In an article headlined Obama: God backs jobs plan, AFP is reporting:
The president rebuked the House of Representatives for passing a bill reaffirming the US motto “In God We Trust” rather than getting to work on his stalled $447 billion jobs program.
“That’s not putting people back to work. I trust in God, but God wants to see us help ourselves by putting people back to work,” the president said.
Hmmm. Think he went to far in that?
Obama’s spokesman Jay Carney denied that Obama had perhaps gone too far by dragging the Almighty into a fierce political spat.
Well, okay then.
“I believe that the phrase from the Bible is ‘the Lord helps those who help themselves,’” Carney said.
Um, no. Actually it’s not from the Bible.
“I think the point the president is making is that, you know, we have it within our capacity to do the things to help the American people.”
Sure we do. But is the way to do that letting the government spend nearly half a trillion more dollars of taxpayer money or by getting the government out of the way so that the private sector isn’t afraid to invest and create jobs naturally?
The White House was later forced to clarify however that the phrase Carney used, though often mistaken for scripture, was not in fact biblical.
Told ya.
Obama ruffled Republican feathers with his remarks as he appeared in front of a commuter bridge between Washington DC and Virginia, which is in need of repairs, to call on Republicans to back a $60 billion jobs and infrastructure bill.
“There’s no good reason to oppose this bill, not one. And members of Congress who do, who vote no, are going to have to explain why to their constituencies,” Obama said.
Really? There’s not one good reason to oppose the idea of letting the present administration spend another half a trillion dollars of taxpayer money given it’s recent abysmal job creation record? I wonder what the opposition says?
They [Republicans] said Obama’s policies would also result in increased taxes on small businesses that would hamper growth and job creation, reflecting the fierce ideological divides cleaving Washington.
Yeah, I thought that’s what they’d say.
Okay, so let’s talk about whether an American president (or any politician) should be citing God’s support for particular political measures. If a measure were implementing a non-negotiable moral value—e.g., banning abortion, homosexual “marriage,” euthanasia, human cloning, etc.—then sure, I could see hauling out the “Deus, lo vult!”
But when we’re talking about something as debatable as the best way to create jobs, should a politician be citing God’s support for his policies, even in the admittedly rather general way Obama did?
What do you think?
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More cowbell
1 Cor 13:1
Technically speaking, Obama didn’t specifically say, “God is in favor of my bill.” He only said that God wants us to work on this lack of jobs thing. The connection to his bill was only strongly implied.
If we take a purely literal interpretation of the President than i can agree with him. God wants us to do something about the economy and jobs. I just wish we could agree on what that is. But, i agree with Jimmy, it’s not passing this jobs bill.
just say’n
God doesn’t support kickbacks to his supporters. I’m pretty sure that’s immoral no matter how it’s done.
I would hope that God supports the President’s bill. Only He could make this bill create jobs.
Spoken, implied, intentional or not, the man is out of control. He had no problem ending the National Day of Prayer and then participating in a Muslim Prayer gathering on Capital Hill! He is slug, he has done nothing for the American people since he was elected president, and even less (if thats possible) before he was elected, while a member of congress. God in Heaven please forgive me for what is in my heart, but don’t you think it is time to call home this lost son before is does something that can’t be fixed?
GOD does not support a party that endorses the abortion movement, that kills the innocent child in the womb..and GOD does not support a party that spreads the filth of the homosexual lifestyle….SATAN however fully endorses the democrat party…any Catholic who votes democrat ought to be excommunicated immediately….
Was tempted to vote, “Present,” in honor of our President.
Sounds like Doc watched the PBS special honoring Will Farrel.
I think God’s support for a jobs bill was too strongly implied.
By contrast, I remember here in Denver where there a couple times where there was legislation coming up for a vote that Archbishop Chaput thought was important enough to write about in the Denver Catholic Register—one of them was legally defining personhood as being the moment of conception. He was actually against it, not because it wasn’t correct, but because he was advised that it would go to court and ultimately backfire. I didn’t take his advice on this one, but the legislation failed to pass anyway. On this legislation, as well as a couple others, he was clear to spell out what Catholic principles we must adhere to, and where we could legitimately disagree.
Obama cares nothing for religion or religious rights. He only uses God as a political prop. Religious organizations are pushed out of the public square, replaced by politicians who preach that they have God’s support. Lunacy run amok. Or perhaps Doc described it best: more cowbell.
I think he should make references to what God wants but he should be consistent and across the board, for eg. God supports traditional marriages (don’t repeal DOMA) and very much favours all human life (Help overturn Roe v. Wade).
I am pretty sure that the devil is, in fact, the one backing this bill.
The Lord helps those who help themselves is not in the Bible. Actually, the Lord always affirms that He helps the widow and the orphan—two classes of people who cannot help themselves.
The phrase comes from Aesop’s fable Hercules and the Wagoner.
It’s all hearsay until the second coming. I think nobody should be quoting or giving the intentions of our Lord unless it comes directly from the bible.
Present. I think it was just a rhetorical device. Just like his “there’s no good reason”. Political discourse of this nature is a kind of (bad) poetry—trying to interpret it literally makes ones look a tad hysterical. These lines of verse are meant to be gathered up by opponents and flung back in similarly catchy snatches of nonsense. Nothing wrong with wishing our politicians spoke like rational people, but they don’t.
IN GOD WE TRUST=AMEN!! Yes, that is very scary for someone that has many gods (including himself) to choose from. We are all children of God, but, sadly, some have sold their souls to the devil & by the way, I tried 3 times to vote & you can guess that I voted that this was from the devil & of course, the devil wouldn’t let it go through. This man is not a Christian, American, Muslim nor a politician; but is in fact, a dictator that is out of control. If this country as a whole doesn’t repent, we will suffer from the Hands of God as HE WILL NOT BE MOCKED! +JMJ+
When a group of pilgrims was visiting Yugoslavia in 1984, we were pulled over by two motorcycle officers who asked, ‘Where do you work and why aren’t you there?’. Apparently, they had not yet full converted from Communism to Socialism and did not embrace the concept of tourists, much less pilgrims. However, they did embrace the concept of forced labor.
Forced labor is in route to America.
The difference between Communism and Socialism is Communism is Socialism in a violent hurry. Socialism is patient Communism.
“Where do you work and why aren’t you there?”
Let that sink in.
Who do you thing is going to pay for this mega-trillion dollar national debt? We the People of the United States who elected the kooks who are stealing us blind. Only eight percent of Congress has ever had a job outside of the political arena… is it any wonder they only know how to borrow and spend? Somebody will eventually have to pay for this debt plus the egregious interest on the debt.
William Forte: You said it so very well!
Kind of ironic that when I voted in your poll, the advertisment on the header of the poll site was for an online Ouija game. Not sure you’d approve, Jimmy.
I’m currently looking for a job and trust that God will allow me the proper job at the proper time. If not, then God will provide for my needs for the duration.
That being said, Obama is only making matters worse because who wants to work for an employer who will not recognize moral conscience values that Obama eliminated? I’d rather live in my car than try to work in the healthcare industry as it stands now.
It bothers me that President Obama brings God into the equation when it serves his own purpose. Just like the atheists that criticizes our beliefs with, “Oh yeah, well, what would Jesus do?”
You can’t just mock our Almighty God to merely support a political agenda when it is convenient for you. To do so is being hypocritical. Because as far as I could tell, I think God would take issue with a number of Pres Obama’s abortion and DOMA policies/mandates. Funny that Pres. Obama didn’t mention God as he (Obama) praised the laws he, Sebelius and Cecile got implemented.
Thanks, Jimmy. That was hilarious.
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