/13]

An Eagle Forum Blog Post Said The Influx Of Non-White Immigrants To The U.S. Was “Not A Good Thing” Because “The Immigrants Do Not Share American Values.” According to an Eagle Forum blog post, “For decades, the NY Times has been promoting immigration policies that heavily favored a huge influx of non-whites…The article goes on to quote experts who say that this is a wonderful thing, except for the facts that the Hispanic immigrants are uneducated and do not vote Democrat often enough. It is not a good thing. The immigrants do not share American values, so it is a good bet that they will not be voting Republican when they start voting in large numbers.” [Eagle Forum, 5/17/12]

Schlafly Claimed The Decision To Let Women In Combat Meant That Sexual Assaults Would Skyrocket And Said That “Only Men Will Be Deemed At Fault Because It Is Feminist Ideology That Men Are Innately Batterers And Women Are Victims.” According to Human Events, Schlafly wrote in an editorial, “In a newsworthy act of political cowardice, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta ran through the Pentagon’s exit door as he announced he is striking down the 1994 Combat Exclusion Law. His timing means his successor, presumably Chuck Hagel, will inherit the task of defending the order to assign women to front-line military combat…Military women are already complaining about increased sexual assaults, and of course those problems will skyrocket. Only men will be deemed at fault because it is feminist ideology that men are innately batterers and women are victims.” [Human Events, 1/29/13]

Connie Mackey

Mackey Was President Of The Family Research Council, Organization Supported “Renewal Of Ethical Monotheism And Traditional Judeo-Christian Standards Of Morality.” According to the Telegraph Herald, “Three days before Iowa’s Republican straw poll in Ames, a large blue bus sporting ‘Votes Have Consequences,’ and ‘Be A Values Voter,’ on its side, sidled up to a curb at Washington Square, across from the 1932 Historic Federal Building on Sixth Street. Called the ‘Values Voter Bus Tour,’ the bus, sponsored by the Faith Family Freedom Fund, Susan B. Anthony List, and the National Organization for Marriage, was on one of 22 stops on a four-day tour of the state. Connie Mackey, president of the Family Research Council political action committee, stepped from the bus and spoke to about 30 very attentive people in the park. FRC supports candidates who oppose abortion rights and candidates who believe in what are termed ‘family values,’ i.e. heterosexual marriages, and Mackey’s committee supports the ‘renewal of ethical monotheism and traditional Judeo-Christian standards of morality.’” [Telegraph Herald, 8/11/2011]

Mackey And The Family Research Council “Strongly” Defended Todd Akin After His “Legitimate Rape” Remarks. According to the Tampa Bay Times, “The Romney/Ryan campaign may have distanced itself from comments made about rape and abortion by Todd Akin, a Missouri congressman, but the Family Research Council isn’t. ‘The Family Research Council strongly supports Todd Akin,’ said Connie Mackey, president of the Family Research Council political action committee. ‘This is a case of gotcha’ politics. Todd Akin is getting a very bad break here.’ The conservative Christian advocacy group has a lot of influence on Republicans, and on Monday, its president, Tony Perkins, said he wrote specific planks in the platform that was being approved by a delegate committee this week at the Marriott Waterside. Akin is challenging Democrat Claire McCaskill for her U.S. Senate seat, which many political observers said leaned Republican. But that equation may have changed after Akin told a St. Louis TV host over the weekend that during cases of ‘legitimate rape,’ women’s bodies somehow prevent conception from taking place. Democrats pounced on the comments, and many Republicans, including the Romney/Ryan campaign, distanced themselves from the comments. Sen. Scott Brown, who is running for re-election in Massachusetts in a close race with Elizabeth Warren, denounced the comments, saying he found them ‘outageous, inappropriate and wrong.’” [Tampa Bay Times, 8/20/2012]

Mackey Said She Didn’t “Know The Science” Behind Akin’s Remarks, But That She Knew “Gotcha’ Politics.” According to the Tampa Bay Times, “During a Monday news conference Monday afternoon at the Marriott Waterside, Perkins and Mackey said they hadn’t heard the comments made by Akin, but nevertheless defended him. When told about what Akin said, Mackey replied, ‘I don’t know the science, I just know gotcha’ politics.’” [Tampa Bay Times, 8/20/2012]

The statements show that the focus of Cuccinelli’s career has always been on furthering his extreme agenda rather than finding mainstream solutions for Virginians.

