For what it’s worth, Michele Bachmann won the Ames straw poll. See Garance Franke-Ruta’s interviews with Bachmann supporters to find out why.

Essential reading. Lots of people are linking to this Jackie Calmes article, “G.O.P. on Defensive as Analysts Question Party’s Fiscal Policy.” See also James Fallows and Steve Benen.

Ann Althouse is screaming that she was “assaulted” by people protesting — well, mostly singing — outside the Wisconsin state capitol building. If you actually watch the videos she has posted as evidence you can’t see much, but my best guess is that she shoved a camera in a man’s face while he was talking and he shoved the camera away. See also SEK at Lawyers, Guns and Money.

Michele Bachmann has been telling audiences that S&P downgraded America’s credit rating because the credit ceiling was raised, not because it almost wasn’t. And she would never vote to raise that debt ceiling; nosireebob. S&P has released a statement saying that the real reason for the downgrade is that too many lawmakers in Washington are bleeping idiots who don’t understand the consequences of default. Greg Sargent explains this in a post titled “Standard and Poors punctures Michele Bachmann’s blissful fantasy.” However, I doubt any ray of reality ever punctures Bachmann’s blissful fantasy life, so I expect her to stick to her position. But Bachmann is so pathetic that even Joe Scarborough calls her pathetic. That’s really pathetic.

Economists call Republican economic policies pathetic. But you know that.

What pathetic things have you witnessed lately?