Bachmann wishes Elvis happy birthday on death date

OOPS MOMENT. Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., speaks to supporters at the Beacon Drive-in, Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2011, in Spartanburg, S.C. AP/Richard Shiro

SPARTANBURG, South Carolina — Republican presidential candidate Michelle Bachmann got her Elvis Presley dates all shook up during a campaign stop in South Carolina.

The congresswoman from Minnesota played the Elvis tune “Promised Land” on Tuesday at a restaurant in Spartanburg, and told the crowd of 300 that she wanted to say happy birthday to the King of Rock and Roll.

But Aug. 16 is the anniversary of Elvis’ death, in 1977, and someone in the crowd shouted back, “He died today!”

Bachmann didn’t respond and launched into her speech.

Bachmann has stumbled over cultural references before. In June, she kicked off her presidential campaign in Waterloo, Iowa, calling it the home of American actor John Wayne. The town was actually home for a time to serial killer John Wayne Gacy.