Michele Bachmann memoir to outline vision for U.S. (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Following other presidential candidates whose books have become a rite of passage to the White House, Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann is writing a memoir to be published on November 21, her publisher said on Tuesday.

Bachmann, the Tea Party favorite and Republican White House hopeful, will address her personal background -- including her roles as a tax attorney, wife, mother and foster mother -- as well as her leap into politics and her "vision for America's future," said a statement from Sentinel, a Penguin imprint.

"This book will help to share my enthusiasm for an energized, pro-growth economy, and the life experiences that inform my optimism for the American people and for American greatness," Bachmann said in the statement.

Bachmann is among the top three candidates seen to have a chance of winning the Republican nomination to take on President Obama next year.

Among other remarks to have come under scrutiny of late, she raised eyebrows this week by saying that Hurricane Irene and the U.S. east coast earthquake were God's way of telling American politicians to cut spending and fix the budget deficit. She has responded by insisting she was joking.

The memoir follows other Republican candidates to have released books, including former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Texas governor Rick Perry.

Sentinel has acquired the worldwide rights to Bachmann's book. The imprint said Bachmann will not receive an advance against royalties, in compliance with the rules of the House of Representatives.

(Reporting by Christine Kearney, editing by Jill Serjeant)

Yahoo! News

Pawlenty raps rival Bachmann (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty, trailing in public opinion polls, criticized Republican rival Michele Bachmann on Sunday for a "non-existent" record in the Congress.

Pawlenty, a former governor of Minnesota, is competing for the same conservative voters as Bachmann in the early voting state of Iowa.

Bachmann, also from Minnesota and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, is running neck-and-neck in Iowa with front-runner Mitt Romney while Pawlenty had only 6 percent support among Republican voters in a recent poll by the Des Moines Register.

"Well, I like Congresswoman Bachmann. I've campaigned for her. I respect her, but her record of accomplishment in Congress is non-existent. It's non-existent," Pawlenty told NBC's "Meet the Press."

Bachmann has gained traction with a fiery speaking style that is altogether different from Pawlenty's laid-back manner.

"We're not looking for folks who just have speech capabilities, we're looking for people who can lead a large enterprise in a public setting and drive it to conclusion," Pawlenty said, touting his own experience as a two-term governor of Minnesota.

In response to Pawlenty's comments, Bachmann said people could count on her as a fighter. She also defended her records while taking a jab at Pawlenty.

"I have fought the cap-and-trade agenda, rather than implement it, and I will work to end cap-and-trade as president of the United States," she said in a statement. "I stood up against President Obama's support of the $700 billion bailout rather than defend it."

Pawlenty once supported a cap-and-trade system on greenhouse gas emissions but has since changed his stance, saying it was a mistake. He also backed the Bush administration's bailout of the U.S. financial industry.

In the NBC interview, Pawlenty also raised questions about Romney, saying the healthcare plan he developed for Massachusetts served as a model for President Barack Obama's overhaul that Republicans want to repeal.

"I don't think we can have a nominee that was involved in the development and construction of Obamacare and then continues to defend it," he said.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Vicki Allen)

Yahoo! News

Republican Pawlenty raps rival Bachmann (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty, trailing in public opinion polls, criticized Republican rival Michele Bachmann on Sunday for a "non-existent" record in the U.S. Congress.

Pawlenty, a former governor of Minnesota, is competing for the same conservative voters as Bachmann in the early voting state of Iowa.

Bachmann, also from Minnesota and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, is running neck-and-neck in Iowa with front-runner Mitt Romney while Pawlenty had only 6 percent support among Republican voters in a recent poll by the Des Moines Register.

"Well, I like Congresswoman Bachmann. I've campaigned for her. I respect her, but her record of accomplishment in Congress is non-existent. It's non-existent," Pawlenty told NBC's "Meet the Press."

Bachmann has gained traction with a fiery speaking style that is altogether different from Pawlenty's laid-back manner.

"We're not looking for folks who just have speech capabilities, we're looking for people who can lead a large enterprise in a public setting and drive it to conclusion," Pawlenty said, touting his own experience as a two-term governor of Minnesota.

Pawlenty also raised questions about Romney, saying the healthcare plan he developed for Massachusetts served as a model for President Barack Obama's overhaul that Republicans want to repeal.

"I don't think we can have a nominee that was involved in the development and construction of Obamacare and then continues to defend it," he said.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Vicki Allen)

Yahoo! News

Tom Petty takes on Bachmann over "American Girl" (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) – It's not even 2012 yet but election season is in full bloom.

And with it comes a new political ritual: First, a Republican candidate attempts to score cultural points by choosing a popular song for a political commercial or a rally. Next, a musician complains about such unauthorized use. Finally, politician says, "Sorry!"

Up first in the 2012 war is a developing dispute between singer-songwriter Tom Petty and Michele Bachmann. On Monday, Bachmann officially announced her candidacy for U.S. president. She left the stage as Petty's "American Girl" blared over the loudspeaker. Uh-oh.

Petty's camp is unhappy with Bachmann's choice of exit music and will ask the campaign not to use the song, according to an NBC News report. (Petty's manager was not immediately available for comment, an employee said.)

Petty previously sent George W. Bush a cease-and-desist letter over his presidential campaign's use of the song, "I Won't Back Down." Bush backed down, of course. But the former president is not alone.

In the past couple of years, musicians have enjoyed great success in getting politicians to see the error of their ways.

After the 2008 campaign, John McCain was forced to make an apology to Jackson Browne to settle a lawsuit over the use of his song, "Running on Empty." A few months after that, California senatorial candidate Chuck DeVore went on bended knee to settle claims made by Don Henley over use of the songs "Boys of Summer" and "All She Wants to Do is Dance."

And most recently, Florida governor Charlie Crist did the mea culpa to David Byrne over use of the song, "Road to Nowhere." Crist's apology on YouTube set the standard here.

None of these cases went to trial. No appellate circuit has yet ruled on such issues as fair use and the validity of the implied endorsement claim. Nevertheless, the DeVore case came the closest to a final ruling in favor of musicians and against politicians when the judge rejected DeVore's defenses in the pre-trial phase.

However, DeVore used music in a political campaign ad. A dispute over music played at a campaign event, like the developing Petty vs. Bachmann sued, is an entirely new legal debate. Arguably, so long as a campaign purchases a license from the performance rights organization ASCAP, it should stand on solid ground. On the other hand, Petty could still claim that such music constituted an implied endorsement of the Republican candidate.

Yahoo! News