Check it out – http://kenontheissues.com/

Some examples…

Over the past couple months it has been almost impossible to turn on the television or open our internet browser without seeing blaring headlines or chyrons on the latest round of GOP infighting.

What started as post-election finger pointing quickly evolved into name calling over Hurricane Sandy relief, committee purgings, Plan B, immigration, and eventually Crossroads’ new primary meddling project. What a mess.

Hassett’s views echo those of Mitt Romney, who has criticized Americans concerned with inequality as being driven by “envy,” and said that discussions about the topic do not belong in public, but instead be reserved for “quiet rooms.”

“Growing income inequality is a major issue in this election, and a major issue for our economy. What Mitt Romney doesn’t understand is that improving the fortunes of low income Americans would expand the middle class and serve as a booster shot for our economy.” said American Bridge president Rodell Mollineau. “Video has shown us that when Mitt Romney speaks about inequality in his ‘quiet rooms,’ he does it not to address the problem, but to mock and attack his fellow Americans who are struggling. That’s not just wrong — that’s straight up mean.”

BACKGROUND:

Romney Said Discussions About Inequality Are Driven By “Envy” And Should Be Confined To “Quiet Rooms”

Washington Post: Romney Said Questions About Wall Street And Inequality Were Driven By “Envy.” According to the Washington Post, during an interview on NBC, “[Romney] was pressed specifically — twice — on the question of whether any concerns about Wall Street, inequality, and economic unfairness are legitimate and are about something more than ‘envy.’” Romney said, “You know, I think it’s about envy. I think it’s about class warfare. When you have a president encouraging the idea of dividing America based on 99 percent versus one percent, and those people who have been most successful will be in the one percent, you have opened up a wave of approach in this country which is entirely inconsistent with the concept of one nation under God. The American people, I believe in the final analysis, will reject it.” [Washington Post, 1/11/12]

Romney Said Distribution Of Wealth Should Be Talked About In “Quiet Rooms.” According to the Chicago Tribune, during an interview on NBC’s “Today Show,” Romney was asked by Matt Lauer, “Are there no fair questions about the distribution of wealth without it being seen as envy, though?,” after Romney said questions about wall street and the distribution of wealth were driven by envy. Romney responded, saying “You know I think it’s fine to talk about those things in quiet rooms and discussions about tax policy and the like. But the president has made this part of his campaign rally. Everywhere he goes we hear him talking about millionaires and billionaires and executives and Wall Street. It’s a very envy-oriented, attack-oriented approach and I think it’ll fail.” [ Chicago Tribune, 1/12/12]

Romney Adviser Kevin Hassett Rejects “Left-Wing Narrative” Of Inequality, Citing Increased Access To Household Appliances

Hassett: “Left-Wing Critique Of Capitalism” That Emphasizes Inequality “Is Wrong.” According to Kevin A. Hassett and Aparna Mathur: “Blasting a caricature of his opponent’s economic policies, Mr. Obama has said, ‘it’s the same philosophy that’s been squeezing the middle class for more than a decade.’ Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren made inequality a theme in her speech at the Democratic National Convention in September. ‘The system is rigged,’ Ms. Warren said, ‘for many years now, our middle class has been chipped, squeezed and hammered.’ These statements echo a standard left-wing critique of capitalism: Economic growth does not serve all classes of society. In the mid-19th century, socialists of various stripes asserted that capitalists grow richer while exploiting workers, who grow poorer. Today we hear that the gains from economic growth accrue to the highest-income earners while the standard of living of the poor and middle America stagnates and the gap between the richest and the poorest grows ever wider. That portrait of the country is wrong.” [Wall Street Journal, 10/25/12]

Hassett: Consumption Is “More Relevant” Than Income. According to Kevin A. Hassett and Aparna Mathur: “Another way to look at people’s standard of living over time is by their consumption. Consumption is an even more relevant metric of overall welfare than pre-tax cash income, and it will be set by consumers with an eye on their lifetime incomes.” [Wall Street Journal, 10/25/12]

