Judging The Obama “Warren” Court
MJ at lowerslowerdelaware.blogspot.com thinks thew Rick Warren haters need to take a chill pill and sees some real politik in Obama’s choice for Warren as the praying guy for the inauguration.
Have these “leaders” thought about why President-elect Obama may have made the selection? Warren may be able to help Obama with getting ENDA passed, with getting conservation and green legislation enacted, to get domestic partner benefits for Federal employees.
I don’t like Warren for all the reasons that have been discussed on so many other blogs and I think MJ may have a point – but I don’t think Obama is thinking what MJ is thinking.
Rather – as one who has learned to trust in the fact that Obama is about 10,000 smarter than I am, I see something in this pick that I didn’t see befor. I see Obama making this pick and saying to Warren, “The eyes of America will be upon you.” (Warren is a huge egomanic) “I want to offer this opportunity to you but I can only do it if you think you are able to say a prayer that includes ALL Americans and does not deepen the divides that have been opened over the past 50 years. This country needs healing, Rick? Can you do it?”
Warren has been given a chance to atone for the poltical sins of the radical right. He can either do that or stab Obama in the back.
Either way, nobody is going to be thinking about what Warren said once Obama finishes his remarks.
I get the point… instead of smacking down the wingnuts, he is going to try to bring them back onto the reservation. And if they won’t come, their nuttery will be obvious to all.
I have no doubt Obama is capable of delivering a stunning smackdown when the time is right.
I despise Warren in the same way I loathe Falwell, et al. But I am over it. Like Obama said in his victory speech; there are those whose vote he didn’t win but he is their president too. So Warren says some meaningless words of “invocation” on 20 Jan. Who cares? I am over it.
I think this is legitimizing Warren, but I’m surrendered to the fact that the religious right exists. If Obama is going to split the right’s stranglehold on religion, who am I to complain?
It’s kind of ridiculous to say this on a blog where ad hominem attacks on Republicans and my former boss are de rigueur, but I hope Obama can change the quality and civility of public discourse. I’m tired of people chosen for their polarized views screaming over each other on talk shows. I’ve given Obama such a sweeping Benefit of the Doubt that I will even give him a pass on Rick Warren, whose book I tried to read but abandoned as mush after a few chapters (and I read a lot of books about Jesus, theology and Christian discipleship).
There are millions and millions of Evangelicals out there – it’s a good move, pure and simple. They are starting to worry about things like poverty, the environment and AIDS, not just gay marriage and abortion. If they can be coaxed from their exclusive, polarized bunker by a gesture such as Obama has made, that’s a step in the direction of some kind of national reconciliation. I am audaciously hopeful.
Lee Ann,
You ignorant piece of sh…
Kidding!
Here is the problem. Many who identify as Evangelicals are single issue voters. Mostly metal defectives and kooks who think that they are called by God to try and make abortion 100% illegal.
There is no amount of coaxing them into sane and reasonable discourse that will make a dent in that. Being uncompromising is a point of honor for them.
Similarly, there is a fairly dug-in group of “haters” on the left (I know because I used to be one of them) who arrogantly and thoroughly discount the contributions of Christianity to equality and justice (abolition, civil rights, humanitarian aid, community-building) when it is not in Cartoon Christian Mode a la Jerry Falwell, but actually trying to follow the teachings of Jesus, the original advocate of “sharing the wealth.” (p.s. I am Episcopalian, so even writing the J-word — Jesus, not Jerry — is not that easy for me.)
Flibble flabble.
Aside from Quakers, these peace loving Christians you speak of are a myth.
You could find a Yeti sooner than you could find a mainline Christian church that spoke out about the Iraq war.
The problem with this position, Lee Ann, is that any of these good works could be (and often are) done for purely secular reasons without the inane baggage of myth, superstition, homophobia, etc., etc., etc. Doctors Without Borders comes quickly to mind.
But your point is well taken. There is some good there.
I am embarrassed by the hatred, ignorance, intolerance, hypocrisy, jingoism, distortion of Jesus, proof-texting of the Bible to find support for racism, homophonia, suppression of women, etc. I am not much of an on-line preacher, though, the proof is in how one lives his or her life.
So I’ll drop it so you can get back to piling on KWS. My favorite target after Ron Williams. Seriously, though, in the spirit of St. Luke, you are “Casting down the mighty from their thrones
and lifting up the lowly.” Who knew? Even if you hit close to home ever so often.
“Casting down the mighty from their thrones
and lifting up the lowly.”
…which is not so easy while ignoring this huge plank in my eye.
Would you still advise us to take a chill pill if he was inviting a KKK Grand Dragon to speak? Rick Warren bans gay Christians from his church. He likens us to incestuous perverts. No, I won’t take a chill pill. I won’t be hated against at my presidential candidates inauguration. Fuck him and Warren too!
You know, I can’t object to what meowomon is saying. I am over it, but, if I were gay, holy fucking shit would I be pissed. You’ve got every reason…
I’m gay and I’m not pissed that Warren is giving the invocation. In three days, people are going to say “who?” It’s much ado about nothing and we have better things to spend our political capital on that this.