I know that the question of whether there’s any bill that the Republican caucus can pass that doesn’t involve naming a post office or declaring a recess is riveting, but there’s another question I want to ask: what are the Republicans going to do about their gay problem?
Look at Michele Bachmann, who yesterday declared that Marcus and his pray-away-the-gay psychology practice was “off limits”, even though she’s been calling Michelle Obama un-American since 2008.
And how about Scott Brown, the only member of the Massachusetts delegation who wouldn’t appear in an “It Gets Better” video. Brown says that he’s against bullying, and he voted to repeal DADT, but this minor gesture was a bridge too far.
Marcus Bachmann, the federal money he takes to pray away gayness, and even the way he pings people’s gaydar are all going to be campaign issues. (On that last point, remember that Mrs. Bachmann comes from a party where the supposedly sane commentators criticize Mrs. Obama for going barefoot in her own damn house — simple quid pro quo justifies a few questions about Marcus’ sexual history.) And if Elizabeth Warren runs against Scott Brown, she’s not going to let him out of their steel cage death match by splitting on gay rights. The 2012 election is going to be very goddam interesting if our country survives to have it.