It's not been a particularly good press week for two well known misogynists: Rick Warren and Larry Summers. Both men were early selections of President Obama.
If we are to judge our president by whom he surrounds himself with, then what do Obama's selections of Warren and Summers tell us? That Obama's version of diversity does not include gay and women's rights. And in fact, the selection of Warren and Summers will likely be a continual source of salt on the wound of inequality.
President Obama's Inauguration was presided over by Rick Warren. Although Warren is perhaps best known for his opposition to gay rights, he also believes that women are second class citizens. Specifically, Warren's Saddleback Church has encouraged battered wives to stay in their abusive relationships. Hundreds of viewers wrote on our blog about their personal experiences at the hand of Rick Warren's church. Saddleback Church's advice to abused wives: "she" should make a better meal, or "she" should keep the home cleaner, or be a better wife - then "she" wouldn't deserve the beating that her husband delivered.
Warren is back in the news this past weekend for his ties with a Ugandan pastor who is helping to spearhead legislation which, if enacted, would result in the execution of HIV-positive gay men. Warren's unwillingness to condone this legislation sheds further light on his beliefs. How shocking it is to fathom that Obama would choose to be inaugurated by a man so antithetical to any brand of diversity.
Larry Summers, Obama's pick for Director of the National Economic Council, also made news this Sunday. This time a Boston Globe article revealed that Summers ignored warnings about investments while at Harvard, costing the University's endowment $1.8 billion.
Obama's 2008 selection of Summers was troubling. Summers is infamous for a speech he delivered while President at Harvard where he claimed that girls were genetically inferior in mathematics and science. Summers also has a history of being unable to work well with others - especially women.
In 1998, Brooksley Born, then chairwoman of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission, warned Alan Greenspan, Robert Rubin, and Larry Summers of the risks inherent in not regulating derivatives - the esoteric instruments that would eventually tank our economy.
Michael Greenberger, a senior director at the commission at the time, noted: "Brooksley was this woman who was not playing tennis with these guys and not having lunch with these guys. There was a little bit of the feeling that this woman was not of Wall Street." Summers chastised Born that her suggestion would hurt financial markets, so shush! We all know how this story ended.
Summers also refused to heed the warnings of another woman, Iris Mack, while at Harvard. When Iris expressed concern about that Harvard was inadequately managing the risk inherent in derivative products held in its portfolio, what did Summers do? Fire her.
Finally, Obama's appointed Summers despite his ties to the same Wall Street firms that he is meant to watch over. In 2008, Summers was paid over $5 million from DE Shaw, one of the largest hedge funds in the world. Summers also received $2.7 million from some of the Wall Street banks that were recipients of government bailout money in 2008. Also in 2008, Summers was paid $135,000 by Goldman Sachs to deliver one speech -- the same Goldman Sachs that was the single biggest beneficiary of money that was drained out of AIG.
There's an old adage: you roll with dogs, you get fleas. Well President Obama must be pretty darn itchy right about now. Obama's selection of Warren and Summers is a constant reminder of where women and gays stand in Obama's pecking order.
The wunder boys of finance with whom President Obama has surrounded Himself appear to be not only dangerously clueless with respect to the economy itself (Geithner/Summers-who himself got fired from Harvard for mismanagement!) but also suffering from an extreme overdose of sexism that cannot be camouflaged. Rubin, Summers' and Geitner's boss backin l996 told Brooksley Born to shut up and tried to prevent her from publishing her Concepts paper where she exposed the Credit Default Swaps as the most dangerous form of financial derivatives. That other fool, Greenspan had lunch with that brave woman Ms Born and told her "we don't need to control fraud. Markets do that themselves! What fraud?"!
Then Obama starts bowing and kissing Faith posteriors of the likes of this Warren neanderthal who'd gladly have "gays and women move to the back of the bus!".
Just watch PBS' "The Warning" doc.-- you'll soon see how right Amy Siskind is in her great analysis of the Obama misogynists!
And remember Obama's own code sexist comment re his female opponent:
"Periodically, she feels 'down' and starts launching attacks against me to boost her appeal"
"Her claws are comin' out" "She's likeable enough"
Well, sweetie, start educating yerself!
The President is a man who has been surrounded by strong women his entire life, by choice and by chance, and appears to be totally comfortable in such company.
Obama has Valerie Jarrett, Christine Romer, Kathleen Sebilius, Hilda Solis, Hilary Clinton, Janet Napolitano, Lisa Jackson, Sheila Bair and Susan Rice as a few women who have Obama's ear. Not to mention his working with Nancy Pelosi has a big impact on Obama.
I find it troubling that the writer left out the fact that Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter law as one of his first laws he signed giving women the same rights as men on the job.
"President Obama's Inauguration was presided over by Rick Warren."
Rick Warren gave the invocation, he didn't preside over the inauguration. Reverend Joseph E. Lowery gave the benediction. Lowery is a staunch supporter of gay and women's rights. Why did the writer fail to mention this fact? While I agree that Warren is a bigot, his reading of the invocation does not mean he has Obama's ear.
Obama doesn't listen to Larry Summers when it comes to some kind of misogyny. However, with his horrendous economic record he shouldn't be given the time of day. But I'm pretty sure Obama's experiences with being brought up by a single mother and all her struggles and having a strong woman such as Michelle as his spouse is far more influential when it comes to womens issues.
This author is bat-s#@t crazy just like her hero Palin.
But your choice of premise baffles me: 'Guilt by association' is a pig that just doesn't fly. Republicans gave that very same premise every last bit of wherewithal during the '08 campaign (Ayers). Unsuccessfully.
I'm curious why you, apparently, believe you'll more successfully pull off the flying-pig magic trick, when the Republican masters of campaign illusion could not.
Warren said a prayer at the inauguration - period. Obama has always said he intended to work towards incorporating all sides of all issues to find a central position that would benefit everyone. Like it or not (and I don't), Warren is a piece of that.
I don't like having Summers in the position he is in simply because of his professional history but I'm not about to equate his personal misogynistic proclivities with Obama's.
In a book written by Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Failing America's Faithful, she actually lifts Rick Warren up as a person who is very generous and had a dramatic change of heart in his life. Maybe you should check this out as well.....it's mentioned in the last few pages.
I also do not believe your statement that Rick Warren is encouraging battered women to stay with their abusive husbands! Looking at this from a Biblical perspective only, women certainly have grounds to leave when they are being abused! Therefore, it would be counter to God's Word for him to promote this action. There are many Christian based organizations and churches that either operate or contribute to shelters housing women and their children who have had to flee their homes in fear of their husbands.
As a whole within this nation you will see both tendencies through out all races. And all upbringings.
But on a large scale African Americans are typically not homophobic nor misogynistic. Of course you have to be mindful of different age groups, backgrounds, etc. But as a whole, I would say look towards your caucasian brethrens before any African Americans.
A) Runs with ward heelers, consults astrologers, chain-smokes, drinks half a dozen martinis a day, affects an elitist image, and cheats on his wife with multiple mistresses
B) Thrown out of office twice, sleeps until noon every day, drinks a large amount of brandy before going to bed every night, smokes cigars, and used drugs in college
C) Decorated combat veteran who reinvigorated his nation's collapsed economy, never smokes, only has the occasional beer, and never once cheated on his wife