President-elect Barack Obama’s inviting Saddleback Chruch’s Rick Warren to deliver an inaugural invocation raises an open question or two: Who’s the bigger hypocrite, and who’s the bigger toady? Or, per one of my tags, who is the bigger panderer? This is certainly not a slam dunk on the hypocrisy issue, and we could have a split vote between hypocrisy and pandering.
So, let us take a look at the contenders.
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Warren’s hypocrisy on gay issues is underscored by this statement:
“I have many gay friends. I’ve eaten dinner in gay homes. No church has probably done more for people with AIDS than Saddleback Church,” he said in a recent interview with BeliefNet.
I’m SURE, SURE, SURE Cathedral of Hope here in Dallas has done more for AIDS, Rick. Or, to haul out a controversial ministerial and church name from the recent past, I’ll bit Trinity UCC and Jeremiah Wright top you.
Obama’s was mentioned in the story; it’s his opposition to gay marriage, while also saying he opposed California’s Prop. 8. Veep-elect Joe Biden further highlighted this during the Veep debate, claiming gays would have 100 percent relationship rights, while saying he and Obama opposed gay marriage.
Beyond that, though, is the question of who’s the bigger hypocrite, or, intertwined with it, who’s the bigger toady, issue in broader sociological terms. And, who risks more fallout?
First, let’s look at Warren. Will this affect his standing as the new “America’s minister”?
There’s probably a fair degree of truth that the average under-30 person, or even under-40 in a white-bread megachurch like Saddleback, is there to “fellowship” and plug into the right Christian self-help/success gospel “program” more than talk theology.
But, the average 45- to 50-year-old who has teenagers at a place like Warren's church, and puts a lot more dinero in the offering plate than a twentysomething, I think has a more traditionalist view of religion.
I suspect there's division here. Some may see it as Warren's stealth mission to keep softening Obama up, while others worry about him going over to the dark side, or just letting power go to his head.
As for Obama? Unless the GOP runs someone like Sarah Palin in four years, a lot of LGBT money in particular, and other progressive money in general, will probably sit on the sidelines. So, Obama has very little toadying/suck-up gain here.
That means that, as much as people who are still drinking the Obama Kool-Aid don’t want to admit it — this is the real Obama!
And, per MSNBC (second subhead on webpage), it is clear the Obama Company welcomes the gay-rights attacks; clearly, Rahm Emanuel does. I agree that Obama probably is regarding more ardent gay-rights activists as his Sister Souljah.
More proof on that? The One insists Warren should be all right for the country, and for B.O. questioners, as he changes his song to “Come Together” instead of “Kumbaya.” (With that Doobie Bros. chorus now No. 1A on the hit list, “Kumbaya” falls to No. 3.)
Now, the question from the headline. It’s a toughie, eh? From where I sit, Warren certainly isn’t a hypocrite in his own mind. Obama continues to be Just.Another.Politician.™ despite claiming he isn’t.
And,
Because Obama issued the invite, taking the initiative, AND because he did this just two weeks after saying repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” would be a priority, he gets my vote hands down. (As for toadyism, it’s Warren by an even bigger margin.)
But, you can vote below.
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