So, did Obama succeed in reaching out to anti-gay evangelicals?

[More Than A Feeling]

Let's ask "dgnymn":

"Obama...Not only is he a pretender to the Throne, but he is totally unqualified for the position of President. Pro-GAY!!! He is another homosexualist who is trying to feminize the nation and bring us under the judgment of God. Reaching out to Black Evangelicals??? If they are true to their faith in Christ, they will reject Obama quickly and vote for one who's depth of character is in line with the faith of our Fathers, and the Biblical faith we hold dear. It's too bad that Obama cannot understand that his compromising to bring in an openly homosexual clergy member doesn't do him ANY good!!! We see right through him."

Ouch. How about "morethanconqrer"?:

I am not voting for Obama either! If he folds under pressure by inviting a gay priest to attend his gospel music concert just to appease those angry little gay activist, I can imagine what he is going to do if he becomes President under the United States and continues to allow illegal immigrants to enter America just because they are complaining. SHAME ON BARACK OBAMA, YOU ARE WIMPY!!!!!

Brutal. PreacherAz, you have something to add?:

As a Pastor/Preacher of the Gospel of Our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ. This sadden me greatly. Barack and McClurkin need to REPENT AND GIVE THEIR LIVES OVER TO CHRIST QUICKLY. WOE TO THEM FOR COMPROMISING AND WEAKENING THE YOUNG SAINTS!!!

There is one word for this Great Mess, and that is Compromise!! Woe to Obama and to McClurkin who are calling good evil and evil good. And for all the so-called believers to stand back and say nothing about this..So-called Rev. Andy Sidden, an openly gay or Sidomit/homosexual to worship Our Lord without someone saying something.

Squeakywheel spews forth his grease:

I wonder why Donnie McClurkin would be supporting the candidacy of Obama, especially when Obama's personal and public policy views on special rights for homosexuals and same-sex marriage is so contrary to the orthodox biblcial worldview. In a sense, McClurkin is only hurting his own Christian testimony by embracing a presidential candidate that only mocks biblical truths on the issue of homosexuality.

Obama's signing-on of a homosexual "pastor" further illustrates the moral confusion within his heart and the desperate attempts to be all things to all people without any biblical convictions for the sole purpose of gaining votes.

These are actual responses from commenters on the article http://www.christianpost.com/article/comment/20071027/29858_Obama_Adds_Gay_Minister_to_Ease_Gospel_Tour_Drama.htm">Obama Adds Gay Minister to Ease Gospel Tour Drama.

[Rowdyboy]

1. Decisions have consequences. Bad decisions have bad consequences....

and so it goes

[MethuenProgressive]

34. "I wonder why Donnie McClurkin would be supporting the candidacy of Obama"

Because Donnie and his flock recognized the wink wink nudge nudge from Barack.
:puke:

[ruggerson]

2. These are the people Obama is reaching out to

these are the people Obama supporters at DU keep telling us must be accomodated and "included."

Read their words over and over.

These are not people to be "included" in anything if you are a moral, sane, decent human being.

These maniacs are only correct about one thing: this is about right and wrong.

[Bluebear]

3. Why can't you just "leave this alone"?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2156025&mesg_id=2156060

[ruggerson]

4. Well, I think this post should be kicked over and over

all day long tomorrow so that the words of these people can be read over and over.

If we are going to reach out to them, we should know exactly to whom we are reaching out, no?

[Bluebear]

12. Absolutely.

[IndianaJones]

5. exactly why is this getting recommended? for bigotry? for an unsuccessful....

reaching out to bigots?

Amazing.

[ruggerson]

6. I assume because it is the actual words and thoughts

of the people Obama was reaching out to.

His followers here should read them.

And then tell us again what a good idea it was to reach out to them.

[IndianaJones]

8. understand. nt.

[killbotfactory]

7. If bashing gays is the most important thing to these people

they won't be voting democratic, and no democratic candidate is pursuing their vote.

[IndianaJones]

9. I've seen many posts urging reaching out and finding common ground with just such people. nt.

[killbotfactory]

16. There can be no common ground with people who consider this issue of the utmost importance.

Not every homophobe considers the issue important enough to overlook the war, economy, corruption, etc. Not all of them want to enshrine discrimination against gays into law.

[ruggerson]

10. stop with the excuses

these are the exact type of people Obama was going after. This is who they are.

Why do you think people have been pounding their fists about this for days now?

[killbotfactory]

14. how can he successfully woo these people when he has been quite outspoken

in supporting gay rights?

[ruggerson]

15. that's part of the question we've been asking

all along

[killbotfactory]

18. He can't, and he's not.

Those aren't the people he wants to win over. Anyone who thinks the most important thing to do right now is to stand up to gays is an idiot, and a lost cause. Not every homophobe is like that. I'm sure there are plenty people who think homosexuality is wrong because they've been taught that all their life, but don't consider the matter so important to base their vote on.

[ruggerson]

20. killbot, he HEADLINED a concert tour

with these people. McClurkin IS one of these people. His primary political focus IS that gay people are horrible and evil. That's his raison d'etre.

[killbotfactory]

33. McClurkin is an asshole

but he is supporting a candidate who is a strong supporter of gay rights. Whatever stupid crap he's spouted or what he believes about homosexuality, he has to compromise his own bigotry to support either Obama or any other candidate.

[Bluebear]

11. Many posts here said it is important to embrace those anti-gay sentiments.

Otherwise we are "just as bad as Bush" by not listening to other views.

[killbotfactory]

13. I don't agree with that

We are reaching out to those people who have a problem with homosexuality for whatever stupid reason, but are still receptive to the democratic message and willing to compromise on the issue and support us. Those are the people democrats are going after.

