Bachmann To Give Tea Party Response to SOTU

This little piece of insanity passed around on the Internet Friday afternoon:

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R., Minn.) will be delivering a speech in response to President Obama’s State of the Union speech Tuesday night.

Bachmann touts herself as the voice of the Tea Party. Last I looked, there is a R behind her name. We have a person to respond to the president's address. That is enough. The Tea Party is not a third party. This is just another opportunity presenting itself to the Democrats to belittle GOP efforts at seriousness in opposition to the Obama agenda.

This smacks of political opportunism. We have had enough of that lately. This is being sponsored by Tea Party Express, which, last I read, is funded by Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks, both corporate lobbying organizations. Is the Tea Party spokesperson willing to be co-opted by lobbying firms? Isn't that counterproductive to the Tea Party?

This also smacks of a means of revenge to Rep Paul Ryan, who will give the official GOP response to the State of the Union address. Bachmann lost out to Ryan for a leadership position in the new Congress. While Bachmann has strong fiscal credentials, even with a law degree specializing in tax law, the fact is Ryan stepped up early on in the Obama administration and produced a plan for fiscal recovery. He filled the void, Bachmann did not. Instead, she has chosen to ride the coattails of the Tea Party movement.

Unity is the key for Republican victory in 2012. This is not the way to do it.