Bachmann: '100% Of Our Economy Was Private' Before September 2008

Talking Points Memo: 

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is continuing to denounce what she says is a pattern of government takeovers of the economy -- going so far as to say that the economy used to be totally private.

"And what we saw this Tuesday, once the president signed the health care bill at the 11th hour in the morning on Tuesday, that effected 51% government takeover of the private economy," Bachmann said on Wednesday, during an interview with North Dakota talk radio host Scott Hennen. "It is really quite sobering what has happened. From 100% of our economy was private prior to September of 2008, but as of Tuesday, the federal government has now taken ownership or control of 51% of the private economy."

Before September 2008 -- presumably in reference to the TARP bailout of Wall Street -- one hundred percent of the economy was private? Bachmann has previously made the tautological statement 100% of the "private economy" was private at a given time, but now she's starting to go even further.

Bachmann also accused the Democrats and the media of smearing the Tea Partiers who came to Washington for the health care vote last weekend, by fabricating claims of misbehavior. "The media wants you to believe that tea party patriots are toothless hillbillies," said Bachmann, who instead cast the tea partiers as intelligent, educated and professional people. "This is a very sophisticated crowd. And then these charges from Democrats that they were spit upon, that there were racial epithets -- there's no one who saw anything."

Posted via email from Jim Nichols for GA State House