LAT: Obama's choice of Rick Warren to lead prayer dismays Hollywood

[TeamJordan23]

Obama's choice of Rick Warren to lead prayer dismays Hollywood liberals
By TINA DAUNT

December 20, 2008

From Hollywood's perspective, there's a cloud over Barack Obama's inaugural. Now the question is whether the weather that day will simply be overcast or stormy.

Obama's selection of Orange County mega-pastor and bestselling author Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his swearing in has hit liberal Hollywood in one of its sorest spots: the passage of Proposition 8, California's ban on gay marriage, which Warren strongly supported. In fact, he has compared same-sex nuptials to approving polygamy and pedophilia.

Reaction in the entertainment industry -- where interestingly, Warren has his own powerful ties -- has been swift, angry and bitter. (And nothing undermines a good party quite like disappointment and hurt.)

"Barack Obama is a very smart student of history," said longtime celebrity publicist and gay activist Howard Bragman. "He saw that Bill Clinton did damage to his early presidency by appearing to pander to the gay and lesbian community. Obama has chosen a different tack.

"What he didn't realize was how much untapped energy there was in the gay and lesbian community because of the passage of Prop. 8," said Bragman. "Obama didn't realize, after all the support he got from the gay and lesbian community, we feel betrayed right now."

The passage of Proposition 8 galvanized activist Hollywood in a way that the campaign had not.

Whether out of outrage or guilt, actors, filmmakers and other industry types have been on the front lines of protests and calls to overturn the proposition.

While none of the senior activists are advocating a boycott of the inaugural, as some grass-roots voices on the Internet are, they are calling on Obama to make some concrete gestures showing he understands their concerns.

Democratic political consultant Chad Griffin, who this week was named by the Advocate, America's leading gay publication, as one of its People of the Year, thinks that it's up to Warren to let Obama off the hook and withdraw.

"Rick Warren needs to realize that he is further dividing us at a time when the country needs to come together," said Griffin, whose Hollywood clientele includes Rob Reiner, Michael King and Steve Bing. "I think he needs to gracefully step aside."

As for Obama, Griffin said: "He has a long history of standing up for and defending equal rights. I believe and hope that calling on Warren was just a innocent mistake by the transition team."

continue reading at http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-et-cause20-2008dec20,0,5410722.story

[polichick]

1. "there's a cloud over Barack Obama's inaugural" - yep, a huge dark one!

[IndianaJones]

2. what the heck is wrong with giving a hateful bigot a prominent national stage...

so you can pander to his followers?

[otohara]

3. I Wish They'd Stop With The "Groups" Only Mentality

liberal groups, GLBT groups, Hollywood liberals -

In media land, you have to be a member of a group to be disappointed and sick about this choice.

[QC]

4. But I thought this was limited to a bunch of whiny pet issue people on DU

engaging in poutrage.

This article must surely be a lie!