Bachmann Learns To Support The Census

Last year, a darling of the Tea Party movement, Michelle Bachmann, railed against the census. Not only would she not completely fill out the census, but she had this to say about it:

"Take this into consideration. If we look at American history, between 1942 and 1947, the data that was collected by the Census Bureau was handed over to the FBI and other organizations at the request of President Roosevelt, and that's how the Japanese were rounded up and put into the internment camps," said Bachmann. "I'm not saying that that's what the Administration is planning to do, but I am saying that private personal information that was given to the Census Bureau in the 1940s was used against Americans to round them up, in a violation of their constitutional rights, and put the Japanese in internment camps." Link

Move ahead to this year, and now Bachmann voted Yes on a resolution today to encourage Americans to participate in the Census, and promote March 2010 as "Census Awareness Month."

Her communication director had this to say: "We are where we are right now in 2010, and she hopes the population is counted accurately as the resolution calls for." Link

Michelle Bachmann Suddenly Quiet on Census

It's ironic that a Minnesota member of Congress, Republican Michele Bachmann, went so far last summer to declare her intention to only partially complete her census forms, and to suggest reasons for others not to comply with the census law. If Minnesota loses a congressional seat, Bachmann's populous Sixth District could be carved into pieces. She likely would have to battle another incumbent to hang on to her seat. We've noticed that her anticensus rhetoric has lately ceased. We hope she got wise: Census compliance is not only in Minnesota's best interest, but also her own. Link