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The serial killer's spirit?

Posted at 1:42 PM on June 27, 2011 by Bob Collins (7 Comments)
Filed under: Politics

Don't politicians know how to Google?

Michele Bachmann invoked the name of John Wayne, a son of Iowa with whom she shares a spirit, she says.

How can a presidential candidate possibly go wrong identifying with John Wayne?

Answer: by getting the wrong John Wayne. The John Wayne that was from Waterloo, was John Wayne Gacy, notorious serial killer.

John Wayne the actor, born Marion Morrison, was from Winterset, Iowa, which is about 167 miles away.

Comments (7)

I expect an ongoing gaffe : campaign days ratio of 1:1. What will tomorrow hold?

Posted by bsimon | June 27, 2011 2:06 PM

Michelle may not be on the short list for the Nobel Prize in Rocket Science, but gosh she's entertaining.

Posted by Jim Shapiro | June 27, 2011 3:27 PM

Doesn't this smell like a staffer screw-up?

Posted by Jason DeRusha | June 27, 2011 4:34 PM

//Doesn't this smell like a staffer screw-up?

Yes and no. Mrs. Bachmann made a big deal about "coming home" to Waterloo, Iowa, where she was born as Michele Amble. I would think if John Wayne -- THE John Wayne -- were from your city the size of Woodbury -- you'd kind of know that.

But, yeah, some staffer will take the fall.

Posted by Bob Collins | June 27, 2011 4:55 PM

John Wayne Gacy was busted by cops in my hometown - I'm well aware of that. I also know that the level of knowledge of most people of the famous sons/daughters of their hometown tends to be thinner than I think we might expect. I mean, John Wayne was born 104 years ago.

Posted by Jason DeRusha | June 27, 2011 8:26 PM

Bob Dylan was born 70 years ago, got out of here as soon as he was old enough to buy a bus ticket on his own, and we still can't get away from that dude. (g)

Posted by Bob Collins | June 28, 2011 5:59 AM

you really can't make this up.

i cannot wait to see what happens next...

Posted by corrie | June 30, 2011 10:38 AM