andyhat | Fuck Obama

Fuck Obama

So, Obama has revealed what he really thinks of his GLBT constituents, inviting bigot Rick Warren to give the inaugural invocation.

I can't say as I'm entirely surprised, but I am disappointed at just how quickly Obama has shown himself to be just another simpering politician willing to associate with bigots and other scum.

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Now, this may seem a little out of place, given the other comments, but I'm actually rather pleased by Obama's choice here (granted, this is after I read his remarks on it). It's another sign, to me, that he can listen to people he disagrees with, take them seriously, consider their ideas, accept some while rejecting others, and find a way to work with them in spite of their differences. In other words, he's open-minded, even to people who aren't. Yes, Rev. Warren took a stand I disagreed with, and backed it up with incorrect evidence, which irks me, but he also seems to be behind at least some social justice issues, which is more than I can say for most evangelicals. If Obama wanted to reach out to them, there are few better choices he could have made. And once more, my perennial reminder about candidates for elected office: if you want one you agree with 100%, run.

Warren has compared my relationships to those of pedophilia, incest, and bigamy. He is a close-minded bigot and bigots are to be shunned and ostracized, not welcomed and legitimized. If Dr. Warren had made exactly the same commentss about mixed-race relationships (as I'm sure he would have 50 years ago), would this even be a conversation? No. So why is it different when it's gay relationships? (And, yes, I know that Warren's remarks were in the context of a discussion of gay marriage, about which one may disagree, but when you compare gay marriage to the marriage of a pedophile, a brother and sister, or bigamist, that is clearly an attack on the legitimacy of the relationship, not just whether we get to call it a marriage).

So, no, I cannot agree with you, and I cannot agree with Obama's lame excuse. Fuck him, and fuck Dr. Warrren.

If he'd made such comments about mixed-race marriages fifty years ago, there'd probably have been a similar discussion. There wouldn't today because we see how ludicrous the comparison is. There is still an unfortunately large segment of the population who don't yet see that they're equally ludicrous when applied to homosexuality. It'll come, but it's a slow change. The good news is, they're dwindling. The bad news is, in the meantime, they're too loud and powerful to ignore, and I'm glad to see Obama trying to find what little common ground he can with them, knowing that he's going to have to govern them whether they like him or not, and that a little respect goes a long way towards governing them effectively. Sure, they haven't learned it yet themselves (and they're gonna have to soon, or find themselves in a world they no longer have pull in), but isn't it okay to be a better human being than those you deal with? Heck, maybe a little of it will even rub off on them....

If Obama wants to have private conversations with Rick Warren, fine. If he wants to have a conservative theological voice to counter a liberal theological voice at the inauguration, fine. But there are plenty of conservative theologians who can make their arguments while sticking to theology without slandering me and and the rest of the GLBT community.

Instead, Obama has chosen to give Rick Warren a significant honor that legitimizes his message of hatred and bigotry. This is not the time to be giving an ardent supporter of Proposition 8 the most prominent pulpit in the world - especially one who can't even make a coherent theological argument on the subject but resorts to demonizing the GLBT community.

Given the complete lack of GLBT representation in the Cabinet, among Obama's close advisors, and in any meaningful capacity in the inauguration (a marching band doesn't count), it's looking like Obama was indeed just another lying scumbag politician when he claimed to support gay rights, and his subsequent statements so far on this issue are just making him look worse and worse.

The invocation at his nomination is hardly the most prominent pulpit in the world -- I'd still give that to the one in Rome. As for Rick Warren, he may not have been the best pick, but he's not the worst, either. I don't think he needs this for legitimacy -- he'd already gained that by hosting that forum during the election. Also, if you don't mind there being a conservative theological voice involved, you'd have a hard time finding one who didn't support Prop 8.

As for the lack of GLBT representation in the cabinet, it's hardly the largest unrepresented demographic slice -- I'd give that one to Southerners. I'd say it's a bit premature to call Obama a lying scumbag politician in regards to his support for gay rights -- let the substance of how he will govern answer for that rather than the symbols of his inauguration. If he's done nothing to benefit gay rights in two years, that'll be the time to judge him so harshly.

Something that strikes me about the reaction to this is that it feels far too much like the Republicans' attempt to associate Obama with Bill Ayers.

Oh, and when it comes to social justice: So what if he tries to help HIV/AIDS victims after they're infected? Bigotry and religious homophobia such as Warren espouses are much of the reason why gay men and women are driven into or forced to stay in the closet, where they're much more likely to have unsafe sex.

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