What are women, Jews, and gays - and those who care about them - going to do now in preparation for 2012?
By Heidi Li on December 24, 2008 at 12:00 PM in Current Affairs
[Originally posted at Heidi Li's Potpourri]
If you are a Jew, a woman, a gay person or a somebody who is not any of these but cares about somebody who is, and you voted for President-elect Obama in the primaries or the general election, read Katha Pollitt (article reprinted,with light annotation, below). Than ask yourself some tough questions:
- Why did you vote for then-Senator Obama?
- Has he met your expectations so far?
- Do you think he will in the future?
If you are unhappy with President-elect Obama’s conduct now, what are you doing to work toward a better alternative candidate to support in 2012? If you think you will want an alternative, you better start working on that problem now, because the soon to be incumbent is already working to make sure he is the automatic choice for the Democrats in 2012, and that he maintains the money machine he created - depending on the precedent of foregoing public funding - to ensure that he will again be the Democratic nominee.
We have had one-term presidents in this country - usually succeeded by a successful candidate from the opposing party (e.g. G.H.W. Bush followed by William Jefferson Clinton; Jimmy Carter followed by Ronald Reagan).
Now, there may be a Republican out there who you would be happy to see become president in 2012.
But if you want an alternative to a Republican follow-up to the current term of President-elect Obama; and if you are have misgivings about President-elect Obama, for whatever reason, you had better start organizing around a different option for 2012, be that person currently an Independent or currently a Democrat.
My own view is that President-elect Obama, under the banner of empty p.c. talk, has taken real steps - ranging from the retention of Jon Favreau to Warren invitation to the cabinet appointments of Bob Gates and Ray Lahod - to erode whatever vestiges of a two-party system we have had in this country. President-elect Obama has not ever and does not now speak for liberalism; he speaks for himself. But he will enjoy a tremendous advantage in getting the 2012 Democratic Party nomination: the Democratic Party ensured that for itself by rigging his receiving it this year in Denver. That is going to discourage any Democrat from taking him on. Of course, depending on how much damage he does to himself Mr. Obama may make it easy for the Democrats to nominate somebody an alternative by deciding to step aside, as Lyndon Johnon chose to do in declining to see renomination in 1968, a move that did not work out too terribly well for liberals or conservatives as it brought us Richard Nixon, one of the most disgraced and disgraceful Presidents our country has ever had to endure.
Make the jump to read the Pollitt essay.
Opinion
Rick Warren is an insulting choice
By Katha Pollitt
December 22, 2008
To understand how angry and disappointed many Democrats are that Barack
Obama has invited evangelical preacher Rick Warren to give the
invocation at his inaugural, imagine if a President-elect John McCain
had offered this unique honor to the Rev. Al Sharpton — or the Rev.
Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. I know, it’s hard to picture: John McCain would
never do that in a million years. Republicans respect their base even
when, as in McCain’s case, it doesn’t really return the favor.
Only Democrats, it seems, reward their most loyal supporters –
feminists, gays, liberals, opponents of the war, members of the
reality-based community — by elbowing them aside to embrace their
opponents instead.
Most Americans who’ve heard of Warren know him as the teddy-bearish,
Hawaiian-shirted head of the Saddleback megachurch in Orange County and
the author of “The Purpose Driven Life.” Perhaps they also know he’s
the rare right-wing Christian pastor who sometimes talks about poverty
and global warming and HIV. His concern for those issues has given him
a reputation as a moderate and has made him the darling of Democratic
Party think tanks, ever hoping to break the Republican lock on the
white evangelical vote.
But on the signal issues of the religious right he is, as he himself has said, as orthodox as James Dobson.
And as inflammatory. Warren doesn’t just oppose gay marriage, he’s
compared it to incest and pedophilia. He doesn’t just want to ban
abortion, he’s compared women who terminate pregnancies to Nazis and
the pro-choice position to Holocaust denial. (Hmmm … If a fertilized
egg is as precious as a born Jewish human being, does that mean a born
Jewish human being is only as valuable as a fertilized egg?)
