And I have good reasons. And thoughts about the various responses in the Left.
While I’m consigning them to words, go over to Open Left and follow Matt Stoller’s last few post on the subject. (Disclosure: I know him professionally.)
Yeah, I’m mad about the Warren pick
You didn’t follow the Washington Blade on Obama and Rev Wright? You shouldn’t be surprised by the pick of Warren if you know the past statements of Obama’s spiritual mentors. Warren will sound pretty tame I suspect (although I admit to not following Warren’s words or writing), compared to some of the pretty harsh preachers Obama listend too.
I wrote once that conservative Christians often seemed gentler towards Gays than some of the Chicago Democrats I knew personally. A Gay wrote back to me, there are those against us, and those against those against us, but very few for us. If you voted for Obama because you thought he was for you, then I think you just got your first alert about him. You’ll get more.
Paranoia aside, I am also angry about Warren. I think a UU should have been selected, and I am hoping this was a naive choice. (but I secretly fear it wasn’t)
I am a strong Obama supporter, and as an african american I have some personal experiance of the complex relationship between LBGT citizens and our rights. That said, Obama really let me down.
People see themselves in him because that’s politics. It is silly to say that such a belief is not a conerstone of the political system. What did others really think that old “have beer with him” statement meant?
In his desire not to seem too left, he is in danger of alienating his left wing support. I hope he understands that no matter how mush he glad hands the right, they will betray him the first chance they get.
Obama must really reach out to the LBGT community next, not because it is the politically right thing to do, because it is just the right thing to do.
Here’s what I’ve been posting on my own and other websites:
I’m actually OK with Rick Warren being invited to do the invocation (and am actually somewhat relieved that it is NOT jeremiah Wright), mostly because I believe that Warren is eventually going to see the light and get it right on this issue, just as he has on AIDS in Africa, and seems to be now on the War on Terror and Gitmo, and…well let’s just say that he’s a pretty bright guy, he wants to do right, and he truly BELIEVES in the GOSPEL, and isn’t just mouthing some lame Bible College ideology….
I think it is an intelligent decision to select an Evangelical preacher that has shown some affinities with the Democrats on social issues. This will divide the Evangelical side and avoid that all born-again Christians line up with the Republicans as they did in the past. Obama counts on the liberals to support him, so his natural move is to attract some of the Evangelicals to spread the scope of supporters (or, if they don’t actually support Obama, at least they will not be furiously against him). Choosing a liberal for this event would have been considered sectarian and would have alineated many potential voters for the reelection.