Bachmann signs 'Cut, Cap and Balance' pledge–on her terms
(CNN)-Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann changed her mind about signing the "Cut, Cap and Balance" pledge, but made a critical addition before doing so.
Bachmann is seeking the 2012 GOP nomination for president and previously vowed that she would not sign the pledge because it didn't go far enough.
But the three-term congresswoman remedied that concern Monday when she signed onto the agreement endorsed by nine other GOP presidential candidates, and added on a condition of her own: that candidates agree to repeal and defund health care reform legislation passed over one year ago and signed into law by President Obama.
"The principles that are found in the 'Cut, Cap and Balance' pledge will put us in the right direction for fundamentally restructuring the way that Washington, D.C. is currently spending our tax dollars," she said at a press conference held in South Carolina, one of the key early primary states.
And she added the important caveat saying, "However, in signing this pledge I'm also adding an additional line. In addition to cutting spending this year-not out into the future but this year-and in addition to guaranteeing a true cap in spending that will put us on a path to balance and also enforcing a balanced budget amendment we must also add this line and that's to repeal and defund Obamacare."
Bachmann joins former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, businessman Herman Cain, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Michigan Rep. Thad McCotter and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson as the tenth member of the GOP presidential pack to sign onto the pledge. It proposes to cut federal spending in the next fiscal year by $380 billion, cap spending at 18 percent of the size of the economy within five to six years, amend the Constitution to require Congress to balance the budget every year and make it more difficult for lawmakers to raise taxes.
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Forget Christian and compassionate. We are broke. Fend for yourself you slacker – life is rough so grow up. Like most conservatives I choose to legally avoid as much taxation as possible. I give more to charities than I pay in taxes and if I could ever possibly have no tax bill that would be great but unfortunately that is not feasible.
100 years from now, children will be looking into the mirrors of darkened bathrooms and saying Michele Bachmann's name 3 times.
Why doesn't someone have them sign a pledge to create jobs?
Baxhmann is a SLAVE to pledges!
Cut wasteful govt spending by 1.5 trillion $$ in the next 12 months, repeal Obamacare immediately, and cap obama's spending spree by 1.5 trillion $$ in the next
12 months. This should be the proposal. I am NOT in favor of the proposal mentioned in the political ticker on cut, cap , and balance article.
LOL. This woman is a bigger joke than sister sarah!
Maybe, her husband can "pray away" her stupidity??!
Here's my pledge. I pledge to help this lunatic get the nomination so she can get slaughtered in the general election. She's such a waste of humanity, it's not funny.
When she returns her government subsidies I'll take her more seriously as a candidate.
Bachman will never get elected because she is too damn far to the right.
She is Wrong for Iowa. Wrong for America. Wrong in the eyes of the lord. Just plain Wrong for the world!!
You Conservatives; teapartiers; right wingers what ever name you claim today, I have one thing for all of you: Every proposal you
are advocating, if passed, will come back and bite you all in your CutnCaps; That's IF. IF, you get your way. I suspect you all will be lying, crying and dying come 2012. You've blown this one already.
Right...because requiring that insurance companies stop treating my wife's pre-existing condition as a reason to not cover her medications is such an EEEEVVIIILLL thing to do.
Bachmann should quit signing pledges and start doing her job. Has she ever authored a piece of legislation?
the conservative needs to start taking his meds again.
What a crock!.. how can these political charlatans sign such nonsensical documents,.. when they have no idea of the repercussions, or what the economic and financial climate will be like down the road.