The Pledge Bachmann Signed: President Obama is Worse Than Slavery

Religious fanatic pledge also stokes racism

WingnutsJuly 2011 • Views: 24,802

Here’s the Iowa Family Leader “Marriage Vow” signed yesterday by Michele Bachmann, and I recommend that everyone read this — to see just how insane these people are. The very first bullet point on the first page gives you an idea:

Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African-American baby born after the election of the USA’s first African-American president.

Here’s the study they cite to back up this claim, from yet another religious right “think tank” — and it was released in 2005, three years before Barack Obama took office. So how can they use this to bemoan the state of African-American families after Obama was elected?

Simple answer: they’re lying. And Michele Bachmann, currently one of the GOP frontrunners for the Presidential nomination, has put her signature on these lies.

There’s no longer any doubt — this will be the most fanatical, reactionary right wing slate of candidates ever fielded by the Republican Party.

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66 comments

shutdown Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:04:32am

Holy crap. If her previous statements and pronouncements are any indication, I doubt Bachmann even read this pledge. Not that she would have refused to sign if she had; she probably agrees with the sentiment.

Obdicut Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:07:55am

And of course what they'll say is that they were just noting that Obama is president, and is black, and they weren't trying to draw any comparison.

This is more of the concern trolling of the black community by Conservatives, trying to drum up the "Liberals are killing you aborting your babies" shit. They're also taking the word 'genocide' and using it in a perverted fashion.

Twits.

Killgore Trout Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:09:04am

Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African-American baby born after the election of the USA’s first African-American president.

Good god.

Targetpractice Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:10:50am

re: #1 imp_62

Holy crap. If her previous statements and pronouncements are any indication, I doubt Bachmann even read this pledge. Not that she would have refused to sign if she had; she probably agrees with the sentiment.

Really, I can only come to two possible explanations for Bachmann's signature:

1) She's just doing it because she believes it'll give her some sort of edge in Iowa with the crazies, who seem to be the most vocal minority in the GOP.

2) She really is that dumb/crazy.

Lidane Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:12:06am

There’s no longer any doubt — this will be the most fanatical, reactionary right wing slate of candidates ever fielded by the Republican Party.

Just imagine what they'll be like if Obama wins a second term.

jamesfirecat Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:12:41am

The only good news about all of this is that the GOP continues to marginalize itself more and more everyday.... now I just hope the Democrats can get the message out to the average American...

Kragar Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:12:50am

I'd like to thank Bachmann and her associates for providing additional material supporting my position on never voting for the GOP again.

wrenchwench Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:14:57am

Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African-American baby born after the election of the USA’s first African-American president.

What they don't mention is that in 1860 one parent owns the the other parent and the child.

shutdown Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:15:31am

re: #4 Targetpractice, Worst of Both Worlds

Really, I can only come to two possible explanations for Bachmann's signature:

1) She's just doing it because she believes it'll give her some sort of edge in Iowa with the crazies, who seem to be the most vocal minority in the GOP.

2) She really is that dumb/crazy.

3) She just learned how to sign her name and really enjoys the practice

shutdown Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:15:57am

re: #8 wrenchwench

What they don't mention is that in 1860 one parent owns the the other parent and the child.

KA-POWWWW

Lidane Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:16:47am

re: #8 wrenchwench

What they don't mention is that in 1860 one parent owns the the other parent and the child.

So it follows the Bible, then?

///

wrenchwench Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:17:17am

I think the footnotes in the 'Marriage Pledge' were written by Fjordy.

nines09 Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:18:25am

They really are crazy. The bigger question is how many crazy people are there? Enough for insanity to win?

aagcobb Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:19:11am

re: #4 Targetpractice, Worst of Both Worlds

Really, I can only come to two possible explanations for Bachmann's signature:

1) She's just doing it because she believes it'll give her some sort of edge in Iowa with the crazies, who seem to be the most vocal minority in the GOP.

2) She really is that dumb/crazy.

Yes on both counts. I'm just surprised the frothy mix hasn't signed yet, since his only excuse for still being in this race is that he's the most reactionary social conservative running, but now Bachmann has just upped the ante on the crazy.

Obdicut Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:20:18am

re: #8 wrenchwench

What they don't mention is that in 1860 one parent owns the the other parent and the child.

Seriously. Are they just entirely dodging that topic? Yep.

Are they dodging the topic of the children of slaves being sold?

Yep.

Are they ignoring that the children of slaves generally started working from the time they were very young, getting no education whatsoever except what they could cadge for themselves?

Yep.

