N.O.W. among groups upset about Obama picking Warren for the invocation

[Sarah Ibarruri]

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/President44/story?id=6490620&page=1

Once optimistic at having helped elect a president who promised them change, several liberal groups are now feeling slighted by President-elect Obama in his recent selections for his Cabinet as well as his decision to invite Pastor Rick Warren to his January inauguration.

Women's groups, gay rights organizations and environmentalists have spoken out against Obama's appointments and are fueling conversation that the president-elect is overlooking those who helped him win the White House.

[saracat]

1. And they are absolutely correct. Warren compares pro choice to the Holocaust.

[brianna69]

25. NOW didn't say a word about Warren. Sorry to burst

your bubble

[FreeState]

29. NOW Statement on Warren (link) from yesterday

http://www.now.org/press/12-08/12-18.html

December 18, 2008

Millions of people are finalizing their plans to travel to Washington, D.C. on January 20, 2009, to be part of your historic inauguration as the 44th president of the United States. We are all hoping to relive the joy of election night when we stood side by side believing that, together, we can change our country and our world for the better.

Today, we are disheartened that one of the voices that may be privileged to be part of this historic moment is that of Rick Warren. His delivering the invocation would be an insult to all of us, women and men, who support women's right to self-determination. His presence is offensive to all of us, gay and straight, who support equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people.

We understand your desire to engage people from opposing sides of many issues. But dialogue requires treating your opponents with respect. Rick Warren has compared abortion to the Holocaust and stated that he would not vote for a "Holocaust denier." He implies that those of us who support abortion rights are equivalent to Nazis.

Rick Warren worked to take away the rights of LGBT people in California by supporting Proposition 8, calling it a "moral issue that God has spoken clearly about" and stating the "homosexual marriage is one of the five issues that are not negotiable." He calls LGBT people "unnatural."

Words do matter, President-elect Obama. Words lifted you to the White House and all of us to a place where we felt included in your vision. By choosing Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at your inauguration you have deeply offended progressive people who worked and voted for you in record numbers. This is not the tone we hoped you would set on this historic day - and giving a platform to a messenger of intolerance does not send a message of acceptance and change.

There are limitless opportunities for your administration to work with people who do not agree on every issue, but who nonetheless agree that we must end poverty, address climate change, and achieve human rights for all. We are deeply disappointed that you have made a different choice and hope that you will reconsider Rick Warren's inclusion in this important and historic celebration.

President-elect Obama, you can still select a minister who will speak to our collective vision for hope, change and the promise that we will all be part of this great country, and we urge you to do just that.

[makinguphumans]

60. Thanks, I had not seen it. It is pretty pointed in their criticism--as it should be.

[mtnester]

41. You dropped this

[girl gone mad]

44. Fail strong, with this one is.

[Bluebear]

61. NOW "horrified" about Rick Warren. Sorry to burst your bubble.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=4686043&mesg_id=4686043

[JerseygirlCT]

56. It's well beyond his position on choice

You're going to find a great many against choice, unfortunately, even among those who are otherwise pretty progressive.

But he's against women in leadership positions. That says a great deal to me beyond even his position on choice.

[rpannier]

2. Al From has been happy with Obama's appointments nt

[derby378]

23. That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside

:nuke:

[YOY]

3. Well hopefully some DUers can come around and get a little more irked with this.

Some folks here thik the Warren thing is just an insult to gays. It goes much goddamn deeper.

He is the Fundie right. Fuck them.

All his other actions to date. I'm either happy or lukewarm. This man does not represent the kind of people to appease.

[anonymous171]

4. Obama, like Bill Clinton, will learn that you cannot deal with republicans.

They will smile and agree with you in the beginning. But the first time you turn your back to them they will shove a knife into your spine. It is their nature.

[wryter2000]

33. I hope he learns

I'm not sure either of the Clintons have learned even yet.

