Gospel concert controversy tests Obama's message

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: CNN

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) – Sen. Barack Obama's campaign is kicking off a series of Gospel concerts in Charleston tonight, meant to boost Obama's support among black voters in South Carolina. But what started as a local outreach project that would otherwise fly under the national radar has turned into a major headache for the Obama campaign. The controversy also highlights the fact that Obama's desire to unite disparate voting blocs — especially religious voters — under his umbrella of "change" is not without some serious pitfalls for a Democratic presidential candidate.

When the campaign announced the lineups for the three-city "Embrace the Change!" Gospel tour last week, one name stood out to gay bloggers: Donnie McClurkin. The Grammy-award winning singer/preacher is on record as saying homosexuality is a choice, and that he himself was "once involved with those desires and those thoughts," but was able to get past them through prayer. To say the least, neither of those arguments are very popular in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. John Aravosis, a prominent gay blogger and co-founder of the web site AmericaBlog, led the charge against the Obama campaign, writing that the Illinois Democrat was "sucking up to anti-gay bigots" and "giving them a stage."

Once the story bubbled up into the mainstream media, the Obama campaign was taken by surprise. In competing to win over African-American voters in South Carolina against Sen. Hillary Clinton, Obama's efforts in the Palmetto State have been overwhelmingly targeted at African-American churchgoers....(O)n Tuesday, Obama was forced to confront the uncomfortable truth that some Christians and gays are a little more than just strange bedfellows, especially among blacks.

Obama issued a statement saying, "I strongly disagree with Reverend McClurkin's views and will continue to fight for these rights as president of the United States," but he argued that it is important to confront homophobia in the African-American religious community....

***

Privately, Obama aides say they believe Obama is a candidate of real, transformational change, and that uproars like the McClurkin controversy are necessary speed bumps on the road to bringing people with opposing viewpoints together to air their differences....

Read more: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/10/26/gospel-concert-controversy-tests-obamas-message/#more-2740

[DRoseDARs]

1. Oh that last line you posted in the OP is SUCH a crock of shit...

"Privately, Obama aides say they believe Obama is a candidate of real, transformational change, and that uproars like the McClurkin controversy are necessary speed bumps on the road to bringing people with opposing viewpoints together to air their differences..."

What!?!?

If that were true, they'd have a KKK Grand Dragon on the stage too "to air {his} differences" with blacks. And a misogynist too. Can't let equality-for-women proponents speak without having an "opposing viewpoint" being aired as well on stage... :eyes:

[sandnsea]

3. Rick Warren, David Brody

http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/204017.aspx
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/791771591.html

This isn't the first religious/political controversy he's dealt with.

[KamaAina]

2. He himself was "once involved with those desires and those thoughts,"?

But now he's not any more, right? He's as straight as a laser beam. He's straighter than Larry Craig. And if you believe that, I've got a bridge in Minneapolis I'd like to show you. It does need a little TLC...

Oh, this gets better and better. I've always liked Obama (he grew up here, after all!), but Ouch! Now I'm thinking he needn't have scrambled to get that gay minister involved; all he would have had to do was get McClurkin to rent "Brokeback Mountain" and wait for the "miraculous change of heart"...

[msongs]

4. now McClurkin will sell a lot more CDs and his story is a great advertising pitch to anti-gays nt

[Dhalgren]

5. Yep! Obama just magnified Mcclurkin a 1000 times and

catapulted him into prime-time. I can only hope that when people hear Mcknucledragger's ugly message they will be repulsed...but it's only a hope...