Bachmann's “Messages From God”

Messages from the other side, accusations of treason, historical lies — in their zeal to deny President Obama a second term, many Republicans are oblivious to the fact that they’re certainly making fools of themselves.

Michele Bachmann needs to practice better damage control. If you want to look at it that way, she’s also a victim of Hurricane Irene; she wove a remark intended to be witty into a lament about the threat of budget deficits — at least that’s the explanation given by the aggressive Republican who wants Obama’s office in the White House. It isn’t the first time she has made similar verbal gaffes.

“I don’t know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians,” she railed before a predominantly elderly audience in Florida. “We’ve had an earthquake; we’ve had a hurricane. He said, ‘Are you going to start listening to me here?’” The Minnesota representative claimed that God was sending a message to Washington with those events, warning that the nation had to go on a reducing diet instead of continuing to gorge itself.

Such howlers are as much a part of American political campaigns as Uncle Sam’s star-spangled stovepipe hat, and they’re not limited strictly to Republicans. But the polemics of the current conservative campaign are even troubling Karl Rove, the Texas political strategist who in 2004 mobilized the religious right behind George W. Bush and secured his second term. Rove fears that the GOP runs the risk of fielding an “extremist” candidate who could be defeated by Obama next year.

Just a few days ago, Rick Perry, the governor of Texas who jumped into the fray late, attacked the Federal Reserve, hitting way below the belt by saying that Ben Bernanke’s strategy of printing more money in order to play political games in an election year bordered on high treason.

Libertarian and former pediatrician Ron Paul, who equally wants to see government reduced in size but who has thus far refrained from such personal attacks, regards the Federal Emergency Management Agency as unnecessary, saying free citizens are always able to fend for themselves in case of a natural disaster.

And Michele Bachmann, as popular as she may be, still has to endure the ridicule of angry history teachers for announcing in July that the nation’s Founding Fathers had worked tirelessly to bring about an end to slavery. The truth of the matter is that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were both slave owners.

And finally, there was a battle over new hurricane-tracking satellites. Congressional Republicans intend to cut funds already budgeted for them, which means that the nation will have to do without the next generation of satellites. “Irresponsible,” protested Jane Lubchenco, director of the responsible NOAA agency. The satellites are of the utmost importance for protecting lives and property.