Sharron Angle: Democrats Making "Government Our God"
Nevada Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle told a Christian radio station earlier this year that President Obama and Democrats in Congress are violating the Bible's First Commandment by turning government into a false god.
Angle's remarks were highlighted by the Las Vegas Sun as an illustration of her relatively extreme views, which pundits have suggested are making a tight race out of what should have been an easy GOP victory over unpopular Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
"And 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 an April interview with TruNews Christian Radio. "And that's really what's happening in this country is a violation of the First Commandment. We have become a country entrenched in idolatry, and that idolatry is the dependency upon our government. We're supposed to depend upon God for our protection and our provision and for our daily bread, not for our government."
Angle has used strong religious rhetoric before, characterizing her candidacy as a "calling" from God. Angle's words have given some Nevada voters pause: "She talks to the far Christian right, but that's about it," Las Vegas resident Michele Ficano told Hotsheet.
The latest Nevada poll, from Reuters-Ipsos, shows Reid with a slight lead over Angle among likely voters, 48 percent to 44 percent. Still, most polls show Reid is largely unpopular in his state -- and it's clear that Democratic voters are less motivated than Republicans going into the midterm elections. In the Reuters-Ipsos poll, 81 percent of Republicans surveyed said they were certain to vote this November, compared with 64 percent of Democrats.
Both candidates are up with new ads hitting what they see as the other's biggest weaknesses. Reid's ad calls Angle "too extreme," basing the claim on remarks she made about the response to the BP oil spill. Angle's ad, meanwhile, highlights the dramatic economic decline that occurred in Nevada during Reid's tenure as senator.
While the race is neck-and-neck, Washington insiders appear to be putting their money on Reid: The majority leader has received $56,000 in donations from registered lobbyists, Politico reports, while Angle has collected just $500 from one lobbyist.