Hassett: Consumption Gap “Has Remained Remarkable Stable.” According to Kevin A. Hassett and Aparna Mathur: “Our recent study, ‘A New Measure of Consumption Inequality,’ found that the consumption gap across income groups has remained remarkably stable over time. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey, if you sort households according to their pretax income, in 2010 the bottom fifth accounted for 8.7% of overall consumption, the middle fifth for 17.1%, and the top fifth for about 38.6%. Go back 10 years to 2000—before two recessions, the Bush tax cuts, and continuing expansions of globalization and computerization—and the numbers are similar. The bottom fifth accounted for 8.9% of consumption, the middle fifth for 17.3%, and the top fifth for 37.3%.” [Wall Street Journal, 10/25/12]

Hassett: “Left-Wing Narrative” Is Incorrect Because Low-Income Americans Own “Devices That Are Part Of The ‘Good Life’” – Like Air Conditioning And Computers. According to Kevin A. Hassett and Aparna Mathur:  “If the standard left-wing narrative is correct, then a typical poor American would trade his current circumstances for those of the past in a heartbeat. Yet the access of low-income Americans—those earning less than $20,000 in real 2009 dollars—to devices that are part of the “good life” has increased. The percentage of low-income households with a computer rose to 47.7% from 19.8% in 2001. The percentage of low-income homes with six or more rooms (excluding bathrooms) rose to 30% from 21.9% over the same period. Appliances? The percentage of low-income homes with air-conditioning equipment rose to 83.5% from 65.8%, with dishwashers to 30.8% from 17.6%, with a washing machine to 62.4% from 57.2%, and with a clothes dryer to 56.5% from 44.9%. The percentage of low-income households with microwave ovens grew to 92.4% from 74.9% between 2001 and 2009. Fully 75.5% of low-income Americans now have a cell phone, and over a quarter of those have access to the Internet.” [Wall Street Journal, 10/25/12]

Hassett: Notion That American Society Is “Rigged Or Fundamentally Unjust” Is “Ludicrous.” According to Kevin A. Hassett and Aparna Mathur:  “The data suggest the following picture. Over time, Americans have constructed a vast safety net that has adequately served the poor and helped them—as well as the middle class—to maintain significant consumption growth despite the apparent stagnation of cash incomes. The notion that a society that has accomplished such a feat is rigged or fundamentally unjust is ludicrous. It is true that the growth of the safety net has contributed to massive government deficits—and a larger government that likely undermines economic growth and job creation. It is an open question whether the nation will be able to reshape the net in order to sustain it, but reshape it we must. We might make significant progress in that regard if those on the left would stop seeking political gain by inflaming class hatreds with misleading statistics.” [Wall Street Journal, 10/25/12]

Kevin Hassett Is A Romney Adviser

Kevin Hassett Is American Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow And Director Of Economic Policy Studies. [AEI.org, accessed 10/25/12]

Hassett Defended Romney’s Tax Plan On Campaign Conference Call With Reporters. According to the Boston Globe: “Mitt Romney’s campaign fiercely defended his tax plan Thursday, a day after anindependent study concluded it would offer big tax cuts to wealthy Americans while heavying the burden on middle- and lower-class families. On a conference call with reporters, Romney advisers ripped the study — conducted by the Tax Policy Center, a joint venture of the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute — as ‘biased’ and ‘a joke.’ ‘The study doesn’t take into account important aspects of Governor Romney’s plan, which will have a positive, pro-growth impact on the economy,’ senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom said. Kevin Hassett, an economic adviser, contended Romney’s plan to lower income tax rates for people at all income levels would boost the nation’s economic growth by about 1 percentage point per year.” [Boston Globe, 8/2/12]

NPR: Romney Adviser Hassett Criticized President Obama’s Approach To Poverty. According to NPR: “But Republicans say one only has to look at the high poverty rate to see that Obama’s approach has not worked. ‘If someone’s in poverty, what do you do about it?’ asks Kevin Hassett, an economist with the American Enterprise Institute and a Romney adviser. ‘What you do is you fix the economy.’ Hassett says Obama’s plan is largely to expand government aid, but he says it’s this spending that’s helping to keep the poor in poverty.” [WBUR.org, 10/15/12]

Romney Campaign Previously Cited Heritage Scholar Robert Rector, Who Denies Poverty Because Poor People Have “Modern Amenities” Like Air Conditioning.

