Frying Pan To Fire

Could Michele Bachmann’s Successor Be Even Worse?

Now that Michele Bachmann is heading for the door, the scramble is among her would-be replacements. And the first hat into the ring belongs to a man who might out-Bachmann Bachmann in his homophobia: Tom Emmer

Emmer has a long and distinguished (if that’s the word) record of antigay activity. A belts-and-suspenders kind of guy, as a Minnesota state representative Emmer authored legislation to ban same-sex marriages and civil unions. He wanted to direct funds away from AIDS services, opposed anti-bullying legislation as  “trying to get in between people,” and donated to the Christian rock group You Can Run But You Cannot Hide, whose head, Bradley Dean, praised Muslims who execute gays as being “more moral than even the American Christians.”

As befits a politician with these beliefs, Emmer is an incredibly inept campaigner. His 2010 run for governor was best known for the $150,000 donation he got from Target, which subsequently did a ridiculous amount of groveling and backpedaling after it became (pardon the expression) a target of boycotts.  (Ironically, Emmer’s opponent and the winner of the race, Mark Dayton, comes from the family that founded Target.) Imagine where marriage equality would be in the state if Emmer had won.

It’s still early in the campaign, so there’s plenty of time to shake a few more nuts from the trees, but Emmer has gotten it off to an auspicious start.

Photo credit: EmmerForGovernor.com

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