Bachmann Struggles to Come Back from Her HPV Controversy

YouTube
Rebecca Greenfield 8,483 Views Sep 16, 2011

After lurching into crazy territory, linking the vaccination for human papillomavirus with mental retardation earlier this week, Michele Bachmann is trying to regain some credibility. Her latest effort is this cheap-o video with poor audio quality, where she repositions her HPV argument.

Beyond the poor production quality, Bachman's message isn't that strong either.

As a mom of three daughters I believe that parents are the ones who should decide whether or not our young daughters should receive injections for sexually transmitted diseases. I think these are decisions better left to parents. Whether its Obamacare or whether its Perrycare, I oppose any governor or president who mandates a family's health care choices and in turn violates the rights of parents on these issues. 

She doesn't address her scientifically unfounded claim, and instead focuses on Perry's "crony capitalism" as a sign of possible future healthcare tyranny with "Perrycare." As Slate's Dave Weigel points out, "she's totally abandoned the medical issue. No more tales of upset mothers whose kids became retarded after getting Gardasil'd. Without that, you've got the argument that one executive decision by Perry, to provide vaccines for young girls, is the lodestone of his health care policy. This is supposed to be the less crazy argument."

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at rgreenfield at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.

Sources

Related Articles   More by Rebecca Greenfield

Huntsman Bets on New Hampshire as Other States Try to Undermine It

Bachmannia: Everything Goes Wrong After Going So Right

A War of Comparisons

 

3 Fun & Easy Tips for Spending Your 2013 Memorial Day BBQ... with Cicadas

iPhone's New iOS7 Design Is Flat as Hell and You Can't Stand the Wait Anymore

Elsewhere on the Web

User Comments

Please type your comment and click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be prompted to log in or register

  • The Atlantic Wire on Twitter
  • The Atlantic Wire RSS Feed
  • The Atlantic Wire iPhone App