Terrified of tea

When Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann was named to the House Intelligence Committee earlier this year, one of her Republican colleagues responded this way: “Is that a punchline?” Another simply said, “Jumbo shrimp. Oxymoron.”

Neither dared to attach his name to his comment.

Bachmann’s Republican critics may be sick of her grandstanding, but they’re more terrified of her tea party following.

In just her third term, she has developed a fan base like 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s: Energized, fiercely loyal and capable of making a critic’s life miserable with threats of political retribution. She’s also a huge media draw — whether it’s MSNBC, which lampoons her, Fox News, which promotes her, or CNN, which aired her entire State of the Union rebuttal Tuesday night. All that’s missing is a Saturday Night Live spoof. (See: Bachmann poses challenge for GOP)

It’s enough to make most Republicans think twice before crossing her — or at least wish they had.

Take Rep. Jason Chaffetz. Hours after POLITICO published his comment knocking Bachmann’s rebuttal to the State of the Union address, the second-term Utah Republican issued a statement, through Bachmann’s office no less, walking back his criticism. (See: Chaffetz apologizes to Bachmann for criticism)

“My primary concern with Congresswoman Bachmann’s speech was the timing of it relative to Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) official response to the President’s State of the Union address. I felt at the time the proximity of her speech was too near Chairman Ryan’s official response,” Chaffetz said. “I have since learned that the timing of Congresswoman Bachmann’s address was not simultaneous to Chairman Ryan’s official response. … Now understanding the true order of events, I would not have made the same comments to the media.” (See: Bachmann's turn)

That’s a far cry from his original assessment: “To try to upend Paul Ryan was just wrong.” (See: Ryan's rebuttal: Cut and shrink)

Chaffetz knows well the power of conservative grassroots movements, as he won his seat with a right-flank challenge to then-Rep. Chris Cannon in 2008 and is now looking at a primary challenge to Sen. Orrin Hatch. Though he didn’t mention Chaffetz or Bachmann, the top strategist for the Tea Party Express said in a Thursday National Review Online story that Hatch won’t be targeted by the group in 2012.

Not everyone in the GOP is jittery about crossing the line into criticism when it comes to Bachmann or Palin.


Freshman Rep. Joe Walsh, a tea party favorite in Illinois, isn’t backing down from his judgment that Bachmann miscalculated, even though he’s gotten some angry calls from her backers.

“She was out of line. She had no business stepping on the official Republican response to the State of the Union,” Walsh said in an interview with POLITICO. “I can say that to you saying I’m a fan of Michele Bachmann’s. She and I think the same on virtually probably every darn issue.”

But he said he understands why some other lawmakers may be less willing to go on the record with their gripes.

“She’s got a huge movement. She’s got a huge following,” he said. “I am sure that many politicians and elected officials do not what to upset that huge movement and that huge following.

Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) — who has a long conservative voting record — said he learned the power of Palin’s following the hard way after suggesting she stay out of Georgia’s Republican gubernatorial primary on a radio show.

“There was a firestorm in the office for about 24 hours,” he said, with people “questioning my Republican conservative credentials” in phone calls. “To Sarah Palin’s credit, you have a national network of very energized fans.”

Friends and critics alike say Bachmann’s trending toward Palinesque status in terms of her ability to generate attention and build a following. She raised more than $13 million for her last re-election campaign, roughly tripling an opponent whose $4.2 million haul would typically be considered prolific.

For any Republican who fears a primary challenge — or would like help for a general election — there’s no percentage in getting on the wrong side of Palin or Bachmann.

“The base loves them and if you want the base to love you, you have to love them,” said Republican strategist John Feehery, a former House GOP leadership aide. “If you don’t care about the base, then you can say whatever you want.”

But the reality is most Republicans do care about the base — and fear the consequences of crossing their stars.

© 2011 Capitol News