Bachmann: 'Stop Spending Money We Don't Have'

Michele Bachmann stuck to her Tea-Party-infused themes in delivering her response to President Obama's speech tonight—while taking pains to point out that hers wasn't intended to compete with Paul Ryan's official GOP response. (Read Bachmann's full text here from the National Journal.) The main charge: Under Obama, "we saw an unprecedented explosion of government spending and debt," she says. And that came after "many of you implored Washington to please stop spending money we don't have."

Among her suggested fixes (in addition to repealing the health care law, of course): Obama "could stop the EPA from imposing a job-destroying cap-and-trade system," back a balanced budget amendment, and agree "to an energy policy that increases American energy production and reduces our dependence on foreign oil." She also thinks the last election has put the US "in the early days of a history-making turn" with lawmakers who agree on three important principles: "lower taxes, a limited view of government, and the exceptionalism of America."