If Sarah Palin runs, will she face her own Mini-Me?
It鈥檚 looking more and more like Sarah Palin is going to run for president. She鈥檚 touring historic sites on the East Coast this weekend in a big bus tour, for instance. Who鈥檇 brave Memorial Day traffic for that? Someone who wants as much publicity as possible for a very special upcoming announcement, that鈥檚 who.
But here鈥檚 a question: If Ms. Palin gets in, will she be competing with her own Mini-Me? Will she face a woman very much like her, with tea party backing and an accent reminiscent of the frozen north?
It appears that would be the case. We鈥檙e talking about Michele Bachmann, of course. She鈥檚 the congresswoman from Minnesota who delivered the tea party response to President Obama鈥檚 State of the Union address.
Ms. Bachmann has been toying with a presidential bid for months. Many pundits said she was waiting to see if Palin would run, and if the ex-Alaska governor opted out, the current Minnesota lawmaker would opt in. If that鈥檚 the case, she may be tired of waiting. On Thursday she announced that she鈥檒l be announcing for president next month in Waterloo, Iowa, where she was born (unless she decides not to, as there鈥檚 still a sliver of a chance she won鈥檛 enter the 2012 GOP campaign).
In a conference call with reporters, Bachmann said she had great respect for Sarah Palin but that Palin鈥檚 presidential decision won鈥檛 affect her own.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe that any two candidates are interchangeable. I believe each one of us brings our own unique skill set into this race,鈥� said Bachmann, according to Politico.
Well, they鈥檙e not interchangeable, in the sense that Palin鈥檚 kids would probably notice if Bachmann sneaked into their house and tried to make them do their homework. But Bachmann is about Palin鈥檚 age, and has longish brown hair like her, and sounds kind of like her. She thinks America is threatened by radical big government, like Palin does. She鈥檚 against Obama鈥檚 health-care law, and pro-gun and ant-abortion. She鈥檚 used to snow.
鈥淪he鈥檚 sort of a mini-Palin,鈥� says Steven Schier, a political scientist at Carleton College in Minnesota.
If they face off, who鈥檒l win? After all, the GOP presidential race probably has room for only one female tea party candidate with lots of parkas.
Mr. Schier gives the nod to Palin. She鈥檚 got far more name recognition, higher poll numbers, and a dedicated national fan base.
鈥淚f Palin runs, then the air goes out of Bachmann鈥檚 balloon,鈥� says Schier.
Others aren鈥檛 so sure. Bachmann did not resign from her elected office and then star in a reality show, as Palin did. She鈥檚 a sitting lawmaker who may be able to talk policy, particularly economic policy, with more fluency than Palin can.
鈥淪he鈥檚 a very good campaigner. She鈥檚 kind of Sarah Palin with a better attention span and a greater strategic sense,鈥� says Larry Jacobs, a political scientist at the University of Minnesota.
Bachmann shrugs off political attacks better than Palin does, in the eyes of some expert observers. She just moves on, without getting bogged down issuing Facebook posts that criticize her critics.
Of course, Bachmann hasn鈥檛 had Palin-level attention on her, either. Palin has the experience of having already run on the national level.
鈥淚 think [Bachmann] has benefited in the past because the klieg lights weren鈥檛 on her. It鈥檚 an entirely different matter when you鈥檙e a presidential candidate and have 24/7 scrutiny,鈥� says Mr. Jacobs.
