Rick Perry Asks GOP Voters To Pray For Him -- And Obama -- Ahead Of Florida Debate

ORLANDO -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry asked a ballroom full of enthusiastic Republican activists and voters Thursday to pray for him and give him their vote, but also said they should pray that God shows President Obama that he is misguided.

The supplication he told them to offer up for the president was that God would "open his eyes" -- and came after he had lambasted Obama for presiding over a "nanny-state."

"As a governor who's made a great deal of decisions with consequences over the years, I couldn't have done so without being driven to my knees on many occasions. As I campaign for president, I not only ask you for your vote and your support, I ask you for your prayers," Perry said. "I ask you to pray for our country. I ask you to pray for our president, to give him wisdom, to open his eyes."

Perry was speaking to a "Faith and Freedom" rally a few hours before an important debate between him and the other Republican presidential candidates here. And his call to pray for Obama came after he ran through a list of the administration's policies and criticized them.

"Last month the Obama administration, they had the audacity to call food stamps a stimulus," Perry said. "Food stamps are a symptom of the problem, Mr. President, they're not the solution. And the problem is too many Americans can't find work today because of this administration's big government policies."

"The problem with the liberals is they think there is a government answer to every problem, and they think Washington knows best, even when the Constitution is very clear about what belongs to the states," Perry said.

He then criticized Obama's "Race to the Top" program, which rewarded a few state school systems for reform innovations with millions in grant money. Perry did not see this as creating competition among school systems to improve performance, and pointed out that the money being awarded came out of the taxpayer's pocket to begin with.

"It is wrong for the federal government to take over local schools," he said, calling for the states to have more decision-making power in education.

Moments after his call for voters to pray that Obama be shown the error of his policies, however, Perry said that God is not on the side of any political party.

"And I ask for the prayers for the health and the healing of a country that will transcend party politics, as does our creator, whose purposes and ways cannot be coopted by any political party," Perry said. He then quoted former President Abraham Lincoln: "My concern is not whether God is on my side. My greatest concern is to be on God's side." The crowd of a few thousand rose and cheered.

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Comments

[Petey Crooozer]

11:16 AM on 10/11/2011

Prayer shmayer..........Anybody notice that the part of the country that does all the prayin' has all the tornadoes, floods, and droughts? What does that tell you about the power of prayer???? Lord save us from the B.A. Xians. Wouldn't it be nice if they all just got "raptured", it would do wonders for the gene pool.

[foerschnerr]

02:04 PM on 09/24/2011

As a governor who's made a great deal of decisions with consequences over the years, I couldn't have done so without being driven to my knees on many occasions.

Yeah, it's what Perry calls giving and receiving favors. Money was exchanged,too.

[foerschnerr]

09:26 AM on 09/24/2011

Perry needs more than prayer. He needs a brain implant and someone to rip that lying tongue out of his head.

[novastarz47]

08:07 AM on 09/24/2011

I pray for this lemming to hit the Texas back forty ,Even Bush had a higher job growth rate in Texas.Ron Paul 2012 !!

[wyb]

12:37 AM on 09/24/2011

You have to respect the community norms of the reds. Over half of the folks below the Mason Dixon Line report hearing voices.

[sophiajim]

12:04 AM on 09/24/2011

If you say God talked to you the right starts bowing down. If someone says something else talks to them they lock him up

[NYC619]

11:03 PM on 09/23/2011

Gov. Corndog: "God I still do not know why you would choose a black man over me, whom you have created in the reptilian image. Lord, does my waxy melting reptilian self not appeal to you? Surely I with all my oily waxen looks and heart and brain of ice is clearly more handsome than that of Obama with the smooth chocolate coating. If you love me Lord, please be on my side as you were when I prayed for more rain...er when I prayed for more fire-for God, you did deliver when I prayed for more fire. Amen."

[Glen Davi]

10:22 PM on 09/23/2011

Not consistently, but often, I do ask god to talk to me about questions/thoughts I have. I can't say that I know for sure that he responds to me. I tend to look for his response in something other than my own thoughts. Something someone else might say or just something that catches my attention that applies to whatever my question was about. I try not to confuse what I think god is saying versus what god IS saying if you can understand that. My grandmother would say that you can tell when someone is OF god. I guess my question is, do people OF god deliberately lie, deliberately misrepresent, or judge falsely, say things for political or financial gain? If the answer is yes, how can they be OF god?

[thirdcloud]

09:48 PM on 09/23/2011

I won't be praying for him to be president but I will that our maker is mercyful to him come judgement day!

[What the Hell]

09:44 PM on 09/23/2011

Perry you know Jesus might love you, but I don't. Beware of people who think they are the only ones who have God on their side, they can kill without blinking an eye.

[sophiajim]

12:05 AM on 09/24/2011

Perry says God loves him. I hope so because no one else does

[wyb]

12:44 AM on 09/24/2011

Born again, because the first one was was bad. But then you can blow that too, and go on to the happy hunting grounds. How many times can you flunk out of a Christian school, and still have a box seat?

[ReverendKen]

07:44 PM on 09/23/2011

I enjoy telling little kids that there is no Santa Clause. I also enjoy telling adults that there is no god.

[Marx Twain]

07:39 PM on 09/23/2011

Ironically, I halfway agree with Rick Perry, in that Obama's education policy has been appaling and humiliating. However, the reason it's appalling is that it so closely matches that of his predecesor, George Bush, who also used the U.S. Dept. of Ed & NCLB to mandate how states run their education. Funny how teabaggers never minded the federal takeover of education.

Bush spearheaded the same education reforms in Texas that would later become nationalized under NCLB. As far as I know, Perry hasn't disavowed or replaced the Bush reforms in Texas.

So isn't it more than a bit ironic that Perry is criticizing Obama for using the Texas model?

This should also remind dems that acting like a republican doesn't score you any points with them.

[wyb]

12:49 AM on 09/24/2011

The tea baggers are secretly funded by theDemocratic Party, principly supported by the Krotch Sisters.

[oldandfoolish]

07:13 PM on 09/23/2011

Perry keeps reminding me of his fellow Texan who preached compassionate conservatism because he also claimed to be a devout Christian. I don't know which one is better for us but I am always wary of people who use religion for political end. They tend to kill people in the name of religion. They use religion to divide us rather than unite us. Most of all, I am scared of anyone who claims to talk with God. Unless I can see what was discussed in writing, I cannot trust him.

[vippy]

06:54 PM on 09/23/2011

We need another one, who talks to god and gets direction!  How utterly insane.  If there was a god he/she/it would have made sure they have a brain.

[Robert A Alba]

06:33 PM on 09/23/2011

The only time this hypocrite has been on his knees in the past 30 years is when he needs to assume the position in the tonsil hockey mambo usually referred to as campaighn fund raising.

[sophiajim]

12:06 AM on 09/24/2011

Or meeting with the Koch Brothers which he does quite offten