Mr. Obama? A word, please.
I admit to being charmed by Barack Obama. His charm is one of his many assets, and it’s the reason he’s been pegged as the next John F. Kennedy. Part of that charm, however, is a certain boyish naivete that, while endearing, does little to reassure the shrewd voter that he knows what he’s doing, has a solid and well-grounded foundation, and will be able to lead with a clear and calm head. His statements give one cause to wonder if he even knows where he stands on certain issues, but it’s his actions in regards to the GBLTQ community right now that give me pause for concern.
Ex-Gay Gospel Singer a Hit at Obama Event Despite Controversy - GayWired.com
To many gays and lesbians, ex-gay gospel singer Donnie McClurkin was one of the last entertainers they would have liked to see headlining Barack Obama’s “Embrace the Change” concert tour of the South.
Those who attended last night’s stop in Columbia, S.C., however, must have thought the complete opposite, as they reportedly leaped from their seats when McClurkin strode on stage.
“We’re here,” the singer told the crowd, estimated to be 2,000-strong, according to the Associated Press. “We’re here and we’re glad we’re here.”
McClurkin got through the evening without mentioning the controversy he brought to the event and to Obama’s campaign. That is, until the concert’s final 60 minutes.
According to the Washington Post, McClurkin approached the subject subtly before launching into a full-on plea to those in the crowd.
“I just said yes,” he said of the invitation he received from the Obama campaign. “I didn’t know so much was going to happen,” the Washington Post reported. “I didn’t know my yes was going to mean I was misunderstood and vilified. .. . Sometimes people can take your words and do this with them,” he said while making a twisting motion with his hands.
Mr. Obama, do you know what the phrase “birds of a feather flock together” means? I can assure you that millions of voting Americans do, and that assumption will carry more weight with the general populace than your half-hearted protests. Even if you have your reasons for including an ex-gay minister in your gospel tour, you are a public figure and your image is, unfortunately, very important to your presidential campaign. For you to ignore that displays an astonishing lack of foresight. Were you making a stand on something unpopular and controversial and sticking to your guns despite what it might do to your reputation, I might understand making a move that might alienate many of your otherwise supportive voters while gaining the vote of many more.
This isn’t such an issue, though. This is a muddled middle ground in which you seemed more concerned with courting the votes of your African-American supporters with the inclusion of a gospel minister than you were with alienating your GBLTQ supporters by your association with an ex-gay minister. Being the unimportant smaller margin doesn’t feel good, Mr. Obama. It doesn’t win votes. And it can’t be appeased by a perfunctory conciliatory statement made by bland, impersonal press release; if it could, we wouldn’t be actively protesting your involvement with McClurkin, no matter how incidental.
Is this political suicide? Hardly. It’s an issue, and an uncomfortable one, but not so grievous an error as to cause a scandal.
But has it tarnished the lustre of Barack Obama’s boyish charm? Most certainly. The boy scout’s halo is slipping just a little, and while this slur might be set aside for the day, it won’t be easily forgotten.
democratic presidential candidate barack obama, ex-gay minister donnie mcclurkin, embrace the change gospel tour
October 30th, 2007 at 6:07 am
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October 30th, 2007 at 9:47 am
I don’t know if I perceive inviting an ex-gay singer to sing at a fundraiser as attacking the gay community. Especially since it seems he’s performed at similar events in the past for other Democrats.
Yeah, I feel very uncomfortable with people pushing the ex-gay way as the only way. But the entire issue is far more personal than political, ultimately, no matter which way you swing. Ex-gays are people who were unable to come to terms with what they really are, who call their own behavior a sin and therefore those who still practice it “sinners.”
And ultimately, what messages singers sing (which are very personal) can be quite different from the political opinions they hold. It is important to separate the two–no one has the exact same opinion as any other person, so just because someone has an incorrect and harmful view on the world doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be heard at all.
October 30th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
I think going so far as to call it an attack or to think that that’s what I meant by my approach to the event is a bit much.
It’s not an attack. It’s just grossly inconsiderate and shows preferential treatment towards one quadrant of voters over another. It’s a short-sighted faux paus, not deliberately malicious. But it’s still insulting, and people don’t forget the little things.
Personally, I don’t give two sh*ts one way or another who Obama had on his tour. This isn’t about what I think of McClurkin at all, really. It’s about the negative effect that this will have and already has had on his campaign, and the fact that he didn’t really think it through well enough. Regardless of your logical and sensible standpoint, Indikaze, it’s still going to affect how other GBLTQ voters view him and possibly turn them away from voting for him.
So who said anything about an attack?
October 30th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
While I don’t put much sway on the GBLT stance of a candidate when picking sides, it does still weigh at the back of my mind. I can’t kid myself; most of America is anti-GBLT agenda, and the candidates know it.
Still, I don’t want an Alan Keyes as President (I knew he was a weenie when we brought him in against Obama here in Illinois in 2004). Hey Adri: if Keyes wins, wanna be roomates at the state-mandated rehabilitation camp for gays?
October 31st, 2007 at 12:23 am
[deep sigh] Well, if I go down, at least I’ll go down in good company.
…wait, that didn’t quite sound right…
October 31st, 2007 at 3:10 pm
Excuse me for a moment. The inuendo broke my brain …
October 31st, 2007 at 3:15 pm
>.< It was unintentional, I swear! (…except the part where I realized after typing it just how wrong it sounded and clicked “Submit” anyway…)
October 31st, 2007 at 4:34 pm
That’s okay. I was in the city today, so that was honestly the sweetest thing anyone has said to me all day.
November 1st, 2007 at 1:12 am
That’s…actually pretty sad.
(…and now I’m insanely curious as to why you or someone linked back to this thread from your locked LJ community. Don’t blame me, I just happened to notice it on my site tracker.)
November 1st, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Well, New Yorkers may be renown for being rude, but I think Chicago is a close second (people look at me funny for holding the door open).
The LJ post was a woman offering to hunt me down and propose (post-special operation) and me pointing out how I need to spend more time online if everyone is making such generous offers via the web xD
November 5th, 2007 at 10:49 am
[…] platform. Edwards is struggling to crawl is way back up to the top by taking pot shots. And Obama, who I thought was my front runner, invited an ex-gay gospel singer to entertain on his campaign […]