Vidal: Bachmann "too stupid to deserve an answer"

Gore Vidal responds to Michele Bachmann's tale of her "Burr"-inspired conversion to Republicanism

Published January 6, 2011 9:39PM (EST)

Gore Vidal and Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn
Gore Vidal and Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn

After Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., claimed last month that she left the Democratic Party and became Republican because she was horrified by the portrayal of the Founding Fathers in Gore Vidal's 1973 historical novel "Burr," I reached out to the 85-year-old author.

And today, through an assistant, Vidal offered this written statement in response to Bachmann's creation myth: 

"She is too stupid to deserve an answer."

Here is the video of Bachmann telling the tale in Troy, Mich., last month:


By Justin Elliott

Justin Elliott is a reporter for ProPublica. You can follow him on Twitter @ElliottJustin

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Michele Bachmann R-minn. Republican Party