Michele Bachmann could use a better history book

[marmar]

April 26, 2011

Bachmann misquotes Lincoln


A sharp reader notes that Michele Bachmann's speaking cameo in Newt Gingrich's latest film about history has a misattributed quotation — mangling Lincoln and adding a twist of Kennedy when she says, "Will this latest generation, as Abraham Lincoln so famously said, will this latest generation hand that torch of liberty to the next generation?."

The reader notes:

President Lincoln did, in fact, use the phrase "lamp of liberty," in his debates with Douglas: "I leave you hoping that the lamp of liberty will burn in your bosoms until there shall no longer be a doubt that all men are created free and equal."

Even if you gift the substitution of torch for lamp, Lincoln didn't say anything about passing it from one generation to another. That was Kennedy.

Kennedy said "that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans" in his 1961 inaugural. Bachmann also recently drew mockery for confusing Massachusetts and New Hampshire when discussing the Revolutionary War.


http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0411/Bachmann_misquotes_Lincoln.html?showall

[Kerrytravelers]

1. I'd like to see her high school diploma.

[happyslug]

2. I like to see her Grade School Diploma

My father, a eighth grade drop out, knew more American History then this member of the House of Representatives.

[femmocrat]

3. What a nitwit.

If she can't get it right, at least hire better writers.

[applegrove]

4. Bachmann has stolen Palin's schtick. If you get attacked by those elite liberal meanies

for saying something stupid then you get a bonding moment with the teabaggers. Palin does it all the time (though her stupidity is authentic). Michelle Bachmann does it purposely.

[spanone]

5. republicans don't do their homework. they revel in their ignorance.

it's not what you say, it's how many times you say it

[jwirr]

6. You know this is not all bad - if they can ask for our info then we can

ask for theirs. When it comes to grades I suspect some of them may be a bit reluctant to show theirs.