Bachmann Targets Occupy Wall Street, Warns of U.S. Becoming Banana Republic
EmailPolitics, not capitalism, is to blame for the economic crisis and Occupy Wall Street protesters should target Washington rather than businesses that create jobs, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., said in a speech today in Ames, Iowa.
The economy is flailing because politicians are worried only about protecting their friends, said Bachmann, who compared that sort of cronyism to so-called “banana republics.”
“A vocal minority called Occupy Wall Street believes that the problem we face is capitalism or free markets. It’s not. The problem is government doing what both the constitution and decent morality prohibit, that is cronyism capitalism, or forcefully taking your money for the purpose of paying off a politician’s political friends,” Bachmann told students at Iowa State University.
“For your sake and your future, America, and Occupy Wall Street in particular, needs to wake up and stop blaming job creators for the failures created by selfish politicians who wink at their political donors,” she said.
Politicians, she said, made too many backroom deals with friends and donors that undermine the free market.
“The problem is politicians who wink at political donors and through the force of law put their competitors out of business. Politicians assure their friends that with government’s financial backing, their businesses will never fail,” she said.
That sort of cronyism ” happens every day, and it has to stop,” she said. “After all, we’re not a Banana Republic; we’re the United States of America and we need to act like it.
Bachmann also used the event to draw a distinction between her proposed tax plan and those of her competitors, particularly Herman Cain, who supports a flat tax, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who wants to give taxpayers a choice between the current system or a flat tax.
Bachmann, who supports a “fairer, flatter” system, does not support a single flat tax, but does support “abolishing” the current tax code.
“To accomplish a fairer, flatter and simpler tax system will take a complete reform of the tax system. It means abolishing what we currently have and starting over again.”
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Bachmann hates our country.
Posted by: Secondlook | November 3, 2011, 7:40 pm 7:40 pm
Bachmann is right – politicians are ruining the country, working for special interests. The occupiers’ rage is misplaced; Congress is not held accountable by the people and should be. Start w/Barney Frank and Chris Dodd.
Posted by: happywoman | November 3, 2011, 8:58 pm 8:58 pm
She’s right, we should start with her and the rest of the GOP!!!
Posted by: focusonjobs1 | November 3, 2011, 9:11 pm 9:11 pm
The Occupiers think they are really courageous protesting in a Democratic country with an ACLU just a phone call away and liberal judges “protecting” their free speech. Do you know who is/was courageous, the WWII French resistance, etc., American warriors in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Finns against the Russians in WWII, people who run into a burning building to save lives or pull motorists from a burning vehicle, the guy who pulled a woman from the NYC subway tracks with oncoming trains approaching, etc. The wimpy, spoiled protesters need to find REAL courage. Yes, things stink in our society but if you can’t make it here you can’t make it at all–immigrants work two crummy jobs and succeed, coming here not knowing the English language sometimes.
Posted by: jonnie | November 3, 2011, 9:16 pm 9:16 pm
Michelle is trying to talk a good game to try to revive her failing campaign using sympathized scripting. Of course she is counting on short term memories and a simplistic understanding of the situation. Nice try but the protestors are pointing the politicians toward the problem.
Posted by: Wayne | November 3, 2011, 9:31 pm 9:31 pm
Bachmann, turncoat overdrive. She’s desperate to get back in the slimelight.
Posted by: atheist 1 | November 3, 2011, 9:59 pm 9:59 pm
Michele Bachmann the Republiccant tea party candidate,knows she’s definitely not getting the nomination so she only trying to divert the attention away from the hands that feeding her, she not interested in the general walfare of her constituents, let alone express humility towards the recipients of Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid. She just trying to ROB THE POOR TO FEED THE RICH.
Posted by: Fe | November 3, 2011, 9:59 pm 9:59 pm
Violence is not the answer and in a way I think she means well. But, I had to chuckle at this headline. Violence is never the answer. PEaceful protests are such as MArtin luther King did. This is a tragic story of people who lost jobs and have no where else to go. Now the thugs are in the frey and what a mess. This country will survive and come back stronger. A very difficult time to swallow for all of us.
Posted by: Steve | November 3, 2011, 10:07 pm 10:07 pm
Michelle Bachman obviously hasn’t listened to a bit of what the protestors are saying and yes it is a combination of the crooks on wall street as well as the dumb politicians that have together run the country into the ground. If these students she spoke about really cared about the future they’d start protesting too!
