Yahoo NewsMichele Bachmann may have cast her final vote in Congress on Thursday, but she is already gearing up for her next political venture.
In one of her last interviews as a member of Congress, the Minnesota Republican told “The Fine Print” that she plans to be back up on the political stage come 2016.
“I will be involved in 2016 one way or another,” Bachmann said. “I’m not going to go home and put a sock in my mouth; I’m going to continue to be involved in the national stage.”
And though Bachmann said she’s not running for president “right now,” she’s leaving the door open.
“I am not putting together any team, and I’m not working towards that,” she said. “I’m going to be a part of this debate in one way or another, and I’m going to be helping whoever the people choose to be the nominee.”
When Bachmann first arrived in Congress in 2007, she was a political no-name. But by 2010, she had become arguably one of the most well-known conservative Republicans in Congress. She jumped into the 2012 presidential race, winning the Iowa straw poll before her candidacy quickly faltered.
“I came here as a nobody from nowhere,” she said. “I’m not a big politician … and I decided that I was gonna roll the dice and give it everything that I had and contend for the issues that matter, and that’s what I did. The only reason why I ran as president of the United States was because of Obamacare. I knew that Obamacare could literally be a final chapter for our country.”
After her failed presidential campaign, Bachmann came back to Congress and turned her focus to national security issues as a member of the House Intelligence Committee. In so doing, Bachmann said she came to realize that the president’s foreign policy has had “devastating” consequences for the country.
Asked if Obama is to blame for the rise of ISIS, Bachmann replied, “Straight out? Yes, I would say that he is.”
“The president foolishly decided to keep his own campaign promise that he would pull the American troops out of Iraq whole sale just like that,” she continued. “We’ve all seen the video President Bush, who said if we pull troops out rapidly we’re going to see a complete denigration of Iraq, and we’re going to see the rise of radical elements. That’s exactly what’s happened.”
Bachmann also decried the president’s recent executive action to defer deportation for some 5 million undocumented immigrants. “It’s almost like he’s tone deaf, and even after the election he doubled down on his very unpopular agenda,” she said.
Though the president’s executive action stands going into the next session of Congress, Bachmann said the outcome of November’s election should be proof to political leaders that the American people stand in opposition.
“This can’t be about politicians … this has to be about normal people who are saying look , I’m not for amnesty, I’m not for granting millions and millions of illegal work permits to people who’ve broken our laws,” Bachmann said. “And the president cannot just make up a law, because it will help him politically or help his party, that’s wrong.”
In measuring the impact of the tea party, Bachmann said the conservative movement has been “wildly successful” and that the supposed rift between the tea party and establishment wings of the Republican Party has been “overblown and overhyped in the media.”
“There’s tremendous unity now in the Republican Party,” Bachmann said. “I think if you’re a fly on the wall in the Democrats conference meetings right now, I think that’s where you might see a few schisms.”
But despite her talk of Republican unity, this so-called “godmother” of the tea party has also at times taken pride in being the thorn in the side of Congressional leadership.
“I’ve been joking lately that I don’t know who’s happier to see me leave Congress, Nancy Pelosi or John Boehner,” Bachmann said humorously.
For more of the interview with Bachmann, including what she’s going to miss about being a member of Congress, check out this episode of “The Fine Print.”
ABC News’ John Parkinson, Ali Dukakis, Tom Thornton, Brian Haefeli, and Gary Rosenberg contributed to this episode.
“Asked if Obama is to blame for the rise of ISIS, Bachmann replied, “Straight out? Yes, I would say that he is.””
Hehe More truth in that response than meets the eye to to those who know where all their funding and directives come from.
Who knows? Maybe she and Killary can team up, sync cycles and destroy the world together?
I’ll send her lots of socks. She’s a fake and a shill.
Wow! Can you imagine Bachmann running against Hilary? Still, what a cat fight that would be. Amusing to watch, horrifying to imagine one of them would actually win.
Michelle bachman’s rise to political fortune is bound up in her selling out to AIPAC and decrying that we don’t do enough for Zionist Israel because they are greatest and most trusted ally. It’s no surprise that such an ill-informed lackey of the neo-cons and member of the House ” intelligence ” committee who turned her focus to national security issues would council Obama to bomb Iran although to her credit she apparently was not in favor of some other military interventions. As when, in October of 2011 she chided the Obama regime on the pretext of her expertise on international affairs and geo-political acumen. “Obama put us in Libya, ” she pontificated, He is now putting us in Africa.” Enough said.
When she was with the IRS think if you will of all the lives she’s ruined and people she’s destroyed? Then she went on to congress and kept up the attacks on Americans. Only thing this Jewess Bitch deserves is a hangman’s gallows. Here entire family needs to be rounded up and deported forever to ISRAEL.
“… I’m going to continue to be involved in the national stage.”
Pay close attention to what these maggots say…
STAGE.
Anyone still NOT believe these are nothing but PRODUCTIONS put on by the so-called ‘government’?
Yep. WWF is all it is!
True, Martist.
However, the WWF had far higher ratings, and were far more entertaining (at least in the 80s when I used to watch. Had a great ‘cast’ back then).