Oh, how I hate this. I really, really hate it. I understand there’s a certain amount of tongue-in-cheek attitude, but I still hate it. (via)
God-o-Meter – A scientific measure of God-talk in the elections
The God-o-Meter (pronounced Gah-DOM-meter) scientifically measures factors such as rate of God-talk, effectiveness—saying God wants a capital gains tax cut doesn’t guarantee a high rating—and other top-secret criteria. Click a candidate’s head to get his or her latest God-o-Meter reading and blog post. And check back often. With so much happening on the campaign trail, God-o-Meter is constantly recalibrating!
God-o-Meter blogger Dan Gilgoff is Beliefnet’s Politics Editor. A former political correspondent for U.S. News & World Report, he is author of The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America are Winning the Culture War.
A politician’s stated religious belief is completely irrelevant. I don’t say that in any multi-culti, “tolerant” way. No, I say that because they’re politicians. Even the best of them would probably sell his grandmother for a buck. So when they pile onto the God bandwagon, I don’t believe for a single moment that they’re sincere. They want your vote, and they have no problem saying whatever it takes to get it.
Let’s assume for one delusional moment that they do mean it. So what? It doesn’t take a dollar off of my tax bill or take away any of the paperwork I’m obligated to complete to do business in Louisiana. In fact, in Mike Huckabee’s case it’s likely to add it because his soul won’t let him keep his hands off my paycheck.
I was already supporting Fred Thompson, but I was pleased to see that he’s just saying no to religious pandering:
Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson Monday said he didn’t need to apologize for his faith, despite concerns from Christian conservatives that he does not express his religious beliefs enough on the campaign trail.
“Concerns.”
There is a case to be made that voters need to know about a candidate’s religion because it reveals things about their thinking, priorities and goals. For example, I’d expect a Unitarian to have very different attitudes about social issues than a Southern Baptist. For a candidate with a well-documented track record, this should be irrelevant. I’ll take what someone has actually done as an indicator of their future behavior over what they say anytime. Thompson has the most detailed policy plans of anyone out there, and they are consistent with his public record going back decades. Look at his White Papers. Let’s not pretend that we need to assess his religious beliefs in order to predict what he might do. He’s actually been very consistent in what he says and what he’s done for the last thirty years.
Those “concerns” are a cry for relevance. “Pay attention to me, Daddy!” It’s pathetic and I’m sick of it. I’m glad Thompson has the nerve to opt out of the game. If the God-o-Meter is anything, it’s documentation of how pitiful and desperate some of these people are to gain power.