Romney Campaign Cited Robert Rector To Support Claim Welfare Attack On Obama. According to Mother Jones: “Romneyland didn’t whip up the bogus welfare attack on its own. It relied instead on the work of Robert Rector, a senior researcher at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington, DC. Few Americans outside the Beltway will recognize Rector’s name. But it’s worth knowing that, for a national campaign spot, Team Romney turned to a man who holds controversial, and in some cases inaccurate, views of poverty and economics. Rector has claimed that poverty doesn’t impact children, that you’re not really poor if you have air conditioning or a car, and that the very idea of welfare lifting Americans out of poverty is ‘idiotic.’” [Mother Jones, 9/13/12]

Rector Report: Most Americans Living “In Poverty” Are Not Actually “Poor” Because They Have Air Conditioning And “Other Modern Amenities.” In 2011, Robert Rector and Rachel Sheffield co-authored a Heritage Foundation report titled, “Air Conditioning, Cable TV, and an Xbox: What is Poverty in the United States today?” According to the report: “For decades, the U.S. Census Bureau has reported that over 30 million Americans were living in ‘poverty,’ but the bureau’s definition of poverty differs widely from that held by most Americans. In fact, other government surveys show that most of the persons whom the government defines as ‘in poverty’ are not poor in any ordinary sense of the term. The overwhelming majority of the poor have air conditioning, cable TV, and a host of other modern amenities. They are well housed, have an adequate and reasonably steady supply of food, and have met their other basic needs, including medical care. Some poor Americans do experience significant hardships, including temporary food shortages or inadequate housing, but these individuals are a minority within the overall poverty population.” [Heritage.org, 7/19/11]

Read more of Rector’s controversial statements on poverty here.

Here’s American Bridge’s newest video showing voters what a Romney-Mourdock partnership would look like in Washington. WARNING: Offensive content.

Recently, Tommy Thompson has been lamenting his falling poll numbers, blaming Mitt Romney for the dramatic turnabout. Perhaps instead of seeing similarities between their falling poll numbers, Thompson should look at the similarities in their policy positions.

“Tommy Thompson’s collapse in the polls cannot be blamed simply on Mitt Romney’s slide. They are both tanking because they both espouse similarly unpopular proposals,” said Matt Thornton, Senior Communications Adviser for American Bridge 21st Century. “As long as Thompson and Romney are talking about destroying Medicare and accusing half of America of being freeloaders, they will face a similar fate on Election Day.”

Todd Akin – Women for Akin Rally – Jefferson City, MO – 9/21/2012 – Part 1

Todd Akin – Women for Akin Rally – Jefferson City, MO – 9/21/2012 – Part 2

Todd Akin – Women for Akin Rally – Jefferson City, MO – 9/21/2012 – Part 3

Todd Akin – Candidate Forum – Missouri Press Association – Columbia, MO – 9/21/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – Allman in the Morning – 9/19/2012

Todd Akin – Fair Tax Rally – Raymore, MO – 9/12/2012 – Part 1

Todd Akin – Fair Tax Rally – Raymore, MO – 9/12/2012 – Part 2

Todd Akin – Rally – Springfield, MO – 9/8/2012

Todd Akin – Interview – Mike Bush on KDSK – 8/28/2012

Todd Akin – Leading with Courage Rally – St. Louis, MO – 8/3/12

Todd Akin – Leading with Courage Rally – Kirksville, MO – 8/2/12

Todd Akin – Leading with Courage Rally – Independence, MO – 8/1/12

Todd Akin – Newton County Watermelon Feed – Neosho, MO – 7/31/2012

Todd Akin – Wright County YMCA – Mountain Grove, MO – 7/14/2012

Todd Akin – John C. Ryan Picnic – Sedalia, MO 6/14/2012

Todd Akin – Debate – Willard, MO – 5/25/2012 – Part 1

Todd Akin – Debate – Willard, MO – 5/25/2012 – Part 2

Todd Akin – Debate – Willard, MO – 5/25/2012 – Part 3

Todd Akin – Missouri College Republicans Forum – Columbia, MO – 4/21/2012

Todd Akin – AFP Tax Day Rally – Kansas City, MO – 4/15/2012

Todd Akin – Americans for Prosperity Tax Day Rally – Jefferson City, MO – 4/14/2012

