Politics: The Iron Lady of Iowa

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Politics The Iron Lady of Iowa Michele Bachmann tries to remind Hawkeye voters why they loved her so much back in August. By David Weigel Posted Friday, Dec 30, 2011, at 05:44 PM ET NEVADA, Iowa—In a few minutes, Michele Bachmann's whale-blue campaign bus will pull up to the Snack Time Family Restaurant in this central Iowa town. It's running a little late. I use the extra time to buy a copy of the Ames Tribune, the paper that serves the college town next door. On Page One: a picture of Bachmann standing on a chair, surrounded by signs with her name on them, rapt Iowa crowd totally unaware of the banner headline they're going to appear under: "Wheels coming off?" Bachmann is closing out a 14-day, 99-county tour of the state where she was born. At each stop, she delivers a capsule version of her stump speech, shakes hands, and poses for a video asking the good people of the county to caucus for her. All that work, and what's the story? Kent Sorenson. Her Iowa campaign chairman, a first-term state senator, ditched her on Wednesday night. He appeared with her at a stop in Indianola, and then, hours later, joined Ron Paul in Des Moines to announce his switch. "There is a clear top tier in the race for the Republican nomination for president," he explains in the Tribune, adding that he maintains "an immense amount of respect for Michele." Funny, she doesn't seem to think of him that way. "Kent said to me yesterday that 'everyone sells out in Iowa, why shouldn't I,' " she told the Tribune. "Then he told me he would stay ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Michele Bachmann Tries in Vain To Rekindle Her Love Affair With Iowa Voters In Real Life, Marvel Does Not Consider Mutants To Be People Why Are Orthodox Jews Harassing Young Jewish Girls?	Advertisement
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