Michele Bachmann thinks that God sent us an earthquake and a hurricane to tell Congress that we’re Taxed Enough Already and we need to realize that our federal government is on a “morbid obesity diet.” That’s kind of funny because I was thinking that God decided to do what Congress refuses to do and create some construction jobs. I guess Michele and I just have different ways of reading the tea leaves.
I kid.
Bachmann was talking to a Tampa, Florida megachurch audience, so they are probably accustomed to hearing that God is actively intervening in our national affairs. Normally, these messages occur when God has witnessed too much sodomy, but apparently social issues are taking second place to fiscal concerns in this election cycle.
Here’s what Bachmann actually said:
“I don’t know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians. We’ve had an earthquake; we’ve had a hurricane. He said, ‘Are you going to start listening to me here?’ Listen to the American people because the American people are roaring right now. They know government is on a morbid obesity diet and we’ve got to rein in the spending.”
It’s less offensive than Jerry Falwell’s take on 9/11, but it isn’t different in kind. I admit that is it highly unusual to have a large earthquake on the east coast or to have a hurricane ravage the Mid-Atlantic and New England. But, just because something is highly unusual doesn’t mean that God is trying to talk to us. Remember, God is all-powerful. If he wants to talk to us he can speak directly to us from the clouds and tell us exactly what our budget priorities should be, down to the last subclause. He has no reason to risk being misinterpreted and no compelling reason to rely solely on cryptic communications.
Steve Benen thinks that Bachmann’s comments should be treated as so scandalous that the press ought to declare her candidacy all but over. But to attack Bachmann’s reasoning is to attack the magical thinking behind it, not just her particular interpretation of that magical thinking. And the press is not going to do that. In this country, magical thinking is the norm, and only a fool would run for office by making a frontal attack on the idea that God might send cryptic messages in the form of extreme weather events.
“What is God trying to tell us?” is probably the most commonly asked question in America, and the press isn’t going to declare the question out of bounds.
