...from questions about whether the clinic she co-owns with her husband is practicing "Pray The Gay Away" therapy. Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann was asked why she unwilling to discuss the methods used at the clinic. "I'm focusing on turning the economy around and on jobs so that's what I'm focusing on," she responded as she hustled to her car.
She's getting quite a workout sprinting away from this story.
It looks like her team's news management skills haven't improved much since the story broke. Back on July 12, Tim Murphy from Mother Jones News tried to question Miss Bachmann, and she reacted pretty much the same way, clam up and sprint to the car.
When this story broke a local reporter in Iowa tried to get her to comment in an on-air interview. Bachmann wouldn't despite several attempts.
"We have a business that deals with job creation, we're very proud of the business we've created."
But her pride for the business she and her husband have created doesn't seem to extend to wanting to talk about it when asked by Washington Blade on July 28:
BACHMANN: I’m running for the presidency of the United States. My husband is not running for the presidency, neither are my children, neither is our business, neither is our foster children and I’m more than happy to stand for questions on running for the presidency of the United States.
Igor Volsky at Think Progress got the chance to ask her about her thoughts if homosexuality was a public health hazard?
VOLSKY: Congresswoman, some groups — including this one, I believe — have argued that homosexuality is a public health crisis akin to second-hand smoking. I was wondering if you agreed with that.
BACHMANN: Um. I — I don’t have an answer on that. I don’t have an answer. Why don’t I have another question.
How odd it is to see this woman, who's pretty much built her whole political career on a platform of
relentlessly bashing gays suddenly go all "no comment" on the gays.
Not terribly long ago she said of her efforts to ban gay marriage:
“This is probably the biggest issue that will impact our state and our nation in the last, at least, thirty years. I am not understating that.” — Senator Michele Bachmann, appearing as guest on radio program “Prophetic Views Behind The News”, hosted by Jan Markell, KKMS 980-AM, March 20, 2004.
Mother Jones has an exposé on the extraordinarily high teen suicide rate in Bachmann's own Congressional district. Again, Bachmann won't talk.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi speaking with The Advocate reporter Andrew Harmon said of Bachmann’s silence on the issue:
“I would think that if she wanted to be the President of the United States, she would understand that this is a larger issue than whether someone is gay or not, but as to whether someone is harassed and bullied to the point of seeing no way out.”
“Obviously it’s an issue bigger than Michele Bachmann’s district, so maybe we should all be speaking out about it, and not just leaving it to her,” Pelosi added.
Bachmann wants to pretend she's all about jobs and economy, but she has never done anything substantial in her career on jobs or the economy. She'd do as the Republicans always do, run on jobs and economy, then institute her Christian version of Sharia law on gays, women and anyone else who gets out of line.
Bachmann hasn't undergone any epiphanies or evolution since she said in 2004:
“If you’re involved in the gay and lesbian lifestyle, it’s bondage. It is personal bondage, personal despair and personal enslavement.”
It's who she always was, and who she still is, she's just trying to hide it now.
10:25 AM PT: To my friends and followers in New York, please make note of the Daily Kos meet-up Monday, August 15, just announced in Sidnora's diary here.
See you there!