It's the moral equivalent of "You Lie!" Conservatives have been skeptical of claims by black members of Congress that civil rights pioneer John Lewis was called the "N" word and that another Congressman was spat upon by protesters during the health-care debate. Now the conservative Minnesota Republican has come out and openly expressed the doubts shared by many. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) told a crowd at a Duluth, Minn., rally over the weekend that there is no evidence that several black lawmakers were harassed by conservative protesters on Capitol Hill in the days leading up to the health care reform vote.
Black lawmakers, including civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), reported that they had been spat on and slurred by protesters demonstrating against the health reform bill last week. "Democrats said that they were called the 'N word,' which of course would be wrong and inappropriate. But no one has any record of it. No witness saw it, it's not on camera, it's not on audio," she said. "They said that they were spat upon. No one saw it."
She went on, "There's a $10,000 reward right now for anyone who can produce a video or an audio. Don't you think we would have seen a video or an audio by now if there was something out there?" Bachmann spoke from inside a boxing ring at a rally to unseat U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), a conservative Democrat who voted in favor of the final health care reform bill.
Bachmann accused Oberstar of "caving" to pressure from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the question of the Stupak amendment, which was removed from the legislation but added to an executive order signed last week by President Obama. The executive order said that federal funding would not be used for abortion services or abortion coverage created by the new law. "There is no such thing anymore as a pro-life Democrat," Bachmann said. "That's a myth that's out there."
Source: Politics Daily