Minnesota's Bachmann Seeks Help: I'm No Extremist

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., says she needs help proving she is not an extremist and is requesting campaign contributions from supporters to help counter a Democratic Web site targeting her as one of the most outspoken members of Congress.

Bachmann’s campaign office issued an e-mail request to supporters for campaign contributions shortly after the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched BachmannWatch.com, according to Minnesota Public Radio.

The site, devoted entirely to Bachmann’s controversial rhetoric, slams the two-term incumbent for what the Democratic committee believes are overstatements and exaggerations about issues such as earmarks, cap and trade, ACORN, and the Democratic-led spending stimulus.

Criticism of Bachmann, a pariah among liberals, is certain to energize the Democratic base, Congressional Quarterly Politics noted. But it also may generate support for Bachmann herself. At least that's what she's hoping for.

In the e-mail, Bachmann accuses the Democratic committee of targeting her.

"The Democrats are gunning for me because I refuse to shrink from a fight,” Bachmann writes in the missive. “With your help, I can keep fighting for your freedom, for your pocketbook, and for all that the Constitution has secured for the American people for generations."

Bachmann asks for a contribution to help her keep fighting, and asks her supporters to share the e-mail with five friends. The Democratic committee's latest attempt to discredit her and to paint anyone who disagrees with the liberal agenda sweeping through Washington as an extremist is a joke, she says.

“If you get a chance, check it out,” she says of the site. “It's incredible how fast and loose they are willing to play with the truth. We thought we saw the height of their spin machine last October, but really, it looks like this is just the beginning."

But Gabby Adler, Midwest press secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told The Hill that Bachmann isn’t just out of touch with Minnesota families; she is out of touch with the truth.

“Michele Bachmann will say anything to support her extreme agenda, even if it means lying and twisting the truth," Adler said.