John Hinderaker asks…
…whether Michele Bachmann has been underestimated.
Not just by her enemies, but by her friends.
As for me, I don’t yet have a firm opinion about Bachmann, simply because so far I’m not familiar enough with her. That will emerge over time if she continues to be a candidate. But my initial impression is that those on the left who call her a lunatic or stupid are confusing her with somebody else, or with their own wishful thinking. Unlike their other nemesis (and her supposed doppelganger) Sarah Palin, Bachmann is generally articulate in the more conventional sense; and her academic and professional credentials, although not Ivy League, are more conventionally impressive as well: JD from Oral Roberts University, LLM in tax law (not, one would imagine, an especially easy course of study) from William and Mary Law School, and then a lawyer for the IRS. What a dum-dum!
[NOTE: The above is not meant to imply that Sarah Palin’s lack of graduate degree, law credentials, or “more conventional” articulation means that she is stupid or any of the other things of which she is accused by her enemies. It merely means that, without that veneer, she is easier to make fun of, and it is somewhat more difficult for her to reach and gain the respect of the vast middle of the electorate.]
Oral Roberts University ewww
The Left, as demonstrated by Chris Matthews, have branded her “crazy” since they’ve already ascribed “stupid” to Palin. And in almost all of the media, these women are compared/played off each other, I guess because they’re both Republican women.
Love the Addendum.
There is, to be sure, not only PDS, but antipathy expressed by us Palin supporters that probably nears the emotionalism of PDS against any and all Palin naysayers. I am a big Bachman fan too.
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to listen to a half hour of Limbaugh today and he had a Christie clip you would love to hear, Neo.
…inserts “dictionary.com” into URL field, clicks, then inserts “doppelganger”…
(I wouldn’t know much w/o my good ole’ laptop on the Internet.)
1. The Left site I frequent seems pretty confident that Bachmann can be painted as a religious nut. Whether that’s true or a smear I do not know.
2. Would Bachmann have had to pass a bar exam in order to work for the IRS?
2. By keeping Gary Johnson out of the debate, leftist CNN has precluded an opportunity for him to also be identified as underestimated. I’m sure that leftist CNN has no ulterior motives against the secular candidacy of a self-made businessman and two-term governor of a bluish state. No agenda, no ulterior motives, no narrative to enforce. None at all.
You know, when I read the words Oral Roberts University I thought ignorant jerking-knee statement such as “Oral Roberts University ewww” coming along in 5.4.3.2.1…..
And June did not disappoint.
Didn’t they say the same kind of thing about Phyllis Schlafly back in the day?
According to her bio, Schlafly is “a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Washington University, received her J.D. from Washington University Law School, and received her Master’s in Political Science from Harvard University.”
But as I recall, she was always painted as a stupid doormat because of her conservative views.
Conservative women are always slandered with the “stupid” label. Not only that, they’re always “extremist” (see this about Bachmann: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/06/14/michele-bachmanns-unrivaled-extremism-gay-rights-to-religion.html
In this post, I explain why I like Bachmann — but not as a Republican presidential candidate.
(And I would really like to know more about those 23 foster kids.)
Conservative women are always slandered with the “stupid” label. Not only that, they’re always “extremist”
It’s not just women. Conservatives generally get smeared with “stupid” and “extremist,” not to mention those hardy perennials “racist” and “sexist.” Conservative politics is not for the thin-skinned. I guess we now know why Barry is a Dem.
The media has invested heavily in the ignorant conservative woman narrative to prime the public for 2012. With Palin questionable to run, they feel certain all their hard work will easily transfer to Bachman.
And they may be right. A few months of slamming Bachman as stupid will sway the fashionable thought conformers. They’ve been primed for it and ridicule awaits any who stray off the narrative plantation.
Nyo :
Who is more likely to have an inflated vision of their capabilities and their right to dictate to others what to do, an Oral Roberts Law grad, or a Harvard Law/Yale Law grad? I would vote for the latter. IMHO, an Oral Roberts Law grad will be more humble and less overbearing than a Harvard Law or Yale Law grad.
Disclaimer: I have never been a churchgoer.
Sarah Palin, University of Idaho, eww…although I would be willing to bet real money, knowing nothing about the U of I’s journalism school (which is Palin’s major) that there is more respect for diversity of thought in that department than in, say, the women’s studies department of Harvard.
Of course, one reason Palin went to Idaho as well as several other colleges (also a supposed mark of her intellectual inferiority) is that she had to work her way through school.
