Michele Bachmann Still Courting the National Media

Michele Bachmann, a cable television fixture this year with multiple appearances on Larry King Live, is hitting TV and radio programs hard to get her side of the Chris Matthews controversy across the airwaves, during which she questioned whether Barack Obama and other members of Congress were “anti-American.�?

But Bachmann has a more strategic purpose behind these media appearances other than clearing her name or restoring her reputation: campaign fundraising.

Rather than hide the fact that her Hardball comments have enabled DFL-er Elwin Tinklenberg to raise more money in a week than during the entirety of his campaign, Bachmann is advertising this fact, using the media as a national platform to solicit funds.

Bachmann has spoken locally to several media outlets, in which she more or less backtracks and clarifies her Hardball comments.

But on Wednesday evening she appeared on The O’Reilly Factor and she has also appeared twice this week on the Mike Gallagher Show – one of the Top 10 rated national radio talk shows in the nation (with approximately 4 million listeners weekly).

Gallagher, a conservative talk show host, is using Bachmann as a symbol of persecuted Republicans nationwide, and is planning a fundraiser for Bachmann in the Twin Cities scheduled for next Wednesday (Gallagher reports that comedian Jackie Mason will make an appearance).

Bachmann made an appearance on Gallagher’s show this morning and discussed the vandalism that occurred at her house. Bachmann (and Gallagher) neglected to point out that similar vandalism occurred at the homes of three other Republican and two Democratic members of Congress from the Minnesota delegation. Instead, Gallagher opined that the vandalism was an attack by liberals as a direct result of Bachmann’s appearance on Hardball. When confronted with the facts of multiple (bi-partisan) vandalism, Gallagher retorted, “So what?�?

Gallagher also features a prominent fundraising plea for Bachmann on his website, with a direct link to Bachmann’s campaign site.