Michele Marie Bachmann (born on April 6, 1956) is a Republican politician and the Representative of Minnesota's 6th congressional district. She is the third woman and first Republican woman to represent Minnesota in Congress. She defeated her Democratic challenger, Elwyn Tinklenberg, in the 2008 election in a race that had gained national attention following her controversial televised call for the media to investigate members of Congress for perceived anti-American bias, including Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. The 6th congressional district includes the northern far suburbs of the Twin Cities along with St. Cloud. She won 50 percent of the votes in the 2006 election, defeating Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidate Patty Wetterling and the Independence Party's John Binkowski. Bachmann served in the Minnesota State Senate from 2001 to 2007.
Bachmann introduced the Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act, to repeal the nationwide phase-out of conventional light bulbs. She argued that the government has no business telling consumers what kind of light bulbs they can buy: "By 2012, incandescent light bulbs will be no more," Bachmann said. "Fluorescent bulbs are more polluting because of their mercury content. We are working on a light bulb bill. If the Democrats can hose up a light bulb, don't trust them with the country."
During the summer of 2008 as national gas prices rose to over $4 a gallon, Bachmann became a leading Congressional advocate for increased domestic oil and natural gas exploration in ANWR and the Outer Continental Shelf.
Bachmann opposed both versions of the Wall Street bailout bill for America’s struggling financial sector.
She voted against the first proposed $700 billion dollar bailout of financial institutions, which failed to pass 205–228, and instead advocated a plan that would suspend mark-to-market accounting rules. She also advocated for breaking up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, suspending the capital gains tax, and barring executives from excessive compensation or golden parachutes.
Bachmann also opposed the Big Three bailout for the American auto industry. The “Big Three” refers to Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors, who approached Congress to ask for roughly $15-billion to keep them operational into 2009. Bachmann criticized the bill over fear that the initial sum of money would be followed by subsequent ones without the companies making changes to revive their business. According to Bachmann, her alternative would set hard benchmarks for reducing their debt and renegotiating deals labor and would set up the financial assistance as interim insurance instead of a taxpayer-financed bailout.
Michele Bachmann - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Authored constitutional amendment defining marriage. (Nov 2006)
- Voted NO on prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation. (Nov 2007)
- Voted NO on tax incentives for energy production and conservation. (May 2008)
- Voted NO on tax incentives for renewable energy. (Feb 2008)
- Voted NO on investing in homegrown biofuel. (Aug 2007) Acknowledge the Armenian Genocide of the early 1900s. (Mar 2007)
- Fight to uphold our 2nd Amendment rights. (Nov 2006)
- Ban gun registration & trigger lock law in Washington DC. (Mar 2007)
- Voted NO on Veto override: Extend SCHIP to cover 6M more kids. (Jan 2008)
- Voted NO on adding 2 to 4 million children to SCHIP eligibility. (Oct 2007)
- Remain vigilant and ready, including military action. (Nov 2006)
- Secure our borders and enforce current laws. (Nov 2006)
- Declare English as the official language of the US. (Feb 2007)
- Voted NO on restricting employer interference in union organizing. (Mar 2007)
- Recognize Christianity's importance to western civilization. (Dec 2007)
- Put hard earned money back in taxpayers’ pockets. (Nov 2006)
- Permanent ban on state & local taxation of Internet access. (Oct 2007)
- Voted NO on investigating Bush impeachment for lying about Iraq. (Jun 2008)
- Voted NO on redeploying US troops out of Iraq starting in 90 days. (May 2007)
Michele Bachmann, For being pro-second amendment, pro national security, pro family values, pro fiscal responsibility, in short, for being the antithesis of John Conyers and his ilk, you earned an:
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