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Angle's religious zeal criticized
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Craig L. Moran/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Sharron Angle, Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, has come under fire from the Harry Reid campaign for statements a Reid spokesman said "represents a holy crusade ... against government programs like Social Security and Medicare." » Buy this photo
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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: Sep. 11, 2010 | 3:29 p.m.
U.S. Sen. Harry Reid's campaign criticized his GOP challenger Sharron Angle on Wednesday for telling a religious broadcaster that the Obama administration is violating the First Commandment by expanding federal programs and making "government our God."
"We have become a country entrenched in idolatry, and that idolatry is the dependency upon our government," Angle said in an April interview with TruNews Christian Radio. "We're supposed to depend upon God for our protection and our provision and for our daily bread, not our government."
Reid campaign spokesman Kelly Steele charged that Angle's comments show the Southern Baptist believes her campaign "represents a holy crusade -- a religious 'war of ideology' in her words -- against government programs like Social Security and Medicare."
"Sharron Angle's unyielding antipathy toward all government programs is based not simply on political and ideological beliefs -- it's based on what she believes to be a religious crusade against government," Steele said after her remarks spread on the Internet and among bloggers.
Jarrod Agen, an Angle campaign spokesman, said she was suggesting that Reid, President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "have become these all powerful figures that are not accountable" to the public as they expand government and deepen the nation's debt and deficit.
"In some ways that's like a God complex," Agen said. "They're passing programs like the health care law against the will of a majority of Americans. The point that she was making was these all are powerful figures that are not accountable and they need to be stopped."
The Reid attack Wednesday is just the latest attempt by the Democratic incumbent to portray the conservative Tea Party favorite as too extreme.
Angle, in turn, has tried to keep the close race focused on what she and other Republicans and fiscal conservatives see as a Democrat-run federal government out of control.
Joe Valenzano, a communications professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said Angle invoking God appeals to her conservative base and strikes a chord among Americans who aren't regular churchgoers but privately believe in divine intervention in their lives. But it also opens her to attacks of "going too far," especially for those who believe in a strict separation of church and state.
"Some on the left don't particularly want to hear this, or construe it as God-mongering, or something like that," Valenzano said. "So it can hurt you with some parts of the political spectrum."
The former Reno assemblywoman has done dozens of interviews with conservative TV and radio broadcasters, including one recently where she described her campaign as a "calling" from God. Her comments have given the Reid campaign plenty of fodder for near daily attacks.
Angle's comments about the First Commandment came during the hotly contested GOP primary as she touted ideas to shrink government by closing some federal agencies and overturning or halting Democratic spending programs that hadn't turned around the crashing economy.
"These programs that you mentioned -- that Obama has going with Reid and Pelosi pushing them forward -- are all entitlement programs built to make government our God," Angle said in the April interview that got little attention since she was in third place at the time. "And that's really what's happening in this country is a violation of the First Commandment."
The First Commandment warns "thou shalt have no other gods before me."
Angle spokesman Agen said Reid is hypocritical for criticizing her for speaking about God and politics since he has said that he can't separate his religious and political beliefs.
"It's not unusual for candidates to discuss religion," Agen said. "It's hypocritical for him to attack Angle for discussing her religious beliefs and politics when he has done the same thing."
Reid, who like Angle is devout, is a prominent member of the Mormon church.
In an October 2007 speech at Brigham Young University in Utah, Reid talked to an audience of believers about why it's possible for a Democrat to share their conservative religion.
"My faith and political beliefs are deeply intertwined," Reid said. "I am a Democrat because I am a Mormon, not in spite of it."
Reid went further in the speech and explained why people sometimes have to rely on government and not only God to help them, especially those facing tragedy or misfortune.
"As we learned in the man-made tragedy of September 11, 2001, during a crisis people have only three places to look for help: family, government and God," Reid said. "I say government can be our friend. Some say it is never our friend."
Contact Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919.
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Let's all hope that there is a "zealot" as you call Ms Angle to save us from the dispicable despots that are currently in the process of making the US a third-world county in record time along with race/class warfare as advocated by his union thugs.
Dirty land deal Harry made a speech at the very Mormon BYU that said he was "worshipful of FDR since a small child". The very same person that instituted the current welfare state through his policies that extended the depression for countless years unnecessarily and could very easily happen again. But I guess it's ok to denegrate another candidate over being LDS (Romney) for being the same religion as Harry - or to use age (McCain) when he is the same age and expected to serve another 6 years. Will he need someone to read the bills to him before his term is up? I forgot, he and his cohorts don't read the bills!
Horrible Harry must REALLY be desperate if he is using a "religion card" as an alternative to either the race card or the sexist charge. He certainly can't run on any of his or his fellow democrat "accomplishments" that has caused Nevada to be #1 in unemployment, bankruptcy and foreclosures.
cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo
@pmontg53 You act like odj's comment came from a child, but you have nothing to back up his/her claim.
I gaurentee YOU shop at wal mart.
Im sure you have your excuses, but with 85% of China's GDP made off the shelves of american wal marts dont you feel responsible for the new bomb they have that is precise and can take out our aircraft carriers with one strike?
Ohhh but a dollar is so worth saving, and all those other stores are employed by unions who fought hard to insure the workingman dont get stepped on.
Keep up with your BS because smart folks know the truth, and we aren't going anywhere.
Im a member of Sharon Angle's site and all I get all day long is attack ads that criticize harry reid. She is no different from any other politician, if you believe she is, pass some of that over here.
Lemonade for Rape Victims, because God told crazy Sharon Angle that she knows what is best for everyone.
shes a snake worshiping devil.
odj- Go to your room little one,it's bed time for you. November Harry is out, Nevada can't take anymore of Harry. He is spending so much money to dig up article, and as some of you call extreme right, I agree with a lot of what sharron angle have to say.
Lets see what Harry Reids record is
1. highest unemployment in nation
2. highest foreclosure rate in nation
3. highest bankruptsy rate in nation
4. Became a mormon, because he wanted to be elected.
5. married a jewish lady so he could win the jewish vote
6. hates tourists that come to southern nevada
7. over spent on all the upgrades to hoover dam
8. sponsored to have a fast rail system from southern calif. to southern nevada put in over land he owns
And now all he can say in his ads is it is not Sharron Angles job to create jobs, what is the matter Harry, don't you have anything else to say about your apponent.
Why doesn't Harry run on his record? Because it is dismal! All he can do is run a dirty smear campaign.
Reid doesn't represent us. He has pushed the failed stimulus, that awful Obamacare, he plans to force cap and trade and amnesty so more of our jobs will go to those who are now illegal.
Reid has lost his way and is out of touch with us. He has forgotten why he was sent to Washington. Don't let Reid continue to work against us!
Some think Angle isn't the best BUT SHE IS BETTER THAN REID!
Let's see, 8.5 Billion to build the City Center, now worth 2.65 Billion. Who REALLY done well? Of Course, the UNIONS. Who will bail out the Banks, Of Course the TAXPAYERS. Now the Reid people are going to save the Teachers. The UNION teachers that is. In the mean time, prices are going up, up and away, and the the Reid people tell you there is no inflation. Come now, who can you REALLY believe? Me thinks not the Government.
Seperation between Church and State.
Her belief IN God is not the issue, her foisting HER RELIGIOUS BELIEFS ON OTHERS IS THE ISSUE.
How can she appropriately represent someone if their religious belief differs from hers?
From her previous comments she would only represent those with Christian beliefs that match her own.