Glenn had Michele Bachmann on radio today, and they tackled a number of issues including the debt ceiling and a potential run for President in 2012.

Glenn asked her how the first few days of the new session of Congress were going, and Rep. Bachmann seemed to feel very good about the new Republican leadership and new House members. Not only did they read the Constitution in the House, but they also made a pledge to cut their personal allotments 5%. She explained:

“Can you believe, Glenn, that it's taken this many years for us to actually read the document on the floor of the House? This is a major accomplishment and then the next move that we made after reading the Constitution, we took a vote to cut our own member allotments by 5%. That meant that I had to let a person go on my staff, but we're getting serious. If we want to have any moral authority to do cutting of the budget, we need to start with ourselves and that's what we did. We cut ourselves 5% and now we plan to go on through the rest of the budget and make cuts that are necessary so we can actually live within our means and get to a point of a balanced budget. It's serious and that, of course, has set the left liberals into epileptic fit.”

The duo also addressed raising the debt ceiling, although they had a little disagreement over it. Glenn and Rep. Bachmann were on the same philosophical page that continuing to raise the debt limit was wrong, but when Rep. Bachmann said she was going to vote against it Glenn had to chime in with a home anaology, saying that by not raising the debt ceiling we are basically saying we won’t pay our mortgage, rather than continuing to pay our debts while cutting spending.

Rep. Bachmann replied, “Don't forget, this is a problem of our own making. This didn't just happen to us. This overspending is a problem of our own making and on my basis site, I have charts side by side of all of the debt accumulated under George Bush and under Barack Obama and the debt ceilings are next to them and the projections going forward to where we're going under the debt ceiling, we can't keep it up and so that's why my staff and I sat down, Glenn. We came up with $450　billion in cuts and I think we can even do more. You know, will they be painful? Yes. Will they be sacrificial? Yes, but I don't see members of Congress coming up with their list of cuts and I'm urging everyone, Senate, House, Republicans, Democrats, put on your green eye shades. Let's go into a room with our proposed cuts and keep cutting until we can get the budget balanced.”

Glenn promised to post any information on her proposed cuts on The Blaze.

Finally, Glenn asked if she would run for President in 2012. Bachmann did not say she was going to Iowa to start campaigning, but rather to give some speeches in her old state where she lived until she was twelve. She said, “I'm not going down there for personal ambition. I am going down there because I think the debate for the next 12 months needs to be about why we have to repeal President Obama as President in 2012 and the greatness that lies before us with the new Constitutional conservative as President.”

Full Transcript:

GLENN: Michelle Bachmann is online with us. Michelle Bachmann, how are you?

BACHMANN: I am doing great. Always good to talk to the wonderful Glenn Beck.

GLENN: Let me ask you, yesterday you did your　-- did you　-- you met with all of the guys before　-- all the newcomers, all the freshmen, you met with them as they were coming in. You went over the Constitution. This is not the reading of the Constitution. Tell me what you did beforehand.

BACHMANN: Well, beforehand we were with them and encouraging them and inviting them in and we had a wonderful time together and I think we found that we're very like-minded and they don't want to cave. It was very positive.

Glenn: Did you meet with Scalia

BACHMANN: Oh, the Scalia meeting will be on Monday.

GLENN: On Monday.

BACHMANN: January 24th and justice Scalia will be coming in between 5:30 and 6:30　p.m. and we'll have our first seminar on the Constitution. We're kicking off weekly seminars on the Constitution. He has graciously agreed to be our first speaker on the Constitution.

GLENN: I love you.

PAT: What is this fetish, Michelle, you have with the Constitution, this propaganda of the Constitution? We don't worship the document. We're just supposed to be governed by it. Can you believe all the madness coming out of the Democrats over this?

BACHMANN: They said it was nonsense for us to read it.

PAT: Yeah.

