Rep. Bachmann: Obama Could Use the Census to Send People to Camps

Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 05:27 pm

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GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann was on Fox News this morning tying her conspiracy theories about President Obama to the Census. Bachmann united her Obama concentration camp theory and the Census, by stating that the Census was used to round up Japanese Americans and send them to internment camps during World War II, and Obama could do the same.

Here is the video from Think Progress:

Bachmann was on FNC to further her Census and ACORN conspiracy theory,” Finally, I am very concerned about ACORN. Remember, it was the Obama White House that wanted to pull the Census into the White House, and conduct the Census. Why is this important? The Census is the motherload of all data collection in the United States, and now ACORN, which in many places has served as the electioneering arm of the Democrat Party, now ACORN is being encouraged to become a national partner in the Census.”

Then she warped some American history, “If we look at American history, between 1942 and 1947, the data that was collected by the census bureau was handed over to the FBI and other organizations, at the request of President Roosevelt, and that’s how the Japanese were rounded up and put into the internment camps. I’m not saying that’s what the Administration is planning to do. But I am saying that private, personal information that was given to the census bureau in the 1940s was used against Americans to round them up.”

First of all, the Census requires no personal information, like a telephone number on the form. As Think Progress pointed out, Bachmann is confusing the Census with the American Community Survey, which is sent out to 1 in 40 American homes. As you can see from the 2010 Census form, no personal information is collected. Thirdly, it is a federal crime for any census taker to violate the confidentiality of a respondent.

Also nothing has changed with who is conducting the Census. Obama did not pull the Census into the White House. It is the same system that has been used since 1970. ACORN will not be conducting the Census. The organization may help recruit census takers, but they will not be involved in the census taking itself. The Obama administration did not outsource the Census to ACORN.

This is simply more baseless Bachmann paranoia. Frankly, I am surprised that Fox News would have her on their air, but since the election, the network itself has gone into full blown Obama conspiracy mode. I wonder how many times Bachmann is going to embarrass the people of her district before they vote her out? The most frightening thing about this woman is that she is allowed to vote on major issues and legislation.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association