In the fall of 1981, I arrived from Canada to attend university in the States (as we like to call the U.S.A.). Not a big culture shock (M&Ms instead of Smarties, 'center' instead of 'centre') but I was quite struck at how the President always ended his speeches saying God bless you and God bless the United States of America. I had no real objection to this - if you believe in God, surely it is reasonable to hope for His blessing - it was just jarring. A Canadian politician wouldn't dream of this formulation. I guess it would just be too presumptious, surely God has more important things to worry about than lil' ol' Canada; or divisive, if God blesses Canada, does that mean He opposes an independent Quebec?
In any case, now a junior in college, I noted with surprise in 1984 that the Democratic candidate - though the son of a preacher - did not ask God's blessings upon the land, and then got stomped in the general election. Though drifting into atheism, I suppose my childhood faith associated these two facts.
In 1988, Bush pere was obviously uncomfortable with the God bless America ending, but he gritted his teeth and spit it out while, again, the Democrat again oddly, perversely refused. Result: another landslide. Now solidly atheist, I began to interpret this coincedence sociologically.
The clincher came in 1992, when this southern Democrat came on the scene and started ending his speeches - with apparent sincere conviction, and a nice added southernist 'you all' - God Bless you all and God bless the [or better yet, these] United States of America. Sure enough: big win followed by even bigger win in 1996.
Well, we all know what happened in 2000. All the predictive models based on the economy on peace and prosperity predicted a Gore landslide, but they left out one little variable ...
Then 2004. Naturally I was in despair that - the pathetically unpopular Holy Joe aside - not a candidate in the bunch could spit out a simple God bless you. Having lived in New England for half these two decades, I could understand how this was hard for Dean and Kerry. But Edwards? What's the use of nominating a southerner if he can't regurgitate a simple God bless you. I'm sure that's all it would have taken to carry Tennessee, Virginia, and Georgia.
But with all hope fading, a schocking breakthrough from the most unlikely source - Ur-New Englander John Kerry, after his narrow Wisconsin win, ends his speech with an awkward, teeth-gritting, soul-wrenching, staccato, tough-to-pick-up, but yes, he did say it: "God bless". Hey, you're 1/4 of the way there. Then last night, flush with victory and November in view, Kerry shows yet again that he's willing to do anything, to say anything, to win. He ends with a clearly enunciated: God bless you and God bless this America we love so much. Unnecessary freelancing on the formula at the end there, John, but still, hope for Democrats in 2004.
God bless you John Kerry - you're going to need it...