Friendly bunch, these Republicans. Impressively Christian. And Coburn's prayer is so in the Christmas spirit.

This is one of those blurbs that should be preserved for all of history in one of those little side boxes in a history textbook.

Too bad Texas has got the whole textbook thing cornered into ridiculousness.

You see, their god, he is really stooopid. Sometimes his magic zap rays hit the wrong target.

"...Earlier this week, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) raised a few eyebrows when he said, on the Senate floor, that Americans "ought to pray" that one of his Senate colleagues "can't make the vote" on health care reform. It sounded a bit like the right-wing lawmaker wanted something bad to happen to a fellow member..."

Perhaps someone should remind him 1) he's on the *Senate* floor, not in a church pulpit, and 2) asking people to pray that something bad happens to someone sound more like VOODOO than Christianity.

What isn't amusing is that Sen. Barrasso didn't bat an eye when the caller said that he was praying for Sen. Byrd to die. On Rachel's first segment last night, she showed a Barrasso clip calling on one of the Democratic members to be a "profile in courage" by voting no on health care. Is it too much to ask that Barrasso show enough courage to tell supporters that they shouldn't pray for deaths of Senators to get their way?

This isn't as funny as it seems at first. How long do you think it will be before one of those god-fearing patriots decides to help the lord along with a car bomb or a few well-placed gun shots. People like Bill O'Reilly having been inciting assassination attempts on abortion providers for years, and they have several confirmed kills to their credit. Why wouldn't the same thing happen here?

You see, their god, he is really stooopid. Sometimes his magic zap rays hit the wrong target.

Posted by: Steve LaBonne
****
Remember when there was a call for prayers during the Democratic convention for Obama's acceptance speech to get rained out, but instead the Repubs got a hurricane in the Gulf that scuttled a large part of their convention? Who says their god doesn't have a sense of humor!

So, if none of the democratic Senators die before the final vote, is this
a) proof that GODdoesn't exist or
b) that HE actually supports health care reform?

Or - blaspemic thought - c) that prayers simply are not the measurement of choice when it comes to governing?

However, and only in case he fails the expectations: will GOD have to face a primary challenge next time HE's running for the GOP's spiritual master?

But...but...but...Senator Coburn swore to us that his words were misconstrued, that he totally didn't mean for people to pray for Senator Byrd to die! How could those folks in Waycross have misunderstood the good Senator so profoundly?

@ steve labonne...
their god is all-powerful. he's just not a very good shot.

To quote a commenter over at Ballon Juice, this could be classified as "theological friendly fire."

But...but...but...Senator Coburn swore to us that his words were misconstrued, that he totally didn't mean for people to pray for Senator Byrd to die! How could those folks in Waycross have misunderstood the good Senator so profoundly?

Posted by: g on December 23, 2009 at 9:49 AM

Good point. Maybe the people in Waycross are just stupid, or maybe that is what Coburn really meant when he said it, but not what he meant when he caught hell from his staff. Maybe Coburn is the stupid fellow.

Hey, isn't Coburn one of those CStreet family freaks who want to see teh gays executed for being gay?

Oklahoma should be proud.

Am I the only one who thinks the call was a prank? I mean, yeah, the teabaggers are a delusional lot, but can anyone believe that a group of them got together to pray for someone's death? Not that they would care if someone like Robert Byrd would die, but to think that it would do any good.

If it was a prannk, it was well done. Does anyone know where the General was at the time?

The , if you will , "No doubt about it" wing of the far far right is unhappy with their old testament Jehovah . Senator Tom Coburn is doctor and a scientist , not prophet dammit .

As a wealthy Republican, I will provide some explanations for you:

- God is just another tool of our corporate party
- Our religious leaders are more interested in power than in Christianity
- Our religious masses will believe anything that our religious leaders tell them

Thus, when we call upon our religious masses to pray for the demise of The Chosen One and/or some democrat party senator; we don't really believe it will happen. However, it does make good fodder for the folk!

Thus, when we declare that God and Jesus are republicans and that democrats are God hating, anti-Christians; we do so with a hidden smirk. However, it does make good fodder for the folk!

Am I the only one who thinks the call was a prank?

No.

it's certainly possible that the caller was not actually an insane right-wing Teabagger, but was actually a health care reform supporter trying to make conservatives look ridiculous. Regrettably, it's very difficult to tell lately-- the line is blurred....

