Bachmann: I'm Being 'Palinized'

House, Senate groups haven't met in months

(NEWSER) - In January, the Senate Tea Party Caucus was in full swing, holding a meeting on Capitol Hill—but neither that group nor its House counterpart have done much of anything since. Though a leader of the Senate caucus points out that “it’s only been nine months,” the group’s members seem to be learning that running a caucus can be a time drain that offers few results, Politico reports. More»

'Someone has to say no. I will'

(NEWSER) - Michele Bachmann is taking a break from the stump to vote against the debt deal. “Someone has to say ‘no.’ I will,” she said in a statement issued last night. “The 'deal' ... spends too much and doesn't cut enough,” she said. “Mr. President, I'm not sure what voice you're listening to, but I can assure you that the voice of the American people wasn't the voice that compelled Washington to act.” More»

Mitch McConnell, Tea Party at the forefront: Chris Cillizza

(NEWSER) - The debt-deal dust has yet to settle, but that's not stopping anyone from analyzing its political consequences. In the Washington Post , Chris Cillizza notes the winners:

• Mitch McConnell was “the Mariano Rivera of the debt deal. He waited until the game was in its final moments, came onto the field and helped close things down.”
• The Tea Party showed its sway, driving John Boehner to delay his bill and “add conservative sweeteners to get the 217 votes he needed.”

Candidates refuse to endorse budget compromise

(NEWSER) - Mitch McConnell's budget compromise plan has been met with either rejection or silence from the GOP's White House contenders. Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann, and Ron Paul have come out against the plan, and not a single candidate has endorsed it, reports AP . Bachmann and Paul have pledged to vote against raising the debt ceiling. "Republicans cannot take the bait and get fooled again," Paul said. More»

In fact, 'a lot of women have done that the last few years,' she says

(NEWSER) - Attention: Red blazers are Sarah Palin's thing, OK? And anyone who wears them, especially if she also puts her hair up and dons glasses, is infringing on Sarah Palin's brand. So sayeth Bristol Palin, who recently discussed style-stealer Michele Bachmann with PopEater : "I think she dresses a lot like my mom. ... I do think it's odd, you know, seeing people with red blazers with their hair up with glasses. I don't know if she's wearing glasses but you want to be hummmm, do you think that people don't notice you're dressing like my mom?" Click for more from the interview, like why Bristol hates the word "abstinence." More»