[musette_sf]

5. K&R

[brianna69]

6. They should all vote republican in 2012

That should solve everything.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

7. You mean there cannot be any other Democratic candidates other than Obama? Ever? Oy vey nt

[anonymous171]

8. WOOHOO! It will be 1980 all over again!

[JohnnieGordon]

18. *Fingers crossed*

Would absolutely LOVE to see a true progressive kick Obama's ass in the '12 primary.

[GarbagemanLB]

21. and then get creamed in the general. Go Kucinich!

:rofl:

[JohnnieGordon]

24. Kucinich doesn't have the charisma to get elected

But that doesn't mean a charismatic liberal candidate won't appear before '12. If they can beat Obama, they'd have a good chance in the general too.

[anonymous171]

67. Yep. We could use another 20 years of GOP dominance.

[JohnnieGordon]

68. That's your assumed outcome of running a liberal candidate, not mine

Or perhaps you're just a committed centrist who would be unhappy with a staunchly liberal president.

And btw, "liberal" doesn't necessarily mean as liberal as Kunicich, there's plenty of middle-ground between him and a centrist.

[leftstreet]

9. Didn't he compare pro-choice women to Nazis?

:shrug:

This guy is a nutter.

[EFerrari]

10. I've been wondering about this all week -- where the women's groups were. n/t

[brianna69]

16. NOW said nothing about Warren. They are whining

they don't think enough women are in the cabinet. The man picks the most diverse cabinet in history and people still bitch. So it goes. He still has my support.

[FreeState]

30. See statement above from NOW n/t

[EFerrari]

40. How nice for him!

[mtnester]

43. You may have missed this when you dopped it upthread

[girl gone mad]

46. That's a lie. n/t

[FrenchieCat]

11. Geeze, everyone hates Barack now.

HE didn't appoint enough women, enough environmentalists, etc., etc., etc.

He just plain sucks!

[Sarah Ibarruri]

14. Excuse me but I thought we made it clear we hate bigots, GOP fascists, and woman haters?

If he's picking those, he needs to stop. That wasn't clear from every post being put on here and everywhere?

[FrenchieCat]

20. Who on his cabinet is a bigot, a GOP facists and a woman hater?

When I read the article, there is a pile on that the corporate media is describing.

Good luck with the corporate media helping make gains with Gay rights.

[JuniperLea]

59. He needs to stick to the Constitution...

And get religion out of our government. This isn't just about the GBLT community! This is about women, Atheists, Agnostics, Jews, Buddhists, etc. This is about sticking to our Constitution and getting everything religion OUT!

[roguevalley]

17. disagreement is not hate, frenchie. its disappointment. I *love* this

man but it was pure tone deafness that so soon after prop 8 he had one of its leaders open the dawn of our hopeful new era. Not hate, just sorrow.

[FrenchieCat]

22. I understand the disappointment.....

but ABC's goal is not to advance Gay Rights....

The article is a pile on.
It is not meant to "help anyone".....

[roguevalley]

26. ...

:hug: What a world we live in.

[girl gone mad]

48. ABC has hired more gays and done more to advance gay rights than..

Obama has.

I don't get your attack.

[Cha]

64. abc was one of the corporatemediawhores to

advance the bombs on Iraq.

[polichick]

28. Nobody hates Barack - don't confuse dissent with non-support.

[stillcool]

37. I always thought dissent..

was a difference of opinion. I didn't realize it was disdain, disgust, and caustic hyperbole. I'm a little confused about lock-step as well. Where does that fall in the opinion column? Who decides what 'lockstep' is, and what 'dissent' is? Is "fuck you" dissent? Is a differing opinion on the merits of a fundy preacher lock-step? And most of all, is there ever any solution offered when 'dissenting'? Or is it 'dissent' for the sake of 'dissenting'?

[polichick]

42. I don't have all those questions. Seems pretty clear that emotional venting...

...is emotional venting, and dissent ~ or disagreeing about something ~ does not negate support for the individual.

Some posters on DU seem very sensitive about disagreement ~ maybe it was seen as something bad in their families ~ but imo discussion without disagreement is a snooze.

