# Gov. Pataki and God have Breakfast with Their Pals **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 12, 2004, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-pataki-and-god-have-breakfast-with-their-pals/244777 "2004-05-12T12:57:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-pataki-and-god-have-breakfast-with-their-pals/244777/1 "2004-05-12T12:57:56Z")
I’m not shocked, I’m not outraged, I’m just very, very weary . . . _NY Times_, May 12—Mixing piety with Republican politics, Gov. George E. Pataki welcomed Laura Bush as the guest of honor at his annual prayer breakfast on Tuesday, using the occasion to praise both God and the president. “God is good to America because America is good to its people,” the governor said, to applause from a hall packed with 1,500 guests, some having paid as much as $1,000 a table to join in the prayers. Turning to the first lady, Mr. Pataki said he was “very grateful to you and to the president for his tremendous leadership.” The governor and Mrs. Bush said God would help lead America to victory in Iraq. “We pray for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, that they may live in peace and freedom,” Mrs. Bush said. Democrats and government watchdog groups view Mr. Pataki’s prayer breakfasts as little more than political exercises dressed up in religious clothing. This year, after it was announced that Mrs. Bush would be the guest of honor and ticket prices were increased, the state’s attorney general, Eliot Spitzer, began looking into the matter. In his speech, Mr. Pataki noted that the breakfast was not meant to support any one faith. “When you think of our country, we are a country of faith,” he said. “When you think of our state, we are state of faith. Not one faith, but many faiths. Christians and Jews, Muslims and Hindus, Buddhist and Sikh.” Each guest was given a CD produced by the American Bible Society to celebrate the occasion: “God’s Word Changes Lives: A Gospel of Mark Audio Dramatization.” ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-pataki-and-god-have-breakfast-with-their-pals/244777/2 "2004-05-12T13:01:41Z")
I don’t think my eyes roll back far enough. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-pataki-and-god-have-breakfast-with-their-pals/244777/3 "2004-05-12T13:03:01Z")
**Eve** , you know I’m an ardent atheist, but prayer breakfasts are just a meaningless ritual every politician engages in for fundraising. It appeases the credulous and gives even the most venal political hack an air of piety. After all, a canny pol knows to bow down to the local idols. There aere other battles to fight. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-pataki-and-god-have-breakfast-with-their-pals/244777/4 "2004-05-12T13:26:44Z")
Clinton sure attended his share. I think the only thing noteworthy in this story is the fact that Spitzer, a man whowill investigate anything if it will give him political advantage, is opening up a file on this. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-pataki-and-god-have-breakfast-with-their-pals/244777/5 "2004-05-12T13:32:24Z")
I think what disgusted me most was the “Our God can beat up your God” rhetoric (the _last_ thing we need right now) and the amusing juxtaposition of, “_When you think of our country, we are a country of faith," he said. "When you think of our state, we are state of faith. Not one faith, but many faiths. Christians and Jews, Muslims and Hindus, Buddhist and Sikh._” and _Each guest was given a CD produced by the American Bible Society to celebrate the occasion: "God’s Word Changes Lives: A Gospel of Mark Audio Dramatization._" ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-pataki-and-god-have-breakfast-with-their-pals/244777/6 "2004-05-12T13:39:05Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > I think what disgusted me most was the “Our God can beat up your God” rhetoric (the _last_ thing we need right now) and the amusing juxtaposition of, “_When you think of our country, we are a country of faith," he said. "When you think of our state, we are state of faith. Not one faith, but many faiths. Christians and Jews, Muslims and Hindus, Buddhist and Sikh._” and _Each guest was given a CD produced by the American Bible Society to celebrate the occasion: "God’s Word Changes Lives: A Gospel of Mark Audio Dramatization._" That last was my favorite part too. “[Christmas is] a time when people of all religions celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ” [/Simpsons] ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-pataki-and-god-have-breakfast-with-their-pals/244777/7 "2004-05-12T13:58:21Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Democrats and government watchdog groups view Mr. Pataki’s prayer breakfasts as little more than political exercises dressed up in religious clothing. I think the Hypocrats need some new watchdogs. People in glass houses and whatnot. During the [Michigan Caucuses](http://www.freep.com/news/politics/mcamp7_20040207.htm), for example: “Kerry’s appearance at a Detroit prayer breakfast with the ministers was designed to counter criticism that the Democratic candidates had ignored vote-rich Detroit before the caucuses. Voter turnout in the city is critical to Democratic presidential candidates.” ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-pataki-and-god-have-breakfast-with-their-pals/244777/8 "2004-05-12T14:09:36Z")
