Why Is Anyone Surprised Obama Picked Warren?
Just when you thought maybe the molten lava of Prop 8 protest backwash had cooled to street steam and legal challenges, BOOM! Barack Obama, of all people, rolls a great big grenade under the door of the gay community.
If you haven't heard the yelling the last 24 hours after the announcement that controversial, pro-8 Pastor Rick Warren will be giving the opening prayer at the Obama inauguration next month, you must already be on vacation somewhere without any media access. Lucky you.
Everywhere from the Christian Science Monitor to Queerty is filled with the holiday song of righteous indignation and unhappiness. A CNN debate, refereed by Anderson Cooper, almost turned into a UFC cage fight. My colleague Joe Garofoli sums it all up well, with his usual flair.
Outrage, I can see. But why is anyone surprised? This choice illustrates the downside of inspirational figures and the accompanying bad habit of investing in Barack Obama your own ideas, values, priorities and views just because he moves you.
Mr. Obama has already disappointed the left-of-center members of his own party with Cabinet and adviser picks (the Clinton Brat Pack), bailout support, continued tax cuts for the wealthy and Janet Napolitano running immigration. One wise politico told me recently that the almost-President would likewise have to find ways to distance and differentiate himself from the Democratic power center in Congress (Nancy Pelosi et al) if he really wants to set out on a revolutionary agenda. He will need to show, every chance he gets, that he's not the house (or House) servant of any interest group. It's already happening.
That also means pissing off chunks of the population, then, apparently, using a sprinkler of, as the Queerty site says, "meaningless platitudes" to try to put out the fire.
Either that, or just come out and say you're your own person, and tough noogies all around because that person is the same person who just got elected with great enthusiasm and hope. (Though the last person who tried that, and did it badly, was Jimmy Carter.) Whichever Mr. Obama chooses, there will be uproar. Remember, Barack Obama, like Warren, doesn't actually believe in gay marriage. He said so, sitting at a table with Warren four months ago.
So strap in, for at least four years.
Which reminds me: I know it won't work, but for those in the gay community really upset about this latest business, if you squint your eyes just a little, doesn't Rick Warren look a bit like he could be one of those Movie Bear guys?
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"This choice illustrates the downside of inspirational figures and the accompanying bad habit of investing in Barack Obama your own ideas, values, priorities and views just because he moves you."
The author makes the incorrect assumption that those who supported, or who voted for Barack Obama, did so because he "moved them." That is simply not true, at least for many of us. Otherwise we would be no better than the the theocrats who are "moved" by some charismatic figure like Me. Warren.
Even if we did vote for Mr. Obama, that does not mean that we will support him in all of his decisions. In fact, it is our duty and obligation to actively oppose him when we believe he is wrong. And, in this case he was, we believe, he was absolutely wrong as it lends respectability to an individual who is preaching the same message, although in a less strident tone, as the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas. And that message is prejudice, divisiveness and hate.
It is probably what was meant by the lady's statement to a church elder in Dostoevsky's novel, The Brothers Karamazov. "But, it has always happened that the more I destest men individually the more ardent becomes my love for humanity." Strange, is it not how, after centuries of existence, man is still asking the same questions, and about the same thing. Could it be that some don't like the answer?
Despicable choice! Bronstein is on the right track; Obama is saying loud and clear to those of us who worked, donated and stood on our heads to get Obama elected " I'm the PE now and tough noogies."
It;s peculiar to this gal though how Obama picks the most drastic choices for his substitute "fathers." Rev Wright on the left and Warren on the right are both extremists. Please, quick, someone get our PE a therapist.
Warren is an idiot, and Obama is already preparing for 2012 by getting the hardcore conservative base to see that he is playing fair. I agree with you Phil, i am not surprised by this at all. Obama is first and foremost a politician before he is anything else.
I do feel like an idiot because i did buy into that "change you can believe in" crap and for a second, just one second, and thought he was the real deal. But i can settle for the fact that Clinton is in his cabinet and that he'll (hopefully) keep the country out of insolvency.
Could be worse, Palin could be within 500 feet of the white house, now that's SCARY!
Look ... Obama has said he would sit down with foreign leaders that we don't like and he has put people in his cabinet whose views he disagrees with. Obama has shown an obtuse nature that surprises both friend and enemy.