[stillcool]

49. Maybe you're right...

I may be too sensitive to scurrilous language. It doesn't seem to serve a purpose for me.

[polichick]

50. People need to blow off steam - the Internet is a safe place for that.

[JerseygirlCT]

57. I don't hate him at all

I still think he's our best hope to turn around the cluster*&^$ Bush is leaving us with. I have great hope for him.

But in this, he screwed up. And it would be good to see him acknowledge that with something tangible.

[David Zephyr]

12. 25%. So much for "change you can believe in".

Next, he'll change his mind about his promise to pull out of Iraq quickly.

[crappyjazz]

15. I'm afraid that you are likely right

we've all been had by yet another politician

[jonnyblitz]

36. that's obviously an empty campaign slogan meaning NOTHING

the drunken hillary cardboard cut-out groping fratboy that writes obama's speeches probably came up with that one.

[cosmik debris]

13. Why all the surprise?

He pandered to the religious right during the campaign. Did anyone really expect him to change after he got elected?

When Warren beckoned, Obama answered obediently. Why would anyone expect things to be different now?

[ProSense]

19. That piece doesn't say anything about NOW being upset with the Warren pick

Gandy, NOW's president, is complaining about the number of women in the cabinet:

Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization of Women, told ABCNews.com that women nationwide had expected a more gender-balanced Cabinet.

Obama has so far chosen only five women to be in his Cabinet -- counting Thursday's appointment of Rep. Hilda Solis, D-Calif., as labor secretary.

"It's true that even with the addition of Solis -- who is excellent -- there are still only three women who head departments and five women overall in the administration," said Gandy. "That's a lot of men."

"All of the women who supported President-elect Obama and Vice President Joe Biden believe that they are supporters of women's rights and had hoped for and expected some more tangible evidence of that in the Cabinet picks," said Gandy.

NOW is one of several women's groups that have joined forces to present a petition calling on Obama to create a Presidential Commission on Women during his first 100 days in office.

"I'm hoping that as Obama looks back and realizes how small the representation of women is in the Cabinet he'll seriously consider our request for an additional Cabinet-level or office that would be a place for women to work for the inclusion of women and women's interests," said Gandy.

Gandy points out that women still only represent one-fourth -- 25 percent -- of Obama's Cabinet. There are 15 members of the Cabinet plus six Cabinet-level administrators.

"Women made up 56 percent of the Obama-Biden voters, we are close to 50 percent of the work force in the country and for decades have been getting the majority of degrees at every level, from Ph.D.s to law school, and yet we still are such a small minority in the top board rooms of the country starting with the Cabinet," she said.

"We want women in the Cabinet is because we want a critical mass of women to be at the table when policies are considered and 25 percent is probably less than most people would consider critical mass for really being heard."

[Sarah Ibarruri]

27. You thought libs were limiting their upset to Warren and not to the Bushists picked to be

in the cabinet and other positions?

[ProSense]

34. What gave you that idea? n/t

[Sarah Ibarruri]

35. Dunno. Just thought it. Libs are upset with the GOP picks and the homophobe being honored nt

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

38. Some libs.

Other libs have more important things to worry about.

[JohnnieGordon]

66. And some "libs" aren't libs

Like the 30% of Democrats who voted for Prop 8.

[FreeState]

31. NOW made a statement yesterday about Warren

http://www.now.org/press/12-08/12-18.html

December 18, 2008

Millions of people are finalizing their plans to travel to Washington, D.C. on January 20, 2009, to be part of your historic inauguration as the 44th president of the United States. We are all hoping to relive the joy of election night when we stood side by side believing that, together, we can change our country and our world for the better.

Today, we are disheartened that one of the voices that may be privileged to be part of this historic moment is that of Rick Warren. His delivering the invocation would be an insult to all of us, women and men, who support women's right to self-determination. His presence is offensive to all of us, gay and straight, who support equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people.

