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Cross posted at Projectile Politics
I wrote a few weeks ago about the media’s overblown response to Obama’s centrist cabinet appointments. The media seemed to think that liberals were furious at Obama, when they were maybe peeved or disappointed. Many liberals understand Obama’s need to appoint people with experience who appeal to a wide cross section of the population in order to maximize his political capital.
But Obama’s choice of Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration on January 20 is a symbolic blow to women, gays and the pro-choice and pro-gay liberals who support them.
It’s clear Warren was chosen in an attempt to bring Christians (and even conservatives) into Obama-mania. And despite the unfortunate message that the choice sends to liberals, I think it is politically shrewd. But the central question is, will Barack Obama gain enough with Christians and conservatives to compensate for the support he will lose from the left?
Powerful liberal organizations like the Human Rights Campaign are decrying this decision as “genuine blow to LGBT Americans.” Andrew Sullivan wrote:
Warren is a man who believes my marriage removes his freedom of speech and cannot say that authorizing torture is a moral failing. Shrewd politics, but if anyone is under any illusion that Obama is interested in advancing gay equality, they should probably sober up now.
Despite the political benefits to Warren giving the invocation, I agree that it is a bad choice that sets the stage for some serious disappointments from Obama on abortion and gay rights. But I’m hoping that that disappointment is only symbolic and restricted to inauguration.
Because when it comes down to it, the Warren choice means nothing. After all, Obama is not the sole decider of who gives the invocation. And it would be much more serious if he had appointed him Secretary of State or Attorney General or as the next Justice to the Supreme Court. But that’s ridiculous and its clearly not going to happen. I trust that Obama’s pandering to Christian conservatives will not spill over into any policy decisions.
In a later Andrew Sullivan post:
I think the choice of Warren is almost certainly designed, in fact, as a unifying move – and it is a signal that Obama has every intention of reaching out to Christianists who have some liberal leanings on poverty, the environment, and heterosexual HIV and AIDS. (Check out the last time Rick Warren reached out to gay people with HIV or AIDS.) I understand where Obama’s coming from, and I don’t think this is an inherently bad idea. Building such a liberal Christianist coalition is something I saw coming, and sadly see no way to avoid.
Before we will see what the choice of Warren means for the big picture of Obama’s Presidency, Obama will lose some credibility from his base. Long term, I hope that he’ll surround himself with more liberals and make some serious progressive policy choices. But when it comes down to it, we knew all along that we were electing a moderate.
3 Comments
I used to believe that you should vote for the Presidential candidate you liked least, because the first thing a new President does is
screwdisappoint his supporters in an attempt to “move to the center.” I thought Obama was an exception, but not so much anymore.Whyever would you “trust that Obama’s pandering to Christian conservatives will not spill over into any policy decisions” when he has gone out of his way to disgust some of his earliest core supporters with the choice of the odious Rick Warren to invoke at America’s Inauguration?
Isn’t it just as likely that this isn’t an exception but instead the New Way?
Jane Hamsher’s thought that Obama is sending a “signal” is correct. I would only add, that had Obama the foresight to have Huckabee give the Invocation, the ’signal’ would have been that Huckabee is now the New Leader for the Religious Right. With that moniker in place, Huckabee would have been encouraged to tossed his hat into the Presidential Sweepstakes in 2012. Thus, an easy victory for Obama. Consequently, Obama is not as smart as I imagined.
As to Warren in particular, Obama is sanctifying Warren as the New Leader. Perhaps, a battle will be waged between Huckabee and Warren, and if so, it will be a doozy.