New York Times Profiles Antiabortion-Rights Rep. Bachmann

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 16 Oct 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) -- a staunch opponent of abortion rights who has been highly critical of health reform efforts -- has developed "outsized celebrity" among some conservatives and attracted the disdain of Democrats who see her as "a wacky purveyor of outrageous claims and criticisms," the New York Times reports. Although Bachmann has held her position for just three years, her frequent appearances on conservative cable news shows and vocal attacks on Democratic proposals have prompted speculation that she might someday seek a higher office. However, Bachmann hails from Minnesota's most conservative district, and many question whether she could win voters' support statewide.

Bachmann's supporters praise her "uncompromising, unvarnished stances" against government programs and spending, tax increases and abortion rights. Her sometimes outlandish statements have helped her become one of Congress' most polarizing figures, and the Democratic National Committee has targeted her in its "Call 'Em Out" campaign against lawmakers who spread misinformation about health reform. For example, Bachmann has suggested that one health reform proposal's privacy rules for school-based clinics would lead to young girls receiving referrals for abortion procedures. She also has questioned whether Congress has the constitutional authority to pass health reform at all and falsely claimed that undocumented immigrants would receive government-subsidized health care under the proposals.

Some conservatives draw comparisons between Bachmann and former vice presidential candidate and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R). According to the Times, although Republican leaders "wince occasionally at [Bachmann's] appearances on the floor and on television, ... they also see her as someone with telegenic appeal who can energize conservatives and aggravate Democrats, and they are not likely to rein her in."

Bachmann's detractors call her a "cable television gadfly" who automatically opposes all Democratic proposals. Two Democrats already have expressed interest in challenging her in next year's election and "are raising a lot of money to do so," according to the Times (Davey, New York Times, 10/15).

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