Michele Bachmann: Social conservatism is fiscal conservatism

When a society supports strong families led by one man and one woman, it has benefits for the economy as well, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann said Monday during a visit to the University of Iowa.

Marriage between a man and a woman is a foundation block for a strong America, but marriage has been under attack, Bachmann, a potential 2012 Republican presidential candidate, said.  She also noted the financial implications of pregnancies to unwed mothers, through welfare and other government spending.

“Social conservatism is fiscal conservatism,” Bachmann said to loud cheers from the crowd of about 200. “You can't separate” the two.

Bachmann's visit Monday was part of the presidential lecture series sponsored by Iowa conservative group The Family Leader. The lecture series has brought several prominent national politicians to Iowa City in recent weeks.

She talked of the “three-legged stool” needed to hold up American society: upholding life, marriage and strong family life; promoting a strong economy and job creation; and national security. Bachmann said she was a strong opponent of U.S. involvement in Libya, a situation she calls a “big mistake.”

“He has no idea what our military goal is in Libya,” she said of President Barack Obama.

But the greatest threat to national security is not Iran or Libya, it's the national debt, Bachmann said. She rallied against Obama's health care overhaul, which she said will cost more than anyone imagines and provide people less care, and said she was disappointed with the federal budget plan released last week, which she believes doesn't go far enough to cut government spending.

There were some vocal protesters who repeatedly shouted questions during a portion of Bachmann's speech. When she took questions after the speech, Bachmann invited one of the protesters to ask the first question. The pair were asked to leave the ballroom a few minutes later. One of the protesters asked Bachmann “how much oil do you want?”

Bachmann, who lived in Waterloo until she was 12, responded that she wants a lot more than the United States has now, but she wants it to come from U.S. oil fields instead of from the Middle East. The United States could be the most energy-rich country in the world if it accessed its oil, its natural gas and developed more wind and solar energy, she said.

“We could supply our own energy cheaper and be an exporter,” she said.

Coralville resident Randy Crawford said after the speech he thinks Bachmann has a lot of common sense about the U.S. tax system and about societal stability, such as her opposition to abortion and gay marriage.

“It's what we need a lot more of,” Crawford said. “She's head and shoulders above Obama.”