Now that I think of it, the LGBT community should thank Obama for the Warren invocation

MrScorpio

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Mon Dec-29-08 04:05 PM
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Now that I think of it, the LGBT community should thank Obama for the Warren invocation

I've given some thought to Barack Obama's strategy of using associations as a tool to find common ground. I see it as his way to not only to achieve his ends, but also a way to break down barriers which other politicians build to operate initially in a environment of partisanship, which only brings eventual failure.

Such partisanship isolates lesser skilled politicians, such as George W, Bush, who are unable to succeed in garnering popular support for their policies. It's also important that any successful politician be principled, as most of us will agree that Barack Obama does stick by his principles. Bush may have accomplished some of the results that he wanted, such starting his illegal wars and achieving a virtual police state in this country. But lets face it, subsequent principled leaders are poised to strike down the illegal structures that Bush and his cronies have constructed. His house is built on a foundation of sand.

All of us expected the ship of state to right itself, and it will.

Now, a less skillful politician might have avoided the Saddleback Debate with Rick Warren. And frankly, I don't even think that it was his objective to even win it. If Obama's goal was to state and stand by his principles to an audience who are as right wing as evangelicals, I'm sure that he understood that he wasn't going to win them over in one event. If you remember, most polls after the debate indicated that McCain had won it. But, I think it was Obama way to eventually disarm a powerful voice in the evangelical community through his association with himself, if the necessity for it were to arise. In other words, I believe that Obama understands the importance of using setbacks as tool to obtain greater success down the road.

The tool at Obama's command is popular support. I'm sure that he recognized the public outrage of from the result of Prop 8 and other referendums. Although, there was an initial setback, there currently is a struggle going on to reverse the injustice to restricting civil rights. If anyone thinks that full civil rights for lesbian, gays, bisexuals and the trans-gendered are going to be achieved without a struggle in America, they are deluding themselves.

Obama, with his association with Rick Warren, has opened a door for those who are determined to struggle. Without that association, Warren would be free to operate in isolation from the public outrage. He would be free to spew homophobic remarks without feedback. He would not be exposed to the consequences of hatred and violence against the LGBT community. Warren has worked hard to portray himself as an open minded and principled religious figure, if only by his willingness to embrace Obama. Warren's only recourse, if he were to stray away from this effort, would be to devolve into utter hypocrisy. Although other so-called religious figures may fall into hypocrisy at the drop of a hat, I'm sure that Warren understands that such a direction would cause a rend from a man who is about to become the next president. He would need a powerful association more than a man who holds the most powerful office there is. It's a valuable association where Obama holds just about all the trump cards.

If you are outraged by the treatment of the LGBT community, this is where you come in. Barack Obama has opened a door for you that no other progressive minded politician would ever have attempted. He has given you, hook, line and sinker, an evangelical figure to whom you can transmit what injustices the LGBT community face in this country. Day in and day out, DUers tell a powerful message about the plight of gays in America. Rick Warren is impelled to listen to the Obama constituency if he is to maintain his association, and if it's still the case, that constituency is YOU!

The tool is popular pressure, which you have in your hands.

The impetus is to fight injustice, which all principled people are impelled to do.

The idea is convince someone like Rick Warren that by standing with Obama, they must also fight injustice, otherwise they'll be exposed as a hypocrite.

This is where you need to play hardball.

Not against those who are standing by your side, the people who are ready to march with you to achieve full civil rights. But to change the hearts and minds of those who are willing to recognize the struggle against injustice that you are fighting.

What are you doing to engage in the struggle? Are you wallowing in a morass of self pity and anger, striking back helping hands. Or are you recognizing the open door and walking on through it?

I think that nothing less than a direct appeal to Rick Warren to recognize the injustice faced the LGBT community is warranted.

Do you think that you're up to the challenge?