Bachmann: Healthcare vote is 'Super Bowl of freedom'

The House's upcoming healthcare vote is the "Super Bowl of freedom," and voters must mobilize to defeat Democrats' "crown jewel of socialism," Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) said Tuesday.

In an interview on Fox and Friends this morning, Bachmann also urged supporters to join her at a rally scheduled to coincide with Thursday's all-important healthcare vote -- a protest, the congresswoman added, that was designed to remind Blue Dog Democrats "of the lessons of August and the Tea Parties."

"We're asking people to go into the office buildings... to find their members of Congress and tell them, 'Look, you have to vote no,'" she explained. "We don't have the votes to stop this, but the American people do."

"[Blue Dogs] are sitting on the fence right now, and I think if they see their constituents coming to Washington D.C., that will make a difference," she added, noting that Democrats' bill would have failed a floor vote if the House took it up in August. "Speaker Pelosi has been able to bring the hammer down on Blue Dogs for the last two months, and we need to remind these members again of the lessons of August and the Tea Parties."

Bachmann first announced she would hold her rally last week -- a move that earned her considerable scorn at the time, especially because she was encouraging protesters to confront lawmakers face to face. Nevertheless, Bachmann has maintained that her protest is about restoring the healthcare momentum her party possessed throughout August, when Democrats across the country took heat at town halls for supporting a robust public plan.

“The American people need to stand up again and make sure that Congress hears them this time," she said in a release announcing the rally. "The people need to make a House Call on Washington this week and tell their Representatives to vote no to a government take-over of one-fifth of our economy. This is gangster government at its worst."

Interestingly enough, Blue Dog Democrats do still seem on the fence about the House's healthcare bill. After the Congressional Budget Office released its cost estimate of Democrats' latest bill last week, caucus leaders asked the CBO's director for a more nuanced analysis of how the proposal might ultimately bend the cost curve. 

“In order to make an informed decision about the legislation, we believe it is necessary to have a full and clear description of its long-term budgetary effects as CBO can provide,” they wrote.