"We have the power of the purse - so we can starve ObamaCare. We don't have to fund any of these programs and that's exactly what we need to do - defund all of this nonsense and then unwind it.
Sounded good, except she was completely wrong. Health care reform wasn't established as a discretionary program. That means it's not dependent on annual appropriations bills, so you can't simply defund it.
This was obvious at the time, but it didn't stop Bachmann from making the false promise to her teahadist fan base that "defunding" was a viable approach to repealing health care reform. She even kept up the charade after the election, perpetuating the myth that House Republicans could defund health care reform:"