{"id":2626,"date":"2011-08-30T09:00:50","date_gmt":"2011-08-30T15:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fromlaw2grace.com\/?p=2626"},"modified":"2011-08-30T16:27:05","modified_gmt":"2011-08-30T22:27:05","slug":"michele-bachmann-politicians-god-as-a-prop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fromlaw2grace.com\/?p=2626","title":{"rendered":"Michele Bachmann, Politicians & God as a Prop"},"content":{"rendered":"

Count me as unimpressed.\u00a0 That is, unimpressed with one of the top-tier Republican Presidential candidates, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.\u00a0 Ms. Bachmann maybe a smart politician and a down-the-line conservative, but she comes across (at least to this observer) as somewhat of a flake.\u00a0 You never know what might come out of her mouth.\u00a0 And that, in Presidential politics, is a huge problem.<\/p>\n

While she maybe the darling of the Tea Party, the best way to ensure that Barack Obama is re-elected to a second term would be to have Michele Bachmann\u00a0on the Republican ticket.\u00a0 If she were leading the ticket, President Obama wins in a landslide.\u00a0 Ms. Bachmann is\u00a0such a polarizing figure that I do not see how she can pull off an electoral victory against a sitting President, no matter how bad his approval ratings might be at the moment.\u00a0 And, there is much time between now and November 2012.\u00a0 Anything can happen to change the dynamics of the race.<\/p>\n

Also between now and the Fall of 2012, Michele Bachmann\u00a0will have countless opportunities to speak.\u00a0 When she does speak, some of what she\u00a0says will be sensible.\u00a0 But, then again, some of what she says, such as her promise to bring gas prices below $2 a gallon<\/a>, will be rightly seen as nutty.\u00a0 Finally, you will have some statements by Congresswoman Bachmann that fall somewhere in between the\u00a0two extremes.<\/p>\n

Such is the case with her comments on Hurricane Irene and God’s attempt to get the attention of politicians.\u00a0 Someone emailed me a link to Congresswoman Michele Bachmann’s comments<\/a>.\u00a0 Many news outlets have reported that Ms. Bachmann talked about the recent hurricane and earthquake as “messages from God” or, more ominously, as “God’s judgment” upon America.\u00a0 While preachers are known for saying such things (which we cannot know), politicians generally avoid such statements\u00a0that can be so easily misinterpreted.<\/p>\n

As it turns out, Congresswoman Bachmann’s words were misinterpreted and distorted.\u00a0 Here is what she really said about the recent natural disasters that have hit our nation:<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians. We\u2019ve had an earthquake; we\u2019ve had a hurricane. He said, \u2018Are you going to start listening to me here?\u2019 Listen to the American people because the American people are roaring right now. They know government is on a morbid obesity diet and we\u2019ve got to rein in the spending.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As pronouncement of God’s judgment kind of statements are concerned, this\u00a0one is relatively innocuous.\u00a0 She did not say that God was behind these recent events.\u00a0\u00a0The Congresswoman did not talk about God’s judgment upon America (usually Pat Robertson or John Hagee are good for that).\u00a0 Instead, she simply wondered how much it would take for God to get the attention of politicians.\u00a0 Fairly tame stuff, if you ask me.<\/p>\n

However, what bothers me more than the first part of her statement is the last part.\u00a0 It appears that she merely uses God and His attempts to get politicians to listen to\u00a0Him through natural disasters as a nice launching pad for talking about\u00a0politicians listening to the American people.\u00a0 If one were to truly stop and analyze what Ms. Bachmann\u00a0was saying, she seems more concerned not about\u00a0politicians listening to God, but\u00a0rather that the politicians listen to the American people.\u00a0 There is a tremendous disconnect in this whole statement.\u00a0 To give her the benefit of the doubt, Congresswoman Bachmann probably did not even realize what she was saying\u00a0and the implications of her statement.<\/p>\n

That’s what’s so frustrating about politicians, especially those who are running for high office.\u00a0\u00a0When it suits their purposes,\u00a0candidates will play the “God card.”\u00a0 They know that certain groups will respond favorably to a message when God language is interspersed throughout the speech.\u00a0 As the campaign season gets underway, watch out for those who would use God as a prop.\u00a0 Candidates are certainly free to use God in such a crass way, but He may get their attention as well.\u00a0 And, it may not be through a hurricane or\u00a0earthquake.
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