When the John McCain Presidential campaign made the fatal mistake of picking Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as the Arizona Senator’s running mate for the 2008 Presidential race, campaign strategist Steve Schmidt marveled at how unfazed Palin seemed by her selection.
“It’s God’s plan,” she said.
When former President George W. Bush reversed more than two centuries of American military policy of not striking first and ordered an invasion of Iraq in 2003, he justified his decision as “God’s will.”
Current GOP Presidential contender Rick Santorum, a self-declared evangelical, often says his run for the nation’s top job is “God’s will.” GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney, a Mormon, doesn’t invoke God as often as Santorum but does drag the deity into the stump speech when it serves his purpose.
In fact, God is so omnipresent is political campaigns that he (or she depending on belief) should be listed in Federal Election Commission reports as a consultant.
In Floyd County, Virginia, last year a candidate for sheriff, Paul Hill, said God woke him up at 3 in the morning and told him to run for sheriff and promised victory if he took the divine message to the county’s voters.
Hill finished third in a three-person race. So far, no word from above on why God failed to deliver on his promise. Seems even the King of Kings can’t turn a campaign promise into action.
The late Chet Atkins, in his song “Would Jesus Wear a Rolex on his Television Show,” wondered if the Son of God would “admit He’s talked to all those preachers who said they’d been-a talking to Him.”
Lots of candidates in elections claim to know what God wants. Some even claim getting their marching orders directly from the man (or woman) upstairs. Bush said he talked to God often…and that was after he the former President quit drinking.
Capitol Hill Blue ran a check of voter registration lists in all 50 states. God is not registered to vote in any. God is not registered as a lobbyist nor listed as a consultant or strategist for any campaign.
Yet candidates keep claiming divine guidance from God. Oddly enough, those who claim that guidance often lose elections or – as in George W. Bush’s case – end their terms destined to go down in history as one of the worst Presidents ever.
So if God is all-powerful, why isn’t he (or she) delivering elections? Pat Robertson said God told him to run for President many years ago. Pat who? Our point exactly.
Sarah Palin claimed to be part of God’s plan. Was it God’s plan to put a complete idiot a heartbeat away from the Presidency?
Rick Santorum says his campaign for President is God’s will. Does God really want a troglodyte like Santorum as the GOP choice for President?
God, we hope not.
16 thoughts on “God’s will: Just another big political lie”
Y’never know, it could’ve been God’s will that they ran. It could’ve also been part of God’s plan that for whatever reason, they lost . . .
Easter gets its name from Eostre, a fertily Goddess. The rabbit is the symbol of fertility. The festival of Easter is held on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. This moon is known as the bird moon because it is when the birds lay their eggs. Hence, the coloring of eggs.
Preachers and politicians have a lot in common. They both prey on the most gullible members of our society. While they are praying, they are preying.
If every politician that told a lie was struck by a bolt of lightning, our problems would be over. So, get on your knees and pray.
I’m still praying for lightning bolts to kill politicians. Where is God when you need him?
I heard this morning on UP w/Chris Hayes that during the Terri Schaivo decision to allow her husband to pull the plug on her dead brain that the US Senate had a prayer meeting on their knees praying that the justices, who gave the permission for her body to die, would all face hell and damnation.
That is the power of the Religious Right when they have the power of the U.S. Senate.
This is the kind of superstitious occult crap that is running our government. The seeds of hell are planted deeply in the minds of our Senate and creeping up in our House of Representatives.
One can only imagine what would happen with a Mormon in the White House. We all will be baptized against our will when we die. The Mormons are working on baptizing all the Jews slaughtered in WW2. When will this nonsense stop?
America was not designed around any religious cult to use and abuse our freedoms.
…barf
I don’t have a problem with God, what I have a problem with is people telling me what God wants. They seem to believe that their will is God’s will. It is a case of man creating God. If there was a God, lightning would strike them. I can only hope. Please God, just a couple bolts of lightning.
An inspired (?!?!?!?!?) Good Friday essay, Doug. I especially liked:
“In fact, God is so omnipresent is political campaigns that he (or she depending on belief) should be listed in Federal Election Commission reports as a consultant.”
If God knew what the f**k he was doing, he wouldn’t have created politicians.
Well if all this is God’s will, God can’t be too bright. Sure, He can set the universe in motion, but can’t pick a winning presidential ticket or win a war for us? Gee, if you’re heading to Vegas, don’t bring God with you.
Using “God’s will” as a reason for every thing that happens in life is the ultimate cop-out and abdication of personal responsibility and is contrary to the very free will that God supposedly gave us.
Keep religion out of politics. Follow the Constitution.
Griff, there’s no way of calling this one…maybe if McCain had won, because of his known short temper he could’ve involved our country in more than the current number of wars…Maybe the country could have been in worse shape than it is now under his leadership….Again, no way of knowing…Continuing with the Lincoln theme, Abe talked about our country moving “toward a more perfect union”….Therefore, it’ll never be perfect but the great American experiment will strive towards the ideal but never quite reaching it. Yet, that in itself is amazing!
I think if McCain won we’d be right where we are any way. Different rhetoric – same results. Always.
Is being a Christian mean that this person has no vices? Must we Americans be forced to live under long lists of prohibitions? Parents issue prohibitions and work for years to explain them to their children. Individual states have their prohibitions which gives the individual choices of where they want to live. Tell me Jim, just where do these prohibitions fit into the Federal Government.
In your world, should gays be allowed to marry? Should terminally ill people be forced to live with the agony of their disease or can they receive help from their doctor? Should women be forced to give birth to an unwanted fetus? Should women be punished by being forced into motherhood?
Prohibitions mean punishment….where does this stop in America?
Another good one from Doug….RE: the quote near the end of the article: “Sarah Palin claimed to be part of God’s plan. Was it God’s plan to put a complete idiot a heartbeat away from the Presidency?”….Another way of looking at this is “Yes!” that was part of God’s plan…that by choosing Palin, McCain assured a presidential victory for Obama. Maybe God wanted Obama to win?
No one knows, of course, and the best quote I can recall on this subject was President Abe Lincoln’s: “My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”
RE: Sandy’s quote: ” In desperation the voters search out the most Christian of candidates and believe they have located the best men/women of the group with the longest list of prohibitions.”…in the area of a long list of prohibitions, good ol’ Abe had a quote for that one too: ““It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues.”
That is a powerful commentary Chief.
Somehow over the years the American people have lost their concept of religion. In desperation the voters search out the most Christian of candidates and believe they have located the best men/women of the group with the longest list of prohibitions.
Literature and grand opera hit their high ratings during the years of the inquisitions in France, Spain and Italy. From Victor Hugo to Giuseppi Verdi the European students of history understood the extremism which were the warning signs offered to all.
In America we have only the television that warns us of who will win American Idol. Backstage behind the awards given to what is called music today, there is a world of hatred brewing left over from the extermination of the Jews under Hitler and the extermination of the dignity of Americans in general and women and African Americans in particular. We hate what we do not understand.
The GOP has chosen a new agenda for leadership throughout all the 50 states. This agenda carries the appointed God to lead all Americans from the crib to the grave. Without a background in religious history we are an open book waiting for someone to fill in the text. I watched very closely all the candidates running for President. Only one man spoke from his heart and not from some Pat Robertson promptor screen being fed to the speaker.
Being a Christian used to mean love and respect for all humans not just white Christian straight men. Giving aid to someone in great pain was how my grandmother would put it. She was always the first one at the bedside of a sick family member.
I saw this same demonstrated trait only in Gov. Mike Huckabee. The Governor had respect for the dignity of all Americans. He should never run for political office especially as a Republican as they will destroy him.
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