Michele Bachmann Uses GOP Debate To Announce She’s Running For POTUS

I’ll do  a full debate wrap-up in the morning, but some of the biggest news came at the very beginning:

Surprise!

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann just announced on CNN that she has filed papers to run for president of the United States, with a formal announcement to come later.

“I filed today my paperwork to seek the presidency of the United States today,” Bachmann said. “I wanted you to be the first to know.”

This was pretty much a foregone conclusion but it was interesting (and probably annoying to CNN) that she used the debate to make the announcement, it’s the first time I can remember that happening. As a quick preview of tomorrow, I’ll say that Bachmann came across pretty well overall and confirmed me earlier belief that she’s likely to be a much stronger candidate than some people are anticipating.
FILED UNDER: 2012 Election, The Presidency, US Politics, , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. TG Chicago says:

    Why would CNN find her announcement annoying? She gave them a fairly big scoop.

  2. Herb says:

    she’s likely to be a much stronger candidate than some people are anticipating

    I’ll second that. She always seemed like a lightweight to me, but it seems like she’s been doing the homework that Sarah Palin steadfastly refuses to do.

  3. Bennet Cecil says:

    Great news. She has the experience, the support of tea party consevatives and the courage to reform our federal government. Conservatives do not want another Bush McCain statist. That eliminates Romney and Gingrich. Herman Cain is great but has no political experience. Paul cannot get the vote from the military industrial complex or the crony capitalists. Most republican voters do not understand that the Federal Reserve is stealing their prosperity.

    Will Carl Rove try to diminish her? Will the country club republicans derail her? I hope she runs away with it. We are tired of liberal big government republicans getting the nomination. We deserve an articulate conservative like Reagan. Return to small government and return to prosperity.

  4. Later, she stopped mid-order at a checkout line at McDonald’s to officially announce to the American people that Michele Bachmann would be getting take out burgers for dinner.

  5. Only an idiot would announce while everyone else was watching hockey.

  6. Ben Wolf says:

    Bennett,

    Reagan vastly increased government spending, and economic growth in the 80’s was weaker than growth in the fifties, sixties, seventies or nineties. Take it somewhere else.

    Oh, and reagan raised taxes.

  7. hey norm says:

    @ Ben Wolf, Bennett…
    And Reagan grew the debt like it was on steroids.

  8. Franklin says:

    I’ll second that. She always seemed like a lightweight to me, but it seems like she’s been doing the homework that Sarah Palin steadfastly refuses to do.

    Both Herb and Doug consider Bachmann to be somewhat serious. That’s interesting, I was all ready to ignore anything about her and had previously said she made Palin seem like a genius. Now I’ll have to actually pay attention and give her another chance.

  9. Hey Norm says:

    C’mon…how can you take Bachmann seriously? Maybe in the Iowa caucuses. Where else is her brand of looney going to fly? I guess when Romney is your front-runner anything is possible. She wants to repeal DADT and pass a Marriage amendment. Abolish the EPA. According to her it’s the medias fault that the Tea Party is seen as one-dimensional. She decries socialism while accepting farm subsidies.
    Maybe the far extreme right will drive the nomination. Obama can only hope so.

  10. Herb says:

    Both Herb and Doug consider Bachmann to be somewhat serious.

    Well, hold on. I think Bachmann’s politics are decidedly unserious, which limits her appeal (and her chances) but silly politics aside, Bachmann the candidate is shrewd and capable. No one’s saying that about Pawlenty today…..

  11. jwest says:

    Off-topic comment in violation of site policies deleted.

  12. mantis says:

    I’m glad he’s moving from denial to acceptance.

    Too bad you haven’t. Btw what does that have to do with Bachmann?