If Obama's support for Homophobic Evangelicals (no matter the color) is a mistake....

[Tyler Durden]

Then let him apologize. IMMEDIATELY.

By my reckoning he's already 2 days late. The Debate Tonight would be a good place, right in an opening statement, before any questions can be posed.

Otherwise, Qui tacet consentit.

[MNDemNY]

1. No mistake...pandering, pure and simple.

[ourbluenation]

3. actually i bet his gut reaction was "ohhhh shit". but this lack of a clear apology is unfortunate.

[Tyler Durden]

15. A little less than unfortunate in my book.

At this point, he might as well try to wing it with the Evangelicals, because at this point, any honest progressive will give him the boot unless they are a bona fide follower of the Personality Cult.

Bigotry trumps just about everything else in my book.

[ourbluenation]

18. tyler - those are some loaded words there. "honest progressive"?

come on. I agree he needs to say what he really thinks about that dude's statements. and he needs to do it like, yesterday. If he agrees with him then just say it (and i'll personally be writing him off). If he doesn't then say it. NOW.

As a matter of full dislosure, it's no secret that my beloved and only sibling, my sister, is the most fabulous lesbian in the entire world. I want her to have the same rights as me, a straight, married, chick and I take that argument to the homophobes at every opportunity. But even she understands that the arc of justice will not go full tilt overnight and the good news is that many Americans are becoming more reasonable on this issue who never were before. and know this - she is deeply in love with a woman from another country so they are twice screwed as the gal cannot immigrate here since her country has no green card lottery, the visa's for professionals are harder to get and backlogged, and obviously the option to marry an american is not on the table. but even with all that my sis is a multi-issue voter who refuses to base her vote only on the gay rights agenda. she's equally concerned about the environment and affordable healthcare too. does that make her a "dishonest progressive"?

friend, in the end of the day moments like obamas move things forward because it creates an opportunity for dialog down here on the ground.

i am willing to give him the chance to say something about it but he better do it quick. If not I have no choice but to assume he agrees with the preacherman and i'm over him. done. finito. which is a bummer, because i really thought he was a bit of fresh air.

[ourbluenation]

2. thats what I keep wondering too. except for the french part. haven't a clue what ya said there.

as for obama - the guy i thought i knew would have apologized. very disappointing.

[Tyler Durden]

7. Latin.

"Silence implies consent."

[ourbluenation]

19. 10-4 thx

[mzteris]

4. I agree.

I've been very supportive and excited about him in the past. (I have no "one" candidate. I currently support all of the Dem candidates - but would, of course be the most excited to see a NON-"old white guy" as President!!)

However, this issue has really disappointed me. What is he thinking??? If he doesn't distance himself from this guy ASAP then I'm going to have to seriously reconsider my support for him.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

5. He WILL acknowledge this howling screw-up

But only the day AFTER the South Carolina primary.

[Skidmore]

6. Have any of you actually contacted his campaign

with your concerns or do you just show up here and rant?

[Tyler Durden]

8. Several times, without reply. Have you?

[Neecy]

12. actually, I have

They sure are in frequent contact with ME, after all - Obama has one of the best-organized fundraising programs out there and once you give they're in constant communication, not only through email but through the US mail as well.

Of course, I haven't heard anything back - it seems like it's a one-way thing unless you're sending money.

[Tyler Durden]

14. I actually wish you had.

It is very distressing to see ANY Democratic Party front runner, Obama, Clinton, WHOEVER, give even the appearance of pandering to bigoted homophobes.

If he had any sense of this while it was happening, he should have cut of Donnie's mike and to Hell with the consequences; that would have been an act of real integrity.

[Neecy]

16. I was nice when I wrote, too....

I know that a volunteer is going to get the email and for all I know, that volunteer is gay so I was pretty polite in expressing my disappointment.

His campaign has been calling me weekly asking me to attend a caucus training session. I was planning on going but after this, not a goddamn chance. And I'll be glad to tell them that and exactly why when they call again.

[Tyler Durden]

17. I'm always nice when I call or write...

Unless it's a Bushbot I'm calling or writing.

[RiverStone]

9. too bad his judgment on this distracts...

...from his eloquent rhetoric.

I think Obama's pandering to the right has cost him too much support on the left already.

IMHO - Obama's toast!

[Tyler Durden]

11. There have been MANY purveyors of eloquent rhetoric.

I tend to judge by actions. This goes so far beyond a possible mistake in judgment so as to be a purposeful action.

And I don't see how anyone can dispute this.

[DURHAM D]

10. The big picture -

Obama will likely come in 2nd in Iowa and N.H. He will be doing more pandering not less because he has to win S. Carolina to stay viable.

He may try to thread a needle with an apology to the gay community in such a way as to not offend his fundamentalist base but it won't work now that everyone is paying close attention.

Someone has posted video from the BET debate (AIDS testing) wherein for the first time on the national stage he pandered to a certain demographic. If you have not watched it you may want to. What is puzzling to me is that in that debate I immediately understood that he was uncomfortable with a full-throated support of the gay community for fear he would lose the fundamentalist community. I discussed it was a friend at the time and we thought he was toast in the gay community.

[Tyler Durden]

13. You can fool some of the people, some of the time....

If there's no apology forthcoming tonight, and I don't mean one of those rePuke style "...If I possibly offended someone..." pieces of junk, then my opinion is, lie down with the dogs-get up with fleas.