[Bluebear]

19. 'We are reaching out to those people who have a problem with homosexuality'

In other words, going after bigot's votes.

[IndianaJones]

23. to be fair, a large portion of votes are bigots votes. they shouldn't be

reached out for though.

[killbotfactory]

32. But not because of their bigotry

Because they likely agree with the democratic position on every other issue, and it's stupid for them to reject the democrats because they support gay rights.

[mark414]

17. this is fucking ridiculous and to attack only Obama is intellectually dishonest

face it, ALL the candidates give mostly lip service to LGBT rights with the exception of Kucinich (i'm not voting for him)

Hillary Clinton proudly accepted endorsements from anti-gay ministers, John Edwards is "uncomfortable" with the idea of gay marriage and Barack Obama brought Dipshit McClurkin on to his gospel tour.

to put quotes from a bunch of nutcases on a site that might as well be run by the same people as Free Republic is a horrible way to prove a point...none of those people would ever vote for a Democrat anyways, and they AREN'T the people that Obama was trying to "win over."

this is pathetic, grasping for straws and is a foolish way to try to make a point

[ruggerson]

24. What's intellectually dishonest

is to pretend that these AREN'T the people Obama is making a pitch to.

[Bluebear]

25. They aren't the people Obama was trying to win over? No, he just put them on stage.

Wonderful.

[More Than A Feeling]

26. Looks like those quotes struck a nerve.

Homophobia is an ugly thing, and deserves only contempt. The "ex-gay" message kills.

[ruggerson]

27. They struck a nerve because the Obama supporters have been euphemizing

and prettying up who these people are in their over zealous defense of their candidate's inexcusable actions.

[mark414]

38. what strikes a nerve with me is hypocrisy

hypocrisy by obama, and hypocrisy by everybody who's attacking him.

i've never defended mcclurkin on this board, not once. and i've never defended obama from the stupid choice it was to hire mcclurkin for the concert.

what i'm bothered by is people who support other candidates that have done or would've done the exact same thing as obama, sitting here singling obama out like he is some horrible evil person. he is not alone, and he is most definitely not the only panderer in the field (and he's not even close to being the 'biggest' panderer)

[Toasterlad]

43. I Agree With You 100%

I don't believe that Clinton or Edwards are any more sympathetic to GLBT issues than Obama. However, they have so far been smart enough NOT to showcase a virulently anti-gay performer at one of their events, let alone let him preach about how God can cure homosexuality for half an hour. So, I hope you can see why Obama is being crucified and the others aren't (yet).

However, you're out of your ever-lovin' mind if you don't think that those nutcase evangelical bigots aren't EXACTLY who Obama was going for, and the REASON for this concert and the choice of Donnie McDickhead as MC. It's very well known that the fundies are unhappy with ALL of the republican candidates, and an unscrupulous Democrat who doesn't mind throwing the gays under the bus would definitely attempt to bring them in. Whether it could succeed or not is debatable. The point is, he DEFINITELY MADE THE ATTEMPT TO WOO THE FUNDIES.

[janx]

21. Obama wasn't trying to reach out to anti-gay evangelicals.

He was trying to reach out to black evangelical churches and miscalculated (to put it mildly). There is political tension that African Americans--especially those religious African Americans from the South--feel toward the LGBT movement: "the rights of blacks versus the rights of gays," etc.--unfortunately because politicians and the media have conflated/compared the two. The perception is real. It exists. Obama, of all people, should know this. It's really baffling.

[ruggerson]

22. McClurkin *IS* an anti gay evangelical

and he mc'ed this event.

I don't get what the argument here is.

[janx]

28. I'm not arguing, ruggerson.

The Obama campaign completely screwed up on this one. Whose brilliant idea was it to choose a guy like that to MC an event? Did that person know McClurkin's background?

The more important (moral) decision was how to appeal to black populations. Did it have to go this far?

Obama could have been honest; from what I understand, he's a member of UCC, which is often dismissed in fundy circles as being one of those "librul" churches.

He didn't have to do this, and he's smart enough (I'm convinced) that had he known what he was getting himself into, he wouldn't have done it.

[ruggerson]

29. but he had a chance to get out of it and he didn't

he knows who these people are.

And he chose to let them represent him at a concert reaching out, in not-so-subtle code, to likeminded bigots.

[janx]

30. Do we know that he knew?

?

Can we assume that?

[ruggerson]

31. Yes, of course he knew

it was widely reported that his campaign was doing major damage control and he himself addressed the issue in the Advocate as well as elsewhere. We don't know if he hired him or some moronic campaign advisors did, but we DO know that he made the decision to keep him aboard once the controversy began.

[NMMNG]

40. We can

You don't "accidentally" hire 5 known homophobes for your concert tour. There was a purpose in mind.

http://news.lavenderliberal.com/2007/10/26/obama-gospel-tour-homophobes-4-undecided-2-draw-1/

http://news.lavenderliberal.com/2007/10/23/whats-the-matter-with-obama-this-is-not-a-question-part-1/

[Karenina]

41. That second link is a definite keeper.

Danke!

[NMMNG]

42. You're quite welcome.

:hi:

[ruggerson]

35. kick

n/t

[FredScuttle]

36. Right on cue, as we knew he would, Rev. McClosetCase turned it into a Hate Homo Party

Disgusting....Obama must think we're fools

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/29/obamas-gospel-concert-tour/

[Karenina]

37. . .

[jonnyblitz]

39. YUP, they all joined PFLAG after the show !!!!

:sarcasm: :crazy: