Bachmann tests out new line: “Perrycare”
WASHINGTON - GOP presidential contender Michele Bachmann has released a new video equating Democratic President Barack Obama and her Republican rival Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
The Stillwater Congresswoman has dubbed Perry's attempt to require Texas girls to be immunized against the HPV virus, which causes cervical cancer, "Perrycare" in the same vein that Republican opponent's to Obama's healthcare law call it "Obamacare."
"Whether it's Obamacare or Perrycare, I oppose any governor or president who mandates a family's healthcare choices," Bachmann says in the video. "Especially if the decision-making process occurs behind closed doors, bypassing legislative action, and favors campaign contributors over families."
After landing a powerful punch against Perry in this week's GOP presidential debate about his support for the mandatory HPV vaccination, Bachmann lost the initiative after she claimed in interviews that the vaccine could cause mental retardation. That statement has been widely condemned for its inaccuracy across the political and scientific spectrum.
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Two professors have even put up a reward of more than $10,000 for anyone who can come forward with credible medical evidence that Bachmann's claim is true.
Missing from Bachmann's latest ad is another Republican rival, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. As governor, Romney enacted a health care law similar to the federal law that mandates universal coverage by all of the state's residents. When former Gov. Tim Pawlenty was in the presidential race, he briefly took a swipe at Romney for the plan, dubbing it "Obmneycare."
Here's the video: