A lot has been made of Barack Obama inviting Rick Warren to give an invocation at his inauguration. A lot of people are upset. I’m not. This really isn’t much of an issue that affects my day to day life. What I have enjoyed is watching people who advocate various political policies squirm. The left is pissy about it. The right, for the most part, seems to be chuckling. Then I stumbled upon the oddest defense of Barack yet:
Like other gay Republicans, I have been amused by the brouhaha among gay activists, bloggers (and their allies on the left) over President-elect Obama’s choice of Pastor Rick Warren, a proponent of Proposition 8 which bars the state of California from recognizing same-sex marriages, to offer the invocation at his inauguration.
Unlike some of my ideological confrères, I don’t see this as a sign that he has thrown his gay supporters under the bus.
That was written by B. Daniel Blatt, a gay REPUBLICAN. He doesn’t think Warren’s anti-gay rants and opposing Prop 8 in California is something people should be concerned with. After all, Warren says he has a hundred gay friends. ( I sorta doubt that. )
On the Democrat side, I guess my favorite gay Democrat would have to be Barney Frank. He gives me all kinds of stuff to write about. Here’s his opinion:
”Mr. Warren compared same-sex couples to incest. I found that deeply offensive and unfair…. If he was inviting the Rev. Warren to participate in a forum and to make a speech, that would be a good thing. But being singled out to give the prayer at the inauguration is a high honor. It has traditionally given as a mark of great respect. And, yes, I think it was wrong to single him out for this mark of respect.”
That is coming from a gay DEMOCRAT.
So, we got Republicans endorsing Obama and Democrats openly opposing Obama. Granted, it can be argued Frank is a little more of a spokesperson for the Democrats than Blatt is for the Republicans. However, the problem I have with making this any more equitable is any time a Republican is associated with being gay, the media treats it as a scandal and they either resign, retire, or get voted out. If not, they are just “disgraced” forever. If a Democrat does it, no one cares and they are treated as an icon on the issue.
So, the “scandal” to me is not so much that Obama picked Rick Warren, it’s how the media is dealing with the entire issue.
But if you want my own opinion, I think Rick Warren was a bad choice simply because he’s been divisive in his ministry and we just don’t any more polarization. I would have picked someone who displays unrelenting humbleness, which is what I look for in my preachers.
Related Posts
- November 7, 2007 -- Kentucky rejects change (0)
We had an election last night here in Kentucky. This is how MSNBC interpreted it:
Cyclist Lance Armstrong and Kentucky’s new governor were among the few people who could get voters to embrace cha... - January 15, 2009 -- Is an extravagant inauguration more needed now? (0)
This is making the rounds:
Four years ago, the Associated Press and others in the press suggested it was in poor taste for Republicans to spend $40 million on President Bush’s inauguration. AP wri... - August 4, 2009 -- Some people just hate birthers (2)
I have to admit, I had never heard the term "birther" before. I don't watch tv much, so I guess that's why. Dictionary.com doesn't have a clue what "birther" is either. So, whenever a word is us... - January 14, 2009 -- Obama’s hiccups (0)
Everyone is saying this has been a near-flawless transition:
It had to come some time. Despite a nearly flawless transition period of astute, substantive and widely praised cabinet appointments, t... - July 6, 2010 -- Byrd and Thurmond, only Adam Clymer can tell them apart. (1)
Strom Thurmond, Foe of Integration, Dies at 100
And:
Robert C. Byrd, a Pillar of the Senate, Dies at 92
Both opposed civil rights initially. Both converted to support civil rights. One was an ...
Tags: barack obama, democrat, gay, homosexuality, humble, inauguration, Media, media bias, polarization, republican, rick warren
Pingback: Moonage Political Webdream » Obama’s hiccups