(By Jillian Barclay)cross-posted at http://www.winningprogressive.org/meet-michele-bachmann-chief-adviser-an-anti-gay-therapist-who-profits-off-of-medicaid
Marcus Bachmann, husband of Republican Tea Party Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, calls himself "Doctor' and a Christian therapist. On his website, he says his "call is to minister"". According to Minnesota records, Dr. (online doctoral degree) Bachmann's credentials are in question. He has a doctorate from the Union Graduate Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio. The doctoral degree offered through the online course of study is not recognized by the APA (the American Psychological Association). Without that accreditation, many states do not recognize the degree. Currently, it is being asserted that Mr. Bachmann is not even licensed as a therapist in the state of Minnesota. The Bachmann's have effectively dodged the questions so far. Several publications and newspapers, including the Washington Post, have questioned if this man is licensed. Minnesota must open its records, since clearly, the Bachmanns will do nothing to quell the controversy. But one thing is clear! Mr. Bachmann's degree is not from a university that has a specialized accreditation in therapy.
The website of Mr. Bachmann's online school states: "None of Union Institute & University's programs hold specialized accreditation at this time."
So, call him Doctor, if you like. I will continue to address him as Mr. Michele Bachmann, the man who referred to gays as "barbarians' during a radio interview. While talking about homosexuality during the interview, Mr. Michele said, "Barbarians need to be educated, they need to be disciplined, and just because someone feels it or thinks it, doesn't mean we need to go down that road." That goes along with Mr. Michele's theory of therapy; feelings are not important. God is the Almighty Counselor and He will cure, regardless of feelings"God's path is the most important!
Mr. Michele is also Mrs. Michele's "strategist'. He is her chief adviser. He has been called her only confidant, the man behind the woman. Mr. Michele and God are the chief advisers of this Tea Party sweetheart who wants to be President of the United States.
Mr. Michele has for years asserted that being gay is a choice. He has provided Christian therapy designed to help the gay "barbarians' choose straight. Through prayer, education and God, Mr. Michele has in the past claimed "cures'. Now that his wife is running for President, Mr. Michele has tried to back off from this documented history of questionable therapy. Backing off from using questionable therapy may be extremely difficult for the Bachmann's, now that ABC news has released a video of therapy sessions at the Bachmann clinic. The therapy itself, called 'reparative' therapy, has been rejected and even called dangerous by every credible psychiatric and psychological association. But that doesn't seem to matter to the non-certified 'therapist', Mr. Michele! Has the clinic ever had any successes with this discredited treatment?
The only success that is known for sure: Mr. Michele, at present, chooses to live straight.
In spite of her outspoken distaste for the Medicaid program, Mrs. Michele's Bachmann Clinic (jointly owned with Mr. Michele) has billed Medicaid and received from the government $137,000.00 in Medicaid funds. Those payments were in addition to government funds in the amount of $24,000.00 for "staff training'.
The Tea Party candidate and her husband seem to be at the front of the line whenever government money is available. Farm subsidies in the amount of over $250,000.00, state funds for "at risk' adolescent foster children in the tens of thousands of dollars, and now, Medicaid funds for a "Christian' therapy clinic.
The hypocrisy of Mr. and Mrs. Michele Bachmann is clear to all who reside on planet Earth. Those who reside on planet "Tea Party', somewhere outside our solar system, are oblivious to the inconsistency in "stated versus actual' philosophy.
Picture it! When crisis hits, President Michele will retire to the White House chapel, talk to God (we all know He follows her on Twitter!), confer with her chief adviser, Mr. Michele, and then walk to the microphone and tell America what God has told her to do! It won't matter if it is ludicrous, as long as we all know that GOD, through her, has spoken!
With her firm religious belief that she is subservient to her husband, she will run everything by him, too. She won't need a cabinet or even advisors. She will have God and Mr. Michele, the "doctor' who earned his degree through a correspondence course.
America will be safe, secure and protected, as it should be! What could possibly go wrong?