Todd Akin – Laclede County Lincoln Day – Lebanon, MO – 4/5/2012

Todd Akin – Missouri Southern State University Debate – Joplin, MO – 3/12/2012 – Part 1

Todd Akin – Missouri Southern State University Debate – Joplin, MO – 3/12/2012 – Part 2

Todd Akin – Mid-Missouri Patriots Meeting – Fulton, MO – 9/3/2011

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – CBS – 8/31/2011

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – Mark Reardon on KMOX – 8/9/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – The Huckabee Report – 8/20/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – Charlie Brennan on KMOX – 8/27/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – Allman in the Morning – 9/4/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – Wallbuilders Live – 9/11/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – The Dana Show – 8/21/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – Allman in the Morning – 8/8/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – Up to Date with Steve Kraske – 8/1/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – Diane Jones Show – 1220 AM KLPW – 7/27/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – KCMO – 8/9/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – American Family Radio – 8/8/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – Mark Reardon Show – 8/2/2012

Todd Akin – KMOX Radio Debate – 3/16/2012

Todd Akin – Americans for Prosperity Candidate Forum – 7/21/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – The Dave Glover Show – 6/28/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – Wallbuilders Live – 6/21/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – KMOX – 6/20/2012

Todd Akin – Lindenwood Debate Press Conference – 6/12/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – BBC Radio – 6/28/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – KCMO – 6/22/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – The Dave Glover Show – 6/8/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – Morning News Watch – KZRG – 7/16/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – The Dana Show – 6/12/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – BlogTalk Radio – 7/19/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – KZRG – 5/24/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – KCMO – 5/4/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – KMOX – 4/26/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – KCMO – 4/24/2012

Todd Akin – Missouri Senate Forum – Audio Only – 5/11/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – 97.1 – 4/26/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – KMOX – 4/27/2012

Todd Akin – Parade – Bethany Fairgrounds – 8/30/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – Allman in the Morning – 4/13/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – Radio America Online – 4/5/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – KCMO – 4/5/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – The Takeaway – 3/29/2012

Todd Akin – Common Sense Bus Tour – Clinton, MO – 9/27/2012

Todd Akin – Common Sense Bus Tour – Warsaw, MO – 9/27/2012

Todd Akin – RCGA Candidate Forum – 3/30/2012

Todd Akin – Branson Tea Party Headquarters – 9/2/2011

Todd Akin – Boone County Pachyderms – 4/10/2012

Todd Akin – Ice Cream Social – Mehlville, MO – 6/30/2011

Todd Akin – Gateway Civil Liberties Alliance Meeting – Part 1 – 5/1/2012

Todd Akin – Gateway Civil Liberties Alliance Meeting – Part 1 – 5/1/2012

Todd Akin – AMN Radio – 9/29/2011

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – KMOX – 2/7/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview with Gregg Knapp – 12/20/2011

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – KCMO – 11/7/2011

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – Allman in the Morning – 9/27/2011

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – YHC Network – 10/21/2011

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – Secure Free Radio – 12/8/2011

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – Family Research Council Radio – 5/8/2012

Todd Akin – Radio Interview with Mark Reardon – KMOX – 11/9/2011

Todd Akin – Radio Interview – KFRU – 10/19/2011

Todd Akin – Lincoln Day Dinner – Richmond, MO – 5/31/2012

Todd Akin – Washington University Debate – St. Louis, MO – 7/6/2012

Todd Akin – Lindenwood Debate – St. Charles, MO – 6/11/2012

Todd Akin – Conversation with the Candidates – Branson, MO – 1/30/2012

Todd Akin – Endorsed by Steve King – Kansas City, MO – 4/14/2012

-          Todd Akin, The Jaco Report, August 19, 2012

Displaying an incomprehensibly poor understanding of human female biology and raising disconcerting questions about what distinguishes a “legitimate” rape from presumably lesser rapes, Rep. Todd Akin forever entered the political lexicon and emerged as a national punch line with his comments on “legitimate rape.”