How are their parents raising them when their parents aren't allowed to make any independent choices for them?

Contemptible, utterly racist crap. Where are people in the GOP calling out this shit? Why is the GOP leadership betting on racist america and not, well, America?

Targetpractice Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:21:40am

re: #14 aagcobb

Yes on both counts. I'm just surprised the frothy mix hasn't signed yet, since his only excuse for still being in this race is that he's the most reactionary social conservative running, but now Bachmann has just upped the ante on the crazy.

I'm especially interested in seeing who does and doesn't sign and what their reasoning is. Which one of the candidates is willing to step forward and gladly gulp down the Kool-Aid before asking for seconds. Because this is the sort of wild-eyed ideology that would normally kill a candidate in any other election season.

Obdicut Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:23:58am

From Nate Silver's twitter:

The "source" for the dubious statistic in pledge Bachmann signed comes from here. It refers to 1880-1910, not slavery.

So, just a flat out racist lie.

Yay.

Obdicut Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:25:35am

Want to hear what actual slaves thought of marriage under slavery?

As John Anderson explained: "I did not want to marry a girl belonging to my own place, because I knew I could not bear to see her ill-treated." Moses Grandy agreed he wrote: "no colored man wishes to live at the house where his wife lives, for he has to endure the continual misery of seeing her flogged and abused without daring to say a word in her defence." As Henry Bibb pointed out: "If my wife must be exposed to the insults and licentious passions of wicked slave-drivers and overseers. Heaven forbid that I should be compelled to witness the sight."

And imagine watching your child get beaten in front of you, with now chance to help him.

Yeah, that's 'raising' a child alright.

S'latch Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:25:57am

I am a single parent. It is hard work, I love it, and I don't think it is a problem.

shutdown Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:26:23am

Really, the only thing missing from the pledge is an invitation to African Americans to go back to the good old days and let white folks run their affairs and own their offspring, since obviously the whole freedom and equality thing isn't working out so well for them.

Obdicut Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:26:30am

re: #18 Obdicut

The source for that: [Link: www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk...]

aagcobb Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:26:52am

re: #13 nines09

They really are crazy. The bigger question is how many crazy people are there? Enough for insanity to win?

Nate Silver posted this chartshowing how the moderate/liberal wing of the GOP has virtually disappeared. I'm afraid there is a very real chance that Bachmann could win the GOP nomination. At the very least, Romney would have to nominate her or someone like her as VP to appease the base.

Killgore Trout Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:27:37am

Is she even doing non-Fox interviews anymore? I haven't seen her on tv in a while.

Lidane Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:28:41am

re: #20 imp_62

Really, the only thing missing from the pledge is an invitation to African Americans to go back to the good old days and let white folks run their affairs and own their offspring, since obviously the whole freedom and equality thing isn't working out so well for them.

I'm waiting for them to add women and all other minorities to that list as well.

Killgore Trout Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:30:07am

Washington Times: Holder Accused of Cover-up, ATF Probe Expanding
First comment...

joseywhales 1 minute ago
N i g g a r Holder, you are a d e a d man. You are a d e a d man walking. We got us a d e a d man walking here. D e a d man walking.

Obdicut Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:30:26am

How much 'raising' of your child can you do when you're working in the fields from dawn until dusk? You can snatch a few minutes for them in the morning and at night, I guess.

But at least there were two parents, except their parents couldn't bear to be together and watch each other get abused.

The poor mothers probably got to have that "So, we can't stop the white men from raping me, mommy?" talk with their daughters, too. Such an important time when you're raising a child.

Sorry to paint such a horrific picture. but goddamn, this is one of the foulest and evilest and most racist things to enter mainstream US politics.

shutdown Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:30:41am

re: #24 Lidane

I'm waiting for them to add women and all other minorities to that list as well.

Haven't they already? Mexicans need to leave, Jews ought ot go to Israel or be "saved", and women are ambulatory birthing machines.

Targetpractice Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:31:07am

re: #18 Obdicut

Want to hear what actual slaves thought of marriage under slavery?

And imagine watching your child get beaten in front of you, with now chance to help him.

Yeah, that's 'raising' a child alright.

Worse, watching your kids dragged off to be sold at auction, knowing you'll never see them again. And we're not talking teens, we're talking kids as young as 6 or 7, being stripped from their parents for the rest of their lives.

And these are the same nitwits who get angry when the government "tells them" how to raise their own kids.

Kragar Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:31:14am

re: #25 Killgore Trout

Washington Times: Holder Accused of Cover-up, ATF Probe Expanding
First comment...

