Update on militias and crazy people
Regarding the post below on the seeming resurgence of "militias" and such. Michelle Bachmann is a good example of someone chumming the paranoid, possibly violent waters.
Can you scream Marxist, call for revolution and overthrow of the government and not carry responsibility if something happens?
Can you scream Marxist, call for revolution and overthrow of the government and not carry responsibility if something happens?
posted by mikevotes at
3:09 PM
3 Comments:
As someone who quite narrowly avoided being in Bachmann's (outrageously gerrymandered) district, I have a little insight into her motives.
Her district is essentially urban refugees (think "white flight") from the "decadence" (minorities) and "communism" (regulations) of Minneapolis/St. Paul proper. They are largely evangelical Christians frozen in time warp where it is always 2002.
None of these people really expect Bachmann to seriously legislate, because government is the problem to them. Instead, they expect her to "do no harm" and provide entertainment by "riling up the libs", which is seen as a noble pursuit in itself. Their identity is all about shaking their fists at the Great Urban Satan to the south, from which they were delivered.
Bachmann is perfect for their purposes. Re-districting in 2010 will most likely deprive her of that base, so she is positioning herself on the national stage. So the more attention she can draw to herself, the better for her, even if it is in the form of ridicule.
She is not concerned in the least about the consequences of her rhetoric. If the Party ever returns to sanity, she will also return to sanity. She will be the poster child for sanity, in fact. Her role is to ride the leading edge of Party philosophy - a political "fashionista", if you will.
This doesn't really address the point of your post, but I wanted to explain the "Bachmann phenomenon". So many people look at Bachmann and wonder about Minnesotans' sanity.
By
Todd Dugdale , at 11:17 AM
What's the income/education level on the district? Is is a way out suburb of working class whites?
And, I think you make a really good point that I hadn't thought of. Redistricting is always horsetrading between the parties, and I would assume that the Republicans in your state would happily trade her away for someone, somewhere else. It's a really good way for them to get rid of her embarrassments.
By
mikevotes, at 1:21 PM
"What's the income/education level on the district? Is is a way out suburb of working class whites?"
It's a split between the usual rural (low-income, high-school educated) and the suburban (mid-income, college-educated) who work in the Great Urban Satan.
But that isn't the driving dynamic. We aren't dealing with "hillbillies" here. This in more like an 'exile community' in terms of politics.
The rural demographic sees urban sprawl as a threat (which it is), and sees the Great Urban Satan as the enemy. Supporting Bachmann is a way to thumb their noses at that enemy.
The suburban component are 'exiles' much like Miami's Cubans. They have a passionate loathing of the "urban hell" they were delivered from, but must commute to daily. Supporting Bachmann is a way to poke their collective fingers in the eyes of the "urban liberals", more out of spite than reasoned political motives.
It's not NASCAR-loving "trailer trash" here. It's people who want to live in Walt Cleaver's (very white) world vs. those willing to live in the real world.
Redistricting will probably add significant numbers of the suburban component into the metropolitan district, and add more rural demographic to Bachmann's district.
By
Todd Dugdale , at 12:03 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home