For casual observers, the comments raised the question of how an individual holding such an extreme view not only wins a Senate primary, but holds onto a seat in the House of Representatives for over a decade. Indeed, such concerns are well warranted. Rather than an isolated incident, these remarks are just the latest in a long line of outrageous comments from Akin.

With the deadline passing for Akin to withdraw his name from the November ballot, Republican strategists are wishing that they had had a way to shut down his whole candidacy. Instead, they are finding out that these are the consequences of nominating crazy.

Top Ten Crazy Akin Moments:

10) Akin Compared Children’s Health Insurance To The Titanic. During a floor appearance in the House of Representatives on August 1, 2007, Akin said: “Madame Speaker, we can all think of instances where some great calamity was about to happen, and yet we have to stand by, powerless to help. Like the pilot of the Titanic, he sees the glacier emerging through the mists, he spins the wheel too late. And that is the case this morning, not with a steamship, but with SCHIP, the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan. It doesn’t take any towering intellect to see the problems. We’re going to vote to tax Americans with private health insurance, and we’re going to take the benefits away from older Americans with their Medicare, and we’re going to give that money to give free health insurance to children with families making more than $80,000, children of illegal immigrants. All of history suggests that socialized medicine is not the way to go. And yet, we are about to vote, the Democrats are about to vote for something which will make the Titanic wreck look small.” [C-Span Video Archive, House Session, 8/1/07] [11:25 – 12:35]

9) Akin Opposed Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill Because It Would “Increase Hatred In America,” And Because It Ran “Counter To Everything American Law Has Ever Stood For” By “Elevating One Group Over Another Group.” During a floor appearance in the House of Representatives on April 29, 2009, Akin said: “Thank you Mr. Speaker. There are two very good reasons to vote no on this bill. This bill is called the Hate Crimes bill. The first major reason to vote no is because this bill increases hatred in America. I will say it again. This bill increases hatred in America. How does that happen? It can be easily illustrated. Let’s say that you’re a parent, and you have a number of children. But you don’t give the children equal laws. Some you favor, and some you don’t. What quicker formula to create animosity between children? This law violates the most basic principle of law: Lady Justice always is supposed to have a blindfold across her face, because regardless of who you are, you appear before Lady Justice, black or white, male or female, rich or poor, fat or skinny, Lady Justice does not notice. This bill violates that basic principle. It creates animosity by elevating one group over another group, and thus creates hatred. This is counter to everything American law has ever stood for, and it will increase hatred in America, and for that reason alone, it should be voted no.” [C-Span Video Archive, House Session, 4/29/09] [5:12:45 – 5:14:12]

8) Akin Criticized Senate Version Of National Defense Authorization Act For “Legalizing Bestiality.” During a speech at Hill Park, Akin said: “Here’s the thing: NDAA, what that means is the entire bill that funds all of national defense. Ok, so this is the defense funding, every year we pass one of those for the Pentagon and for all the people that are our troops and all the things we do, army and air force and navy, ok. The bill is passed in the Senate and the House. The Senate version came across, a lot of Tea Party people take a good look at that bill and they’re going, we’re worried that this may give Obama authority to bring troops in and arrest Americans and detain them for long periods of time. Ok, so that was their concern. They should have read it closer, because it also legalized bestiality, the Senate gets a little weird, ok. So that was the Senate version.” [Hill Park,8/1/12]

7) Akin Bemoaned Loss Of State Sovereignty During Civil War. At a candidates forum in Wildwood, MO, Akin said: “Well certainly, the fact that over a period of time, the federal government has taken over more and more and more authority is a major problem. I don’t disagree with the premise of it. The question is, how do you get the cat back in the bag? When was it that that happened? Well it happened most predominantly, historically, during wars, and the worst case was the Civil War, where we lost states’ rights more than any other particular situation.” [Meet the Candidates Forum, 9/29/11]