Charming.

darthstar Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:32:54am

There's a chance that the GOP ticket will be so bad that Republican voters just decide to "sit this one out" in 2012.

Obdicut Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:33:00am

re: #29 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Thank god the republicans are investigating. We can totally count on them to be unbiased and sanguine. It's not like they'd attempt to defame and punish Obama for things that other administrations have done without criticism.

kirkspencer Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:33:23am

I just finished my first read-through of the study - actually a literature review - Charles links. There's a lot of cases of treating correlation as causation. Example: a greater proportion of Single parent blacks are poverty stricken than married blacks. Therefore, goes this study, blacks becoming married would reduce poverty.

(I took a side-trip through one of the studies they used for this - Lerman's Impacts of Marital Status and Parental Presence on the Material Hardship of Families with Children, 2002. Lerman notes with surprise two things in relation to black parents, marriage, and poverty levels. First, while the poverty level for single parents is greater than that of married parent, the difference is surprisingly small. Second, the BIG failure is cohabiting but unmarried parents. He also notes that for other than black this is untrue - the order of decreasing poverty levels for them is single, cohabiting, married.)

The point is the literature review/study is questionable. Not a surprise, but I'm noting it here for the record.

Targetpractice Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:35:25am

re: #30 darthstar

There's a chance that the GOP ticket will be so bad that Republican voters just decide to "sit this one out" in 2012.

Hell, it doesn't matter how "good" the GOP's ticket is next year, I'm not voting for 'em. There's not one sorry asshole in the whole bunch right now who I could bring myself to willingly vote for, knowing that the rest of the party has gone batshit insane.

I will actually find myself, barring major disaster and/or anarchy, voting for Obama's second term. And relishing the sweet taste of schadenfreude when the GOP candidate gets spanked like Mondale in '84.

mr.fusion Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:36:43am

re: #22 aagcobb

Nate Silver posted this chartshowing how the moderate/liberal wing of the GOP has virtually disappeared. I'm afraid there is a very real chance that Bachmann could win the GOP nomination. At the very least, Romney would have to nominate her or someone like her as VP to appease the base.

That was one of the best articles Silver has ever put out and it should be cause great concern for any "serious" Republicans that are left.......it won't but it should

Charles Johnson Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:38:00am

re: #25 Killgore Trout

Washington Times: Holder Accused of Cover-up, ATF Probe Expanding
First comment...

Wow. There are dozens of death threats in that comment thread.

ProMayaLiberal Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:38:28am

re: #25 Killgore Trout

The Secret Service is probably very interested in this creature right now.

mr.fusion Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:38:58am

re: #30 darthstar

There's a chance that the GOP ticket will be so bad that Republican voters just decide to "sit this one out" in 2012.

They're stuck. If they nominate somebody capable of "rallying the base" then they'll get spanked by moderates.....if they nominate somebody capable of reaching the middle, the base won't even show up

ProMayaLiberal Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:39:53am

re: #35 Charles

Or in this case, creatures.

Why does anyone listen to the Moonies?

Killgore Trout Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:39:54am

re: #35 Charles

Wow. There are dozens of death threats in that comment thread.

They're asking for a military coup...

American Military Police Commanders: How long are you going to live in violation of that fcckkng oath you swore?

Lidane Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:41:03am

re: #39 Killgore Trout

They're asking for a military coup...

Oh geez. That sounds like that Oathkeepers crap. Those guys are loons.

Targetpractice Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:41:23am

re: #37 mr.fusion

They're stuck. If they nominate somebody capable of "rallying the base" then they'll get spanked by moderates...if they nominate somebody capable of reaching the middle, the base won't even show up

The biggest fear seems not to be that the base will sit the election out, but rather that a third party conservative candidate may make a serious run and split the vote badly.

Killgore Trout Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:42:41am

re: #40 Lidane

Oh geez. That sounds like that Oathkeepers crap. Those guys are loons.

It's also crystal clear that much of the scandal is racially motivated.

aagcobb Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:44:28am

Another thing about the "pledge". I have no doubt that the "robust childbearing and reproduction" clause is referring to their desire to reverse Griswold v. Connecticut which struck down state bans on contraceptive devises and which recognized the Right to Privacy, which the wingnuts claim doesn't exist. They want the state to regulate every aspect of American's sex lives.

Lidane Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:45:14am

re: #43 aagcobb

Another thing about the "pledge". I have no doubt that the "robust childbearing and reproduction" clause is referring to their desire to reverse Griswold v. Connecticut which struck down state bans on contraceptive devises and which recognized the Right to Privacy, which the wingnuts claim doesn't exist. They want the state to regulate every aspect of American's sex lives.

