G.O.P. Has a Lightning Rod, and It’s Not Palin

In [Representative Michele Bachmann’s] district, and in much of the country, [this] outsized celebrity has boiled down to this: They adore her or they loathe her.

Some of Ms. Bachmann’s fellow Republicans . . . are drawing glowing comparisons between her and Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and Republican candidate for vice president. Sean Hannity, the conservative talk show host, has introduced Ms. Bachmann as “the second-most-hated Republican woman in the country, second to Governor Palin, which is a good position.”

Ms. Bachmann’s admirers point to her uncompromising, unvarnished stances against big spending, big government programs, tax increases and abortions. Her detractors moan that she opposes anything a Democrat says, and assert that she has transformed herself into a cable television gadfly.

“This is the thing with her,” said Brad Biers, a supporter of Ms. Bachmann who is active in the state Republican Party and lives in her district, probably the most conservative in the state [of Minnesota]. “There’s not a whole lot of middle ground. You either like her or don’t.”

On Capitol Hill, Ms. Bachmann is viewed with disdain by Democrats who see her as a wacky purveyor of outrageous claims and criticisms. Leading Republicans wince occasionally at her appearances on the floor and on television, but they also see her as someone with telegenic appeal who can energize conservatives and aggravate Democrats and they are not likely to rein her in.