Freshman congressman attracts positive, negative attention
TULSA — As a candidate, one of Jim Bridenstine’s promises was to not be a wallflower in Washington.
It is a promise no one can accuse him of breaking.
Bridenstine’s blunt attack on President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden last week further enhanced his growing reputation in the more vocal conservative circles.
It earned him an appearance on commentator Mark Levin’s radio program and created considerable buzz in the blogosphere, with mentions everywhere from the liberal site Think Progress to conservative Sean Hannity.
Levin called Bridenstine’s one-minute speech “compelling” and referred to him as one of the conservative movement’s “rising stars.”
Hannity posted the speech on his website. So did The Daily Caller, among many others.
Left-leaning sites Huffington Post and Talking Points Memo also reported the speech, mostly without comment.
Even before he called the president of the United States a vindictive, lying incompetent on the floor of the House, Bridenstine attracted attention.
On the very day of Bridenstine’s latest floor speech, conservative commentator Erick Erickson listed Bridenstine as a speaker for Erickson’s RedState Gathering later this summer in New Orleans.
Other confirmed speakers include South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.
“Jim’s doing an outstanding job,” said Oklahoma Republican Party Chairman Dave Weston. “I’m on a 77-county tour of the state, and when Jim’s name comes up, eyes light up.”
Weston, whose consulting firm did some work on Bridenstine’s 2012 campaign, said Republicans statewide are energized by Bridenstine.
“I’m certainly not hearing any complaints,” he said.
Tulsa County Democratic Chairman Michael Whelan said his party also is energized by Bridenstine.
“We knew how dangerous Jim Bridenstine could be,” Whelan said. “Since taking office, he’s not only confirmed our fears but gone above and beyond them.”
Asked what he meant by “dangerous,” Whelan said Bridenstine has damaged the reputation of the state and its congressional delegation.
Nationally at least, Bridenstine is attracting almost as much negative — or potentially negative — attention as he is positive.
Salon lists Bridenstine as one of its candidates “to be the next Michele Bachmann,” a perhaps ambiguous distinction except for polls showing the Minnesota congresswoman is perceived to have damaged the Republican Party more than helped it.
Think Progress is completely unambiguous. It called Bridenstine’s performance “unhinged.”
Esquire, taking its cue from Think Progress, profiled Bridenstine in the inaugural edition of a Politics blog feature called “Meet Your Wingnut Congresscritter.”
It refers to Bridenstine as a “possible successor to la Bachmann as Royal Regent of the Crazy People.”
But no Oklahoma public official seems to have ever gone wrong criticizing Obama or attracting the ridicule of left-wingers. As Weston said, “That’s a badge of honor.”
Weston has linked Bridenstine’s speech from last week to the state GOP website.
And, Bridenstine has already recorded another attack on Obama. In this one, Bridenstine takes the president to task for what he says is a lack of respect for military “accomplishments” in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Spokeswoman Sheryl Kaufman said response to Bridenstine’s House floor speech has been very supportive.
Asked about comparisons to Bachmann, good and bad, Kaufman said, “Jim is interested in being Jim Bridenstine and representing the first District of Oklahoma.”