Reports that Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., sought government funding provided by the stimulus and federal agencies for her district while publicly criticizing government spending throughout 2009 and into 2010 might expose the Tea Party favorite and fiscal conservative to criticism from her right.
The Huffington Post obtained several letters that Bachmann sent to various government agencies requesting money for her district. Perhaps the most damaging language comes from an October 2009 letter to Agriculture Secretary Paul Vilsack:
Five days later, she was chastising the concept of government spending in public, saying that the president’s efforts to stem the fallout of the recession amounted to a charade. “We hear about fantasy football games. This is fantasy economics,” Bachmann said.
The letter continued with Bachmann “encourag[ing Vilsack] to take any additional steps necessary to prevent further deterioration of these critical industries” in Minnesota.
That kind of praise for government intervention on behalf of a private industry certainly seems to undercut her criticism of the auto industry bailout.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty, R-Minn., might try to capitalize on this story by pointing out that he rejected Obamacare funds, but that might backfire given that he accepted stimulus money for his state.
