Posted: 3/1/07
Bachmann back in Sixth District
By Chris Schafer
With Congress on hiatus due to the President's Day holiday, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann took the opportunity to return to the Sixth District and touch base with her constituents.
Bachmann said she would spend the entire week touring the district. Her Feb. 21 stop at the Union-Eagle was a precursor to visits to Fairview Medical Center and Sherburne County Wildlife Refuge. She had spoken at the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce earlier in the day.
In speaking with the Union-Eagle, Bachmann said she enjoys being back in the district and laments the fact that congress must be in D.C. for five days instead of three longer days as it was previously. She said she would rather spend Mondays and Fridays in her district. "We're not working more, we're just in D.C. more," Bachmann said of the five-day plan.
The freshmen congresswoman went on to say she has met many great people in Washington even if they don't always agree on policy and politics.
Regarding initiatives on capital hill, Bachmann questioned the effectiveness of the bills moved forward in the first 100 hours of the predominately Democrat congress. "None of them will make it to the finish line," she said.
For Bachmann the two most important issues are national security and health care. She is currently pushing her own bill in Washington which would make all health care premiums tax deductible. Bachmann said so far the reaction to her bill has been mostly positive and the support has been bi-partisan.
While Bachmann's bill works its way through the house, the incident she has gained the most notoriety for is her contact with the president during the State of the Union address.
Bachmann, who placed her arm on the president's shoulder and kissed him on the cheek, said she could see why it was news but didn't understand why it was such a big deal. "I didn't know there was a clock going for the amount of shoulder time," she said.
She also stated that the Washington media paid no attention to the occurrence.
Bachmann said reaction to the incident in Washington D.C. was very positive with several top Republicans complimenting her for linking herself to the president at a time when his approval ratings are low.
Bachmann said ultimately the connection will mean good things for the sixth district. "There is a tremendous silver lining," she said. "The White House is aware of me and that can only be good for the sixth district."
Princeton Union-Eagle
P.O. Box 278
Princeton, MN 55371
Telephone: 763-389-1222
Fax: 763-389-1728