The president of the National Organization of Women actually rose to Rep. Michele Bachmann’s defense yesterday (didn’t see that coming!), while Newsweek editor Tina Brown tried to justify the “Crazy Eyes” cover that inspired so much conservative commentary yesterday. But one person seem disinclined to talk about the cover one way or another and that was Bachmann herself. As of yesterday afternoon, Bachmann still hadn’t seen the picture and she didn’t seem to care too much to talk about it when she could be talking about her campaign and her ideas for the country:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKmRE55Uxy8[/youtube]
Brown claims the cover is OK because “Bachmann’s intensity is galvanizing voters in Iowa right now and Newsweek’s cover captures that.” But, of course, “rage” carries rather different connotations than “intensity.”
Still, Brown certainly has the “galvanizing voters” part right. According to a Monday Rasmussen Reports poll, Bachmann still leads Iowa (over Romney). Plus, Iowa talk radio host Steve Deace predicts Bachmann will easily win the Ames straw poll this Saturday. “If she stands her ground [in the debate this week] then the mystery isn’t whether or not she’ll win, but by how much,” Deace has said.
The entire episode illustrates just how beautifully Bachmann’s campaign has grown up.
There are plenty of less-than-flattering photos of almost all the females who are in the political arena.
Michelle Obama had the unfortunate juxtaposition of herself and a big bush that made her look like she had a HUGE Afro when she was in the UK.
Michelle also had a funny photo of her in the wind that made her look like a hooker.
Hillary had merciless photos of her online over the years.
But none of this has a whit to do with these women’s abilities.
Michelle Bachmann has some experience in private enterprise and in government.
Not a whole lot, however.
But she has (as she puts it) a titanium spine.
That some photos of her come out funny is irrelevant.
The ”queen of rage” tag is odd when ”intensity” is really the issue.
She is not raging, not at all.