If you were going to appear on a show called Hardball, what would you expect — softballs?

Minnesota Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann was so bad at hitting host Chris Mathews’ pitches that she’s at risk of losing her re-election campaign. After she said that Barack Obama “may have anti-American views,” the backlash was so great that her opponent raised a million dollars in one day.

Bachmann admitted she had never watched the show before agreeing to be interviewed by Chris Mathews. That was her first mistake. (Of course, the show’s name might have given her pause.)

She claims Mathews trapped her. Actually, what he did was use a typical reporter tactic. He got her to repeat a negative, “anti-American.” He said the word over and over, until she finally said it herself.

Lessons learned: First, never go on a show, (especially a national show!), without watching it and learning about the interviewer’s style. The same is true for print interviews. It always helps to understand as much as you can about the publication and the reporter before you do the interview.

Second, repeating negative or loaded language almost always backfires. The problem is, it’s so easy to do.

What should she have done?

Mathews: “So you’re concerned that Barack Obama might have anti-American views.”

Bachmann: “That isn’t what I said. What I said was that I don’t understand why he had such a strong association with a known terrorist. It calls into question his judgment.”

And if Mathews kept asking, she should have kept giving the same answer.