By: Shannon Ralph
Rep. Michelle Bachmann, Republican candidate for president, became the first candidate to sign a new anti-gay conservative pledge on July 7th. “The Marriage Vow: A Declaration of Dependence upon Marriage and Family” is a conservative pledge to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, oppose any form of gay marriage at any level of government, and recognize that children raised in a heterosexual marriage “experience better learning, less addiction, less legal trouble, and less extramarital pregnancy,” among other vows. The pledge—produced by influential, Iowa-based Family Leader—is a required commitment for any candidate seeking endorsement by the group. The pledge’s footnotes contain numerous anti-gay statistics that are questionable, at best.
In addition to its detestable and disgraceful—not to mention completely false—claims about gays and lesbians, Bachmann has received significant criticism for signing the vow due to racially offensive statements in the pledge’s preamble. Among other things, it states the following:
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.
Not only is this statement racially offensive, but it is completely asinine. Slave marriages were not legally recognized in the south. Spouses and families were routinely split up and sold, making the likelihood of a child born into slavery in 1860 being raised by his mother and father dubious, at best. This portion of the preamble has received criticism from both the left and the right because of its suggestion that African American children were better off in slavery.
Way to go, Michelle! Let’s see how many people you can alienate and offend with a single signature. Gays and lesbians? Check! Straight children of gays and lesbians? Check! African Americans? Check! Single parents? Check! Women in the military (if you read the entire pledge)? Check!
Oh yea, and did I mention that the pledge encourages “robust childbearing and reproduction?” Yep, we definitely need the likes of Michelle Bachmann robustly reproducing.