Echoes of Bachmann: Coleman says God wants him to serve
Monday, February 09, 2009 at 9:25 am

Norm Coleman (WDCpix)
It worked for Rep. Michele Bachmann. In 2006, the Stillwater Republican told worshipers at her church that “Twenty-two months ago, [God] called me to run for United States Congress.” She was elected — and then re-elected. On Friday, former Sen. Norm Coleman made similar statements about his own calling to be back in the Senate.
Coleman, who is Jewish, told nationally syndicated conservative radio host Mike Gallagher that he knows “God wants me to serve,” according to Smart Politics.
But for local, presumably more centrist audiences, he gave a godless version the same day. “I’ve been blessed to serve,” he told Minnesota Public Radio’s Tom Crann. “I want to continue to serve.”
Perhaps it’s a sign that Coleman’s hoping for some divine intervention in his Senate contest. Early last week, Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight said that the chances of a win based on another look at rejected absentee ballots is unlikely.
Update: Apparently a Huffington Post link to this Smart Politics post overloaded the site’s server; here’s Google’s cache of the page [screengrab].
Related: Video: Burris’ backing from God recalls Bachmann’s, Palin’s
16 Comments
Pingback posted February 9, 2009 @ 12:45 pm
[...] On Friday Coleman (who is Jewish) was a guest on the syndicated radio show of conservative Mike Gallagher and told listeners that he knows “God wants me to serve.” [...]
Comment posted February 9, 2009 @ 3:14 pm
Really? God, as in THE God? The Judeo-Christian God in whom, so our money claims, we trust? This is the same Judeo-Christian God who, today and every other single day, will allow almost 16,000 children to starve to death, right? The very self-same God who, today and every other day, will allow 5500 people to die of AIDS? Is this the God who tells Norm Coleman He wants him to be a Senator?
Huh–I want nothing to do with that god, or his heir apparent, Norm Coleman.
And they complain that Al Franken is a hack comic…
Comment posted February 9, 2009 @ 5:13 pm
Saying ridiculous shit like this should automatically disqualify him, and anyone else from holding any public office of any kind.
Comment posted February 9, 2009 @ 6:45 pm
Dr. Don,
You seem to have some unresolved issues regarding your feelings towards God.
Are you sure that God kills people with AIDS? Isn’t it the virus’s effect on the immune system that can eventually kill people with AIDS? I doubt that God intentionally starves little children either. The lack of available food starves little children. Sometimes the lack of is beyond our control but today most starvation in the world is the result of the inequitable distribution of wealth. God doesn’t control our distribution of wealth. Where there is inequity, we have done that to ourselves. Until recently, this was typically seen in third world countries. It is too early to tell if it will become a problem here as well.
I don’t see the hand of God in any of this. I think He is more of a “hands off” type being. I see the hand of Karl Rove in this. If Norm Coleman wins this election it will be because he recieved more votes. The fact that people who claim to be Godly keep voting for candidates who have supported the policies of Rove/Bush is mute testimony to the manipulative genius of Karl Rove. Unfortunately, both Pawlenty and Coleman continue to worship at the altar of Rove. My understanding of Christianity’s view of judgement is that it comes later. I don’t think that winning elections here on earth will necessarily count for much when it comes to the final judgement.
God may want Coleman to serve burgers(I like that quip)but in his spare time Norm might consider serving some of the poor that his policies have helped create. If he does decide to do that though, he should be careful that he is not just doing it for God’s “get into heaven vote”. Pandering might be a riskier strategy with God than it has been with Norms less discerning constituency down here.
Ron Thiessen
Comment posted February 9, 2009 @ 9:49 pm
If G-d truly wants Norm to serve (assuming in the Senate), don’t you think the election would have been more decisive?
In Michelle Bachmann’s case in 2006, if G-d called her to run for United States Congress, why did she need to campaign?
BTW, there really is no such thing as Judeo-Christian, but that is a totally different topic.
Comment posted February 10, 2009 @ 9:21 am
Norm my son,
Apparently you are listening to those voices again. They aren’t my voice, any more than it is my voice that people hear telling them to kill someone. I don’t tell people to run for office. I just don’t. You have free will, Norm. How are you using it?
Pingback posted February 10, 2009 @ 9:23 am
[...] Norm “God wants me to serve,” Norm Coleman told conservative radio host Mike Gallagher, reports MnIndy. But he’s still waiting for the final word on whether MN voters want him to [...]
Comment posted February 10, 2009 @ 10:27 am
It makes me very nervous when ANYONE claims to have been speaking with God. When this person is a former U.S. Senator…
Comment posted February 10, 2009 @ 7:43 pm
What exactly is that supposed to mean anyway: “God wants me to serve.” Are we all supposed to just get the hell out of the way, forget about the election and just let Norm serve, since the Flying Spaghetti Monster has spoken to Norm and Norm alone? That statement should disqualify this jerk from ever serving in any public office again. People who hear those kinds of voices are usually heavily medicated and/or confined.
Comment posted February 11, 2009 @ 10:24 am
Being in the same room with Michele Bachmann is enough to disqualify Coleman from service…
…much less hearing the same voices.
Comment posted February 11, 2009 @ 3:11 pm
Norm seems to have truncated God’s wishes. God actually said that he “wants Norm to serve time.”
Comment posted February 13, 2009 @ 4:14 pm
Did god also tell him to accept his current job as a washington lobbyist for a jewish organization?
Comment posted February 14, 2009 @ 12:06 am
It will be interesting to see if Norm credits God if he loses.
Comment posted October 14, 2011 @ 5:26 pm
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