And yes, Gringo, people wind up at various law schools for various reasons–for example, I know very good lawyers here in Michigan who went to what is considered the least rigorous law school in Michigan because they needed a part-time or night program and that was what was near where they lived.
In any case, yes, I would be more inclined to say an ORU law grad is more likely to have a sense of humility about herself than a Harvard law graduate.
The results of Harvard and Yale leading the country are in. They’ve failed. Next!
I agree with several comments above. Prestigious colleges and universities are much overrated.
I have worked with engineers and scientists who graduated from universities considered inferior to mine. But one of the best chemical engineers I ever worked with had a degree from the University of Houston (when I studied at Rice, we called it “Cougar High”).
I have also worked with scientists who graduated from such universities as Harvard, Cornell, and MIT when I consulted for Exxon research labs. They had hired me, a lowly grad of a state university to solve some of their most difficult problems.
My experience has been that persons who are intelligent and work hard after university are the ones who excel in later life, their alma mater to the contrary notwithstanding.
But, forget the education–who voted “present” more than anyone else?
“texexec Says:
June 17th, 2011 at 3:03 pm
…inserts “dictionary.com” into URL field, clicks, then inserts “doppelganger”…
(I wouldn’t know much w/o my good ole’ laptop on the Internet.)”
By far, the finest teacher I have ever encountered in my long, long education is Professor Control Leftclick.
I grew up about 5 miles from Oral Roberts University. I’m not at all a fan of the man but one can get a decent education there. His son, Richard, is beneath contempt, in my opinion.
Can any of you name a famous ORU law school prof?
One A. Hill would be the answer. We Okies aren’t all a bunch of right wing conservatives.
It would be interesting to inquire of lefties why they are afraid of strong, accomplished, women.
“It would be interesting to inquire of lefties why they are afraid of strong, accomplished, women.”
That is a twisted, sexual nightmare I would rather not imagine.
Ironic that everyone focuses on Oral Roberts and ignores William and Mary. Most folks who know would rank W&M among the most prestigious schools in the country; and, truth be known, probably more rigorous than the many Ivy League schools.
There is something a little sad about people who parade academic credentials as though they actually mean anything a dozen or so years later. The real issue is what you have accomplished as an adult. Progressing from PTA volunteer to Governor of a state would be pretty impressive.
They’re snobs.
One of the dumbest dames I ever had to work with made sure that Everyone she met knew she’d gone to Yale. What a bore. (She also tried to seduce all her authors — the classics professors! They went in a group to the publisher and complained, and the trashy wench had to leave. But, thanks to her Yale degree, she landed a job at one of the top Southern colleges.)
Beverly, your post was the best news I heard all day. I’m glad to hear that I happened to be out of work in this environment, I shouldn’t have too much trouble getting another job, all thanks to the name on my degrees! It’s rare to get any good news at websites I browse these days.
Bachmann caught my eye, first because she is visually appealing. Second because she is a staunch conservative. So I have paid close attention to her, just short of sending her a photo of my Wiener.
One thing that bothers me is her strength, I do not sense any. She lacks projection of power and energy. Is it a guy thing I am experiencing? Do I have a problem with a woman in control. Nope.
Sarah Palin projects all of the above with energy, power and resolve. It’s her toughness combined with beauty and traditional values that make me much more comfortable with a woman in the high office. But not just any woman.
CZ.
I haven’t seen much of Bachmann in action, which is to say, in the old term, moving pictures. Can’t say about projecting anything.
But Carter projected…ugh. Obama projects a brittle shell covering who knows what.
I’d like to be able to see TR in a speech, with modern recording equipment to see what he projects. We know about RR.
Does America want a President who projects strength? If so, how do we explain Barack Hussein Obama?
If the country wants Girly Men, why not Girly Girls? That’s meant to be a joke.
I believe that Bachmann projects enormous strength. She has been under incessant attack from the left for years, and she never flinched. People just haven’t noticed, I guess. I contributed to her campaign years ago when they went after her. (Mistake in that I still get requests for donations. Once a politician discovers you…) If nothing else, it should tell you something that she is a Conservative from Minnesota. The 23 foster children should also tell you something about quiet, sustaining strength. You don’t have to toot a big horn like Pelosi or flex big muscles like Arnold –or dare I say Weiner?– to be a strong politician.
neo, you can kill two birds with one stone by watching C-SPAN’s booktv segment: After Words: Peter Schweizer, author of “Architects of Ruin” interviewed by Rep. Michele Bachmann. In it you’ll get a sense for Bachman by the dialog she has with the author and you’ll get a good rundown of this book as well. I have not read the book, but I remember this beeing a good interview both for its content and for knowing Bachman.