Gay Robot' Hounds Bachmann in Iowa

Patch:

By now the GOP presidential candidates have seen it all: hecklers, protesters, haters of all shapes and sizes. Well, mostly all.

On Thursday afternoon in Iowa City, Michele Bachmann encountered a man dressed in a robot suit, who shouted her down with the aid of a built-in megaphone. He called himself, "roboprof," and was booed and quickly asked to leave Hamburg Inn No. 2, where Bachmann made the campaign stop.

"I am a gay robot. I oppose Bachmann's position on gays, whether they are human or robot," said the man, who declined to give his name, although he admitted to being the same robot who heckled Bill Clinton at the University of Iowa in 2007.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Hamburg Inn in Iowa City has long been a popular stop for presidential candidates, but it probably won't be high on Rep. Michele Bachmann's list anymore.

About two dozen activists with Occupy Iowa City packed the diner before Bachmann arrived there Thursday, then loudly chanted in unison as she tried to mingle with supporters. Their chant blasted the Minnesota congresswoman's position on gay rights, health care and taxes and ended with: "You're not wanted here. So go, just go."

The restaurant blared Christmas songs over the loudspeaker to drown out the protesters. Police arrived as tensions rose, but no one was arrested.

Bachmann seemed undeterred. Before leaving, she thanked the owner, praised the food and said it was great to be in Iowa City.