Ok, President-Elect Obama. I sometimes just don’t get you. While I think it’s cool and all that Time named you the Person of the Year, and you certainly deserve it, I am absolutely baffled at your choice of Rev. Rick Warren to give the invocation speech at your innauguration. What gives? I understand that you’re all about reaching across the aisle, and I respect that. I’d be flipping folks off, so you’re probably a better person than I; and I’ve long ago come to terms with the fact that you are not as progressive as I’d like you to be (and if you were, you wouldn’t be the President-Elect right now); but really, why are you giving a platform to a staunchly anti-gay, anti-choice minister, a man who refers to pro-choice folks as “holocaust deniers“?
I am so sick of people trying to make a point by disrespecting people’s lives and histories–both on the left and the right. That shit is so tired and needs to be called out more often.
There are many, many ministers out there that use their faith as an avenue of justice. I know. I’ve worked with them. The Rev. Rick Warren is not one of them. Here’s someone you could look up. Why? Why did you have to chose this man?
I also gotta say, that Aretha Franklin, who sang “Respect” and “Someday We’ll All Be Free” at a concert for Bill Clinton, will be following Warren…well, the irony of that is about to make my head explode.
I want to believe that my vote for you was the right thing to do. Please don’t prove me wrong. I hate being wrong.
at this point, it is almost impossible to be shocked by anything but this still got a “whaaaaaaa?” from me and i still can only half-way believe it.
rick warren?
so much for change, though i didn’t go in believing radical change would come from a pres.
cripchick ´s last blog post..some thoughts post-potluck
Rick Warren? Sucking up? Unbelievable.No inaguaration viewing for this supporter and I will question everything you do in the future. Shame on you!
I find it quite ironic that the black preacher – is the one that supports gay marriage. Tell me again that all blacks are homophobic. Of course now we are not hearing about race when one of us takes the “correct position”. It seems the binary only exists when we can be told what is wrong with us.
Renee ´s last blog post..Black Jesus: Speaking of Internalized Racism
I did not think it was unreasonable for us to expect him to return to the tradition of having a non partisan religious invocation. I am surprised that he has chosen to privilege one Christian sect over all other religions, just as WPE did.
I wounder if he realizes the signal he is sending.
Are you serious? No matter who he picks someone will have something to say. He’s being over analyzed and it’s starting to sickened me. He hasn’t even made it into office, yet, and everything is being sensationalized. I don’t know why he would pick a preacher that was pro-gay marriage, because that would be just as controversial and the social-right would have a field day.
How about he picked Warren because Warren is pastor and pastors give invocations. Maybe it doesn’t matter what Warren political views is, maybe he just wants a prayer, and not an adviser.
I don’t get the drama, other than it’s a slow political season so everything has to be sensationalized. If he picked Mother Theresa someone would have something to say. I’m just glad he didn’t choose Rev Wright
MrsGrapevine ´s last blog post..Old School Friday: Merry Christmas
@MrsGrapevine: I am most certainly serious. Bigotry is no joke, and I will not sit by and watch anyone, let alone the President-Elect of the United States, basically give credence to a bigot without saying something about it. If he had chosen a pastor with ties to white supremacy, or if he had asked David Duke to take part in the inauguration, I seriously doubt anyone would be accusing me of “over-analyzing” the choice. I mean seriously, Rick Warren has even gone on record as saying that he believes all Jews are going to hell. This is more than just a prayer. This gives Rev. Warren considerable clout. And with the folks Warren has supported in Africa, for instance, that gives me great pause.
Frankly, I don’t see Obama being treated any differently than any other political figure that bloggers who blog about politics and social justice discuss on the regular. That’s what we do. We talk about things that are happening in the political arena. The election of Obama is the single biggest political event to happen in the lifetimes of many of us that blog about such things. Of course we’re going to be focused on him and his choices. He is one of the most fascinating political figures I’ve witnessed in my life, and it’s not like I don’t give him props when I feel props are due, either. So, the insinuation that I’m just some hater out to talk shit about Obama is patently false.
And seriously, I don’t understand why people can’t understand that the President of the United States works for US. We don’t work for the President. We should not be sitting idly by letting the President do what the President does because that’s how it is. It’s our job to tell the President when we feel that our rights and needs, or the rights and needs of our allies are not being met.
I agree with MrsGrapevine, it doesn’t matter Obama chose, it would be an arguement. Now, the only, and I say the ONLY person I would of had a serious problem was with REVEREND AL SHARPTON. IF he had chosen him or Jesse Jackson, I know he was probably under some heavy medication.
It is not about the ceremony, it is about what can this man do to help turn around the economics of our country. This it the main concern
Dee ´s last blog post..Old School Friday- Christmas Tunes
That seems an unreasonable argument to make. That no matter what he does someone will object so he may as well make a very poor choice as a good one.
Until W the invocation was given by a non denominational pastor. W chose an Evangelical. Now Obama has gone a step further and chosen an Evangelical hate monger.
It is difficult to understand why he would make such a choice.
Hi there,
Rick Warren has a dynamic ministry and I believe that he was foolish in how he presented his positions regarding gay marriage but his stupdity on THAT FRONT does not erase all that his ministry is doing on other fronts.