BACHMANN: Can you believe, Glenn, that it's taken this many years for us to actually read the document on the floor of the House? This is a major accomplishment and then the next move that we made after reading the Constitution, we took a vote to cut our own member allotments by 5%. That meant that I had to let a person go on my staff, but we're getting serious. If we want to have any moral authority to do cutting of the budget, we need to start with ourselves and that's what we did. We cut ourselves 5% and now we plan to go on through the rest of the budget and make cuts that are necessary so we can actually live within our means and get to a point of a balanced budget. It's serious and that, of course, has set the left liberals into epileptic fit.

GLENN: Let me ask you this: The debt ceiling, are you going to vote for the raising of the debt ceiling or not? Do you know yet?

BACHMANN: I will not be voting to raise the debt ceiling because in the last 10 years, we have increased the debt ceiling 10 times.

GLENN: Right.

BACHMANN: And, like your listeners, if they had a Visa card and they maxed it out and they called up Visa and said, Just raise the limit, I need to spend more money, and Visa raised the limit and all the person did holding the card did is pay interest, well, that's what the United States has done for year after year after year. Pretty soon you can't even make your interest payments anymore.

GLENN: Okay. Michelle　--

BACHMANN: We don't do that.

GLENN: You and I are on the same page on the philosophy that we shouldn't do that. However, let me give you the same home analogy. By not raising the debt ceiling, we default on our mortgage and everything　-- what you do in that situation is　-- and I　-- look. I've said on the air several times, I'm glad I'm not in Congress because this is　-- do you want a gun to your head or do you want a cyanide tablet? The　-- when you don't raise the debt ceiling, what happens is you are basically saying to the bank, I'm not going to pay my mortgage. Instead of saying, I'm going to pay my mortgage but I'm going to sell my car, I'm going to start taking the bus to work, I'm going to cancel the cable. Are you　-- if　-- I mean, what happens to America if the debt ceiling is not raised? What　-- what is the scenario that happens to us with the rest of the world and our financing and just shutting the spickets off?

BACHMANN: Well, it's negative and shutting the government down is an admission of failure on the part of Congress. Don't forget, this is a problem of our own making. This didn't just happen to us. This overspending is a problem of our own making and on my basis site, I have charts side by side of all of the debt accumulated under George Bush and under Barack Obama and the debt ceilings are next to them and the projections going forward to where we're going under the debt ceiling, we can't keep it up and so that's why my staff and I sat down, Glenn. We came up with $450　billion in cuts and I think we can even do more. You know, will they be painful? Yes. Will they be sacrificial? Yes, but I don't see members of Congress coming up with their list of cuts and I'm urging everyone, Senate, House, Republicans, Democrats, put on your green eye shades. Let's go into a room with our proposed cuts and keep cutting until we can get the budget balanced.

GLENN: Are your 450 billion in cuts available anywhere?

BACHMANN: Yes. We do have them and they are across the board. They're from everything from defense to commerce and agriculture.

GLENN: Where can somebody see them?

BACHMANN: Probably　-- we will put them up. No one has asked us to cut them online yet. So, we will have to put them up online.

GLENN: If you would send them us, we will put them on theblaze.com <http://theblaze.com>  today.

BACHMANN: Sure. Okay.

GLENN: When you're ready, you send them to me. The other question is, Madam President, will you run?

BACHMANN: Is that your question?

GLENN: Yes.

BACHMANN: I agreed to go to Iowa to give a series of speeches. I was born and raised in Iowa until I was 12 years old. My family is there. So, I'm going down to speak to Iowans for Tax Relief and some other groups because I believe, Glenn, it is a mistake for the next 12 months to focus on individual personalities, on who will be the Republican nominee. I'm not going down there for personal ambition. I am going down there because I think the debate for the next 12 months needs to be about why we have to repeal President Obama as President in 2012 and the greatness that lies before us with the new Constitutional conservative as President.

GLENN: Would you just make sure that on Air Force 2 Allen West is there?

CALLER: Allen West is a marvelous man. I love him.

GLENN: I'm just saying. I'm just saying, Madam President, Allen West should be in Air Force 2.

BACHMANN: I'll keep that in mind. You have good taste.

GLENN: Michelle Bachmann, we'll talk again. Thank you very much.

BACHMANN: Okay.

GLENN: Keep their feet to the fire. Keep their feet to the fire.