During the Sunday Senate debate on health care, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) called on the American people to pray that a Democratic Senator would be unable to vote on the health care bill, in order to force Democrats to work with Republicans on the issue.
“What the American people oughtta pray is that somebody can’t make the vote tonight,” Coburn said. “That’s what they oughtta pray, so that we can actually get the middle — not me, not mine, I understand I’m way over here — but we oughtta get the middle of America and the middle of the Senate a bill that can run through this country and actually do what we say we all want to do.”
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) attacked Coburn’s strange wish, which could be interpreted as wishing bad things on a fellow Senator. “When it reaches a point where we’re praying, asking people to pray, that senators wouldn’t be able to answer the roll call, I think it has crossed the line,” said Durbin, also adding: “I don’t think we should be wishing misfortune on either side of the aisle.”
Last week, we covered the Family Research Council holding an intercessionary prayer vigil, that God might enter into Democratic Senators’ hearts and change their minds on the issue. I don’t recall hearing any prayers that something would happen to Dem Senators that would cause them to be unable to make the vote, but from a purely utilitarian standpoint Coburn’s twist on the theme would be just as good.
