At least as of right now, as my previous posts attest. I'll be surprised if my enthusiasm wanes. The Weekly Standard's cover article, "Queen of the Tea Party," only adds fuel to my enthusiasm. It's a MUST READ article. Some excerpts:
Energetic, charismatic, intelligent, and attractive, the 55-year-old Bachmann is no stranger to publicity. Since she arrived on the national scene in 2007, her prominence in the conservative movement has skyrocketed. . .
Along with many others, I see the nation going downhill and regard Michele Bachmann as the person best able to stop the slide (at least as far as politics is concerned; popular culture is another thing!)
Since 2009, millions of Americans have attended rallies, joined Tea Party groups, and become involved in politics. They’re scared for the future of the country, and they want to stop America’s decline. Many of these activists are parents or grandparents who simply weren’t political before government policies drove them into the arena. Michele Bachmann is uniquely positioned to speak to these voters—because she’s one of them.
She's feisty and not afraid to lead from the front. As Matthew Continetti, the writer of the article put it, "She’s about as far from an apologetic conservative as you can get." She also "knows her stuff" and is authentic.
Her combativeness will delight conservatives eager to fight Barack Obama. Her movement credentials—she founded the House Tea Party Caucus—put her at the cutting edge of right-wing politics. And in a primary campaign where authenticity counts, no other candidate has Bachmann’s unique history: an Iowa native who put herself through law school, raised her five children and took in 23 foster children, and has never lost an election for state or federal office.
I'm impressed with many of the GOP Presidential candidates, and any one of them would be far superior to the man now occupying the White House. As for those comparing Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann, I am convinced Bachmann would make the more formidable candidate and President. Consider:
Whereas Palin makes emotional and cultural appeals to her supporters, Bachmann formulates an argument. She talks like a litigating attorney, and her speeches, op-eds, and interviews are littered with references to books and articles. Not all of her references are conservative. During our recent interview, Bachmann cited Lawrence Wright’s history of al Qaeda, The Looming Tower (“I love that book!”), to illustrate a point about the rise of radical Islam.
Bachmann talks like an attorney because she is one! There's no substitute for reading the entire article. It covers her home life as a child, her work on an Israeli kibbutz, her work ethic during her college years, her early support of Jimmy Carter, the influence on her life of theologian and social critic Francis Schaeffer, and so much more. [more . . .]
Update 6/27/11 - "Bachmann well-positioned for Iowa"