Rick Warren refused to even MEET with gay families - and issued a press release to say so!

[Bluebear]

Barack Obama is defending his invitation to Rick Warren with a plea for postpartisanship.

What I've also said is that it is important for America to come together even though we may have disagreements on certain social issues... That dialogue, I think, is a part of what my campaign's been all about, that we're never going to agree on every single issue. What we have to do is create an atmosphere where we can disagree without being disagreeable, and then focus on those things that we hold in common as Americans.

Greg Seargant asks "why campaigning against division and polarization by picking an equally radical choice on the left to give the invocation would be politically unthinkable?"

Meanwhile, consider how agreeable Warren himself chose to be -- how open to dialogue -- after the gay group Soulforce prematurely announced that leaders of Warren's Saddleback church, perhaps including Warren and his wife Kay, had agreed to break bread with gay Christian families on Father's Day:

We did not invite this group and I will not be meeting with them. They invited themselves to draw attention to their cross country publicity stunt. My staff has already told them that neither my wife nor I will meet with them for any discussion or debate.

Bear in mind that the Soulforce families were not asking to speak from the pulpit, or for Warren to publicly embrace them. They wanted a private conversation, to let Warren get to know some real people who were being hurt by his teachings and actions. And yet, not a chance.

Soulforce was traveling, by the way, with a mediator of sorts: gay-affirming pastor Jay Bakker. If Obama is really committed to having all Americans come together, he'll have Jay up there on January 20 too.

http://www.radosh.net/archive/002563.html

[dbackjon]

1. EXACTLY what we have been saying

It is FUTILE to reach out to these ASSHOLES.

[Mari333]

2. ahhh so Mr Warren doesnt reach across the aisle ..

this sure isnt a surprise.

[terrya]

3. So much for any dialogue we would supposedly be having with him.

There's what "reaching out" to these people represents. Turning your back on any kind of discussion.

Yep, this new outreach is working out JUST fine. :eyes:

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

4. Don't be silly. It's okay to be gay. As long as you're deeply ashamed of it.

[ikojo]

6. How did it work for Bill Clinton

who signed the defense of marriage act as a capitulation to the right? Didn't he have Billy Graham speak at his second inauguration?

Didn't the radical right thank him by calling him a murderer and a drug trafficker? Jerry Falwell sold videotapes on his tax supported TV show alleging Clinton trafficked drugs via an airstrip in Mena, AR.

Reaching across the aisle is seen as WEAK by the right wing.

[xchrom]

5. recommend

[Mugweed]

7. OK here goes...

I think that all these anti-gay right wingers secretly want to reach-around the aisle, and hate themselves for it.

What seems to go ignored here is, why do we need a pastor, preacher, preist, whatever to be present? Keep it in the church.