The Telegraph
Michele Bachmann threatens Sarah Palin's claim to be the new Margaret Thatcher
By Tim Stanley
Seven Republican presidential candidates debated last night in New Hampshire. As our US editor Toby Harnden observes, only one had any impact: Michele Bachmann. Mrs Bachmann ought to rise in the polls. If she does, it’ll be at Sarah Palin’s expense.
It was a poorly choreographed debate. With seven candidates limited to 30 second responses stretched out over two hours, things became repetitive. Tim Pawlenty was boring enough to substitute for Valium, Mitt Romney slipped into his “Gee golly, gumdrops, ain’t life grand?” act too early, and Rick Santorum looked a little ill. The hosts spiced things up with questions like, “Do you prefer Pepsi or Coke?” There was the ubiquitous “reading of the Tweets”, as if Bob from West Virginia’s opinion counts for jack. Everyone was on best behaviour, no one wanted a fight. For this, I was missing Golden Girls on Lifetime?
And then Michele Bachmann ignored a question and announced her candidacy for the Presidency of the United States instead. It was a bold move that could have gone horribly wrong. Instead, it threw momentum her way and she rode it like a wild horse right through to the end. Mrs Bachmann is one of those intense people who doesn’t blink as often as she should. When she gets fixed on an issue, she looks buzzed-up enough to be high on coke. But surrounded by these old grey men, she suddenly seemed full of pep and spark.
And how eloquent she was! Bachmann is seen by the liberal press as a rival to Sarah Palin because the two are conservative women. But while Palin has a “complex relationship” with the English language, and often wings it with generalities, Bachmann came off like a policy wonk. She reminded the audience of how much legislation she had either authored or tried to scrap, and made frequent reference to her trailblazing leadership of the Tea Party in the House. Her answer on abortion was rather beautiful. The debate’s hosts tried to trap her by asking about what she would do in cases of rape and incest. Bachmann replied with a lyrical explanation of the value of life, side-stepping the specifics completely. Right-to-lifers will understand what she really meant; independents won’t care because it sounded so good. That’s how you sell conservatism.
There were others worth mentioning. Herman Cain pushed his businessman savvy and Ron Paul still stands out as the most radical option out there. Gingrich may not have done enough to redeem his candidacy, but his practical, intelligent answers on space exploration and immigration ought to remind voters that he is the most experienced legislator in the field. It’s sad to see to see so epic a figure fighting for relevance in a race full of comparatively inexperienced people.
But the media story for the next week or so will be Bachmann. Inevitably, journalists will ask, has she eclipsed Sarah Palin? It’s an annoying question as it implies that the public can only take one female conservative at a time. But there’s no doubt that Bachmann has made a sparkling debut. And as long as Palin stays out of the race, Tea Party people looking for something to do will sign up to the conservative with the momentum and the guts to stand. If anyone’s looking like the new Mrs T, it’s Mrs B.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/timstanley/100092088/michele-bachmann-threatens-sarah-palins-claim-to-be-the-new-margaret-thatcher/
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