And yet I've not seen or heard of Obama crossing a friend. The best thing to do is sit back and watch the show unwind rather than try to read the ending before it's writ.
I cannot express how disappointed I am that Barak Obama has selected Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration. I am equally dumbfounded at his explanation that this is a decision of inclusion. While I will not equate evangelicals to the KKK or Islamic terrorists, the rigid inflexibility of their beliefs and their devout intolerance toward certain oppressed segments of our society have painful similarities. This event is supposed to be the culmination of a 150-year war against hatred and intolerance, the wounds of which I thought might finally be healed by this president.
I fear that Barak feels comfortable with the views shared by many of the church's (black & white) in this country; church's that teach intolerance and the "sins" of homosexuality. It is ironic that, as a black man in America, Barak is still able to act like the old white guy he ran against and impart this same intolerance on the GLBT community.
I donated to Obama's campaign, I voted for him. I got everyone I knew to vote for him. Now his Presidency has all but lost its appeal to me. After eight years of Compassionate Conservatism’s war on the gay community, this is our reward??? If Barak goes ahead with this and doesn't immediately do something to show that he actually believes the rights of ALL Americans (including GLBT), he will forever lose my respect, my support, and my hope. His next book,: "The Audacity of Intolerance".
There are beginnings of a more out-spoken movement of nonbelievers. But like you say, there are still way too many in the closet. Believe it or not here in the Bible belt, I work with several atheists (perhaps a scientifically oriented work environment helps). Some of us like myself risk being just as up front about what we are as any religious folk while others lurk in fear of being outed.
I was raised going to a Southern Baptist church, but not believing to me anymore is no more of a "choice" than my eye color. I simply couldn't force myself to believe in any myth with absolutely NO evidence as absolute truth.
This was supposed to go as a reply to an earlier comment. Sorry for the confusion.
Yes, I am surprised and I am saddened. Not because Rick is a gay basher. But his habit of gay bashing reflects his mind and heart are not where they should be to set the most Christ like example.
I would prefer that anyone espousing wisdom and holiness keep their mind on God and his qualities, and off other people's sexual practices, faults and follies.
I am so sad, because Barack Obama deserves a good prayer to start his administration. He needs a lot of spiritual support and a powerful prayer. That Rick Warren was chosen is disapointing, because Barrack could have had a powerful, moving, deeply effective prayer from a million small voices out there. From kind, deep, serious and non ambitious people who go on with their lives of simple moral and spiritual commitment with universal regard for life, in any of 10 religions in this country .
Why does anyone care why Obama chose Rick Warren?
People are upset about WHO not WHY.
So? I just think everyone should get over it. O made the choice, it's his call. Just get off his back about for Gods sake and quit cryin' about it.
Just do what I will do and skip the swearing in.
Yes my plans for 1/20 have been changed accordingly. The sight of most televangelist/mega-church con artists makes my skin crawl.
If nothing else Obama being elected to the White House shows that this country has moved ahead. I haven't heard his comments on the fact that twenty years ago, this pastor spoke against mixed marriages, there wouldn't be an Obama if this particular pastor had his way. If Obama really wants to change business as usual, then why offer a contraversial pastor that position, why bring religion into politics. Didn't we vote to change, didn't people vote for their personal wellbeing, I.E. food on the table, a job, a roof over their heads. Didn't people vote for him despite a contraversial pastor, if he really wanted change, wanted to show change, he'd have Reverend Wright speak. I certainly hope the other minister is from a black church.
Ok, I'm still really pissed off about this whole stupid thing. But I'm going to grit my teeth and see what happens in the administration. I'm not disappointed that Obama is not everything I want him to be, in terms of his positions, being that I'm much more left than the mainstream.
In fact, I'm almost relieved. We are headed in the right direction. Obama is the new president. We as gay people have made the mistake of identifying with him too much - he's a national leader, and he is going to lead us in the direction of greater democracy - just not the way we are demanding. I think this is a good reminder to LGBT people and their allies that the push for equality is really, finally, beginning.
Admittedly, the Warren pick feels like a total mistake. But I think Obama might just be enjoying causing such an uproar - getting millions of people on the edge of their seats, getting millions of us to jump into the fray. This is really the beginning of a period of massive change. We need to give up the need to feel comfortable about it.
