Obama's Faith Based Office an Insult to Women

President Obama attended the annual National Prayer Breakfast yesterday and used the opportunity to tout the reconstitution and expansion of George W. Bush's Office on Faith Based Initiatives. In his remarks the president said he didn't want to favor one religion over another, or "even religious groups over secular groups." But in fact, that's just what he's doing.

National women's organizations have been lobbying Obama, who has said he is a feminist, to reopen the White House Office on Women's Issues. So far the answer is a big fat no - women's concerns will be under the already swamped Office of Public Liaison. That's a tiny shop that's chronically understaffed and overstretched. Even with the best intentions, there's almost no chance they can interface with women's advocates in a meaningful way, much less shape policy to overcome the many setbacks we inherited from the Bush years.

In a direct insult to women, George W. Bush closed the Clinton-era White House Office on Women's Issues in his first week, then ensconced the first-ever church/state liaison office in the same space. For our new president to "keep the faith" with religious groups while short-shrifting women is equally insulting. There is no doubt that women are responsible for his election. Females went for Obama by 56 percent to McCain's 43 percent, while men split their votes about evenly. The Jesus crowd, on the other hand, voted 60% against the president.

The newly constituted "office for faith-based programs and community partnerships" will be headed by Joshua DuBois, a 26-year-old Pentecostal preacher and Obama confidant, who will preside over a task force of 25 or so religious and community leaders. This group will give DuBois advice, which will presumably be passed on to the president.

To accord this advisory panel so much power, while relegating women to the margins, speaks volumes. Religious groups gained a lot from the Bush years - access to the White House, and millions of dollars in federal money, some of which was used to proselytize. And don't forget, almost all faiths consider women second class citizens; many actively campaign against affirmative action, the Women's Equality Amendment, the international human rights treaty for women known as CEDAW, and civil rights for gays and lesbians. Keeping this act going - even if it is broadened to include "community members" - is not the change women voted for.

It's not too late for President Obama to change his mind and give the majority - women - a place at the table by re-opening the White House Office on Women's Issues. If he really does support women as he claims, restoring the losses of the last eight years on reproductive rights, enforcement of Title IX, Medicaid funding, and employment protections should be given a higher priority than keeping the religious right happy for what promises to be a very short honeymoon.

Women's groups are elated that the Texans are finally out of the White House. But if the new president wants their continuing loyalty, he ought to follow some good ol' Texas advice: Dance with the one that brung ya.

Comments

[TrishJ]

Obama was elected to be the president of the U.S. If his family life and love life with his wife is too burdensome for him to carry out his other duties, he should RESIGN. If he can't handle more then one issue at a time-as in considering womens' issues WHILE creating a faith based initiative-he should RESIGN. All Obama did with the Ledbetter legislation was put his name on the paper. He has created a massive infrastructure for faith based funding and promoted it all over the nation. Big difference. And he didn't support the FAir Pay Act, which was more important to women, and he conceded funding for contraception and family planning for poor women.

Obama is getting done what will benefit him politically. He thinks women HAVE to vote for him. He will soon find out they don't have to. There are so many Obama apologists on this blog and other blogs counseling "patience" with every other sentence. The great Obama has made his positions clear. I think most of him who are critical are reading his intentions correctly and should act accordingly.

[Hal Sparks]

Gotta love autofill - EDIT
Wow. Anything that doesn't happen immediately is a sign of a permanent attitude?
The man has a wife, Two daughters and a mother in Law living with him and was raised by his mother. Whom he calls the most important person in his life. Maybe..jus­t..maybe..­. there is something better in store. Perhaps the Faith initiative is a way of wrestling back the Christian movement in this country from the zealots and whackos... which would benefit women to start... and perhaps there are better ways to address women's issues than that particular program... either way to assume that he somehow degrades women by not acting in a way that is in line with past Presidents is absurd. It is symptomatic of the enemy fixation that we have had in this country for far too long. If he is not with us then he is against us? Is that what you're saying?

[Hal Sparks]

Wow. Anything that doesn't happen immediately is a sign of a permanent attitude?
The man has a wife, Two daughters and a mother in Law living with him and was raised by his mother. Whom he calls the most important person in his life. Maybe..jus­t..maybe..­. there is something better in store. Perhaps the Faith initiative is a way of wrestling back the Christina movement in this countries for zealots and whackos... which would benefit women to start... and perhaps there are better ways to address women's issues than that particular program... either way to assume that he somehow degrades women by not acting in a way that is in line with past Presidents is absurd. It is symptomatic of the enemy fixation that we have had in this country for far too long. If he is not with us then he is against us? Is that what you're saying?

Way to completely undermine your creditibility.

