After the Rick Warren Flap, Can Obama Appeal Both to Gays and Evangelicals?
By Dan Gilgoff, God & Country.
I'm struck by the blizzard of comments responding to yesterday's report that evangelical megapastor Rick Warren will give the invocation at Barack Obama's inauguration, especially the number of gay commenters venting outrage over the selection. Warren supported Proposition 8, the gay marriage ban that passed in California this past Election Day, and has made no secret of his disapproval of the gay lifestyle.
Consider this comment from Russ in California:
Obama flushed his credibility down the toilet. Gays, their families, and their friends who financially supported Obama's campaign, and who voted for him were just given the finger by Obama. It was bad enough that Obama essentially did nothing where Prop 8 is concerned, except for one feeble statement very early on, now he picks a rabidly anti-gay "minister" to be at his inauguration. Obama need not look to gays, their families, or their friends for votes in 2012. And in 2012, Obama will lose. Totally 100% disgusted with him.
Or this from Patrick in New York:
I will not be thrown under the bus by Obama or any other politician on the core human rights issue of equality, and I will not stand idly by when a bigot is given such a national platform. I will support any campaign, join any fight, to protest this attack, EVEN ON INAUGURATION DAY if I have to.
It's important not to overstate the threat that Warren's selection as invocation speaker poses to Obama's popularity in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community. The campaign did a good job reaching out to that community and is consulting its leaders as it hashes out a policy agenda for the first term. If Obama winds up advancing gay rights, it's going to be awfully hard for the LGBT community to hold a grudge against him for giving Rick Warren a role in his inauguration.
Right now, this looks like it might be a case of Obama employing good ol' Clinton triangulation politics—campaigning from the middle, by giving Rick Warren a spot on the dais on Inauguration Day, and governing from the left, by working with the LGBT community to actually craft policy.
This raises an important political question: Can Obama simultaneously make inroads with the LGBT and evangelical worlds during his first term? I think he can. Here's how: Even if Obama advances gay rights, say by signing a federal hate crimes law, he might not receive the kind of blowback from the evangelical world that he would have a decade ago. Polls show that evangelicals under 30 care a lot less about the whole constellation of gay rights issues than their parents—who vehemently oppose such rights and treat such issues as an important priority.
But those same polls show that younger evangelicals care just as much as their parents do (perhaps even a little bit more) about reducing abortions. So if Obama succeeds in implementing policies that reduce demand for abortions, demonstrating that that goal was more than just campaign rhetoric, he might gain evangelical support in 2012, even if he does advance gay rights.
- Read more about evangelical voters.
- Read more about Rick Warren giving the invocation at Obama's inauguration.
- Read more about gay rights.
- Read more by Dan Gilgoff.
Tags: Inauguration | voters | Barack Obama | religion | evangelicals | gay rights | Rick Warren
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Reader Comments
Dick Warren
"It's going to be hard for the LGBT to hold a grudge against obama if he advances gay rights"????? Are you kidding me?
The damage is done and there is no going back. My issue is no longer Warren, but Obama's obvious indifference to the social implications of his decision. Obama is no friend to gay people. He never has been and he never will be no matter how many laws he might pass, which i believe, he will not. Apparently 6 million supportes who voted him into office do not matter. Thats too bad,because we're voting his lying rear end right out.
And for you feeble minded jesus owning heteros who think warren is not a homophobe...We've been tolerating your slurs, attacks and indiginities since we chose to be open, along with your nonsensical claims of tolerance and brotherly love. What gives YOU the right to demand respect when your community has yet to give us respect? YOUR hetero culture spawns hate crimes like the one committed this week in san francisco that garnered precious little coverage; the vicious gang rape of a openly gay woman, who was abducted in broad daylight for having a gay pride sticker on her car. Those "good Christians" tried to rape the gay out of her. real christ like , huh? Thats what Warren's rhetoric creates, a sub conscious justification for the abuse and murder of gay people. There were over 1080 such crimes reported (and many more un-reported due to fear and intimidation and shame) in 2008 alone and you godless god mongers want respect??? It's your intolerance and feral minded ignorance that creates raoe and murder against god;'s other children so don't you dare think we'll ever back down. Its people like you who started this fight and we are now prepared to push back, harder than nyone thought a gay person could. WE WILL NEVER BACK DOWN from those who assume to own jesus and represent his voice. It is the abusers of God who will burn in hell. I'll pray for you and hypocritical sins.
For Dave from wy and any one else who Use the Bible Literally
The Bible Has been used throughout history to Justify atrocious Acts in Gods Name. Do You Follow Gods Word to the letter How About These verse. There are many More like that, At no time in the bible did Jesus Say anything about Homosexuality.
Dueteronomy 22: 13-21 If the bride is discovered not to be a virgin she will be executed immediately by stoning
Mark 12: 18-27 If a man dies before he has children His widow is ordered by biblical law to Have intercourse with his brothers until a male heir is produced.
Many use Leviticus as there bases against homosexuality, Leviticus is a code written more than 3000 Years ago, It also has codes forbidding round hair cuts, tattoos, working on the Sabbath, eating pork or shellfish and playing with pigs skin(footballs). Both Jesus and Paul said these codes do not pertain to Christian Believers.So who's right and who's wrong?
Ungodly and horrific choice
Rick Warren teaches hatred and intolerance at his "church." It is insulting to gay americans and mainstream christians to have Warren given such an honor. And Warren HATES gays. He compares them to people who engage in incest and child molestation. I don't know why Obama chose to throw away his positive message of inclusion and change by having such a controversial person pray with him at the inaugeration. It would have been nice to have a REAL christian given this honor.
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