12/18/2008
Congressman Barney Frank 'Disappointed' by Warren Invite
Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank released a statement today in reaction to Obama's invitation to anti-gay Pastor Rick Warren to give the invocation at the presidential inauguration.
Said Frank:
"I am very disappointed by President-elect Barack Obama's decision to honor Reverend Rick Warren with a prominent role in his inauguration.Religious leaders obviously have every right to speak out in opposition to anti-discrimination measures, even in the degrading terms that Rev. Warren has used with regard to same-sex marriage. But that does not confer upon them the right to a place of honor in the inauguration ceremony of a president whose stated commitment to LGBT rights won him the strong support of the great majority of those who support that cause.
"It is irrelevant that Rev. Warren invited Senator Obama to address his congregation, since he extended an equal invitation to Senator McCain. Furthermore, the President-Elect has not simply invited Rev. Warren to give a speech as part of a series in which various views are presented. The selection of a member of the clergy to occupy this uniquely elevated position has always been considered a mark of respect and approval by those who are being inaugurated."
Posted 7:40 PM EST by Andy Towle in Barack Obama, Barney Frank, Inauguration, News, Rick Warren | Permalink
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I think KEITH's description of this situation is on target. And AGAIN, Obama's appointments to cabinet positions have been good, though so far not openly gay. Obama did NOT appoint Warren to an official government position. I too would rather Obama makes political progress through neutralizing enemies than getting us nowhere. Remember, Clinton didn't think of DADT, it was forced on us when he miscalculated. Obama and his team are very smart and politically shrewd.
Remember too, the queers in Chicago who know him say he does really and truly support us.
I still give him the benefit of the doubt—as much as I'm disappointed in the Warren affair, it's not a political appointment or a policy decision.
Posted by: David R. | Dec 19, 2008 2:01:22 AM
David R,
I have to disagree with you. I think Obama is treating us like Pavlov's dog and cynically using us in a game of notice-board politics. Re Pavlov's dog, he'll give us a carrot and then the stick. Re notice-board politics, he'll pander to anti-gay pastors so as to show "the general community" that he's not really for us. It's like someone sticking up a notice on a board at our expense.
Posted by: jason | Dec 19, 2008 2:20:17 AM
Keith you're dreaming... I do think Obama is a savvy politician, and I am sure he will call in his chips with Warren one day, but I wouldn't count on him using any of those chips up on the gays...
Posted by: Hank | Dec 19, 2008 2:21:19 AM
Democratic operatives...
Enough with the bald-faced lies and phony promises already. You're messing with peoples' lives under false pretenses. And that's morally reprehensible. You're just stringing us along because you want more money in 2010 and 2012.
You don't have the votes in Congress to repeal DADT and DOMA. You just don't have the votes. With the demographics of this country the way it is, you're not going to do much better than a 79 seat majority in the House. Nor will you will able to break a GOP-Dixiecrat filibuster in the Senate anytime soon.
You're selling a product you know you don't have in stock.
Posted by: John in CA | Dec 19, 2008 2:49:15 AM
Hank--
People told me I was "dreaming" since March 2007 when I started volunteering for Obama. They were right. But look how that turned out.
I've noticed in an admittedly small sample of friends and co-workers that being gay or straight was not the determining factor in their opinions on this one. What made the most difference was whether they had been a long-term Obama supporter.
Those who have worked on the campaign from the beginning -- gay and straight -- and those who came later but who did a whole lot of work in the later days, all understand this decision. We "get" Obama, we know how he works, and most of us have second-guessed him many times -- myself included -- only to find out he was right and we were wrong.
Those who put in only a little in the last days (i.e. knocked on doors a day or two during GOTV) or supported other candidates (i.e. Hillary, including some who still aint over it) or who were not involved in any significant way are the ones who are now making the big fuss. They make the "perfect" the enemy of the "good." They'd rather we all "feel good" about who's on the stage than build coalitions with our enemies, coalitions which might get some, if not all, of our goals accomplished.
I'd be willing to bet that the posters of comments here fall into these two groupings in the same way.
Ironically, they are helping in their own way. The greater the outcry against Warren, the more sympathetic his folks are likely to be toward Obama. They will see that he is standing up for his principles of including everyone, including those he may not like. That will lead them to be more cooperative in the long run.
So, keep up the outcry. It's all helpful.
p.s. I don't think Obama is perfect. I disagree with his reversal on FISA and drilling, to name two. Those I do not understand. But on this one, I get it.
Posted by: Keith | Dec 19, 2008 2:50:13 AM
keith, sorry but you make it sound like those of us who came to the O party (esp from Hillary) are sorta dumbasses who don't get it and are still bitter. You come off a tad smug. I am sure that's not how you mean to sound which is why I am bringing it up.
I hope you're right but it sounds like you're excusing O for being a typical politician (or a brilliant one) when he said he wasn't like that.
But again, I hope you're right because if you're wrong it's going to be a lot harder for you to deal with than some us who only got the last drops of the Kool Aid.
Posted by: Derek Washington | Dec 19, 2008 3:31:13 AM
Keith, you sound completely pompous here. Who are you to judge people from on high? Not sure if you "get it" as much as you think, but rather that you have no clue what a horrible decision this is and are denying the impact of this choice.
Not that it matters, but I was a huge supporter of Obama from the very start and big volunteer - I didn't come from anywhere or anyone else. He was my guy. Which makes this so much more painful for me. I am fed up, just completely fed up, of politicians who don't get it. And I hadn't thought he was one of them. Until now. And it's over. Enough.
You say he has a plan to help lgbts. Really? How come it isn't out there? Is he just waiting until he's buttered the evalengicals up enough, allowed them to spew their disgusting rhetoric for the next two years, and will then waft it under their noses, and they suddenly change their minds and agree they have been wrong all along? Or is this disgusting choice a harbinger of more cynical treatment as lgbts continue to be cast aside and treated as the untouchables we have been in this country for the last decade?
I have a dream, and that is that Obama will take a principled stand here and support the basic human rights that are common to all of us? That is the least, the very minimum, the gay community deserves after the abuse of centuries that is unrelenting. It's already late and it is past the time to start. I'm done with waiting. The time to change is now.
Posted by: Patrick M | Dec 19, 2008 3:59:18 AM
Um, I've seen this "Rev Wright is an evangelical" meme too much.
It needs to stop. UCC is a liberal church that allows same-sex marriage. Rev. Wright supports marriage for gays and lesbians.
Rev Wright is not a evangelical in the modern AP style guide sense of the term. (An argument could be made that he's evangelical in an older sense of the term, but that same argument would apply to an awful lot of religions)
Posted by: steve | Dec 19, 2008 5:13:46 AM
I agree with Barney Frank, and I thank him for telling it like it is. However, something else which really needs to be publicized in this situation is that in Rick Warren's book "The Purpose Driven Life", Warren claims that only born-again Christians will go to Heaven. Where does that leave Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, etc;? Maybe if this fact is publicized, Obama's choice of Warren to do the invocation at his inauguration won't be percieved as a slap in the L.G.B.T. community's face alone...
Posted by: Frederick Carter | Dec 19, 2008 5:56:39 AM
The huge unsaid remains... why is Christianity celebrated at the Inaugural in the first place ?!
It is absolutely inappropriate at a function of state.
Posted by: Pbar | Dec 19, 2008 8:11:05 AM
Derek--
Not meaning to sound pompous or smug, but I realize that it can come off that way when I express confidence that O knows what he's doing. I was simply observing a fact -- that of the (remember, small sample size) of people that I talked to, ALL of the former Hillary supporters were on the "Barack made a bad move" side. most extreme example: I was at a b-day party and mentioned that I knew the b-day boy via working on the Obama campaign together, to which one of the Hillary-ites huffed "He'll be a bad President", got his coat, and promptly left the party. I hadn't said a bad word about Hillary, but this guy was *still* bitter.
Patrick M-
The plan IS out there. Go to change.gov. The very first item on the agenda (because it's alphabetical) is "civil rights" and guess what's the first item on that list? hey, it's us. and i quote:
# Combat Employment Discrimination: Obama and Biden will work to overturn the Supreme Court's recent ruling that curtails racial minorities' and women's ability to challenge pay discrimination. They will also pass the Fair Pay Act, to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work, and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.
# Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: Obama and Biden will strengthen federal hate crimes legislation, expand hate crimes protection by passing the Matthew Shepard Act, and reinvigorate enforcement at the Department of Justice's Criminal Section.
And that's not even in an "LGBT" section. That's the first thing, period. Following the "general" list of civil rights stuff are LGBT-specific items. Here are a few:
Barack Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. (my comment: this is as much as he can politically get away with for now. It felt good to have Kucinich support full marriage, but he could do that because he knew he was never going to be the nominee. See my earlier comment about the movement wanting hugs more than legislation)
He also wants to:
Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell
Expand Adoption Rights
There's more which you can read here:
http://change.gov/agenda/civil_rights_agenda/
We are on his agenda, and this Rick Warren thing is all part of the plan.
Posted by: Keith | Dec 19, 2008 8:37:06 AM
Obama hasn't even taken his oath yet and already he has thrown the LGBT community under the bus, thanks buddy. Regarding racism and sexism within the gay community, I agree it's there. I'm a white male and I admit I'm racist. How could I not be, growing up in this society? I recognize this about myself and try not to act on it.
