In the highly likely event that Michele Bachmann, member of the Tea Party movement and Congressional representative from Minnesota's sixth district, announces her 2012 presidential candidacy, a number of statements are certain to follow. Verbal fumbles, one might call them, are in particular completely unacceptable coming from a current leader and a future potential President of the United States.
While speaking before Iowans for Tax Relief this last January, Bachmann spoke of the disparate backgrounds and ethnic identities of our forefathers, and slavery as an unfortunate yet undeniable facet of American history. These are commendable words, to be sure, especially considering the vitriol with which many of her fellow Tea Partiers have reacted to President Obama's skin color and the manufactured case against his American birth.
Bachmann continued, describing the tireless process by which men such as John Quincy Adams, our sixth President (who is not considered to be a Founding Father like his own father, John Adams) worked to eradicate slavery from our newly free country.
But what about the Civil War, one might ask. The Emancipation Proclamation? One might have opened a few more history books than Bachmann has, sure. But this slip-up goes beyond misunderstanding and misinformation. We, as American citizens, expect our leaders and lawmakers to be informed and deeply versed in historical precedent. Most especially, we expect an understanding of the United States Constitution, the document that governs the actions and decisions of the federal government.
The Constitution did not outlaw slavery, and neither did John Quincy Adams. It was not until Abraham Lincoln, our 16th President, that the slaves were freed. But you already knew that, right?
Bachmann is beginning to feel more and more like Sarah 2.0, Palin Lite. In early March, Bachmann flubbed her early American history again, speaking to a group of voters in New Hampshire of their state's role in the origins of the United States. She identified New Hampshire as the site of the shot heard round the world (Lexington and Concord, located in Massachusetts) and the location of Plymouth Rock (sorry, Bachmann, Massachusetts again).
The real kicker? She made the same mistakes the next day, indicating that neither she nor her staff realized the error. She later acknowledged the gaffe on her Facebook page, but not without first taking a swipe at President Obama.
She joked it "will be the last time I borrow President Obama's teleprompter!" As if he or his speechwriters were somehow to blame for the glaring gaps in her knowledge?
Regarding the intervention in Libya, Bachmann put her faith in General David Petraeus' expertise and decision-making—except that Petraeus has nothing to do with any tactical decisions made in Northern Africa, as he is the commander of forces in Afghanistan. And as a member of the House Intelligence Committee, she ought to know that.
In the past five or six years, the rise of highly visible pundits seems to have changed the lay of the election land: sound bites such as these made by Bachmann are seized and replayed for days, lending the person a certain infamy and familiarity, which somehow becomes acceptance within certain voting demographics.
There is no better example of this than Sarah Palin. She illustrated the depths of her ignorance to the American people four years ago as a Vice Presidential candidate, left office as Governor of Alaska, starred in a reality show on TLC, yet until recently, somehow, perversely, she was considered to be a legitimate candidate.
As a voting populace, it is undeniable that we have been harsh on the women running for office, but for all the wrong reasons. All anyone could talk about, in addition to her house's proximity to Russia, when Sarah Palin was on John McCain's ticket was her expensive clothing.
When Hillary Clinton was running for President four years ago, everything from her decision to remain married to former President Bill Clinton to her lipstick shade and her wardrobe choices was singled out and scrutinized. She was considered the first female candidate with a legitimate shot at the Presidency; after all, it was only in 1984, with the addition of Geraldine Ferraro to Walter Mondale's ticket, that the country saw its first female Vice Presidential candidate.
Characteristics such as a woman's makeup choices or her heel height do not make her a good candidate—experience, intelligence and a keen understanding of policy do.
As much as this may be impossible to achieve in a world of highly available information disseminated at hyper speed, it would be nice to see the disappearance of the celebrity candidate and the emergence of the accomplished politician.