Earlier this year, Congress passed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which expanded AmeriCorps and increased volunteer opportunities at home and abroad. The right wing went into a frenzy over this national service “boondoggle,” and Bachmann took to the House floor and called AmeriCorps “re-education camps for young people“:I wonder how her son brought it up? "Hey, Mom, you know those re-education camps you'd have a difficult time seeing your kids join? I hope you're prepared for a difficult time..."[snip]I believe that there is a very strong chance that we will see that young people will be put into mandatory service. And the real concerns is that there are provisions for what I would call re-education camps for young people, where young people have to go and get trained in a philosophy that the government puts forward and then they have to go to work in some of these politically-correct forums. As a parent, I would have a very, very difficult time seeing my children do this.
Ironically, Bachmann’s son, Harrison, has now joined Teach for America (TFA). According to the TFA website, “Teach For America is currently a member of AmeriCorps, the national service network.”
Sometimes, it's nice to see the apple fall so far from the tree.
If asked about it, she'll deny ever saying it (even after someone plays tape of her doing so), and claim that memory has a well-known left-wing bias.
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