Posted by: Tintin Malfoy | Dec 19, 2008 10:26:34 AM
Mr. Obama is doing exactly what any politician would do. He's "moderating" himself. I just don't think he gives anything even remotely like a shit for the gay community. His whole "I'm for equality for gays, but I'm opposed to them marrying" crap demonstrates his disregard for us. Evil is just plain evil. Exclusion from a civil right is evil (even though I don't feel much of a need to get legally hitched). "Rev." Warren is evil. Mr. Obama has made his choice to associate and pander to evil. Next he'll issue a preemptive pardon to everyone in the Bush administration, just in case anyone has the balls to try them for criminal activities.
Posted by: JT | Dec 19, 2008 11:33:41 AM
Thank you, Congressman Frank for your continued defense of gay and working class Americans. Keep up the good work!
Charlie Mader
San Francisco
Posted by: chasmader | Dec 19, 2008 11:55:24 AM
the gay media, this site included, didn't report honestly on Obama. Obama's views on gay marriage and equity have always been what they are. While several of Pastor Warren's views are in disagreement with Obama's many other are not, particularly when it comes to us.
Posted by: tofer david | Dec 19, 2008 12:33:07 PM
we have been disrespected....lets send a flying shoe or two obama's way. throw them electronically. where are all the creative types?..how about a video of warren and barack ducking thousands of shoes (high heels?) thrown from us at them...
Posted by: jim | Dec 19, 2008 12:44:47 PM
The net effect of this so far is that Warren has gotten on national TV, as the pastor for the inauguration, spewing ignorance and insidious hate at gay people, with Obama's implicit endorsement that this is somehow part of the national conversation we should be having about teh gay. I would like to see Obama use some equally high-profile national airtime explaining exactly what, in his view , is wrong with Warren's statements , and where he differs. Otherwise he's really losing me here...
Obama has the bully pulpit, and how he uses it is the single biggest thing he can do to impact the real lives of gay people, for better or worse.
Posted by: Hank | Dec 19, 2008 3:19:54 PM
But doubtless Obama won't do that , and by his silence , he will implicitly endorse the characterization, in the national TV discussion, of the gays who object , as being uncivil or intolerant..
Posted by: Hank again | Dec 19, 2008 3:26:45 PM
Frank is helping himself here by trying to change the tune from how he helped rip off the American taxpayer. Too bad Patrick Fitzgerald doesn't work out of Boston.
Posted by: anon | Dec 19, 2008 4:44:55 PM
Obama has never supported gays and still doesn't. Why gays ever supported him is unclear to me. The only thing i've ever heard him say about gays is that he would prefer us to be seperate but equal. That is not support.
Posted by: steven | Dec 19, 2008 5:37:34 PM
Step 1: Sit for 20 years listening to the hate spewing Rev. Wright.
Step 2: Table discussion on DADT until 2010, mid-term election year death nail.
Step 3: Have Rev. Warren deliver the invocation at this ground breaking inauguration.
Where is my change? On the backs of the LGBT community. I hope we get the change that so many THINK that we will get...
Posted by: RB | Dec 19, 2008 6:10:40 PM
Since Obama has decided to become the bitch boy for the religious reich I guess we'll be in for many,many more disappointments with his administration and it hasn't even started! If Obama thinks GLBT taxpayers are going to step and fetch to his bullshit lies and deception then he's going to have a more difficult time then he expects running this country. Thanks Obama for giving Warren a platform so that his "followers" can kill,murder,harrass,intimidate,discriminate and keep gays "in their place"-(2nd class citizenship)all under the name of god and love. The Audacity of Hope couldn't be more ironic.
Posted by: SFshawn | Dec 19, 2008 6:41:51 PM
"Barack Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. (my comment: this is as much as he can politically get away with for now"...Keith, are you serious?
Obama opposes same sex marriage completely, thinks marriage is between a man and a woman, believes it is in opposition to his Christian beliefs and says that he believes in civil unions to get our vote!
I do not believe that he will be the president that so many here believe that he will. I see him as the absolute best politician! He outslimed the Clintons and covinced 70% of the LGBT community that we were important.
But then again we have seen that before. Most Western European leaders initially thought that Hitler was ok too. Bring on the bitter comments, bring on the hate but I told you during the election and I am telling you now that we do NOT have a friend in the whitehouse!!!! Not now, not on 1/20/09!
Posted by: RB | Dec 19, 2008 9:46:11 PM
It's good to see that Barney Franks follows his homosexual agenda of "inclusion" and doesn't discriminate against people of other beliefs. I'd hate to see Franks declare the choice of pastor Rick Warren as a mistake for praying in the inauguration just because he holds a Christian Biblical world view. Oops, scratch that - Franks if being a hypocrite.
Posted by: N Waff | Dec 22, 2008 9:57:01 AM
If Rick Warren has a freak death on the day of the inauguration, I will convert to Christianity.
Posted by: CommieCowboy | Dec 25, 2008 4:44:18 PM