Forget Sarah Palin: Michele Bachmann is the new Tea Party queen
Palin gets more press, says Jonathan Capehart in The Washington Post, but Bachmann is the leader Tea Partiers can really believe in

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) "is pushing Sarah Palin off her throne as queen of the Tea Party," says Jonathan Capehart at The Washington Post. Bachmann, who is in her third term in Congress, stays "relentlessly on message," hammering home her arguments about how the deficit is out of control, and how it's all Obama's fault. The Minnesota Republican doesn't "lard" her public statements with extra details to make her "sound smarter than you think she is," the way Palin does. She just makes concise points, buttressed by figures and, when necessary, charts. Bachmann eats, sleeps, and breathes the right's fight against what she calls Obama's "gangster government." Really, Tea Partiers couldn't ask for a better leader. Here, an excerpt:
Bachmann does something that Palin has never done. She doesn't hide behind or filter her views through Twitter, Facebook, and Fox News. She subjects herself to interviews with David Gregory, Chris Matthews, and others who are not reliably friendly to her worldview....
So, if you're nestled in the angry wing of the Republican Party, Bachmann is the kind of leader you need. Sure, the Tea Party isn't as angry today as it was last fall. But Bachmann is showing time and again that she does a far better job of lending an authoritative voice to her followers' frustrations than Palin ever could.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Read the full article at The Washington Post.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 exclusive cartoons about Trump and Putin negotiating peace
Cartoons Artists take on alternative timelines, missing participants, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The AI arms race
Talking Point The fixation on AI-powered economic growth risks drowning out concerns around the technology which have yet to be resolved
By The Week UK Published
-
Why Jannik Sinner's ban has divided the tennis world
In the Spotlight The timing of the suspension handed down to the world's best male tennis player has been met with scepticism
By The Week UK Published
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
US election: who the billionaires are backing
The Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
1 of 6 'Trump Train' drivers liable in Biden bus blockade
Speed Read Only one of the accused was found liable in the case concerning the deliberate slowing of a 2020 Biden campaign bus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published