Patheos

BuddhistCatholicContemplativeEvangelicalGeneral ChristianHinduJewishLatter-day SaintMuslimNew VisionsProgressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Patheos

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos Patheos on Facebook Patheos on YouTube

The Atheist Rabbi

Marcus Bachmann, The Man To Whom Michele Is Submissive

Last updated on: July 8, 2011 at 12:47 pm   by Jeffrey L. Falick

Marcus Bachmann, The Man To Whom Michele Is Submissive 2011-07-08T12:47:00-05:00 Jeffrey L. Falick

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Michele Bachmann, fundamentalist Christian candidate for the GOP, is aided in her run by her husband, Marcus.  In case you haven’t been paying attention, when it comes to gays and lesbians these are two seriously bigoted and hateful people.

Now comes the news that Marcus made these comments about gays on a radio show in May 2010:

“We have to understand: Barbarians need to be educated. They need to be disciplined. Just because someone feels it or thinks it doesn’t mean that we are supposed to go down that road. That’s what is called the sinful nature. We have a responsibility as parents and as authority figures not to encourage such thoughts and feelings from moving into the action steps….”

Whenever I hear this kind of language I’m immediately suspicious that the speaker is trying to repress something of his own.  But far be it from me to accuse anyone of being a closet case.  I’ll let others do that for me:

James Urbaniak of The Venture Brothers … Tumbled: “It’s pretty much a given that the most vociferously homophobic men are usually repressing something. But, oh Mary, Michele Bachmann’s husband Marcus takes the ever-loving cake. He’s a cure-the-gay therapist out of a John Waters movie. I haven’t seen flames this high since the last California wildfire…”

This brings up my other point about this schmuck.  He runs a counseling company that engages in the highly discredited (and potentially dangerous) practice of “reparative therapy.”  This is otherwise known as “praying away the gay.”  Mama Michele subscribes to this.  A gay Minnesota state senator reports that she used to pray over his empty desk.

(It might also interest her Tea Party buddies to know that Marcus’ counseling company accepted $137,000 in Medicaid payments.  You will recall that Mama Michele has placed Medicaid squarely in her political cross-hairs.  Her family has also accepted a quarter million dollars in farm subsidies.)

Now Marcus is not just Michele’s screwy husband.  He is her chief strategist.  The two of them also subscribe to the idea that a good Christian wife should be obedient and submissive to her husband.  I assume this would have political consequences.

It is high time that the GOP decide just what kind of party it wants to be.  Is it a political party concerned with the best interests of a pluralistic, secular nation?  Or is it the champion of a bigoted new theocracy?  They can level all the charges that they want to at Democrats, but no one in that party is promoting a Christian nation ideology.

This is not a new trend.  It has now become an ingrained Republican tradition.  It began decades ago with Reagan’s pact with the Moral Majority.  The Jewish Republicans that I know seem to be indifferent, brushing her aside (along with her fellow fanatics Palin, Huckabee and company) in favor of the Romneys and Pawlentys (who, by the way, also pander to the religious right).  In the case of many Republican Orthodox Jews, they are actually quite thrilled by religiously fanatical candidates like Bachmann.  (I have reliable sources on the this!)

Matt Taibbi, in his Rolling Stone expose of Bachmann, put it this way:

Bachmann’s story, to hear her tell it, is about a suburban homemaker who is chosen by God to become a politician who will restore faith and family values to public life and do battle with secular humanism. …Whatever she is, she’s no joke.

She is no joke.  And this secular humanist has decided to take on her challenge to do battle.

Blog Entries

Fundamentalist Christianity

Politics

Previous Post



July 5, 2011

Rabbi Lior's Arrest Is The Price Of Entangling Religion & State

Next Post



July 8, 2011 Hitchens Comments On The Gaza Flotilla


Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Blog Entries

Select a Month January 2017 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 March 2015 December 2014 February 2014 December 2013 October 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 September 2012 August 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010


Follow Us!

Follow Us on Facebook



TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which Psalm contains "Create in me a clean heart, O God"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Psalm 110 Psalm 70 Psalm 51 Psalm 33

Related posts from The Atheist Rabbi

Nonreligious

Trumpism Unites Neo-Nazis, Jewish Defense League

The Atheist Rabbi

Nonreligious

Jackie Mason Has Opinions

The Atheist Rabbi

Nonreligious

The New Resistance

The Atheist Rabbi

Nonreligious

Jewish Community: Black Lives Matter No Matter What

The Atheist Rabbi

TRENDING AT PATHEOS Nonreligious

Dethroning Jesus and Enthroning Yourself

Jesus Never Asked to Be Worshipped. He Asked to Be Understood. Christianity...

Why Most Christians are Really Paulians and Jobians

I Don't Care, But It Matters Let's get this out of the...

Essential Tips to Successfully Navigate the Selling Process

Selling a house can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be....

To Make Remote Work Effective, Think About Others

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many companies to rapidly transition to remote work....

Flexibility Is Key to Solving Problems of Tomorrow

The world of work is undergoing a dramatic transformation. The COVID-19 pandemic...

view all Nonreligious blogs

Patheos on Facebook Patheos on YouTube

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Copyright 2008-2026, Patheos. All rights reserved.

Subscription Support Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In

Follow Patheos Patheos on Facebook Patheos on YouTube