[Zanti]

As ever, we're supposed to agree that all Christians are woman-hating fundamentalists and/or evangelicals. But that isn't true, and it won't become true no matter how many times it's suggested.

As for this "Jesus crowd" who voted for Bush to the tune of 60 percent, could you be more specific? Are you talking all Christians? Or 60 percent of a certain type of Christian? The distinction is important.

It's sad that the C. right enjoyed so much influence under Bush. It's equally sad that, in the wake of this, so many insist on defining religion as a right-wing thing. That amounts to a huge victory for their cause. Do we really want to be doing that for them?

[Zanti]

Correction: I meant to write, "As for this 'Jesus crowd' who voted for McCain to the tune of 60 percent, could you be more specific?"

I didn't mean Bush, of course.

[Grit]

Obama's continuing Bush's faith based BS is the only thing that I totally disagree with him on. And kinda scares me. If he wants prayer breakfasts that's fine but he should be off the taxpayer clock when he does it. When you mix politics and religion, one will dominate the other and thats not good either way it goes.

[Zoe Nicholson]

Thank god for Martha Burk! She saw right through what is happening and said it right out loud.

Women are the primary bread winners for most families - at a rate of 77 cents on the dollar (less for women of color). The Ledbetter Act means that PEOPLE may now sue if they are paid less for the same work done by someone else on account of gender. 16,000 law suits pending in the last year - but how many cannot afford to sue - all that it involves; an attorney, court costs, time off and suing your BOSS! A law exists - and now people must seek that law be enforced. It is not gender parity in pay; it is a federal system for redress.

BUT LETS TALK RELIGION! This obvious trend toward male christian religion - scares me and it should scare YOU. We need to educate ourselves on all religions and, in particular, what it means for women. Al Qaeda, the Taliban, LDS, Fundamentalists ~ how people worship and define their god informs us on how they hold women ~ as leaders? as chattel? as baby machines? as undesirables?

Lets put this in order. We need an OFFICE ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN and then, within that office, we need a Committee on WOMEN AND RELIGION.
http://onlinewithzoe.com

[Katerina Canyon]

While I do agree that we need a White House Office on Women's Issues, I disagree with the tone and implications of the article. President Obama has demonstrated his support for women's issues by signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into the law. It was the first Act that he signed as president. On the other end, it has been a disappointment that some of the women's health initiatives that were set forth in the stimulus package had to be pulled in order to win over moderates.

I, for one, would like to see a discussion on the need of a White House Office on Faith Based Initiatives that is separate from this issue. This seems to me to be more of a separation of church and state issue rather than a women's issue vs. faith based issue.

[Docbcs]

Hate to say "I told you so", but I told you so. Anybody who remained as silent as Obama did on the rampant media sexism that went down during the primaries, is not going to put women's issues at the forefront of his agenda, whether we put him in office, or not.

[TexasDem0]

From the post, “Females went for Obama by 56 percent to McCain's 43 percent, while men split their votes about evenly. The Jesus crowd, on the other hand, voted 60% against the president.­”

Excellent point.

I wonder how those who support religious initiatives in government would be equally supportive of having government initiatives in their churches. They would suddenly remember the principle of separation of church and state.

[Zanti]

Religious initiatives in government? Obama's forcing people to pray? He's passing laws that make people go to church?

Please be more specific.

[Riekang]

Common sense dictates that millions of people losing their jobs, houses and on the verge of starving themselves is a little more important than an perceived insult. If the president put everyone's agenda ahead of everyone else, just what do you think would be accomplished? Nothing. He's trying to fix the major problem first but the "me first" mentality persists and you are dooming him to fail. Correction, you've already stated he's failed. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Sorry, but I'm disappointed for my gender if the majority feel as you do *sigh*

[BLinCincinnati]

Give me a break. Just because BUSH replaced the office with one group for another, doesn't mean that that same tie some how applies to Obama.

"If he really does support women as he claims [then he needs to pander to us and do everything we want]"

I'm getting so sick of certain groups whining and complaining that they aren't being pandered to enough. They complain they aren't being treated equally but then demand special treatment "or else". Even more so one person thinking they have the right to speak for everyone in the country of that group.

[repearwo]

Apples and Oranges. Just because Bush put the Faith Based group in the offices of what was Woman's Issues space does not mean that Obama's support of Faith Based programs is similarly anti-woman. Very faulty logic. Women have many avenues in which to advocate for the many inequities the face in the work place and elsewhere. Faith Based Initiatives are one of the most effective way of channeling aid to the "least of these" many of whom are single mothers.

Don't let your agenda - a good one - get in the way of your judgment. You are still way ahead in line when it comes to other groups such as gays and lesbians, the later of course are also women.

[TexasDem0]

Seems the faulty logic is in your reply.