Bachmann Campaigns in Cedar Rapids, Downplays Poor Finish in Florida Straw Poll

By Hannah Hess
IowaPolitics.com

CEDAR RAPIDS -- U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minnesota, put pressure on the “backbone” of the Republican Party today, telling conservatives here not to settle for a moderate candidate.

The 2012 presidential race “could be the last election that we elect a president that will be leading this nation when we are the leading economic producer of the world, and the leading military superpower of the world,” Bachmann said. “In any subsequent election, we could find ourselves in ‘also-ran’ status.”
 
Bachmann has recently found herself becoming an “also-ran” second-tier candidate.
 
On Saturday, she placed last among eight candidates in the Florida straw poll, with just 1.5 percent of the 2,657 votes cast. She finished fifth Sunday in the Michigan straw poll, with 4 percent of the 681 votes cast. Her poll numbers have continued to slip since she won the Aug. 13 Iowa Straw Poll.
 
In addition, her tea party base seems to be migrating, most recently to former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain, who dominated the Florida straw poll with 37.1 percent of the vote.
 
But Bachmann told reporters Monday that she did not actively participate in the Florida straw poll and had focused “our effort, our money and our time” on the Iowa straw poll because she considered the vote most akin to a real election. Delegates at the Florida straw poll paid $175 registration fee to cast a vote.

Janice Ferguson, of Solon, one of the 60 observers who braved the rain Monday to crowd around Bachmann in the Longbranch Hotel and Convention Center ballroom, challenged the Minnesota congresswoman to explain how she stands out in the crowded field of competitors.
 
“I’m 55 years old. I’ve lived a very consistent life,” Bachmann said, referring to her six years in the Minnesota Senate and five years in Congress. “I knew that unless we had a rock-solid constitutional conservative that has fight in them, nothing’s going to change.”
 
Bachmann declared that President Barack Obama would not be elected to a second term, and that Republicans need to vet the field for a strong candidate.
 
“I’ve got the will and the spine to do this fight,” she said. “I’m up for this fight.”
 
Ferguson, 51, said hearing Bachmann’s answer encouraged her. But she said she doubts defeating Obama will be an easy task -- or that Bachmann is uniquely suited for the job.
 
“There’s just too many of them out there," Ferguson said, noting that many tea party candidates sound the same on the issues. "Maybe as time goes on, and we get closer to January, maybe those differences will come out."
 
Bachmann said her campaign is “perfectly positioned” for people to take a fresh look at the candidates and reconsider their choices.
 
Paul Hildebrand, 64, of Marion, agreed. He said Republicans are going through a “sifting process” which could benefit Bachmann, though he is not sure he supports her yet.
 
“This really is a way for them to practice, so … they’re going to know the places not to stumble on,” Hildebrand said while sporting a big blue Bachmann campaign sticker. “I think she still has the ability to make a strong comeback.”
 
During her speech Monday, Bachmann emphasized the need to cut taxes and roll back regulations. She also warned of the rising power of China, telling the audience that within five years, the Asian nation would take America’s place as the “economic powerhouse” of the world.
 
“We’re told by 2020 – nine years from now – we’ll be paying for all of their army,” she said. “We have to make a decision, do we build up our military, or do we cut back on something else?”
 
Though she agreed with the severity of the situation, Bachmann’s policy objectives did not impress Mary Elizabeth Spreitzer, 67, of Cedar Rapids.
 
“I’m very concerned about her abilities as a leader, because it is a tough arena out there,” she said. “It’s very, very, very tough. I don’t know if she has the knowledge – the real knowledge – of what’s going on out there now.”
 
Spreitzer, a registered Republican, said she will be listening to all the candidates and wants real solutions for Social Security, Medicare and the outsourcing of jobs.
 
After the Cedar Rapids stop, Bachmann traveled to Des Moines to an interview with WHO Newsradio 1040 host Simon Conway.