Michele Bachmann Says President Obama Got Elected Because of Slavery

Republicans aren’t even trying to hide their racism anymore. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) said Barack Obama was only elected president because white people felt guilty about slavery.

Bachmann told Cal Thomas that she didn’t think America was ready for a woman president, then she gave her race based theory of why Barack Obama was elected:

Bachmann says a lot of people “aren’t ready” for a female president. “I think there was a cachet about having an African-American president because of guilt.” (Presumably she means because of slavery and the lengthy denial of civil rights to blacks.) “People don’t hold guilt for a woman,” she says, adding that while people vote for women for virtually every other office “I don’t think there is a pent-up desire” for a woman president.

She says while Obama was “new and different,” Hillary Clinton has been around a long time and is less likely to stir the juices as Obama did.

Republicans refuse to face reality. To Michele Bachmann, President Obama was only elected because his race made him a novelty. What the Obama won because he is black crowd can’t answer is the fact that President Obama also won reelection. If Obama only won in 2008 because of his race, how did he win reelection?

It is interesting that Bachmann is using her disastrous 2012 presidential campaign to project the belief that America is not ready for a female president. Bachmann’s defeat in the 2012 Republican primary was due to the fact that she was a lousy candidate, not her gender.

Republicans aren’t losing elections because white people feel guilty about slavery. They are losing because the electorate is changing. It wasn’t white voters who solely elected and reelected Barack Obama. In fact, the president lost the white vote in both 2008 and 2012. It was a coalition of voters of all ages, races, and backgrounds who came together to support his campaign twice.

The problem isn’t the race or gender of the Democratic candidate. The problem is the Republican message. Republicans, like Bachmann, continue to comfort themselves with excuses while delegitimizing the presidents two election victories over them.

America is ready for a female president. Bachmann was wrong about why Obama won and she is even more wrong about Hillary Clinton’s chances in 2016. Only an ignorant racist, or delusional Republican would claim that white guilt over slavery is why Obama won.

Michele Bachmann wrapped delusion around her racism, and came to a conclusion that only a Republican could love.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association