DFL party chair compares Bachmann to Wellstone

At a news conference in St. Paul Monday, Minnesota DFL Party Chair Ken Martin criticized Mitt Romney for being inconsistent on issues such as immigration, economic policy and legalized abortion. It was part of a national Democratic Party effort to go after Romney following an ad he released last week that was widely knocked for taking President Obama's remarks on the economy out of context.

During the St. Paul event, Martin credited Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann for being an authentic politician. While Martin made it clear he opposes Bachmann's political ideology, he said Bachmann appeals to some people because she is consistent on issues, just as former DFL Sen. Paul Wellstone was.

"The reason people give someone like a Paul Wellstone some credit and give someone like a Michele Bachmann some credit is because, at the end of the day, they feel that she and someone like Paul, believes honestly what they said and they stood up and fought for what they believed in, not what they felt was the most politically expedient," Martin said.

With the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses quickly approaching Bachmann is trying to make the case that she's the only "true conservative" in the GOP nomination battle to run against President Obama next year.

While Democratic leaders around the country are singling out Romney for criticism, Bachmann seems focused on Newt Gingrich. Today she criticized the former Speaker of the House for a proposal to offer citizenship to some illegal immigrants.

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