Sen. Landrieu: Beck ‘preaching a gospel that never has existed’

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) fired back at Glenn Beck’s Restoring Honor rally on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday, saying his call to faith was nothing new and should include a call to help the poor.

“God’s been a big part of this country since we began,” said Landrieu, being interviewed in New Orleans for the Katrina anniversary with her brother, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. “Glenn Beck’s idea is not new,” she added, stressing that the Gulf region survived on faith after being devastated by the hurricane five years ago.

Landrieu said Beck had said the Gulf Coast could be rebuilt by private industry after the storm and flooding, but said out of 200,000 homes lost only about 5,000 had been rebuilt by nonprofits.

“He is preaching a gospel that never has existed, doesn’t exist today and never will,” Landrieu said. “We follow the gospel, Mitch and I do, of Jesus Christ; we know what to do.”

The senator said that when no one else was there to help the region’s residents, “God was here.”