Irene Is Gone But Hurricane Bachmann Still Threatens The Country And She's Moving South (UPDATED)

The Face Of The GOP: Be Afraid

(Updated Below)

A good friend who comes from Michele Bachmann's home state once told me this in response to a question about what exactly makes Bachmann tick:

"She really believes in what she says."

That's the scary part.

Hurricane Bachmann is making her way through Florida right now and she's shown that she's not above exploiting natural disasters to claw her way back to the top in the polls since her numbers fell after winning the straw poll in Iowa. Whether she believes in what she says or not, this statement of hers over the weekend deserves some much needed attention:

“I don’t know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians. We’ve had an earthquake; we’ve had a hurricane. He said, ‘Are you going to start listening to me here?’ Listen to the American people because the American people are roaring right now. They know government is on a morbid obesity diet and we’ve got to rein in the spending.”

First of all, she said this while making a campaign speech/sermon at a mega-church, and the response was laughter. Mind you, this as Hurricane Irene was still unfolding and killing people in the process. Since videos of the statement surfaced (she made it twice during separate campaign stops) some have made the claim that she was joking.

Really? She was just joking....at the same moment that people were dying in the storm? (Bachmann "Humor" Update Below)

Ladies and gentlemen, meet the face of today's GOP. If you thought the Republican response to Katrina was a "joke" the next disaster will be a riot if the Republicans get back into the White House. Sadly we won't have to wait that long. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has said once again, as he did for tornado and earthquake aid earlier, that Republicans won’t allow emergency aid in the wake of Hurricane Irene unless Democrats meet GOP demands: dollar-for-dollar spending cuts elsewhere. Of course that probably translates to another attempt at safety net blackmail instead of cutting oil subsidies and asking the rich to pay their fair share of taxes like the rest of us.

Hilarious.

That brings me to the second point. Hurricanes and earthquakes are God's way of telling politicians to cut back on spending? Really? I could have sworn they were God's way of punishing homosexuals? What about abortions? No matter though. Apparently God multi-tasks when handing out punishment, and Michele Bachmann has all of those wayward souls covered. She and the hubby "pray away the gay" (funding provided by Medicare) and counsel women against having abortions. Never mind that when those children grow up, President Bachmann would then rob them of affordable health care while lowering their wages if they're lucky enough to find employment, as she rakes in her family farm subsidies. (Subsidies aren't "socialism" if they go to Republicans and billionaires.) Isn't that, after all, what Jesus would do?

Back to the current disaster in the making. Potential President Bachmann's stand-up tour is moving South. After charming the silly socks off parishioners in Lutz, Bachmann moved on from getting heckled in Naples over her proposal to open up the Everglades to drilling "safely" while also proposing to kill the EPA, she's heading to Miami. No doubt she'll continue to push a Marco Rubio VP slot while she's there. (Good luck with that!) Maybe she can charm them as she did in Lutz with this line:

“You’re Cuban, yay!’’ Bachmann exclaimed in response to a question about Fidel Castro from 66-year-old retiree Gabriela Menendez, who has lived in the U.S. since 1961. “You made it out, yay! We’re glad that you’re here.’’

Maybe ask another senior citizen if they're "old enough to remember Ronald Reagan?" (Go ahead, scratch your head over that one for a moment. I'll wait.)

Whatever she says, I'm sure her views on God and natural disasters will be a big hit to those who still remember Hurricane Andrew and lived to tell the tale. 

They might be surprised to hear that they suffered the brunt of too much government spending back in 1992.

They may also be surprised to hear that if another one comes their way, praying for help may do them absolutely no good if President Bachmann or the Republicans are in charge.

UPDATE:

Bachmann confirmed that her comments on hurricanes and earthquakes were indeed jokes, and has responded to criticism of her natural disaster "humor."

From The Hill:

Republican presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) said Monday that her comments that a recent earthquake and Hurricane Irene were a message from God were a joke, Reuters reported.

“Of course I was being humorous when I said that. It would be absurd to think it was anything else,” Bachmann said at an event in Miami.

“I am a person who loves humor. I have a great sense of humor.”

It's "absurd" all right.

Thanks for clearing that up "Dr. Bachmann."