Only the Bible Can Save Mark Pryor From Obamacare

Mark Pryor

"I'm not ashamed to say that I believe in God, and I believe in His word," says Sen. Mark Pryor in his new campaign ad. Pryor, an Arkansas Democrat widely seen as one of America's most vulnerable congressional incumbents, spends the entirety of the 30-second ad holding a Bible in front of the camera, and outlining how the Bible (and presumably, not Barack Obama) guides his every move. "Neither political party is always right," Pryor says.

"This is my compass, my North Star," Pryor adds, as he waves his Bible between his body and the camera. "It gives me comfort and guidance to do what’s best for Arkansas.” The ad was first obtained by ABC's KATV, and later posted to the senator's YouTube channel. 

There is nothing new — or shameful — about politicians discussing their faith in the course of their political work. Almost everyone, including Barack Obama, does it strategically. Pryor's Bible ad is apparently an attempt to soften the tone of what promises to be a bitter 2014 campaign around Christmas time. But it's doubtful that Pryor's primary intent is to praise the virtues of God.

Pryor, who supported the Affordable Care Act, is already fighting against a dramatic approval rating drop in the deeply religious state, coinciding with the disastrous roll-out of the Healthcare.gov exchange site. And as The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week, the senator's Republican challenger Rep. Tom Cotton is going hard against the conservative Democrat's record of supporting Obamacare.