Michele Bachmann claims Swiss citizenship

Michele Bachmann claims Swiss citizenship
Politico

Rep. Michele Bachmann is now officially a Swiss miss.

Bachmann (R-Minn.) recently became a citizen of Switzerland, making her eligible to run for office in the tiny European nation, according to a Swiss TV report Tuesday.

Arthur Honegger, a reporter for public broadcaster Schweizer Fernsehen, told POLITICO the Swiss consulate in Chicago has confirmed that the former Republican presidential candidate became a citizen March 19.

The Swiss consulate in Chicago covers the state of Minnesota, which Bachmann represents.

Marcus Bachmann, the congresswoman’s husband since 1978, reportedly was eligible for Swiss citizenship due to his parents’ nationality — but only registered it with the Swiss government Feb. 15. Once the process was finalized on March 19, Michele automatically became a citizen as well, according to Honegger.

Bachmann’s three youngest children are also now Swiss citizens, and her two older children are eligible to apply for a fast-track citizenship process, according to an email from the consulate provided and translated by Honegger.

Bachmann’s office confirmed that the congresswoman had received Swiss citizenship, and attributed the decision to her children.

“Congresswoman Bachmann’s husband is of Swiss descent, so she has been eligible for dual-citizenship since they got married in 1978. However, recently some of their children wanted to exercise their eligibility for dual-citizenship so they went through the process as a family,” said Bachmann spokesperson Becky Rogness.

The Minnesota congresswoman was interviewed by Swiss national public television in D.C. on Tuesday while with a group of Swiss parliamentarians.

“My husband is a 100 percent Swiss, and his parents were raised in Switzerland, they were married there, they came to the United States, they bought a farm in Wisconsin and raised their three sons there,” said Bachmann.

Asked if she would run for office in Switzerland — as she is now eligible to do — Bachmann joked that the competition “would be very stiff because they are very good,” referring to the parliamentarians behind her.

Each Swiss citizen belongs specifically to a canton, and Bachmann’s is the canton of Thurgau in Northeast Switzerland.

“It’s tough to find a place not to like in Switzerland,” said Bachmann.

The Minnesota congresswoman ran for president this election cycle, and won the Ames straw poll last year, but a sixth-place showing in the Iowa caucuses led to her dropping out.

Bachmann’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Swiss consulate in Chicago was closed when contacted by POLITICO.

CORRECTION: Marcus Bachmann’s Swiss citizenship was filed on Feb. 15 and granted on March 19. An earlier version of this article said the registration was filed on March 19.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0512/76072.html#ixzz1uX5yJvJW

Apparently she's backtracking now and renouncing the dual citizenship because of all the media reports. She's trying to make out like it was an automatic thing years ago when she married her husband, despite earlier reports saying she applied for it recently...

Hmm, "a sixth-place showing in the Iowa caucuses led to her dropping out." - so, lost the iowa caucus in late january, applied for swiss citizenship in early february? Sore loser, anyone? ;-P

I wouldn't mind being a Swiss citizen. I went there when I was stationed in Holland. Damn near everywhere I went looked straight outta a postcard.

And Miles, it was automatic for her. She didn't have to apply. Are we really down to this when it comes to ridiculing Republicans??? Why no ridicule for Fauxcahontas???

Marconius wrote:I wouldn't mind being a Swiss citizen. I went there when I was stationed in Holland. Damn near everywhere I went looked straight outta a postcard.

Was that during the summer or the winter? I've been skiing there in the winter and it looked damn pretty then. Sitting outside a chalet half-way up a mountain drinking what was possibly the best hot chocolate in my life ever (altho the tot of rum in it probably helped) and watching the Matterhorn turn pink as the sun set behind me with some deer in the field beside us staring at us, I felt like I was in my own little swiss tourism ad.



Altho we ended up staying there too long and nearly killed ourselves skiing down the rest of the way in the dark - still a postcard moment tho...

And Miles, it was automatic for her. She didn't have to apply. Are we really down to this when it comes to ridiculing Republicans??? Why no ridicule for Fauxcahontas???

Nope. She was eligible for it after she married, but she still had to apply for it to get it - which she did earlier this year. Even Fox News says that much.

And who is Fauxcahontas? Must have missed that one. Am guessing whoever it is is a democrat tho, otherwise you wouldn't have brought it up....

