“The thinking man’s Sarah Palin”: not funny at all

She called some of her fellow congressmen anti-American, said Obama holds socialist views and accused him of wanting to set up “re-education camps” for America’s youth. She actually said that carbon dioxide emissions are a natural part of the atmosphere and that global warming is merely a myth, launched by left-wing liberals.

Still, they call her “the thinking man’s Sarah Palin”… Michelle Bachmann has got the conservative wing of the Republican Party extremely excited.

Many struggle to comprehend how an extremely socially conservative Republican congresswoman from Minnesota, a mother of five who describes herself as a “fool for Christ” and fiercely opposes abortion and gay marriage, is being taken seriously on national level. But Bachmann, 53, has emerged as a part of an increasingly visible “female brand” of conservatism, rising in America in the wake of the Obama election. Being kicked out of power in the White House and in Congress, the Republican Party is tapping more and more into grassroots frustration of their voters, becoming more white and southern at the same time as national demographic changes give power to other regions and minorities. Championed by the likes of Fox News channel, conservatism is getting a new, feminine and more attractive look.

The impact of both Palin and Bachmann just goes further to show how America is being split into two different worlds. On the liberal side, such politicians become the butt of jokes for their outlandish comments. But on the other side, they are trying (and pretty much succeeding) to present themselves as victims of liberal media. To the conservative mind-set, it seems these women are being repeatedly attacked precisely because of the “validity” of their message.

At a recent rally opposing healthcare reform, Bachmann told her audience: “What we have to do today is make a covenant, to slit our wrists, be blood brothers on this thing. This will not pass. We will do whatever it takes to make sure this doesn't pass”. She may look like a suburban soccer mum, but the liberal media should be aware that this kind of discourse is not at all funny, but potentially very dangerous…