Please feel free to complain today to this person:

We were both offended by the McClurkin baloney from last year, and sadly, this kind of smack in the face centrism is what takes our party off course, the other side doesn't play fair, or anything CLOSE to fair, and trying to appease them doesn't help. Not only that, having Warren do such a high profile Inaugural Invocation gives him more sway with people and his bigoted views.

Just a quibble on your wording, but we need to stop ceding the center to the self-described "pragmatists" that helped dig us into this hole.

and to answer your question, and I agree with your anger over the premise - but when California can't hold gay rights, I feel like I'm in a nation of homophobes. Let's hope that really the center is not bigoted. One could say that Obama proved we're not, however, to some Obama was seen as the lesser of two evils, a competent (although black) senator with a strong white VP, versus an aging forgetful 72 year old and his extremely clueless VP pick from Timbuktu. Surely 5-10 of every 100 people were terrified of Palin and the chance McCain would pass away or go senile in office and she'd be President Palin.

And thank you for the information.

:kick:

As a gay male Democrat, I am absolutely furious that President-Elect Obama has selected blatant homophobe, and Proposition 8 crusader, Rick Warren to deliver the invocation next month on what should be a happy and historic day for those of us who voted for the president-elect.

This choice is completely unacceptable, and with all due respect, it's your job to make sure you help protect our interests. You have already failed your first test.

I respectfully ask you to pass along our community's outrage, and in fact many straight people's outrage, in the strongest terms possible to the president-elect's office immediately.

Nothing will be acceptable short of the president-elect choosing a less offensive and alienating religious figure to deliver the invocation. As it stands now, the inauguration is tainted.

Unfortunately, no. This is not change we can believe in.

Sincerely,

Me

Rick Warren? Really? Were all the open-minded pastors already booked that day?

asking that Warren be replaced by a minister who spends his time not on politics but on reaching out to the less fortunate and who obeys the two commandments of the prophet Jesus-Love God and Love your neighbor as yourself.

:kick:

and think about what will WORK. Sometimes what is eventually going to work may not look palatable on the surface. The fact is that America is a great divide between left and right, that is clear. GW Bush exploited that and disaster has resulted. Obama has been saying since he began his presidential run that he was going to be a UNITER. Did you think that meant that he was going do what Bush did, by simply pandering to his base?

Being a UNITER means connecting with people that do not share your particular view of the world. We will get no where if we only accept those that only agree with us.

Whether we like it or not, this is a good political move. It silences the right wing religious on their insane fearful views of what they think Obama was going to do to their religious expression and takes the air out of the right wing machine and their fear mongering.

Change comes slowly. If Obama pushes a far left progressive agenda, that only strengthens his opposition. This guy is a master chess player. Sit back, observe, and wait and see.

if Obama chose the Grand Wizard of the KKK to speak at the inauguration, to include the neonazis in America. thats basically the same concept.

If a significant portion of our population supported those parties, I would. I wouldn't like it, but it would be consistent with Obama's message.

Many countries have proportional representation and have members of fascist and communist representatives in their parliment or governing body.

We will NOT move forward if we simply play partisan politics. I think that is what made Obama so attractive to people. Again, you may not like it, but I do not think the move is disastrous like many of you think.

including me. and people who didnt vote for him in 2008 wont vote for him in 2012 just because rick warren is on stage during the inauguration. reading free republic, the bastion of rick warren folks, they are now fully in lockstep that rick warren is a traitor. obama threw his base under the bus , and lost a lot of them. there were plenty of pastors he could have chosen from, and it was a bad move.

Again, the man has not even taken office and you are talking about not voting for him in 2012. That seems a bit premature in that we cannot see the results of such political moves. I am going to hold my judgement until I see how this plays out.

that it's tough luck for the GLBT community and for women that he chose a bigotted, anti-gay, anti-woman fundie to give a fucking prayer at his inauguation.

But then, you are in neither group, so it doesn't affect you.

as I am supportive of the GLBT community. I just think we need to not react to EVERYTHING and see how it plays out.
Good luck to you though.

and remaining sheep.

And I agree that getting carried away with emotion can be counterproductive.

But I also think people need to let themselves be known.

The simple fact is GLBT people don't carry the same sway as right wing evangelicals. They outnumber us.

If the numbers were reversed, Obama would already be promising same sex marriage. But they're not, so we're going to get the short end of the stick. And that's how it's going to be.

But a person can only take so much.

I just try and see the bigger picture at times, as everyone has their unique perspective. I get the anger from the GLBT community, but politically they do not carry much weight so there is a political angle that needs to be considered too. Healing the divide may be more important at this juncture. Obama's selection of White, an openly gay military man, is a plus. We cannot have it all so soon.

:fistbump:

Patience is certainly hard at this point for everyone. I totally understand Obama's detractors within the Democratic/progressive community, but I just think it is premature to attack a man who has yet to have a single day as president.

If, in the next year, there is little movement to put the GLBT community issues to the forefront, you will certainly hear me be as critical, I just think it is premature. This is a deep, complex chess game.

is the one selling out. It's a dumb fucking move no matter who's analyzing it.

but I have heard the opposite from my conservative friends who are applauding Obama for such an action.

His family and mine are friends. What a weird coincidence.

wanted him to go to Med School .. but he was really interested in politics.

Seems like a nice enough guy, probably placed in a tough position.

...so can be reached that way too.

the reminder.

My email has been sent.

:kick: