Political Hotsheet
By

Stephanie Condon /

CBS News/ November 1, 2011, 3:05 PM

House to vote on "In God We Trust" motto

U.S. $1 dollar bill AP

The Republican-led House will vote today on whether to reaffirm "In God We Trust" as the nation's motto.

While the issue may seem non-controversial, the bill to reaffirm the motto may not pass because Democrats say the vote is a waste of time, and today's "fast-track" vote will require the approval of two-thirds of the House. The bill's Republican sponsor says it is needed to stop a "disturbing trend" of dismissing the motto.

Today's House vote will "directly confront a disturbing trend of inaccuracies and omissions, misunderstandings of church and state, rogue court challenges, and efforts to remove God from the public domain by unelected bureaucrats," Rep. J. Randy Forbes, R-Va., said in a statement. "As our nation faces challenging times, it is appropriate for Members of Congress and our nation--like our predecessors--to firmly declare our trust in God, believing that it will sustain us for generations to come."

As evidence of this "disturbing trend," Forbes pointed to the fact that in a 2010 speech in Indonesia, President Obama called the phrase "E pluribus unum" the nation's motto. He also pointed to the dispute over the use of the phrase "in God we trust" in the relatively new visitors center at the Capitol Building.

A few Democrats have signed on as co-sponsors of the bill, but others have protested it. In a March House Judiciary Committee report, five Democrats wrote that the bill was a distraction from real problems.

"Instead of working to help American families keep a roof over their heads and food on their tables, we are debating whether or not to affirm and proliferate a motto that was adopted in 1956 and that is not imperiled in any respect," the report said.

The Democrats also argued the bill "creates unnecessary and excessive government entanglement with religion."

Similarly, Democrats complained Republicans were unjustifiably focused on social issues last month when the House voted to keep taxpayer money from funding abortions. "Everybody in America has the creation of jobs as their top priority and what are we doing, but wasting time," House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said at the time.

The Washington Post notes that Republicans adopted new rules when they took the majority, prohibiting votes against most symbolic and commemorative resolutions, arguing that such measures were wasteful and made up one-third of all legislation considered by the previous Congress.

© 2011 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
53 Comments Add a Comment
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Macksfield2 says:
If you believe this country was given favor by the creator, then yes, it becomes very important to acknowledge God. If you believe that mankind is the originator of the mountains, the air, sea, and that mankind causes the corn and wheat to grow. If you are of the opinion that men and woman with their tiny little brains are creating resources for this planet, then it becomes a mute point and not necessary.
I'm pretty sure there is a creator and without His resources we all become a wisp in the wind. So my two cents, Yes acknowledge the creator of the universe in all of our daily work.
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InGodITRUST16 says:
This Reminds me of the book of Revelations, America and world get ready because soon we are going to see the most cataclysmic event the world has ever seen. An event we will not even be able to comprehend.
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zenia5 replies:
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@InGodITrust....are you by chance related to Preacher Harold Camping ....you know..the one who keeps getting the "rapture" prediction wrong?
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ImaJWalker says:
If Obama can lie when he was voted in about bringing the troops home then who is he to even suggest anything? Impeach him now and save the USA.
Obama 7 Lies In Under 2 Minutes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UErR7i2onW0

Vote Ron Paul...he can't be bought by the elite.
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AmericanLady100 says:
It is time for Republicans to put this kind of energy into job creation.
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OrangPuteh says:
Why does faith deserve respect?

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f7a_1184871139
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UnHueMan says:
Just another attempt by the rightwing to ignore jobs and all the problems in this country. They will probably call this a jobs bill. It ranks up there with the other jobs bills passed by the House. Wait, there aren't any jobs bills coming from the House. It's so sad that conservatives are so misinformed and so brainwashed to continue to support an ideology that goes against their own best interests. I have a motto. If Republicans get control of this country again, GOD HELP US ALL.....
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franknkissy says:
So as a Catholic-Christian - we should experience no pain through re-affirming Faith in God 1 And so we suppose neither should our Hebrew nor our Muslim nor our Buddhist nor our Pentecostal nor our Mormon nor even should some of our Communist acquaintances experience much discomfort througfh this affirmation ! It must be only those Billionaires from what Saint John termed The Assembly of Satan - who see TRUST IN GOD as threatening ! To their wealth - to their power - to their future plans ! ........Frank - Paz Inrercesor !!
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zenia5 says:
"Instead of working to help American families keep a roof over their heads and food on their tables, we are debating whether or not to affirm and proliferate a motto that was adopted in 1956 and that is not imperiled in any respect," the report said.

The above quote from the article sums up this total waste of time and resources. This is NOT a vote to "keep or remove" the motto.....it is a "re-affirmation" of something that is NOT IMPERILED. How difficult is it to understand?

There are much more important issues to spend such time and effort on. It's just another form of obstructionism and distraction from the GOP.
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E McCann says:
Wow. I'm SO glad they acted so fast on this important bill. Just think of all the needed jobs it will create!

... wait, it won't?

Well, look at how well it'll get the economy back on track!

... huh. Won't do that either.

How about help small businesses? No? Help someone with their mortgage? No? Do something about the deregulated businesses tearing up the environment? Do anything about repairing roads, bridges and the like? None of that?

So, it's more posturing by the Republicans to try to delay actual action for the sake of short term political gains. Perhaps they should listen to Eisenhower's farewell speech (you remember Eisenhower, an *actual* Republican and someone who knew how to be a leader) as he warned against sacrificing our long term prosperity for short term gain.

This bit of legislative foolishness should have exactly *one* effect on unemployment - namely, kicking all those who thought this was "needed" or a good idea out to the curb next election cycle. What a waste of time, and worse, what a *betrayal* of the people who elected them to do a job.

Oh, and if you *really* think global warming as it is right now is "not an issue" or is part of the "natural cycle," you need to sit up and pay attention to the people who actually know what they're talking about - because it certainly *is* an issue, and is certainly *not* behaving naturally now. What I find most (sickeningly) ironic is how some of the same places that pay for obfuscating studies that misrepresent data (oil companies and the like) are taking advantage of *record* loss of arctic ice to rush in and drill, drill, drill some more.
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EgeChris says:
For those who don't know, "In God We Trust" was added during the McCarthy era of communist witch hunts and black balling. All atheists and agnostics were suspected communists. This was a way of saying that they were not Americans and shouldn't be a part of American society. It was pure bigotry and hate mongering and very much against true liberty and freedom. Not everyone in the US trusts in God, be they atheists, agnostics, spiritualists, or pantheists. None should be excluded from "We". We should not have bigotry printed on our money. It's sick and disgusting to have it there.
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MichikoOta replies:
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Considering that the hardline GOP, evangelicals and fundies are repeating history, this time, replace the word "communist" with "Muslim" and you can understand why this is being pushed forward. America is not a Christian nation and it was not founded on biblical values. It was originally founded to ESCAPE imposted biblical values.
JV1970 replies:
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EgeChris It's people like you who would ban all references to God and religion in public places and ban all proselytizing and worshipping in public places. You should read the clause in the First Amendment that makes the prohibiting of the free exercise of religion unconstitutional. You want to forget that part and leave it out.
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