Posted by: Rose | November 3, 2011, 10:08 pm 10:08 pm
focusonjobs1 – I am currently serving in the Armed Forces, and it is my responsibility to uphold and defend the right of citizens to protest, whether it makes you comfortable or not.
Posted by: Charles | November 3, 2011, 10:17 pm 10:17 pm
Charles! Thanks for your service! It’s good to know that our troops take pride in protecting the constitution! Especially the first amendment, the right to assemble. I’m sure our fore fathers made that one the first one for a reason! It’s not like its the fifth It came first!!! Regardless of how some people think it is not courageous to stand up for their beliefs there is absolutely no reason they should want to stop them from protesting because next time it may be them being the “spoiled” protestors and I’m sure they would expect to be heard as well!
Posted by: Rose | November 3, 2011, 10:29 pm 10:29 pm
Anyone aware of Bachmann husband understands [BANANA] part of Republic…
Posted by: MysteryMoves | November 3, 2011, 10:42 pm 10:42 pm
Congress does what Wall Street and transnationals accomplices tell it to do.
Posted by: Fred | November 3, 2011, 11:48 pm 11:48 pm
Here we go again with Trickle Down Economics… Typical rhetoric.
Posted by: JamesOnly | November 4, 2011, 12:50 am 12:50 am
Bachmann is right. The problem is she’s front and center in taking her marching orders from the far-right business leaders that are turning us into a banana republic. She’s a banana republican first class!
Posted by: The_Mick | November 4, 2011, 2:43 am 2:43 am
Hellooooo, it’s the job creators that buy our politicians in Washington. Corporate lobbyists have permanent address’s in Washington were they dole out money for votes. Our politicians are bought and paid for by corporate America. We were warned back in the 50′s about the Industrial Military Complex taking over our government but, nobody listens. Nobody buys politicians better than Wall Street bankers and that is why you see the OWS protesters. Bachmann has taken more than her share of PAC money and lobbyist money at the expense of her constituents. Just another bought off politician.
Posted by: Indymind | November 4, 2011, 6:57 am 6:57 am
….and Lord knows she’s an expert on banana’s…..
Posted by: wayne | November 4, 2011, 1:32 pm 1:32 pm
There is truth to Bachmann’s point and the Occupy movement. We have to face it, America needs workers making more money. We simply can’t support our needed government, military and world image paying crappy wages to everybody but the CEOs. To reply to a previous comment; nobody can be called successful making $2.30 per hotel room cleaned and then working at a factory making $8 an hour. This get you in a trailer park. Companies pay less because they can. They know goverment provides section 8 housing, medical care and retirement. Oh and if they can’t pay less they just move the company to another country. Let’s start a national labor union. We can call it “Underpaid, Overtaxed, Underappreiciated Workers Of America” or as we are known now “America’s Workers”. Same meaning, just some of us know it.
Posted by: Chad | November 5, 2011, 8:53 am 8:53 am
Straight from the horses mouth. That this whole speech is based around the false premise that Wall St. gamblers, and international corporations are job creators is typical of fascist talking heads. While it is true that some of these are creating jobs, the majority of those jobs being created are for pennies to the hour in some far off country where slave labor is easily come by. There is a reason these companies agreed to only publish the numbers of jobs created domestically and in foreign countries anonymously. If we could easily access information as to which corporations were creating domestic jobs, and which ones are outsourcing jobs it would be a cinch to give tax breaks to the true job creators and raise taxes on those who are outsourcing, but as they all submit this info. anonymously it is very easy for their talking heads to convince the masses to give them all tax breaks on the (misleading) premise that they are job creators.
Posted by: Ian | November 12, 2011, 5:54 pm 5:54 pm
Bachman doesn’t know much about the occupiers. Our rage is against congress, who perpetuate these problems. The blame is spread to everyone. Why can’t she and many of you see that?? Occupy wall street is just a name. The occupiers understand that the banks and the government are too close. putting an end to the backdoor deals is a part of our protest.THAT IS WHY WE ARE PROTESTING!! WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!
This is a list if PROPOSED, not official , demands. They are mostly about stopping backroom deals. Bachman is scooping our ideas (not that we mind, we think they are very good) and throwing back at us as if we didn’t already bring them up.
Posted by: Matt | November 14, 2011, 4:59 am 4:59 am