Michele Bachmann's presidential campaign has started after she declared Monday. This would appear to be good timing for Bachmann, as she was talked about as a serious contender for the first time after the last Republican debate. Since Sarah Palin hasn't declared yet, and since the Republicans only have Mitt Romney as a favorite, Bachmann could actually be a factor in the race -- or so it would seem right now.
The Minnesota representative was doing well before she officially declared her candidacy. But when she mixed up John Wayne Gacy and John Wayne in her opening speech, it became easier to compare her to Newt Gingrich than Romney.
For Gingrich, all of his problems began after his campaign started, as he made one blunder after another. Although he hasn't dropped out of the primaries, almost no one regards him as a serious contender anymore.
He appeared to be a sleeper pick before he threw his hat in the ring, yet he ruined it once he attacked Rep. Paul Ryan's budget plan on Meet the Press. That started a chain reaction which ended with most of Gingrich's campaign staff resigning.
Bachmann didn't have such a catastrophic start to her campaign, although it didn't help when she said that John Wayne was born in her hometown of Waterloo, Iowa. Yet serial killer John Wayne Gacy was born there instead, which made the gaffe the big story of Bachmann's first official campaign speech.
Confusing an American icon -- and conservative folk hero -- with one of the most notorious mass murderers in U.S. history may not be a big gaffe on its own. In fact, Bachmann is well known for making gaffes and questionable statements, so few were surprised that she could misspeak like this. Yet the timing was bad, since it came just when people were starting to take her candidacy seriously.
After winning raves for her performance in the last Republican debate, Bachmann was beginning to rise up the GOP ranks. Mitt Romney will remain the favorite until further notice, but Bachmann had a chance to become the best of the rest for a while. Yet now that the John Wayne/Gacy mistake has reminded everyone about her questionable public speaking, it is easier to dismiss her all over again.
Will she turn out like Gingrich, who had his momentum destroyed the second he actually began his campaign? Or can she bounce back and become a viable alternative to Romney? Her candidacy was always going to be a long shot, since she needs voters outside of the Tea Party to lend more support.
As such, Bachmann's margin for error is very small, so she cannot make too many gaffes- even if they aren't as big as Gingrich's mistakes. But even though the 2012 GOP primaries are still wide open, a horrible start can torpedo a candidate. Gingrich learned that the hard way, and Bachmann must avoid the same harsh lesson while she still can.
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