Nicely DoneLot's of pissed off progressives are leaving comments. Wandrycer1, another of my favorite commenters, left this in response:
I completely understand why Andrew is upset by Obama's choice to have Rick Warren deliver the inaugural invocation. As Andrew points out, Warren sides with Christian orthodoxy in opposing gay marriage, and he has refrained from condemning the Bush administration's policy on torture. Both of those are major issues for Andrew.
But Obama's a politician, and the Warren pick is just the latest sign that he's an exceedingly shrewd one (as Andrew concedes). Warren is beloved by mainstream evangelicals, who have helped him to sell millions of books extolling a fairly anodyne form of American Protestantism. (Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell he is not.) It is in Obama's interest (and the Democrats') to peel as many moderate evangelicals away from the GOP as he can. Giving Warren such a prominent (but purely symbolic) place in the inauguration is a politically cost-free way of furthering this partisan agenda. (As for whether having Warren deliver the invocation is an example of "Christianism," I'd only note that Obama didn't start the tradition of including prayers in these civic occasions. And his own speech is guaranteed to be more restrained in this regard than others have been.)
Now, Andrew might be right that Obama will not prove to be a champion of gay civil rights (at least when it comes to the issue of marriage). But we can be absolutely sure that no presidential candidate of the current Republican Party would be anything other than a rabid opponent of these rights. And that means: What benefits Obama and the Democrats -- and what harms the Republicans -- contributes (if perhaps only negatively) to Andrew's cause. And that should be what counts.
I hate having this reduced down to that tired left/right media packaging. It's not that simple - there's an excellent libertarian and even Republican case against bigotry - government has no business in the marriage business for ANY reason, no business making policy based on religious doctrines, let alone those based on bigotry (see, Bill of Rights, Constitution, equal protection, etc). The left certainly doesn't have the market cornered on right and wrong.Damon Linker is a putz. Wandrycer1 speaks for me, and many of my friends. We worked hard to get Obama elected, and now he kicks us in the teeth. Rick Warren is useless politically--or was, until he became the guy giving the invocation (let's not talk about how stoopid it is to even have an invocation). Now, if Obama were to do the right thing and uninvite Warren, he will feel the pain. We're stuck with it now. Well, Barack, so are you!
But they do have the right idea in this case on Constitutionality, civil liberties and moral authority. It's not just "left" that thinks this, it's human beings across all political spectrums.
Everyone, especially women - is getting their piece of the Obama as Savior pie it seems. Everyone except gays and liberals of course - and Obama owes them so much. They started the Obama fire, built it when no one else was, No one worked harder for Obama that LGBT folks.
Now with this loathsome, bigoted man speaking for Obama at a sacred time, LGBT folk aren't just getting kicked to the curb. They are getting kicked in the teeth. Why, so Obama can boot lick to the crazies? Change we can believe in my arse! He's just like all the other Dem spineless boobs in the Senate.
Pardon my french but *uck the "good politics" idea, I challenge that concept. Having the first black President - a former civil rights attorney no less - insult a feverishly devoted constituency (although not anymore), he just shows he stands for nothing in the end and will betray and slap a friend across the face without a second thought. Perhaps Obama never really did stand for anything, fine. Just take your yes we can and put it where the sun don't shine.
I canceled my trip to DC for his swearing in, its not much, but I will not be a place celebrating a historic achievement over bigotry while a bigot blesses him. Its too much.[I fixed a couple typos]
Update:Obama's Response:
He almost convinced me; but, alas, he didn't. You?
