Bachmann, Paul co-host town hall event

Though they disagree on several policy issues, Republican Reps. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) and Ron Paul (Texas) shared the stage at a packed town hall at the University of Minnesota Friday night.

The two mostly hid their differences on the U.S. overseas engagement while speaking and instead focused on areas of common ground such as their opposition to federal deficits and the economic stimulus.

"Do you remember last year's $700 billion dollar bailout?" Bachmann asked the crowd. "Well, that is how Ron Paul and I got really acquainted. We voted no on every bailout, on every stimulus, on every scheme that came before the congress and it was a privilege to vote no."

Bachmann also praised bipartisan legislation proposed this week that would require the Federal Reserve to be audited. Paul, who has vehemently opposed the existence of the Fed, lauded the bill this week. Bachmann claimed that the central bank is "shrouded in secrecy."

On Monday, the Fed's Board of Governors declined a voluntary audit that would be conducted by the Treasury Department. The Obama administration had initiated the audit process. 

Regarding healthcare reform, which took a back seat to economic policy at the event, Paul said "the government has no authority to give you stuff," according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Paul did spend a portion of his talk objecting to American intervention abroad.

The event was hosted by Young Americans for Liberty (YAL), a pro-Paul libertarian group. The organizers knew that the conservative Bachmann and the libertarian Paul don't always see eye-to-eye on the issues.

"Although Michele is in the same boat with monetary policy as Ron, she is a little bit more of the establishment," University of Minnesota YAL chapter president Chris Huxtable told the Star-Tribune. "She is definitely nowhere near having the libertarian views that Ron does."

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