The "how you tell" from the "blurry line" is what the GOP leadership has to say about such nonsense. crickets.

Praying for someone to die is what the Gospel story is all about.

Stetson Kennedy: "Am I the only one who thinks the call was a prank? I mean, yeah, the teabaggers are a delusional lot, but can anyone believe that a group of them got together to pray for someone's death? Not that they would care if someone like Robert Byrd would die, but to think that it would do any good.

If it was a prannk, it was well done. Does anyone know where the General was at the time?"

The language used in the call quote sounds a bit contrived to me, even for a Red Neck Tea Bagger, so I wouldn't be surprised if the call was a prank. Having said that, however, spend some time on wingnut blogs and discussion forums and you'll see it sounds quite mild compared to the terrible things those people actually do express. They are an ookey lot.

I'm rubber! You're glue! What bounces off of me sticks to you! Nyah, nyah, nyah!

When some right wing nut guns down a democrat you'll think back on this idiotic, "either way, it's awfully amusing" post of yours, Benen. Wise the fuck up.

San Francisco, November 1978. You should have been there. My hometown has never been the same.

Paul Gottlieb @ 9:47, that is the entire point of these dog whistles. These chicken-shit cowards will go right to the very edge of the cliff inciting their Neanderthal groupies into action while simultaneously leaving themselves plausible deniability should they be successful.

God damn the GOP’s shit-filled soul to hell.

Coburn and Inhofe, the two guys whose existence proves why the term "Okie dumbass" exists.

As for the caller, there is no intelligent life in Waycross GA, so why is anyone surprised at this?

Maybe if they sacrificed a lamb on the steps of the Capital building that might have worked to stop HCR. LOL

Mark me down in the "caller is absolutely sincere" camp. In fact, file me under, "status quo".

C'mon, it was a prank.

All Coburn's fault; he should have been more specific, named names, maybe.

I mean... [...] "Americans "ought to pray" that one of his Senate colleagues "can't make the vote" [...] can be interpreted any which way. The caller got it right but did all the other teabaggers? Byrd is not the name they hear all that often, what's the odds that some prayed for the demise of the president McCain?

Chopin,

"God damn [insert appropriate name/noun] shit-filled soul to hell."© Neill

Fixed... Credit where credit's due.

The caller may very well have been a prankster, but at least its a case of art imitating life. When Michele Bachmann was in the Minnesota state senate she and a group of not-so-wellwishers use to go "pray" over the desks of progressive senators with the thinly veiled death wishes just like these clowns.

If one is inclined to give it any credit its pretty much textbook black magic. Bunch of satanists.

"Death Panels" = Bad
Senators deciding which of their colleagues should drop dead for political purposes = Good.

Ok, got it!

"God, change me. Take away my desires. Let me start liking people of the opposite sex." Unfortunately, as well-intentioned as this prayer is, it's a lot like trying to get rid of dandelions in your back yard by mowing them. They keep coming back because you're not dealing with their roots. The basic cause of a homosexual orientation isn't genetics or choice; it's a wrong response to being hurt. It's about protecting oneself and trying to get legitimate needs met in ways God never intended. True change can only happen with the hard work of submitting to God, allowing Him to expose the deep hurts and needs of one's heart, which means facing horrible pain, and inviting Him to bring healing to those wounded places. That's why intimacy with Christ is the answer. A wise friend observed that homosexuality is the fruit of sinful ways of dealing with pain--sinful because they cut us off from the One who can heal and meet our needs, sinful because they place us at the center of our universe and we don't belong there. Jesus does.

Grüner Tee

Dear God,
Please kill Sens. Coburn, Inhofe, DeMint and maybe Kyl or Cornyn...your choice. I don't care for Barasso, but I am not ready to pray for his death, yet, but he better watch his ass. I would also like to pray for relief for all the poor people and healthcare for everybody.
Amen
p.s. can you please shut down Sarah Palin's Facebook account.
Amen again

artsmith, thanks. I have no idea how to do special characters or fonts or I would have. I'm guessing there isn't a soul out there that doesn't know I stole that line from neill :-) Perhaps I shouldn't dilute his theme given there isn't anyone more worthy than Cheney.