We understand your desire to engage people from opposing sides of many issues. But dialogue requires treating your opponents with respect. Rick Warren has compared abortion to the Holocaust and stated that he would not vote for a "Holocaust denier." He implies that those of us who support abortion rights are equivalent to Nazis.

Rick Warren worked to take away the rights of LGBT people in California by supporting Proposition 8, calling it a "moral issue that God has spoken clearly about" and stating the "homosexual marriage is one of the five issues that are not negotiable." He calls LGBT people "unnatural."

Words do matter, President-elect Obama. Words lifted you to the White House and all of us to a place where we felt included in your vision. By choosing Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at your inauguration you have deeply offended progressive people who worked and voted for you in record numbers. This is not the tone we hoped you would set on this historic day - and giving a platform to a messenger of intolerance does not send a message of acceptance and change.

There are limitless opportunities for your administration to work with people who do not agree on every issue, but who nonetheless agree that we must end poverty, address climate change, and achieve human rights for all. We are deeply disappointed that you have made a different choice and hope that you will reconsider Rick Warren's inclusion in this important and historic celebration.

President-elect Obama, you can still select a minister who will speak to our collective vision for hope, change and the promise that we will all be part of this great country, and we urge you to do just that.

[ProSense]

32. Thanks, it isn't mentioned in the OP piece. n/t

[IndianaGreen]

47. NOW: (Warren's) "presence is offensive to all of us, gay and straight"

Today, we are disheartened that one of the voices that may be privileged to be part of this historic moment is that of Rick Warren. His delivering the invocation would be an insult to all of us, women and men, who support women's right to self-determination. His presence is offensive to all of us, gay and straight, who support equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people.

We understand your desire to engage people from opposing sides of many issues. But dialogue requires treating your opponents with respect. Rick Warren has compared abortion to the Holocaust and stated that he would not vote for a "Holocaust denier." He implies that those of us who support abortion rights are equivalent to Nazis.

Rick Warren worked to take away the rights of LGBT people in California by supporting Proposition 8, calling it a "moral issue that God has spoken clearly about" and stating the "homosexual marriage is one of the five issues that are not negotiable." He calls LGBT people "unnatural."

Words do matter, President-elect Obama. Words lifted you to the White House and all of us to a place where we felt included in your vision. By choosing Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at your inauguration you have deeply offended progressive people who worked and voted for you in record numbers. This is not the tone we hoped you would set on this historic day - and giving a platform to a messenger of intolerance does not send a message of acceptance and change.

http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2008/12/19-6

[otohara]

39. Obama Has Broken My Heart

with this move and his response.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

45. He has broken people's hearts everywhere. On the heels of Prop 8 and the 2 other legislative

affronts by Republicans, and he's honoring a homophobe that helped prop 8. I never really thought he'd do such a thing. He needs to replace Rick Warren.

[IndianaGreen]

51. And like Bush, he appears incapable of admitting he made a mistake

The Warren invite did nothing for Obama's nebulous unity, and much to add to the national discord.

Way to go Brownie!

[high density]

52. Obviously Obama doesn't see it as a mistake

I honestly can't believe to see people now comparing him to Bush. Wasn't this sort of thing here banned at one point? Now it's the Obama Hate Forum. "We hate Obama, because he invited somebody who hates gays and abortion to talk for about two minutes."

[Sarah Ibarruri]

65. Post-prop 8, post amendment 2 in Florida, and the one in Arizona, all supported by Warren....

... and fresh off this, this Warren is the one Obama chose to honor on his inauguration.

[bunnies]

53. N.O.W. pissed off? *gasp* What else is new...

:shrug:

[Bluebear]

63. Wow, exactly what progressive ideals DO you hold?

[Thrill]

54. N.O.W. is always complaining about something with Obama?

Did they ever even endorse the guy?

[Phx_Dem]

55. Yawn.

[JuniperLea]

58. How progressive of you... eom

[Bluebear]

62. Very progressive of you.