U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann (MN-6) spoke on the main stage earlier this morning in the Potomac Ballroom bringing in a crowd of more than 3,500.

Representative Bachmann enthusiastically greeted the crowd and then welcomed them to “Washington DC, the epicenter of care and compassion” to which the crowd erupted in laughter. She then asked the crowd an “important question”, inquiring who in their lives really cared about them. She received various responses from the crowd, such as parents, family, even the dog. Bachmann encouraged the crowd with confidence that “this movement cares about you, about life, family and a strong national defense. We are the people that truly care and want you to succeed.”

She reiterated that the conservative movement wants people to have the best life they can, and that “when everyone succeeds, when you get lifted up, the entire community gets lifted up.” The crowd applauded as she said “we care that your sister and mother have their 2nd Amendment rights to protect themselves.”

Bachmann then told the crowd that she had to now share a “painful story about not caring.” She reviewed the events of Benghazi on September 11th, 2012, and how for seven and a half hours, our people begged for help that never came. She reminded us of those who “ran not from the sound of gunfire but towards the sound of gunfire.” She then received a standing ovation fromt he crowd as she named Glen Doherty and Tyrone S. Woods, commending them for “going to the aid of their brothers. She reminded the listeners that they “saved many american lives, fought for their friends, colleagues, and for all Americans.”

She then fired up the crowd as she said the President was informed within the first hour, met with advisors for thirty minutes, then “inexplicably disappeared, went AWOL”, to which the crowd erupted in loud boo’s. Bachmann said to “to this day, no one yet knows where he was” and mentioned with disappointment how he then flew to Vegas to be with Jay-Z and Beyonce. Bachmann quoted the President’s statement on September 25th to the United Nations that “the future does not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam” and then said what the President should have said was that “the future does not belong to low life murderers who kill innocent Americans”, to which she received another standing ovation from the crowd.

Bachmann told the crowd that “the future belongs to Americans who are willing to lay their lives on the line to protect others” and that would have been a message of caring, instead she says the President has presided over a “war on the young”, referring to our crippling national debt. She mentioned the “enemies who deploy cyber attacks” against our country, yet the President borrows millions of dollars from them. Bachmann referred to this ‘war’ as a “generational injustice of epic proportions.”

She then launched into examples of the President’s “life of excess” and used the examples of the number of chef’s on Air Force One to the projectionists employed by the White House. “I don’t mean to be petty here, but can’t they just press the play button?”, Bachmann asked. As other speakers at CPAC have mentioned, she also brought up the polio vaccine and how it not only stopped polio but saved the American budget, and asked why we aren’t currently seeking cures on several diseases that deplete our finances, and told us how we all benefit by innovative medical breakthroughs.

Bachmann implored the crowd to realize it is “our duty to pay it forward to the next generation” and concluded by emphatically stating to the already applauding crowd, “we do it because we love, we care. This is our movement, because we love each other and we love our nation.”

Congresswoman Bachmann ran for the Republican nomination in the 2012 U.S. presidential election. Bachmann won the Ames Straw Poll in August 2011, but dropped out after the Iowa caucuses in January 2012.

Representative Bachmann is a strong voice for conservatism and is known for her controversial stances on many issues including gay marriage and abortion.

The former presidential candidate is has strong ties to the Tea Party and is the founder of the House Tea Party Caucus. Congresswoman Bachmann was also the first Republican woman to represent the state in Congress.