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SFist Tonight
Billed by some as "Obama’s first big mistake," gay activists are livid with President-elect Barack Obama over choosing Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration in January. Warren, senior pastor of Saddleback Church in Orange County, is a conservative evangelical minister who backed prop 8, the same-sex marriage ban. (Warren defended himself in a recent interview, saying, "I have many gay friends. I’ve eaten dinner in gay homes. No church has probably done more for people with AIDS than Saddleback Church.") Noted gay rights leaders like Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solomonese and Courage Campaign chair Rick Jacobs have voiced their extreme disappointment in Obama. The choice, however, is also being called "a conciliatory gesture toward social conservatives who opposed [Obama] in November."
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It's great to reach out to conservative Christians, but is this really the best way to do that? I mean, my God, it's one thing to have *a* conservative Christian read the invocation, it's another to pick a major Christian crusader.
I'm wondering what Obama's reaction would have been if someone had suggested having David Duke as part of the program as a way to reach out to white southerners.
Correction, Rick, you had many gay friends, pre Nov 4.
The guy's name is what matters. Anyone who will be reassured about the Obama administration by the presence of a crazy preacher on inauguration day will just have to see his name on the list of speakers to be reassured. Picking someone less high-profile would require more people actually finding who he or she was to get the same effect.
Anyway, the guy gets to talk for a minute or two on inauguration day; he's not getting put in charge of H&HS or anything like that.
Rick Warren is a closet-case and a child-diddler.
I am utterly disgusted with Obama's pick of this bigot to give the invocation. But what can you expect, Obama also campaigned with that pastor, what was his name? The crazy guy who insisted you could "pray the gay away"?
Anyone who thought Obama was some giant paragon of progressiveness seriously had their head up their ass.
James Meeks, that's the one. Obama listed him as one of his spiritual advisors, along with Michael Pfleger. Pfleger is the white, catholic priest who went on a racist rant against Hillary Clinton during the campaign. Meeks is the hardcore homophobe, named by the Southern Poverty Law Center as one of the top 10 black religious voices in the anti-gay movement.
Obama surrounds himself with bigots, and again, if anyone thought he was some great hope for the gay community, they were simply not paying attention.
And he's appointed people who hate women (Summers), hate Chinese (Richardson, oppressor of Wen Ho Lee), Bush administration lackeys (Gates), he's been president elect for over 8 weeks and we're STILL in Iraq. And still Nancy Pelosi won't support impeachment!
If you ever have the opportunity to have dinner in a gay home, ask for the gay chicken. It's to die for. Or try the snap peas stuffed with gay Boursin.
shrug
Yeah, this is pretty fucking lame of him.
@bluecanary Donnie McLurken. (also Mary Mary was on that tour)
Reconciliation, because those guys are so sh!t upon, I mean they have to put up with happy married gay couples in 2 whole states.
"I have friends who are bi-curious and I bought the red iPod to combat AIDS."
Donnie McLurken! thank you. That was driving me crazy.
Instead of bitching and moaning about Obama's great betrayal like a bunch of drama queens, someone out there in America needs to suggest a religious figure to perform this two second cameo appearance who will appeal to the Christianist fascists and yet was either a.) opposed to Prop 8, or b.) not involved in the Prop 8 battle. Have any suggestions for an alternative been made?
*crickets*
Barry has made it clear from the get go that he will be president of us all, not just the left leaning side of the country. Partisanship of the neocon variety is supposed to be dead. This means he has to attempt to build bridges between disparate groups of people in some attempt to maintain cooperation on some level. This is his concession towards the crazies. The important stuff that these knuckle draggers care about (e.g., abstinence only education, "don't ask, don't tell", DOMA, etc.) is all going to be tossed upon the ash heap under the Obama Administration. So, let them have their idiotic preacher who eats dinner in gay houses give a two minute "invocation" at his inaugural. Who cares?
Why are we projecting every last hope and dream alive onto this guy? He's a politician, not St. Barack of Obama, savior of us all.
and for perspective: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/12/18/115142/58/762/674536
it would seem that this choice also has right-wing heads exploding as well (i.e. how COULD Rev. Warren pray with...with...that socialist Muslim)
Angering the left AND the reich?
That is home cooking!
Why are we projecting every last hope and dream alive onto this guy?
I guess people figure it worked so well for Bush.
Obama sold out his own church over misappropriated sound bites. He then brings in a hardcore evangelical. The pandering at the door is getting a little loud.
Well I for one don't think we *should* appeal to a group of right wing christian facists. We don't appeal to the KKK or the aryan brotherhood, and quite frankly, I don't see much difference between the three groups.
and if Obama wants to be so "inclusive" where is the atheist speaker, and the Muslim, and the Buddhist, and the...etc., etc., etc.? God should be taken out of the inaugeration and our government altogether. He's a terrible party guest and causes nothing but trouble.
We don't have enough votes to ignore the right wing christian fascists. It would be nice if we did, but right now to win anything nationally you have to include at least some of them.
I'm with bluecanary, where's the outrage over having an adminited christian invoved in his inaguration?
Have them get their damn church out of our state!
According to Salon.com:
The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, run by the House and Senate, put together the program for the swearing-in ceremony. Congress, not Obama, invited Warren.
So... yeah.
Well, that's not what Obama himself is saying, and I love salon, but let's face it, Obama could make a statement that all gays should burn in eternal hellfire and damnation and salon would find a way to sugarcoat it.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/12/18/national/w064252S75.DTL&tsp=1
All it is is a prayer.
Now, I don't pray. But if I did - it seems like it might be nice to take a moment and pray with someone you rarely (if ever) agree with.
It certainly sounds more fun than arguing about it.
Nope. Arguing is more fun than praying. Believe me, I've done both. And praying with someone who's viewpoint you despise? Yeah, I've done that, too. It sucks.
Your tongue gets all bloody from the biting.
As an Obama supporter since 2007, all I can say now is: Hillary in 2012.
WTF?? You think Hillary Clinton would be different? She also opposes same sex marriage. For fuck's sake, people, wake up.
Dennis Kucinich is the only candidate that I remember as saying flat out that he supports gay marriage. And universal, single payer health coverage that keeps the insurance companies from determining what type of health care we get (if any).
Hillary Clinton, *slams head on keyboard*. yeah, she's all about PROGRESS.
PRick Warren.
Oh yeah? Well, HITLER! There! Conversation over.
Mike Gravel was the first of the democratic candidates to wholeheartedly support marriage freedom. Just sayin'...
Politicians who wish to remain politicians stick with the majority. The stupid, stupid majority.
Here's what Pres-Elect Obama had to say TODAY due to all the outrage--->
"I am fierce advocate for equality for gay and—well, let me start by talking about my own views. I think it is no secret that I am a fierce advocate for equality for gay and lesbian Americans. It is something I have been consistent on and something I intend to continue to be consistent on during my presidency."
Even though he will be praying with someone who thinks differently.
For balance, now he only needs someone from the Aryan Nation.
I do think the more hell raised about this decision, the better.
@redseca2
Like I always say, "Just add an Eskimo in a wheelchair and you've got the Burger King Kids Club"
I drink a lot.
that's ok phlavor, we all do. just sayin'...
Obama should have joined invited Tom Cruise and his gay lover David Miscavige to preach about the benefits of Scientology instead.
Would have been a lot more interested (and just as bigoted.)