should Bush have canceled this gospel performance?

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

This Human Rights Campaign press release from 2004 is offered as a reality check as to whether it is appropriate to complain about an appearance that is "just a concert"
______________

Gay Leaders Call on President to Reject Inflammatory Speakers

8/30/2004

Anti-gay speakers should not be featured at convention, say Jacques and Robinson

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign and the National Black Justice Coalition called on President Bush today to repudiate anti-gay speakers at the Republican National Convention. HRC’s Cheryl Jacques and National Black Justice Coalition’s H. Alexander Robinson sent the following letter to the president today:

Dear Mr. President (G W Bush),

As advocates for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) Americans, we are writing to you on a matter of grave concern.
We are deeply disturbed to learn that Donnie McClurkin, Sheri Dew and Bishop Keith Butler, who have made deeply offensive comments about GLBT Americans, will be featured at the Republican Convention and we urge you to repudiate their divisive and appalling comments.

Mr. McClurkin, who will be entertaining from the convention stage on Thursday, has accused gay Americans of "trying to kill our children" ("The 700 Club," Sept. 23, 2003) and has called homosexuality a "curse" (Charisma Magazine, June 2002).

In an article about same-sex marriage, Ms. Dew, who is speaking before the convention on Monday, called for "a comparison between the atrocities of Hitler and what is happening in terms of contemporary threats against the family" (Meridian Magazine).
In talking about the "gay lifestyle," the Bishop Keith Butler, who is appearing on the convention stage on Thursday, has claimed that it "endangers family, children, and the core of society" (October 2003 press conference).

Mr. President, featuring individuals on the stage of your convention who compare a group of Americans to Hitler and accuse them of killing children is divisive and irresponsible. The American people abhor discriminatory, false and inflammatory language against any group of Americans.

Uniting America comes with helping families, not by promoting those who want to divide us. We urge you to immediately repudiate these comments.

Sincerely,

Cheryl A. Jacques, President of the Human Rights Campaign

H. Alexander Robinson, Strategic Director of the National Black Justice Coalition
____________________________

The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender political organization with members throughout the country. It effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to ensure that LGBT Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community.

The National Black Justice Coalition is an ad hoc coalition of black lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered leaders who have come together to fight against discrimination in our communities.

http://www.hrc.org/issues/2031.htm

[xchrom]

1. uh, yes?

that it should be cancelled is one thing -- understanding that people are using gay hate to advance themselves - in one context or another - is something else.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

2. Agreed all around. Just a response to the "this is a silly issue" crowd.

If Bush shouldn't do it, how can it be open to debate whether we should do it? Surely our standards are higher, not lower.

[MadMaddie]

3. Why would we expect him to respect the 70% of tax paying

American citizens that he doesn't care about.

He went because that's the only place he will continue to get support.

Let him continue to travel his smaller and smaller circles of hate mongers, until the day they realize a catstropic health issue, or job loss or natural disaster and they will realize they were used like everyone else he has used.

It's expected of him. No surprise here. I am just surprised he hasn't attended a Klan Rally yet to receive his honorary hood. That's all...

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

4. I certainly wouldn't expect Bush to cancel it

but he should have.

And if he should have, how can anyone say a Dem should go ahead with a performance by the same guy?

[Cameron27]

5. Of course not, and I understand why you posted this.

The difference is that I doubt anyone would have defended either McClurkin or bush then.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

6. I am so confused. I thought it was a rhetorical question, but from replies I'm

not so sure.

You get it because you were active in some of the threads where some were arguing "Get over it! It is unreasonable to ask Obama to cancel this... it's just a concert"

The Human Rights Campaign is thought of as tight with the Clinton's so when they called on Obama to cancel the concert, some people might have thought, "Oh, they're just trying to help Hillary."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3639327&mesg_id=3639327

But the HRC has been plenty consistent on Donnie McClurkin, as this 2004 press release demonstrates.

And I cannot imagine that a single one of the "get over it!" posters would have said the same thing in 2004 on EXACTLY th same topic.

(Mostly, though, I am amazed that a major campaign would book someone for a fundraiser without maybe, I don't know... googling his name or something?)

[Cameron27]

7. I don't understand how they booked him either,

but right now I'm more amazed that Obama hasn't cut him loose. It looks like he took a gamble on limiting the whole thing to the LGBT community, while picking up the SC AA vote. Wrong bet, and it's only getting worse with McClurkin talking about it now:

http://www.americablog.com/

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

9. This was bound to happen

The primary campaign process is an obstacle course. It is unfair, but it has to be because the genral election is sure enough going to be unfair.

Vague-message grass-roots enthusiasm campaigns are prone to self-destruct at some point because they attract all sorts of people with wildly different agendas. Winning campaigns have to be top down... otherwise you run into a situation just like this.

Obama wants to be inclusive and unify people in their enthusiasm. So he allows some people in SC to think he is secretly on their side on old-style religion.

So the campaign ends up with staffers in SC who honestly don't get why a performer would be unacceptable in a Democratic primary race. There are people high up in the state campaign operations that are politically inexperienced... who think a campaign is a cause, rather than a results-oriented process for surviving a cynical process.

Everyone does wink-and-nod appeals to voting blocs with different agendas. Hillary has supporters who hope she will bomb Iran and has supporters who think she is the only hope of stopping war with Iran. The point is, she accepts their support, but DOES NOT ALLOW THEM TO RUN VITAL CAMPAIGN OPERATIONS.

[Cameron27]

10. That would explain why his campaign seems so

unfocused. One of the things that appeals to me about Obama the man, is his apparent unwillingness to dish the dirt, but that's exactly what drives me crazy about Obama the political candidate. Don't get me wrong, I find Edwards' attacks distasteful and hypocritical, but that has more to do with how I feel about his past record and sudden transformation. IMO, Obama waited too long and started the attack on Clinton when he should have picked off Edwards who was competing for the 'anti-Clinton' vote.

This whole gospel concert tour is depressing the hell out of me. It's something that could and should have been avoided, and it's getting to the point where I wonder if Obama can survive it.

[SaveElmer]

8. Delete

MIsread subject line

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

11. Never stops anyone else! : - )

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

12. Still waiting for explanations from the Obama nation why this RNC concert was cool...