Michele Bachmann is in the news again this week, and not surprisingly, she’s got her foot in her mouth.

The New York Times devoted a half-page spread of the Friday paper to highlighting Bachmann’s penchant for slip-ups, falsifications and overstatements, citing her recent scientifically unfounded attribution of mental retardation to the HPV vaccine. That Bachmann tends heavily toward fabricated exaggerations should not come as news to anyone, as months of media coverage has emphasized this as her most essential character-trait and repeatedly hailed this hamartia as ultimately what might discredit Bachmann as a 2012 candidate.

Amidst this attention, however, we would be wise to step away from the Shakespearian implications of Bachmann’s flaws, indisputable as they may be, to consider them in a broader context. For one, it is important to remember that in many of her political flaws, Bachmann is not alone. From Sarah Palin’s ‘death panels’ to Newt Gingrich’s accusations of “right-wing social engineering,” many politicians have been freehanded in conjuring the specter of socialism and other liberal spooks to strike fearful chords in the hearts of voters.

Furthermore, there is a wealth of historical evidence that places Bachmann and her fellow candidates in a long-standing tradition of political demagoguery; appealing to a range of irrational fears and emotional rhetoric to refute opponents and cultivate support for their own political agendas. Recall here the ‘welfare queen,’ an invention of Reagan’s political imaginary in the 1960s that has been referenced for over 30 years as ‘evidence’ for massive cuts in social spending well into the Clinton administration. And need we even touch on the world of spectacular facts manipulated and manufactured after 9/11 to validate ongoing attacks in the Middle East?

Don’t get me wrong, Bachmann’s malarkey should not go unnoticed, and I’ll be the first to admit to delighting in her admonishment. But let’s not go so far in sensationalizing her love of fantasy fiction that we risk losing sight of her place in the game of toxic political rhetoric—a phenomenon far more deep-rooted, widespread and damaging than anything attributable to her alone.