Marcus Bachmann, Mary Pawlenty named 'First Mates' by Newsweek

Marcus Bachmann, Mary Pawlenty named "First Mates" by Newsweek

By Hart Van Denburg Wed., May 18 2011 at 11:04 AM

Marcus Bachmann, looking quite deferential.

The Iowa caucuses are still three months away, we're about to enter the summer doldrums when nobody gives a damn about politics, and yet here we are with the nation's two largest newsweeklies foisting pablum on us in the form of softball "profiles" of the possible GOP White House candidates' spouses.

Newsweek offers a cutsie "First Mates" slideshow that includes Marcus Bachmann (even though his wife hasn't officially announced her candidacy), and Mary Pawlenty, complete with nicknames. Marcus is the "silver fox," evidently. Mary is "red-hot smokin," (which we already knew).

Meanwhile, over at Time, we get Campaign Spouses: The M-Paw Factor, and a gloss on how T-Paw's wife turned him into an evangelical Christian and loves nothing better than to parse voter demographics.

Marcus Bachmann, First Mate

Two things Newsweek doesn't bother to point out about "the silver fox": Budget hawk Bachmann's farm in Wisconsin has taken about a quarter-million dollars in farm subsidies over the years; and the Bachmanns run a Christian counseling business together that promises it "cure" anyone of being gay.

M-Paw's so "red-hot smokin'" that Newsweek needed to mention it twice! That's awesome newsweekly journalism for you. But what Newsweek doesn't mention -- and that Time does mention -- is that T-Paw was born again at the Wooddale mega-church in the Minneapolis suburbs. That's pastor Leith Anderson's church, and he now heads the National Association of Evangelicals -- a seriously helpful link to the Republican party base that T-Paw covets.

Also, check out the hive mind of the photo editors for both Time and Newsweek, who picked the same picture by Steve Pope to illustrate just how "red-hot smokin'" Mary Pawlenty really is:

Not the most flattering photo we've ever seen, but then again, neither are some of these.

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Tags:

M-Paw, Marcus Bachmann, Mary Pawlenty, Michele Bachmann, Newsweek, red hot smokin, silver fox, T-Paw, Tim Pawlenty, Time

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Roseville Guest

Correction: I should say the CURRENT rate for what the Bachmanns did is $47 per day. They were paid a higher amount than foster parents were as their kids were considered more challenging.

Roseville Guest

My main point was, while taking care of a child for a few months or a year is an admirable thing, calling that "raising" a child is disingenuous! The claim to have "raised" 23 children is kind of sickening, and has gone unchallenged for too long. If you are unable to verify information given by a subject, the least you can do is add "he claims" to the info.

Roseville Guest

Please don't keep parroting the PR fakery that the Bachmanns "raised" 23 "foster kids." For about 8 years, they did keep up to 3 youths at a time through a program for troubled teens. Some stayed for over a year, but most of the youths stayed a few months. The Bachmanns were paid $47 per day per child for housing the children. They stopped around the time Michele ran for state senate.

Also, you opened this May story by suggesting the Iowa caucuses were three months away. Wrong! The caucuses take place in January.

Do your homework! Fact check dates and assumptions. Most importantly, do not accept candidate statements as fact, no matter how often they are repeated. The public is counting on you for reliable information!

vitajex

WAIT!

Does that say Marcus Bachmann has 28(!) kids?!?!

vitajex

Oh, I see. 23 foster kids. I forgot about that.

BTW, once again, Mary Pawlenty is not hot. She's not awful by any stretch of the imagination but the praise lavished on her is nonsense. I'd rather get with Newt Gingrich's wife and I'm almost certain she's a cyborg.