I still think the Warren pick sucks, but I'm fired up and ready to go - to PUSH FOR EQUALITY.
I read all these comments trying to discern why Obama made this pick, all these complicated theories about chess moves and the long view, etc., etc., etc., and I wonder, doesn't the man get to do one thing just for himself? It's not only our big day, it's his, too. Warren is his friend, even though they do disagree about a lot of this stuff. We've already torn him away from a relationship of 20 years with Rev. Wright, are we not going to allow him to have ANY friends? Or do we have to act like paranoid parents and choose his friends for him? And do you agree with your friends on everything? No. Do you fail to invite them to share in your happiness because of your disagreements? No. Obama is making substantive changes in the regressive POLICIES of the Bush administration. Why can't we let him share one small moment of HIS big day with one of his friends? He's always clearly expressed his views on gay marriage, but he's also taking substantive steps to deal with the issues. We can't fault him for not being someone he never represented himself as being, now that he's elected.
I can't accept the minimization of this choice by those who simply say Obam and Warren disagree on some issues.
Maybe many people who are not gay cannot see this from our perspective.
Suppose he had a rabbi giving one blessing and a known anti-semite giving the other--for balance?
Suppose he had an unrepentant racist on the platform to "reach out to the other side"?
I still have confidence that Obama will do his best, later in his first term perhaps, to get rid of DADT and DOMA and to pass pro-gay legislation. But this first step seems to show a real lack of understanding of gay Americans if he didn't expect the reaction he is getting.
I didn't tear him away from Rev. Wright. Even though I'm white, I understand where Wright was coming from in those endlessly-repeated sound bites and they didn't bother me. I thought it was a cowardly act on Obama's part, to denouce the man who had been his friend and pastor for so long. If he was going to assert himself despite the wishes of the crowd, that would be the place to do it.
But I guess if Paris is worth a Mass, the White House is worth kissing the a s s of the religious right, eh?
I squint and I see you as his co-star. Bears do Russian River
Why is everyone so focused on Warren. Didn't Obama invite a pro-gay rights preacher as well? If you didn't know that, then we can all see that the media has been able to once again manipulate the discussion as they feel like.
Thank you for pointing that out - but you will have to speak louder over the wailing and gnashing of teeth, and the rendering of garments. Apparently, an invocation is a cabinet position - who knew? Rick Warren will be the Czar of Anti-gay things in the White House. I must have missed that Obama announcement.
Would a rabbi balance out an anti-semite? Would David Duke balance out Rev. Lawson?
Too many people cannot see that the issues involved are not just disagreements on policy, but an attack on the very rights of American citizens. And I don't want to hear "but most people feel the same way". If so, then they are wrong and they need to study the purpose of the Bill of Rights. To support a law taking away the rights of citizens is profoundly wrong and un-American. The Founding Fathers were not, repeat NOT in favor of majority rule where the rights of the minorities were concerned.
Christopher Lu, who knows Obama well, once said of him: “He’s like a Rorschach test — you see in him what you want.”
Unlike many who are now disappointed, I voted for Obama (twice) with open eyes.
I saw the supreme pragmatist and, using this word neutrally, opportunist; an amazingly bright guy who figured out how to navigate Chicago politics. I viewed his alliances (or dalliances) with people like Wright and Ayers as calculated moves to play the game just enough to advance himself, but always leaving deniability ("didn't really know" Ayers, "wasn't there that day" during Wright's more ofensive tirades). I saw a consummate politician who turned six years in the Illinois Senate and two years in the US Senate into a platform from which to run for President.
I listened to his speeches about "hope" and "change" and, parsing them carefully, saw they were brilliantly constructed to evoke deep emotion while committing to very little.
To this day, I have no idea what the guiding principles of his presidency will be. But, I am certain that one of them is "Barack Obama will go down in history as a great President." Therefore, I believe he will always act to achieve the best, objectively conceivable outcome, no matter what others may think, as that is how history is most likely to judge him favorably.
But, if people think that he is going to pursue any particular agenda, whether "progressive" or "moderate" or "conservative," they are mistaken.
Very, very insightful. I think we all have a tendency to be swayed by the emotive content of Obama's words, and project our visions of what we hope he means on to them. You are right, he has not made very many substantive promises that will tie his hands from doing what's objectively best for the country.
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