Obama Adds Gay Minister to Balance Anti-Gay Singer
 |
James Joyner | Friday, October 26, 2007 |
After spending the week getting hammered for inviting a gay-bashing gospel singer to tour with him in South Carolina, Barack Obama has added an openly gay minister to the line-up.
In response to an uproar from gay activists, Democrat Barack Obama’s presidential campaign on Thursday added a gay minister to the lineup for its weekend gospel tour.
Gay activists had criticized Obama’s “Embrace the Change” tour in South Carolina because the performers included gospel singer Donnie McClurkin, who says homosexuality is a choice.
Obama’s campaign invited Rev. Andy Sidden, a South Carolina pastor who is openly gay, to appear on Sunday in Columbia. Obama discussed Sidden’s inclusion Thursday with Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, which supports gay rights.
Somehow, I don’t think this is going to end the criticism. Especially not when Obama’s writing letters with passages like this:
Pastor McClurkin believes and has stated things about sexual orientation that are deeply hurtful and offensive to many Americans, most especially to gay Americans. This cannot and should not be denied.
At the same time, a great many African Americans share Pastor McClurkin’s beliefs. This also cannot be ignored.
A sampling of the reaction thus far:
- John Aravosis: “Keep digging, Senator.”
- Jasmyne Cannick: “What the hell were Obama’s people thinking . . . ?”
- Keith Boykin: “This move is sure to piss off almost everybody, except HRC, who apparently brokered the deal”
Obama’s a smart, charismatic man. But continued boneheaded missteps like this would seem to reinforce the view that he’s not yet ready for prime time. That’s really no surprise: He’s run exactly one significant political race in his life before this one and the the presidential arena is a whole different league.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
Follow James on FriendFeed | Twitter | Digg
- Obama Tours With Anti-Gay McClurkin
- Obama Quits Trinity United Church of Christ
- Colbert Files for South Carolina Primary
- Clinton Wins Indiana, Obama Takes North Carolina
- Colbert Rejected for South Carolina Ballot
- What is it with South Carolina?
- Barack Obama’s Crazy Pastor
- Barack Obama and the Oprah Factor
- Obama to Appear on O’Reilly on Thursday
- Hillary Clinton to Surrender?
- Country First: A Fascist Idea?
- John McCain’s Acceptance Speech
- OTB Latenight - Madness
- Caption Contest Winners
- Rich Work More than the ‘Working Class’
- Why Don’t Politicians Write Their Own Speeches?
- Palin’s Speech Reax
- Caption Contest
- Obama’s Legislative Accomplishments (Updated)
- Sarah Palin’s Convention Speech
Whoduh thunk you can't make all the people happy all the time???. That said, he should have went the hot lezbo route....a lot less flak involved.
That’s really no surprise: He’s run exactly one significant political race in his life before this one and the the presidential arena is a whole different league.
Actually, that's not true [I guess it depends on what "significant" means]. He ran a failed Congressional race before he ran for the Senate.
I for one do not buy into the CW that this is some bonehead move. Sounds very much to me like the typical analysis of Washington professional pols.
The moves seem entirely consistent with Obama's character - someone who wishes to emphasize inclusion, and probably sees himself as a figure who can transcend divides. I imagine he thinks he can best be a leader by refusing to shun people who disagree with him on some issues, but also holding firm to his principles.
By not getting rid of McClurkin, but also making strong atatements about what his own beliefs are, he is simply acting out his sincere approach to these types of divides.
The professional pols may be right in the sense that this type of approach is doomed to failure in the contemporary American political landscape. But it strikes me as an expression of who Obama really is, as a person, and for that I think he should be applauded.
And personally, I think it makes him the type of candidate that I think would be good for this country.
I also think it's important to hear what Senator Obama has to say on this topic:
Comments are Closed