6) Akin Denied the Existence of Climate Change, Saying “The Planet has not Really Been Warming”. During a floor appearance in the House of Representatives, Akin said: “And the thing that’s been embarrassing, you notice, we don’t hear as much global warming, we hear climate change, and the reason is because the planet has not really been warming the last number of years as all of these economic models were saying that it was going to. And that doesn’t necessarily mean the CO2 we’ve generated hasn’t created some warming, it’s just that it seems that the world climate is more connected to sunspot activity than these other things.” [C-Span Video Archive, House Session,6/2/09] [2:28:50 – 2:29:20]

5) Akin Said There Was “A Huge Economic Incentive For People To Be The Have-Nots.” During a radio interview on The Take Away, Akin said: “Well you see, the condition of haves and have-nots is made worse and worse the more the government pays people for not being productive. The more and more people that are on the government dole, they won’t produce anything and so they’re going to fall, so you have a huge economic incentive for people to be the have-nots, and this is a budget which is closer to what is justice, that is whatever you make you pay a certain percent, no special deal for rich guy, no special deal for poor guy.” [The Take Away, 3/29/12]

BONUS: Akin compared President Obama to the devil [Missouri Lincoln Days, Republican Debate, 2/18/12]

4) Akin “Questioned The Constitutionality Of Medicare.” ”Akin’s ideal federal government would be far different from how it functions today. He questioned the constitutionality of Medicare at a tea party meeting in Fulton and says he would close the Department of Education and the Department of Energy given the chance. ‘When we started, the federal government did almost nothing, and now it’s involved in everything under the sun, and I don’t think we do a very good job of that,’ Akin said.” [Columbia Daily Tribune, 7/29/12]

3) Akin Recited Bizarre Fictional Story Of Human Clone To Illuminate His Opposition To Stem Cell Research. During a floor appearance in the House of Representatives on May 24, 2005, Akin said: “Now there are people who want to use public money to destroy embryos, and they talk about this bill as being a good first step. What happens if we run the clock to step two or step three? My own daughter wrote a little story – I will read it – about step three. ‘I live with 40 others in a compound, supervised by cool, efficient orderlies. Instead of playing, I stood pondering a troubling dream from the night before. It was of a loving father, giving his child a name. I’ve always been just 5-25-61-B. I started imagining what it would be like to be named, when a lab technician called me down the sterile white hall to my monthly check-up. I was given the usual clear injection and scanned. The medic flipped through the images which showed my organs and wrote, ‘Healthy – Still Usable,’ across the file. Several weeks later, I heard footsteps outside my cell and low voices. The door unlocked and I was led again into the clinic and placed on the stainless table. But the injection this time was amber-colored, and I immediately sensed that something was wrong. Numbness started spreading across my body, great agony, no breathing, and the table was lifted and I slid down a chute into a large steel box with waste paper and garbage from the lunch room. My body now thrashed uncontrollably, but as everything grew dark, there was a bright figure who seemed to protect me. He looked at me with such love and said, ‘I’ve given you the name Ticia, which means ‘Loved of God.’ I woke to see a wrinkled face and twinkling black eyes, framed by white hair. He must have seen the question on my expression and explained, ‘You were a clone being held as a source for body parts, but when a recipient dies, the clone is considered useless and is given a lethal injection. I managed to get to you before the poison finished its work.’ I was stunned. After a pause, he said, ‘what shall I call you?’ At first, I was startled. Then I remembered. I said, ‘Ticia.’” [C-Span Video Archive, House Session, 5/24/05] [4:45:34 - 4:47:42]

