Conservative Darling Short on Legislative Help

WASHINGTON (June 4) -- Minnesota congresswoman and conservative darling Michele Bachmann has mastered the art of bypassing the mainstream media in favor of more ideologically friendly outlets, according to a long profile in today's Washington Post. But that appears to have come at the expense of her legislative activities.

An independent analysis of her staff by AOL News confirms that at the end of 2009, Bachmann had just two legislative staffers out of a staff of 17, according to public records. At the same time, Bachmann's media staff at the end of 2009 included a communications director and two press secretaries.

The situation remains unchanged. According to her office, Bachmann still has only two full-time staffers dealing with the myriad legislative issues that come up before Congress.

"For the modern-day House, that's extraordinary low. You'd find normally a half-dozen [legislative staffers]," congressional scholar Norm Ornstein told AOL News.

Most similar offices have a large legislative staff and a one- or two-person press staff. Bachmann has essentially reversed the usual Capitol Hill dynamic.

"If you don't have a substantial legislative staff, it really means that you're not on top of a lot of the issues that come up in Congress -- or you're not interested in having your own legislative product," Ornstein said.

Ornstein also noted that a press operation of three full-time staffers was equally "not normal" in the House.

Bachmann's public record may bear out the structure of her office. In her four years in Congress, the Post points out that her legislative record has been scant.

"Her only notable legislative triumph came in the adoption of a low-profile bill that has made technical changes to the obligations of merchants who deal with credit card and debit receipts," the Post reports.

In this session of Congress beginning in January 2009, Bachmann has introduced just 18 standalone pieces of legislation, only one of which has passed -- a nonbinding House resolution designating the month of September as "National Hydrocephalus Awareness Month." In the 110th Congress (2006-2008), the average number of bills introduced per member was approximately 30.

To be sure, many Republican members of Congress with the same seniority who were elected in the same 2006 election as Bachmann have been equally as unsuccessful in passing bills in the two Democratically controlled Congresses.

But Bachmann is also one of the most well-known members of Congress with a public profile eclipsing most senators, a fundraising magnet and a star with constant appearances on conservative talk shows and the tea party circuit. Yet her fame hasn't translated into influence when it comes to passing legislation.

Still, Bachmann told the Post that passing bills is not a priority for her. Rather, her priority is to keep the government from "eclips[ing] freedom in people's lives."

Bachmann communications director Dave Dziok said the office is looking to replace former staffers and expand its legislative shop. The office has typically had three staffers dealing with policy and has been looking to expand the team to three again, he said.

"The structure of an office is by no means a fixed entity, set in stone from day one and never to change. At one time we had three full-time press staffers, now we have two. An office's structure is always being re-evaluated, and it's something that changes as time goes on," Dziok told AOL News.

"I still don't believe we have an abnormally small legislative staff," he added in an e-mail. "I think you'd be hard pressed to find second-term members of Congress who are in the minority party who have the deep legislative portfolio the Post is looking for."