Friday, May 1, 2009

Michelle Bachmann, Really?

From TPMDC:
Historian Michele Bachmann Blames FDR's "Hoot-Smalley" Tariffs For Great Depression

By Eric Kleefeld - April 29, 2009, 11:08AM

"Make no mistake: When it comes to economics, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) knows her history -- even if that history is from another planet.

On Monday night, our friends at Dump Bachmann reported, Bachmann took to the House floor and paid tribute to the economic policies of Calvin Coolidge and the "Roaring 20s" (the era that ended with a massive monetary contraction and the Great Depression). One particular line really does stand out, though -- saying Franklin Roosevelt turned a recession into a depression through the "Hoot-Smalley" tariffs:

Here's what really happened: When Franklin Roosevelt took office, unemployment was already about 25%. And the tariff referred to here was actually the Smoot-Hawley bill, co-authored by Republicans Sen. Reed Smoot of Utah and Rep. Willis Hawley of Oregon, and signed into law by President Herbert Hoover."


Now, as a history teacher, this simply embarrasses me. This is something that one of my 15 year old U.S. History survey students would get right. I am hoping that she was simply using this for political points and not expecting anyone to fact check her. Dumb. Plain and simple.

Great call Minnesota! Winona State probably isn't in any hurry to publicize their alum's latest historical imaginative affectation. Her behavior reminds me of an observatory quote about Union General George McClellan during the Civil War. It was something along the lines of that he had the rare ability to realize hallucinations. That's her to a tee...

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