So I went out to Broadway last night to see Michele Bachmann.
I'm hard pressed to say whether her trip was a success or not. I left feeling the same about her as I did when I arrived. That's great for her fervent supporters who already own the buttons and have the bumper stickers, but I would have imagined she'd like to try to show something a bit different or more in depth in person than we've already seen in news articles.
Her speech quickly ticked off all the conservative main points: respect for the Founding Fathers, a dedication to the Constitution and all of its amendments, "including the 2nd Amendment," and strong mentions of family, God and lower taxes, not necessarily in that order. She also showed the requisite derision for the president, cap and trade, and Obamacare: "No nation," she said, "has been able to recover from socialized medicine and find prosperity." I had to wonder if she was including our snowbirds' Canadian home in that statement. They seem reasonably prosperous to me up there.
I'm no political consultant, but I also came up with a couple of tips that I think could serve politicians well, based on what I saw last night.
Tip No. 1: When the speech is announced for 5 p.m., it's outside and it's in the 80s, don't show up at 6:15. By the time the first hour had passed the grumbles were getting louder. At least a few people around me gave up and left. The soda and slushie guy by Ripley's probably had a good night though.
Tip No. 2: Don't let your staff block dissenting voices even as you talk about your love of the 1st Amendment.
There were two guys who showed up with signs protesting Bachmann's support of the Patriot Act. You can't see his face, but the guy in the sportcoat with the pink sleeves was a staffer of some sort, with the little earpiece and all. Soon after Bachmann began talking, he started holding up campaign signs in front of the protest signs and encouraging others to do the same, so that the protestors and others began this strange ballet behind Bachmann's speech. In the end, I think the staffer's decision made the protest much more visible and obvious than if they'd just ignored it and let the guys have their say.
Her campaign did do a better job than some of picking a soundtrack. When Haley came into town a few months ago it seemed somebody just put on a sampler of '80s hits, so we heard "Highway to the Danger Zone" and Guns 'n' Roses' "Paradise City" before she took the stage. During the hour and change that we waited last night it became obvious that somebody had specifically chosen upbeat, positive songs that matched her campaign, including at least one by Bachman-Turner Overdrive, which made me smile.
Anybody else go? Other thoughts?
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