Fresh Politics, New Media

While the media tends to pay greater attention to what presidential candidates say during the early days of primary campaigns, photojournalism and the images of the primary campaign are also particularly important for voters. Two interesting (and scary) photos emerged this week. The first was featured in The New York Times ' coverage of Texas Governor Rick Perry's Christian-themed prayer rally held in Houston over the weekend.  For more, check out this post on  The Caucus . Here's the photo: So much for the separation of church and state ... The second photo is on the cover of Newsweek  and displays a "deer in the headlights" image of candidate Michele Bachmann. Some critics in the media have suggested that the photo is unflattering and that the use of the word "rage" is problematic especially because it appears only on the cover, not in the article. Take a look for yourself. Without question, both candidates represent conservative political...

Michele Bachmann makes another mistake -- this time as Salon and others are noting --  it's her incorrect use of Yiddish that is getting attention . In an appearance on Fox News on July 13th, Bachmann accused President Obama of having "choot-spa." Too bad the word is actually "chutzpah" which means nerve or audacity. Perhaps it's time for Bachmann to get in touch with Alan Dershowitz, who wrote the book entitled Chutzpah , for some Yiddish lessons.

Yesterday Bachmann traveled to Waterloo, Iowa (her hometown) to "officially" announce her bid for the 2012 GOP nomination. As predicted, she is already providing some entertaining commentary. Yesterday, she suggested that John Wayne (the actor) is also from Waterloo, Iowa and in referring to Wayne suggested,  “That’s the kind of spirit that I have, too.” The problem -- she got the wrong John Wayne. As  Jeff Zeleny noted in an article in today's NYT: " The actor was actually born in Winterset, Iowa, which is about 150 miles southwest of Waterloo. It was John Wayne Gacy, known as the killer clown who raped and murdered 33 teenage boys in the 1970s, who lived in Waterloo." Let's hope Bachmann doesn't possess the same spirit as John Wayne Gacy. For the record, this is John Wayne: And this is John Wayne Gacy: Let's hope that Michele Bachmann quickly learns the difference.

Michele Bachmann, Congresswoman from Minnesota, has been getting a fair amount of attention as the race for the GOP nomination for President kicks into "higher" gear. A favorite of Tea Party voters, Bachmann is doing better in the polls ( in Iowa at least ) and pundits have taken note of her recent performance in the GOP candidates' debate. There are others, including Chris Wallace of Fox News, who aren't ready to take Bachmann so seriously. On Sunday's broadcast, Wallace called Bachmann a "flake." Here's a video of the now viral clip: Bachmann found the comment offensive (with good reason) and Wallace later apologized for his actions. Steve Kornacki over at Salon offers a good summary of the incident and the potential boost in popularity it may actually give Bachmann amongst her most dedicated supporters. Flake or not, Bachmann's past public performances will be an important factor to address as her campaign moves forward. Remember her...