Government small enough to fit in your bedroom and in a woman's uterus.

Feline Fearless Leader Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:46:15am

Wow. Complete monsoon here in Philly. Thunder and heavy rain.

Obdicut Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:46:44am

re: #42 Killgore Trout

It's also crystal clear that much of the scandal is racially motivated.

I find it funny that in the end, they're complaining about Obama's DOJ being lax about illegal gun sales.

makeitstop Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:46:50am

re: #25 Killgore Trout

Washington Times: Holder Accused of Cover-up, ATF Probe Expanding
First comment...

Sweet Jesus. Find that asshole and prosecute him to the fullest extent.

mr.fusion Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:48:12am

Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African-American baby born after the election of the USA’s first African-American president.

And just imagine how much more skewed those numbers would have been if the report would have counted the remaining 2/5ths of the respondents

darthstar Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:48:13am

re: #25 Killgore Trout

Washington Times: Holder Accused of Cover-up, ATF Probe Expanding
First comment...

I wonder what he means by that?

wrenchwench Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:48:31am

re: #46 Obdicut

I find it funny that in the end, they're complaining about Obama's DOJ being lax about illegal gun sales.

Being lax now to create a problem, so he can crack down later. Like there wasn't already a problem with guns going from the US to Mexico.

Lidane Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:48:43am

re: #46 Obdicut

I find it funny that in the end, they're complaining about Obama's DOJ being lax about illegal gun sales.

Duh. Both the POTUS and AG are black. Of course there's a problem.

Ericus58 Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:51:32am

re: #39 Killgore Trout

They're asking for a military coup...

Upholding that "Oath"....
"... to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, Foreign and Domestic..."

I'm not sure these assclowns understand they fall under the "Domestic" part.

makeitstop Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:51:40am

Oh, and speaking of Bachmann...

Appearing on CNBC this morning, presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) was asked about this morning’s dismal jobs report and whether higher unemployment rates might help her chances of winning in 2012. “Does it strike you that as the unemployment rate goes up, your chances of winning office also go up?” host Carl Quintanilla asked. “Well, that could be. Again, I hope so,” Bachmann replied.

She's disgusting.

goddamnedfrank Fri, Jul 8, 2011 11:52:15am

re: #46 Obdicut

I find it funny that in the end, they're complaining about Obama's DOJ being lax about illegal gun sales.

Yeah, but that's not the real reason they're pissed. Limbaugh let the cat out of the bag, they're pissed because they see it as an attempt at "gun control." Republicans don't want anything done about the straw sale black market, so the same techniques they support to bust marijuana distribution networks are bad in this instance. Granted weapons aren't weed and what ATF did was nominally dangerous, but the southwest and mexico are already saturated with guns, it was trying to track and staunch the flow for illegal gun transfers that's the real sin here.

RadicalModerate Fri, Jul 8, 2011 12:12:30pm

A couple things I immediately noticed regarding the pledge that Bachmann signed.

First of all, I noticed all of the footnotes on this so-called pledge - some 22 of them. Two pages consisting of the pledge itself, and the other two were the text of the footnotes. Reading through them, only three of these footnotes cited any actual sources. The others were listed opinion pieces, and in most cases were simply editorial commentaries.

Secondly, and more importantly, the vow title is "A Declaration of Dependence upon MARRIAGE and FAMiLY¹". Which means that the candidates agree to be subservient to these. Marriage? Ok, no real problem there. However, FAMiLY? Notice that is the style rendered that designates this as "The FAMiLY Leader" organization (which is clarified in the footnote text). This isn't about protecting of the institute of families, but of Vander Plaats thirst for the power to dictate policy.

CuriousLurker Fri, Jul 8, 2011 12:14:23pm

I just finished reading the PDF of the vows.

Until this country comes comes back to its senses and I'm 100% sure that there won't be a theocrat on the 2012 presidential ballot, I'm OFFICIALLY DONE worrying about shit like jihadis who "hate us for our freedoms" or the MB being elected to anything 6,000 miles away in Egypt.

You know who hates us for our freedoms? Michelle Bachmann, Rick Santorum, David Duke, and all the other far-right bigoted religious thugs and racist pukes in this country who want to drag us back into the past, kicking and clawing and screaming in horror the whole way.

SCREW THAT. This country belongs to all of us. You assholes out there had better recognize that.

