More on the Creepy Pledge Bachmann, Santorum Signed--And the Powerful Group Behind It

Yesterday, we reported on the horrific pledge with nasty slavery language as well as anti porn, anti-"Sharia," anti-abortion and anti-gay provisions signed by GOP candidate Michelle Bachman (and now Rick Santorum as well) in Iowa.

Since then, the group behind the pledge has emphasized that its anti-porn stance doesn't include pushing for a full on ban on pornography (but a constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage is still in their language). But the inherent issues with their platform obviously remain.

Journalist Andy Kopsa has been following the Family Leader, the group behind the pledge, for a long time. Here is his frightening assessment of their current position in the state:

Since that victory, The Family Leader’s political power has grown and will by design continue to grow in the run-up to next year’s general election.  The organization has positioned itself as the gatekeeper for the 2012 first-in-the-nation Republican caucus by hosting presidential speaking events throughout Iowa.  These “educational” events bring presidential hopefuls and right wing luminaries such as tea party siren Michelle Bachman, and Rick Santorum, a well-known anti-gay (former) politician who posited the legalization of gay sex would lead to “man on dog” relationships, to speak in high school auditoriums and college union halls around the state.   Even the comparatively more mainstream Ron Paul recently accepted The Family Leader’s invitation to speak.  Newt Gingrich is jumping on board as well.

Kopsa's piece is worth reading as a whole, as is his earlier piece on the federal funding that this religiously-oriented group has received.

 The extremist right-wing, Christianist worldview of this particular group, in other words, has not undercut its power in the first primary state, and thus its potential kingmaking power in the primary as a whole.

 Given all this, the fact that Bachmann signed the Family Leader's pledge isn't just a joke, but a serious indicator of where the GOP conversation is going on social issues.