Why would Hillary Clinton’s former Sunday school teacher publicly ask her if she’s a Christian and then act relieved when the Senator answered in the affirmative? That’s what God-o-Meter wondered as it read about such an exchange on ABC News’ Political Radar:
Sen. Hillary Clinton got a surprise from her past at a rally in Donnellson, Iowa Tuesday evening. After a woman asked Clinton if she was Christian — Clinton replied that she was. The woman breathed a sigh of relief and said ” “Ok, that’s really important to me. God be with you. Clinton replied “and also with you.”
After that there was some commotion in the audience. A woman said “your Sunday school teacher,” and at first Clinton did not seem to follow what she was saying. When Clinton looked over she saw Rosalie Bentzinger, who was the Director of Religious Education First Methodist Church in Park Ridge, Illinois. She evidently instructed Clinton when she was a girl. Clinton, who seemed pleased, rushed over to give the woman a big hug.
The Clinton campaign assured reporters that the questioner was not a plant – and Clinton didn’t know she would be in the audience.
Bentzinger lives in Iowa and has been campaigning for Clinton. She brought with her a picture of the New York Senator in the 8th grade and said that Clinton was a great student.
God-o-Meter will take the campaign’s word that Bentzinger wasn’t a plant–that and the fact that a ravenous press corps hasn’t reported otherwise–but God-o-Meter wonders whether Clinton’s attempts to humanize herself in the days before the Iowa caucuses will produce moments in which she does actively discuss her faith. For now, God-o-Meter thinks her “9″ rating is a tad high.
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posted December 21, 2007 at 6:29 pm
Miss Bentzinger was definitely not a plant. I just waited on her here at the Donnellson Library, and she said that she was told that there are some blogs out there claiming she was from Illinois, a plant, etc. Also, she was not the person who asked the question, “Are you a Christian.” However, other people in the audience knew that they had gone to the same church in the past, and that she did youth services there, and brought up the information. I think most people in the audience in Donnellson were embarrassed by the woman who asked her if she was a Christian. Here in Donnellson, that is considered a personal question.