Feline Fearless Leader Fri, Jul 8, 2011 12:26:37pm

Fascism will come wrapped in a flag and carrying a Bible. ~ Sinclair Lewis 1935

Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices. – Voltaire

Quotes for the day. :(

diamonda2u Fri, Jul 8, 2011 12:37:05pm

The other reason the study is false or a lie...

You won't find any records on the 1860 slave schedules that show which slaves were husband and wife...
if you can't even find a name on more than half of them, you sure won't find family unit status...

Sadly, I probably would have played along with this years ago, had I not started a family tree and run in to what I call the "Slavery Brick Wall"... the place you hit in the historical record that shows just how little a slave was cared about, hell, cows were recorded better... but I digress...

IDIOTS!

Mickey Blumental Fri, Jul 8, 2011 12:39:50pm

Forget the unfair attack on Obama. What I read here is "slavery wasn't perfect, but blacks were better off back then so it's for their own good."

WTF?

WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.] Fri, Jul 8, 2011 1:03:56pm

re: #56 CuriousLurker

I just finished reading the PDF of the vows.

Until this country comes comes back to its senses and I'm 100% sure that there won't be a theocrat on the 2012 presidential ballot, I'm OFFICIALLY DONE worrying about shit like jihadis who "hate us for our freedoms" or the MB being elected to anything 6,000 miles away in Egypt.

You know who hates us for our freedoms? Michelle Bachmann, Rick Santorum, David Duke, and all the other far-right bigoted religious thugs and racist pukes in this country who want to drag us back into the past, kicking and clawing and screaming in horror the whole way.

SCREW THAT. This country belongs to all of us. You assholes out there had better recognize that.

Yep!

Amory Blaine Fri, Jul 8, 2011 1:29:25pm

And the drooling, texting retards that comprise our electorate will be more than happy to accommodate them.

OhCrapIHaveACrushOnSarahPalin Fri, Jul 8, 2011 1:56:24pm

re: #20 imp_62

Really, the only thing missing from the pledge is an invitation to African Americans to go back to the good old days and let white folks run their affairs and own their offspring, since obviously the whole freedom and equality thing isn't working out so well for them.

Well, the current line is that's exactly what happens when we vote D.

Instead, we're supposed to vote for the party of Nazi-dress up, Confederate balls and people who run on the platform of whether or not to fly a secessionist flag on government buildings.

OhCrapIHaveACrushOnSarahPalin Fri, Jul 8, 2011 2:16:52pm

re: #55 RadicalModerate

A couple things I immediately noticed regarding the pledge that Bachmann signed.

First of all, I noticed all of the footnotes on this so-called pledge - some 22 of them. Two pages consisting of the pledge itself, and the other two were the text of the footnotes. Reading through them, only three of these footnotes cited any actual sources. The others were listed opinion pieces, and in most cases were simply editorial commentaries.

Secondly, and more importantly, the vow title is "A Declaration of Dependence upon MARRIAGE and FAMiLY¹". Which means that the candidates agree to be subservient to these. Marriage? Ok, no real problem there. However, FAMiLY? Notice that is the style rendered that designates this as "The FAMiLY Leader" organization (which is clarified in the footnote text). This isn't about protecting of the institute of families, but of Vander Plaats thirst for the power to dictate policy.

None of that "family" claptrap is ever about "families", it's about authoritarianism. These are people who will break up, estrange, and abuse their own families over things like Bible verses.

So it's no surprise they have such a cavalier attitude about African-American families. I really love it when white conservative bigots purport to tell us southern slavery is preferable to freedom. Then the act angry and confused because can only get 17 Black people to vote for them. :/

William of Orange Fri, Jul 8, 2011 2:36:26pm

Could someone also post some devorce statistics to see if marriage was as holy than as it is now for some people?

punchdrunk Fri, Jul 8, 2011 8:28:57pm

I'm in no way agreeing with any part of that pledge, but when I read that first bullet point, I read a very clumsy attempt at juxtaposing the "zenith" (black president) and "nadir" (slavery) of African-Americans against the decline of the the traditional household, and not an implication that life under Obama is worse than slavery.

OhCrapIHaveACrushOnSarahPalin Fri, Jul 8, 2011 9:54:47pm

re: #65 punchdrunk

I'm in no way agreeing with any part of that pledge, but when I read that first bullet point, I read a very clumsy attempt at juxtaposing the "zenith" (black president) and "nadir" (slavery) of African-Americans against the decline of the the traditional household, and not an implication that life under Obama is worse than slavery.

Obama IS the slavery.

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The Pledge Bachmann Signed: President Obama is Worse Than Slavery

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