Marconius wrote:I wouldn't mind being a Swiss citizen. I went there when I was stationed in Holland. Damn near everywhere I went looked straight outta a postcard.

And Miles, it was automatic for her. She didn't have to apply. Are we really down to this when it comes to ridiculing Republicans??? Why no ridicule for Fauxcahontas???

Thats not what it sounds like: “Congresswoman Bachmann’s husband is of Swiss descent, so she has been eligible for dual-citizenship since they got married in 1978. However, recently some of their children wanted to exercise their eligibility for dual-citizenship so they went through the process as a family,” said Bachmann spokesperson Becky Rogness. Doesn't sound like a very passive process to me.

Why is duel citizenship a bad thing?

Dennis324 wrote:Why is duel citizenship a bad thing?

She is severely limited to what public office she can hold while holding a dual citizenship.

Miles1 wrote:

And Miles, it was automatic for her. She didn't have to apply. Are we really down to this when it comes to ridiculing Republicans??? Why no ridicule for Fauxcahontas???

Nope. She was eligible for it after she married, but she still had to apply for it to get it - which she did earlier this year. Even Fox News says that much.

And who is Fauxcahontas? Must have missed that one. Am guessing whoever it is is a democrat tho, otherwise you wouldn't have brought it up....

I quote from the original article in the original posting "Once the process was finalized on March 19, Michele automatically became a citizen as well, according to Honegger."

It was automatic for her ONCE he filled out the papers.

Move along, just trying to find anyway to ridicule members of tGOP. Seriously, it is beyond idiotic.....especially if you need others to point it out.

Fauxcahontas-Google it, or type in Elizabeth Warren. Then you tell me what is more news worthy or better yet.....more worthy of ridicule.

Marconius wrote:
I quote from the original article in the original posting "Once the process was finalized on March 19, Michele automatically became a citizen as well, according to Honegger."

It was automatic for her ONCE he filled out the papers.

Yup, and they only filled out the papers in january, despite having been eligible to do so since they were married.

Move along, just trying to find anyway to ridicule members of tGOP. Seriously, it is beyond idiotic.....especially if you need others to point it out.

Like ppl on the right go out of their way to look for shit on obama?

Fauxcahontas-Google it, or type in Elizabeth Warren. Then you tell me what is more news worthy or better yet.....more worthy of ridicule.

Yup, they're both worthy of ridicule.

Miles1 wrote:

Like ppl on the right go out of their way to look for shit on obama?

Funny that the two conservative leaning people on the boards post way less silly stuff to ridicule members of the opposite party than the two progressive types on the board do.

Try to justify your disdain for conservatism, but in truth, your actions speak loudly.

Marconius wrote:

Funny that the two conservative leaning people on the boards post way less silly stuff to ridicule members of the opposite party than the two progressive types on the board do.

Maybe that's because it's way easier to find silly stuff to ridicule them for because they come out with so much ridiculous stuff? As for the "more obviously slanted posts by progressives", that's because Dod hasn't been posting here in a while....

Miles1 wrote:

Maybe that's because it's way easier to find silly stuff to ridicule them for because they come out with so much ridiculous stuff? As for the "more obviously slanted posts by progressives", that's because Dod hasn't been posting here in a while....

You know that everybody, regardless of leaning, say and do pretty much the same amount of silly shit. As you pointed out in one of your threads, we just tend to pick up on those that reinforce our preconceived notions of the way things are.

I miss Dod. No one could talk about heated topics in such a non-offensive, matter-of-fact kinda way.

Marconius wrote:
You know that everybody, regardless of leaning, say and do pretty much the same amount of silly shit. As you pointed out in one of your threads, we just tend to pick up on those that reinforce our preconceived notions of the way things are.

Well, that's true, some of the politicians over here come out with some wacky crap as well - a few years ago our Minister for Education said in a public speech that Einstein formulated the Theory of Evolution. And I just read something that some minister in Sweden tried to bring in a law that said that in the interest of equality, guys had to sit down to pee in state-owned buildings....

You do see a lot more off-the-wall stuff from the Right tho - the dems may come out with a lot of stupid shit as well, but they generally do it off-camera..... That could be the "media bias" tho....

I miss Dod. No one could talk about heated topics in such a non-offensive, matter-of-fact kinda way.

Yeah, plus you can't really say too much to a guy with that much muscles and a sword in case you piss him off..... :-P