Speaking of Jews, Warren has publicly stated his belief that they will
burn in hell, presumably along with everyone else who hasn’t accepted
his particular brand of Christianity (i.e., the vast majority of people
in the world). And forget about evolution — the existence of
homosexuals, he’s argued, disproves Darwin. And while we may not know
how old the Earth is, the Saddleback website assures us that dinosaurs
and humans coexisted.
Warren claims that his views are mainstream, pointing out that in 30
states, the majority of voters have banned gay marriage. Popular
doesn’t mean right, of course, but regardless of what Americans think
about gay marriage, on other so-called social issues, he’s way out in
far-right field.
Take abortion. Most Americans, whatever their personal feelings, are
pro-choice. On election day, anti-choice initiatives went down to
defeat in all three states where they were on the ballot. Most
Americans do not think the one-third of American women who terminate a
pregnancy are running a concentration camp in their wombs, and would
have no trouble choosing between saving a Jew from a gas chamber and a
fertilized egg from a fire at the clinic.
Or take marriage. At his Saddleback Church, wifely submission is
official doctrine: The church website tells women to defer to their
husband’s “leadership” even when he’s wrong on important issues, such
as finances. Never mind if she’s an accountant and he flunked long
division, or if she wants to beef up the kids’ college fund and he
wants to buy shares in the Brooklyn Bridge. The godly answer is
supposed to be “yes, dear.” Is elevating this male chauvinist how
President-elect Obama thanks women, who gave him more than half his
votes?
Or take foreign policy. In electing Obama, Americans overwhelmingly
rejected President Bush’s Wild West approach to foreign policy.
Apparently Warren didn’t get that memo either. Unlike many evangelical
preachers, he issued a statement against torture, but despite his
access to Bush, he told Beliefnet.com that he never raised the subject
of torture with him. (”I just didn’t have the opportunity,” he said –
although he apparently found plenty of time to lecture Obama about
abortion.)
On “Hannity & Colmes,” he agreed that the president of Iran,
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, should be killed because “the Bible says God puts
government on Earth to punish evildoers.” Really? The Bible says the
United States should murder the leaders of other sovereign states? How
many other heads of state does Warren want to do away with? If
Ahmadinejad, who is, after all, a more-or-less democratically elected
leader, had shared his inauguration with an imam who had called on
national television for the assassination of President Bush, Americans
would be calling for the nuking of Tehran.
In a news conference Thursday, Obama defended the choice of Warren: “It
is important for the country to come together even though we may have
disagreements on certain social issues.” That’s all very well, but
excuse me if I don’t feel all warm and fuzzy. Obama won thanks to the
strenuous efforts of people who’ve spent the last eight years appalled
by the Bush administration’s wars and violations of human rights, its
attacks on gays and women, its denigration of science, its general
pandering to bigotry and ignorance in the name of God.
I’m all for building bridges, but honoring Warren, who insults Obama’s
base as perverts and murderers, is definitely a bridge too far.
Katha Pollitt, a poet, essayist and critic, writes the “Subject to
Debate” column in the Nation. She is the author, most recently, of
“Learning to Drive: And Other Life Stories.”
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my take on it
http://edgeoforever.wordpress.com/2008/12/24/women-b0bots-in-shock/
The hysterical attacks upon Pastor Warren are an embarrassment to the left. I’m quite pleased that President-elect Obama doesn’t appear to want to govern as a far-left ideologue.
And if the leftists don’t like it, they can vote Green in 2012.
Merry Christmas to all!
Attacks? People are quoting what the man himself said. You can run but you can’t hide.
Fact Obama’s mother was white.
Fact Obama’s father was Kenyan.
Fact Neither came from a history of slavery or participated in the Civil Rights movement.
Obama did not participate in the Civil Rights movement. That movement did not end in the 60’s with the death of MLK. So the cry that “Obama was too young” is crap.
