December 18, 2008
Obama now drawing fire for keeping his campaign promises
Filed by Lance at 12:47 pm under Activism, Fightin' Words, GOP, Gay Agenda, General, Politics, Religion, Social Issues
As a sure sign that we’ve elected the right man for the job, Mr. President-Elect is in hot water with some of his most ardent supporters for doing exactly what we elected him to do… it’s just that he’s not only going to do it with his most ardent supporters.
The lineup for Obama’s inauguration ceremony was announced yesterday, which includes Rick Warren delivering the Invocation. Rick Warren is the pastor of Saddleback [mega-]Church in Lake Forest, California and author of The Purpose Driven Life, which is one of my Mom’s favorites, and which I never finished reading. Warren has been credited with broadening Evangelical’s focus to social issues that aren’t gay marriage and abortion, including AIDS and poverty, which can be like getting a rabid bulldog to recite Milton.
It’s no secret that Warren supported Proposition 8, and is opposed to abortion and stem-cell research, and when the Inauguration committee released the news Warren will pray at No. 44’s Oath of Office, The Human Rights Campaign sent this letter to Mr. President-Elect:
By inviting Rick Warren to your inauguration, you have tarnished the view that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans have a place at your table.[via]
Wrong.
Announcing more financial appointments this morning, Obama addressed the issue:
I am a fierce advocate of equality for gay and lesbian Americans. It is something that I have been consistent on and something that I intend to continue to be consistent on in my presidency.[via]
By inviting Rick Warren to his inauguration, Obama has concretized the idea that he will seek the voices of those with whom he disagrees. As he promised those who didn’t vote for him on November 4th, “I will be your President, too.”
Despite how you or I feel about Rick Warren, the idea that LGBT Americans are going to be shut out from the Obamastration now that a committed moral conservative (and fairly fiscally liberal guy) is going to pray over the ceremony is absurd. This is the lawmaker Conservatives loved to taunt with “the most liberal voting record in the Senate.” We elected this guy to listen to both sides of the aisle, and offer us Unity within We The People’s many disagreements. You may not like Warren and his views, but a President who gives Warren’s view of the world a cold shoulder is only repeating one of the Bush “administration’s” many, many, many mistakes, only from the opposite side of the aisle.
If we call a mirror image of a mistake an improvement, we haven’t been paying attention.
I wasn’t initially sure what to think after hearing the news about Warren this morning. My initial cynical side said that Obama is pandering to the religious right (viz. above, “rabid bulldog”). If that’s true (it’s not), Obama is an idiot (he’s not) because Warren is only going to piss off the left (it did) and isn’t going to make the re-right any happier (as if) with him.
This particular controversy has made me even more excited about Renegade’s presidency. He’s started out by making a decision that’s unpopular with onc side, and fairly neutral with the other. All indications say he invited Warren because it’s the right thing to do. Warren invited Obama and McCain (remember him!?) to speak at Saddleback and let their voices be heard, even though Warren knew of Obama’s moral views.
Way to disagree, Mr. President-Elect.
I’m surprised as well at the outrage about this choice of invocation speaker. Personally, I don’t care; Warren is just the invocation speaker. He’s there to read out of the Bible and lead a prayer. Not to diminish the importance of this event, but really, is Rick Warren’s speech going to even leave a lasting memory in people’s minds? Probably not. Unless it’s full of fire and brimstone, it will probably go softly into the night. And it’s not likely that any civil rights issues will be addressed in his presentation.
Besides, “Speaker at Inauguration” is a lot less weighty in determining policy than “Chief of Staff,” and we all know Emanuel’s on the side of good. So I’d say Obama’s “record” is defensible and I remain optimistic about his administration.
** EDIT **
One thing I should note: I knew that Warren was obnoxiously anti-gay and hugely in favor of Prop 8 like a zillion other pastors, but I just learned that Warren’s church very specifically does not welcome “unrepentant” gay people into his church. I still think people are making a bigger deal out of it than they really need to, because – seriously – who’s going to remember anything Rick Warren said in four months’ time? The thing that does concern me, though, is that his church won’t let them in if they consider them sinners; they are essentially banned from his megachurch.
Really, I can’t imagine that Obama wanted to exclude gay Americans from his inaugural prayer. Can we maintain hope, in this light, that Obama’s aim is to lead the leaders by showing openness in the face of closed minds?
I doubt there would be so much hurt among the gay community — myself included — had Prop 8 not passed. As it is, however, we’re still stinging from it, thus Warren’s presence at the inauguration is seen as tantamount to a wholesale rejection of all LGBT Americans. While I realize this isn’t true, I’m fed up with the great lengths taken to appease conservative Christians; perhaps this is where the negative response is rooted. Additionally, Obama’s position on gay marriage is a purely political one, and we all know it. By this I mean that if one is openly in favor of equal rights and benefits for gay and lesbian couples, it stands to reason that one would then refer to those unions as marriage. But he doesn’t. And it’s disingenuous. Add Rick Warren; simmer.
Frankly, I don’t think it’s too much to ask that Obama choose a minister who echoes his cries for equality and inclusion, and I fail to see how doing so would be in conflict with the promises he has made.