High School Sophmore Challenges Michelle Bachman

[Patrick Degan]

A New Jersey high school sophmore, Amy Myers, has had her fill of Rep. Michelle Bachmann's bullshit about the constitution and U.S. history and has decided to call the loony bitch out in public:

Dear Representative Bachmann,

My name is Amy Myers. I am a Cherry Hill, New Jersey sophomore attending Cherry Hill High School East. As a typical high school student, I have found quite a few of your statements regarding The Constitution of the United States, the quality of public school education and general U.S. civics matters to be factually incorrect, inaccurately applied or grossly distorted. The frequency and scope of these comments prompted me to write this letter.

Though I am not in your home district, or even your home state, you are a United States Representative of some prominence who is subject to national media coverage. News outlets and websites across this country profile your causes and viewpoints on a regular basis. As one of a handful of women in Congress, you hold a distinct privilege and responsibility to better represent your gender nationally. The statements you make help to serve an injustice to not only the position of Congresswoman, but women everywhere. Though politically expedient, incorrect comments cast a shadow on your person and by unfortunate proxy, both your supporters and detractors alike often generalize this shadow to women as a whole.

Rep. Bachmann, the frequent inability you have shown to accurately and factually present even the most basic information about the United States led me to submit the follow challenge, pitting my public education against your advanced legal education:

I, Amy Myers, do hereby challenge Representative Michele Bachmann to a Public Forum Debate and/or Fact Test on The Constitution of the United States, United States History and United States Civics.

Hopefully, we will be able to meet for such an event, as it would prove to be enlightening.

Sincerely yours,
Amy Myers

This is rich. If Bachmann refuses, she gets tagged as a coward. But if Bachmann accepts and gets her ass handed to her by a sixteen year old, she gets tagged as an idiot and the people propping her up can't risk that.

[SCRawl]

Bachman is a professional politician, she can spin better than that. The spin will be something like "While Congresswoman Bachman is always glad to promote education and congratulates Miss Myers on her initiative, the congresswoman is too busy with the business of Minnesota and America to indulge any of her constituents in a debate at this time." I too think that it would be an amusing thing to watch, but I'm confident that high school students (and most constituents who aren't wealthy) can be safely ignored or patted on the head.

[kaeneth]

I suspect SCRawl is correct.

[The Romulan Republic]

I hope this girl is prepared for the endless abuse, harrasement, and defamation she'll likely receive from the Right.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

This is silly. No politician in their right mind would take this bait. It's lose-lose for Bachman: If she "wins" the debate, she beat up a high schooler, and if she loses, she looks even worse than she already does. This will be ignored and forgotten.

[Straha]

It's Public Forum debate.

No matter who "wins," everyone loses.

[thejester]

Man is this everything that is wrong with American political culture wrapped into one little parcel? What is the victory here - Bachmann being humiliated? We already know she's an idiot. The people who align politically with her will either ignore it or defend her out of blind tribalism. That leaves the 'mindless middle' and I doubt what they need is another bit of stupid political theatre where the goal isn't enlightened public debate, it's partisan point-scoring.

Maybe I'm being insanely naive but I'd rather someone tackle Bachmann on issues of actualy policy and say 'Your policies and ideas are flawed for the following reasons' and do it in such a way that it appeals or is relevant to the average swing voter rather than turning it into another mindless political shitfight.

It's Public Forum debate.

No matter who "wins," everyone loses.

Holy shit Straha! Where have you been, man?

[Patrick Degan]

This is silly. No politician in their right mind would take this bait. It's lose-lose for Bachman: If she "wins" the debate, she beat up a high schooler, and if she loses, she looks even worse than she already does. This will be ignored and forgotten.

Probably. Unless the challenge makes big news, but that's not likely to happen. There's an outside chance that Bachmann actually would be stupid enough to want to make a show of her "accessibility to all Americans" and use the appearance as a platform but more likely her handlers would short-circuit that.

[Hawkwings]

Public Forum debate? AKA Crossfire? Damn, I remember being bored to tears listening to those at competitions. Lincoln-Douglass was my style. But yeah, unless this picks up national attention it's going to be forgotten and ignored.

[Zaune]

This is silly. No politician in their right mind would take this bait. It's lose-lose for Bachman: If she "wins" the debate, she beat up a high schooler, and if she loses, she looks even worse than she already does. This will be ignored and forgotten.

You know, I'm sure there was a time when politicians were expected to be capable of telling a member of the electorate that they are wrong without being a dick about it.

[Jawawithagun]

You know, I'm sure there was a time when politicians were expected to be capable of telling a member of the electorate that they are wrong without being a dick about it.

That was before they let untrained amateurs in.

[Straha]

Holy shit Straha! Where have you been, man?

Been busy for a few months. Back kinda lurking now.

Public Forum debate? AKA Crossfire? Damn, I remember being bored to tears listening to those at competitions. Lincoln-Douglass was my style. But yeah, unless this picks up national attention it's going to be forgotten and ignored.

Bah, you should have just done Policy Debate.

I judge Public Forum debates semi-regularly. They are the biggest single academic waste of time I have ever seen. If the activity was eradicated I think the world would be a better place for it. (I'm actually friends with someone who helped to make Public Forum debate, and I get the strong feeling that he feels the same way.)

[Themightytom]

http://www.app.com/article/BZ/20110520/ ... y=nav|head

Yeah she's already getting threats from internet tough guys.

[Nephtys]

Policy Debates teach valuable skills. Like how to throw someone off-balance when they read a canned argument, or to improvise. Back when I was in high school, I learned an incredible amount of priceless bullshitting skills in Policy Debate, that had uses through college and several jobs.

[Straha]

Policy Debates teach valuable skills. Like how to throw someone off-balance when they read a canned argument, or to improvise. Back when I was in high school, I learned an incredible amount of priceless bullshitting skills in Policy Debate, that had uses through college and several jobs.

Policy Debate is astoundingly useful. Collegiate Policy Debate most of all.


Public-Forum debate, however, is a joke, and should probably be treated as such.