GOP's Bachmann Not Exactly Lying Low

Tea partiers' push for noncompliance may backfire, GOP warns

(NEWSER) - The GOP is worried that an anti-government backlash could lead to underrepresentation of conservatives in the census and shrink the number of Republican lawmakers. Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul have urged supporters not to provide anything to census workers except the number of people in their household. "The census should be nothing more than a headcount," Paul wrote this month. "It was never intended to serve as a vehicle for gathering personal information on citizens." More»

For most, leadership is ineffective, or nonexistent

(NEWSER) - A lot of strong opinions are swirling around the Republican base, but none of them appear to point a way forward for the fractured party. GOP voters and GOP-leaning independents polled are united in their distrust of—even anger at—the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress. But second in line for their ire are their own leaders—when they can agree on who they are. More mention Sarah Palin as the embodiment of their values than any other figure—but she doesn't top 20%. More»

But trend and dismal 21% approval of Congress could spell Dem's demise

(NEWSER) - The sizable lead among registered voters Democrats have maintained since the 2006 midterm elections has eroded to almost nothing. In the latest Gallup poll, Dems have just a 2-point advantage over Republicans going into the 2010 midterms, 46% to 44%, well within the sampling error. That’s down from a 6-point lead in July, due mostly to a decrease in support from independents. More»

(NEWSER) - Reasoned debate is all well and good, but the more than 300 amendments offered to the health care reform bill by finance committee Republicans are “dangerously close to a parody,” Dana Milbank writes. Or maybe they’re already there. Take Orrin Hatch’s request for “transition relief for the excise tax on high-cost insurance plans for any state with a name that begins with the letter 'U.'” There’s only one state that starts with ‘U:’ Hatch’s Utah. More»

(NEWSER) - Charles Boustany, who was upstaged last night by the impromptu opposition from his colleague, Joe Wilson, delivered the official response to Obama's speech, opening with his "disappointment" that Obama hadn't announced a do-over in the effort to reform health insurance. “Most Americans, the Louisiana congressman said, wanted to hear the president say "it’s time to start over on a common-sense, bipartisan plan focused on lowering the cost of health care while improving quality.” More»