Biden Defends the Warren Choice
Joe Biden will evidently be in Larry King Live tonite and has said this about what the Warren selection means:
…Barack Obama said you’ve got to reach out. You’ve got to reach a hand of friendship across the aisle and across philosophies in this country. We can’t continue to be a red and blue country. We can’t be divided like we have been. And he’s made good on his promise. And I would say to the gay and lesbian community, they have nothing to worry about. Barack Obama, every aspect of his life, every aspect of his public life, and every commitment he’s made relating to equality for all people, will be things that he will stick with and that they should view this in the spirit in which he offered the opportunity to — to Mr. Warren.
There is much more of the Biden interview over at the link. And I’ll apologize in advance for revisiting the Warren discussion again. Biden’s comments here are pretty much the prevailing narrative from the Obama camp on the selection of Warren to give the invocation. If I stand back and look at the pieces on the board, I can see the political calculation in this pick. And given the fact that Warren is being given all sorts of hell from the right for accepting, there is something to be said for a method to madness. But in spite of the possibilities for political gain thee really ought to be a line. And while I doubt that the Inauguration team won’t endorse any parties being held at and catered by country clubs that don’t admit black people or women as members, it is just as hard to accept having someone up on the Inauguration dais who explicitly and frequently speaks out against the civil rights for one group of Americans. Being able to “do business” with Warren just isn’t enough on the day where we remind the world of American democratic ideals.
Tags: Joe Biden
On Hardball tonight, a gay activist who was taking the obvious side on this issue said that today Rick Warren removed the divisive language about gays from his website. That’s not to say he changed his mind on the issue — it is to say that the wording and unwelcome message on his website to gays has disappeared. Would that have happened if Obama hadn’t picked him for the inauguration? No.
On the other hand, June, Warren is participating or at least supporting a Ken Starr led lawsuit to invalidate the 18,000 gay marriages that took place before Prop 8 passed. He is also on record that all Jews who do not accept Jesus are going to hell, and that issues like abortion rights and stem cell research are completely off the table for discussion. He supports the teaching of creationism in the form of intelligent design along with evolution; that science and religion are “mutually exclusive”; and that even if homosexuality were proven to be genetic rather than a choice, he wouldn’t budge on his position that homosexuality is a sin.
Reaching out to somebody like Rick Warren is including him in a panel discussion on people of faith working to eliminate poverty, along with a lot of other diverse views.
This is pandering to man who has made clear on multiple occasions that for all the gloss and smiles he is not going to change his fundamental position that his religious conviction tops secular government every time.
Lets start facing the truth. Obama is not a progressive nor is he a moderate. Any person who attends a sch00l of higher learning and does not know the gay issu is a “civil rights” issue, is a fool. My national sources blame Michele Obama for this right sided position. She is the one who is into these ‘sinister ministers” who are tied up with the old testament. Michele Obama is also #61 on the Fitzpatrick list and a person who moved up the ranks of corporate american in highly questionable fashion.
Valerie Jarrett an Obama insider put Michele on the Chicago Hospital Board and on Walmart board, where she collected hundreds of thousands of dollars. Blago was attempting to gain the same influence that Michele Obama had once Barack Obama won the Senate seat.
Keeping Gates on is keeping our troops in Iraq, 60,000 more to Afganistan, Obama is expanding these wars…and Biden can make all the ridiculous excuses he wishes…we have to watch these people just as hard as we did George War Bush. Not lets stop kidding ourselves and start paying close attention.
Somebody got a new tin foil hat for Christmas.
And I for one is glad she’s trying it on early.
The invocation was the one pick that should have been a name drawn out of a hat–literally. This ceremonial gesture could have yielded any one clergy from a tribal chieftain, to a small country church pastor. Given Obama’s past bruising of “church” challenges, I am surprised of his controversial pick. Unless, I had some family member, in good standing, and wearing the cloth–I would have opted for a random pick, symbolizing inclusiveness, and a higher power acknowledgement. Obama doesn’t need this nonsense.