2) Akin Compared Federal Student Loans To “Stage 3 Cancer Of Socialism” In America. ”Under pressure from President Obama and Senate Democrats, House Republicans unveiled their plan to prevent a scheduled hike in interest rates on federal student loans Wednesday, but they probably won’t be counting on the support of Missouri Rep. Todd Akin (R). At a debate over the weekend, Akin, who is running for Senate, said involving the government in the student loan process has given the government a ‘stage three cancer of socialism’: ‘AKIN: America has got the equivalent of the stage three cancer of socialism because the federal government is tampering in all kinds of stuff it has no business tampering in. So first, to answer your question precisely, what the Democrats get rid of the private student loans and take it all over by the government was wrong, it was a lousy bill, and that’s why I voted no. The government needs to get its nose out of the education business.’” [ThinkProgress, 4/26/12]

1) Akin Endorsed Raising Social Security Retirement Age, Perhaps As High As 83 Years Old. At an event with the Jefferson County Tea Party: “QUESTION: Where are you on Medicare and Social Security? TODD AKIN: Right, those are good ones, let’s do, I’ll do the easier one first, Social Security. First of all, if I had been back in the days of FDR, I’m not so sure I would have voted for it, but it was a pretty watered-down proposal then, it was wholly voluntary, it was only like 1% or half of a percent or something, and etc. etc. But it sure has changed. And so now what’s happened is that a whole lot of people who paid into a system which was mathematically broken when it started, made worse when politicians took the money out of it as it was going wrong, so what is the, how do we deal with it now? I think the fact is, because people are dependent on it, and have paid into it, we have some obligation to try to keep the people that are on Social Security, to allow them to continue. At the same time, the way it is now, there’s going to come a time when they would not get any money at all, the way it’s going, so we have an obligation to try to fix it the best we can. Part of the nature of that was not just the wickedness of Congress, although there’s plenty of blame to go around. Some of it was, when Social Security started, the average age that people died was 62, Social Security started at 65. So if we were to adjust it today, average age is 97, that would put Social Security at about 83 or so. So in other words what you may need to do is to increase the age over time when people qualify.” [Tea Party Event, Pevely, MO, 1/26/12]

• Click here to view The Bachmann Files.
• Click here to view our Best of Bachmann video.

On August 13th 2011, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann secured a victory at the Ames Straw Poll in Iowa, temporarily vaulting her to frontrunner status in the Republican presidential race. Almost exactly one month later, following a debate with her fellow primary contenders, Bachmann claimed in an interview that the HPV vaccine caused mental retardation.

Michele Bachmann is no stranger to controversial statements. She rose to national fame by calling for an investigation into her congressional colleagues to determine which Members of Congress were “anti-America.” But her decision to run for President moved her from fringe political bomb-thrower to one of the preeminent members of the Republican Party. And with that came an increased scrutiny which she was unable to withstand. These are the consequences of being crazy.

Just ask “B-1 Bob” Dornan how well a longshot Presidential bid bodes for one’s reelection chances to the House. Bachmann’s HPV vaccination comments meant that she emerged from her Presidential bid drawing more comparisons to Jenny McCarthy than Hillary Clinton. Examination of her Congressional record revealed her top legislative priority to be pushing for energy inefficient light bulbs. Her oft-misguided forays into foreign policy left many questioning what qualifications are necessary for membership on the House “Intelligence” Committee. She even managed to get out in front of Mitt on the whole “47 percent” debate by a whole year.

It is almost certain that Michele Bachmann’s comments over the last year would not have attracted the same level of attention as they did, had they been made in Minnesota, instead of the Revolutionary War battleground of Lexington and Concord (NH) or in the birthplace of John Wayne (Gacy). Michele Bachmann’s presidential ambitions ended with the Iowa Caucus, where she just barely tallied as many votes as she had in the Ames straw poll five months earlier. Bachmann’s campaign left her with little more than debt, but it left American Bridge with a treasure trove of tracking footage. For all of her Minnesota constituents who suffered the indignity of her performance on the national stage, we present: The Bachmann Files.

Chris Christie will be traveling to Iowa today to attend a fundraiser for embattled Representative Steve King, whose recent comments comparing immigrants to dogs has sparked a national outcry. This was, of course, not the first time King has made incendiary comments, and given Christie’s apparent intolerance for “crazy,” he is throwing his support behind one of the most extreme members of the House. American Bridge can only speculate that Christie is already working on his 2016 ticket.