Right-Wingers to God: Stop Health Care Bill

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»

Journos' 'language of conspiracy' stems from lack of understanding: Ross Douthat

(NEWSER) - Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry’s time in the spotlight has brought back a “fear of theocracy” not seen since the days of George W. Bush. Liberals are concerned that “Christian extremism is again on the march,” writes Ross Douthat in the New York Times . And while it’s fair for the media to question how candidates’ faiths might influence their policy, Douthat wishes journalists would follow some key ground rules:

• Remember that conservative Christianity has its own centers and fringes; don’t count the radicals as the best representatives of a given viewpoint.

She also asks for 'special anointing' as she considers 2012 run

(NEWSER) - In deciding whether to embark on a quest for greater political power, Michele Bachmann is leaning on the power of prayer. "I am asking your listeners to now please pray for me and my husband and my team," Bachmann said in an interview with Financial Issues Stewardship Ministries, which was spotted by Politico . "Ask that the Lord will give us a special anointing on how to put our team together, who those team people will be, that he would bring those people to us." More»

Schism could be imminent

(NEWSER) - The Tea Party movement is already starting to fracture, with battle lines being drawn between libertarians and Christian conservatives, Newsweek observes. A mere day after the election, Christian conservative groups like the Family Research Council wrote Republican leaders urging them to ban same-sex marriage and abortion; less than two weeks later, 17 Tea Party leader responded with their own letter urging leaders not to “run down any social issue rabbit holes.” More»

Steve King, Louie Gohmert not far behind among fringe congressmen

(NEWSER) - A week after releasing its Senate Wingnut Index , the Daily Beast investigates wingnuttery in the House. Using a “semi-scientific” process to identify the most extreme members on both sides of the spectrum, the site ranks them:

1. Michele Bachmann (R-MN): From calling the president “anti-American” to warning of tyranny, “Bachmann has become a symbol of all things Wingnutty in American politics.”