Oh, I don’t let the Democrats off the hook, either. Remember when Howard Dean put himself forth as the secular candidate, till his numbers dropped? Then it was “Jesus Jesus Jesus!” day and night. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-pataki-and-god-have-breakfast-with-their-pals/244777/9 "2004-05-12T14:53:15Z")
I don’t remember Howard Dean, but I take your word for it. I’m more of the age where I remember Jimmy Carter. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-pataki-and-god-have-breakfast-with-their-pals/244777/10 "2004-05-12T14:53:51Z")
At the behest of an environmental group I wrote letters to 2 Texas politicos. The guys are on a committee that could change rules regarding landfills, without public input. Anyway, at the end of the letters I added the phrase “May God continue to bless Texas and the USA”. I never say things like that, and I never include it in writings, but in Texas that sort of thing plays well. Since so much of politics is about lip-service and window dressing, I don’t doubt that some (many?) candidates play the religion card. And as long as they don’t support teaching scientific creation or crap like that, I don’t really care. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-pataki-and-god-have-breakfast-with-their-pals/244777/11 "2004-05-12T15:10:12Z")
> [@](#): > > “God is good to America because America is good to its people,” the governor said, to applause from a hall packed with 1,500 guests, some having paid as much as $1,000 a table to join in the prayers. I wonder if the good governor tithed those donations. And Lib, I cen remember Eve being quite outspoken in hor opposition to Joe Lieberman’s “Godding about” in the 2000 presidential campaign. She’s not being hypocritical. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-pataki-and-god-have-breakfast-with-their-pals/244777/12 "2004-05-12T15:41:13Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > And Lib, I cen remember Eve being quite outspoken in hor opposition to Joe Lieberman’s “Godding about” in the 2000 presidential campaign. She’s not being hypocritical. Oh, I don’t think **Lib** was accusing _me_ of hypocrisy, just the politicians. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-pataki-and-god-have-breakfast-with-their-pals/244777/13 "2004-05-12T15:46:05Z")
Eve is as far from being a hypocrite as the east is from the west. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-pataki-and-god-have-breakfast-with-their-pals/244777/14 "2004-05-12T15:49:26Z")
> [@Libertarian](#): > > Eve is as far from being a hypocrite as the east is from the west. Thanks—but on Fifth Avenue, only a few feet separate East from West . . . ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-pataki-and-god-have-breakfast-with-their-pals/244777/15 "2004-05-12T18:35:15Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > “God is good to America because America is good to its people,” the governor said Therefore, by extension, God is bad to Iraq because America is bad to Iraq? My head hurts. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-pataki-and-god-have-breakfast-with-their-pals/244777/16 "2004-05-12T18:43:29Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Thanks—but on Fifth Avenue, only a few feet separate East from West . . . But only below 59th Street, above which we have the whole width of Central Park keeping east as east and west as west, with the twain not meeting unless you take the M79 bus. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-pataki-and-god-have-breakfast-with-their-pals/244777/17 "2004-05-12T18:51:22Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > My head hurts. Al-Qaeda can fix that for you. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-pataki-and-god-have-breakfast-with-their-pals/244777/18 "2004-05-12T18:51:26Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Therefore, by extension, God is bad to Iraq because America is bad to Iraq? > > My head hurts. No, no . . . Iraq’s god is _trying_ to be good to Iraqis, but our god can whup their god’s ass and leave him in the alley, whimpering like a leedle girl. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-pataki-and-god-have-breakfast-with-their-pals/244777/19 "2004-05-13T00:47:05Z")
While the very idea of prayer breakfasts has always skeeved me out, I must confess to a fascinated curiosity: What kind of food do they serve at a prayer breakfast? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-pataki-and-god-have-breakfast-with-their-pals/244777/20 "2004-05-13T00:48:18Z")
Fishes and loaves. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gov-pataki-and-god-have-breakfast-with-their-pals/244777.md?page=2)