"A living prophet that has a direct line to God" was one of the dubious public figures that joined Bobby Jindal at a prayer rally this weekend.
Televangelist Cindy Jacobs, who claims to possess the ability to raise people back from the dead, joined the Republican governor of Louisiana for an event called "The Response," which many speculated to be the kickoff to his presidential campaign. It was held Saturday at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, despite protests from students and faculty.
On Friday's episode of The Rachel Maddow Show,Rachel Maddow reviewed the many bizarre claims of the self-proclaimed prophet. In addition to the revival of a dead child in Pakistan, Jacobs claimed that she was able to curtail the number of deaths at a past shooting at the Washington Naval Yard.
She also claimed that the repeal of "Don't ask, don't tell" was responsible for the deaths of thousands of fish and birds, which "fell out of the air" once gays and lesbians were allowed to serve in the military.
Jacobs had joined Rick Perry at a similar event in Texas in 2011, which had preceded Perry's own announcement of a White House bid by several days. While the rally did not ultimately succeed in securing Perry a seat in the Oval Office, Jacobs claimed it did cleanse the land from a history of cannibalism by Native Americans.
In the segment, Maddow speculated that the event was an attempt to establish Jindal as the most right-wing of the presidential candidates, yet questioned the wisdom of partnering with bedfellows like Jacobs, as well as the event's antigay sponsor, the American Family Association.
Watch the segment below.