Fact: OPbama funneled millions of dollars to a slumlord (Rezko) at the expense of poor blacks in public housing. They got nothing. Obama got a mansion out of the deal.
Fact: When the residents of public housing complained about a fence and part of that fence fell on and killed a young black child Obama said nothing.
Where was Mr. Anti Iraq War during the marches? Again no where to be found.
Obama loves to co-opt blackness, Civil Rights and other things black but he doesn’t show. Not even for ceremonies honoring MLK.
Obama has given more press conferences defending his FISA vote, promoting the banker and car industry bailout than anything else.
So Undercover Black Man stay Undercover. This black woman wants nothing to do with you.
Perfect response candymarl.
Thank you, candymart.
Thank you candymarl. The boy’s name was Curtis Cooper. Looked a lot like my son, when he was 3; he’s now 16.
Brilliant, Candymarl.
The hysterical attacks - Undercover Black Man
…………..
Your choice of words gives you away.
My words are chosen very precisely.
UBM, I’m sure you choose your words carefully and I’m sure you know the origions of the word hysteria. I do also. I, and I’m sure you, use the word with the more modern and commonly accepted definition of erratic and irrational behavior. I just wish people would stop acting hysterical over it’s usage.
The male chauvinist PIG has appeared.
Yep you 0bots will excuse anything that 0zero does — ANYTHING.
Heidi’s question was directed toward the groups that Obama has discarded.
Since by his user name we realize that UBM is the ENEMY. But he comes to prove that 0bots have no ability to think for themselves — just like the communist kids who chanted the words of their messiah.
I feel somewhat sorry for the blacks who have been conned by 0 — but when UBM crashes into reality at some point — I will laugh.
What in UBM’s name indicates he’s the enemy? That he uses he scary, scary word Man? And what makes him a chauvinist? His use of the word hysterical? Come on, that word hasn’t had a negative conotation about women since before the word “chauvinist” was a word you could say with a straight face.
Wow Northwest rain, you managed a posting without using the words penis, racist, fragile male syndrome (no such thing), and misogynist. Congratulations! Your anger management therapist is making progress. You did slip though with the needless “male chauvinist PIG” insult. Keep working on it and Merry Christmas. Jesus loves you!
UBM, I’m actually amused by the hysteria from the far left. However, they should take comfort in the fact that PEBO has not changed his core position regarding issues of concern to the left. He has never had core positions to change. The man is a cipher, there’s no there there. He will assume any posture, support any issue, and make any statement depending upon the situation. It is all consistant and predictable if you understand his very serious character flaw. He has Narcissistic Personality Dissorder.
The single driving force in his life has been to gather as many worshippers, and extract as much attention from them as he can. He started his quest with the fringe elements of the far left, but as he criss-crossed the country seeking converts, he slowly began moving to the center with his statements and promises. He timed this convert round-up perfectly so that when Nov. 4th rolled around, he had moved far enough to the middle to get a majority vote and win the Presidency. But the Presidency wasn’t the primary goal, it was the method. The goal is to gather as many worshippers as possible, becoming President got him more than halfway there.
Nov. 5th was the first day of the Obama campaign for 2012. Again, it’s not the main goal, it’s the method. Although he received more than 66 million votes, there were more than 57 million that voted against him. That is unacceptible for someone with NPD. Obama sees 57 million people out there that don’t love him so he has to fix the situation. He needs to start reaching to the right to gather as many of those people as he can so that he can feed off of their adulation. He is reaching for the hypothetical brass ring of pleasing all the people, all the time.
It’s like a popularity juggling act where the balls represent various groups, parties, and interests. The more balls he tries to keep up in the air, (and he’s continually adding balls right now) the more energy he’ll have to exert to keep them all up. He’ll begin to look awkward and silly in his efforts and start dropping balls. He just dropped the balls representing the GLTB community and many women. When he attempts to pick them back up he’ll drop some other balls. This will continue this for awhile until he becomes exausted and drops them all. Then all of us need to run for cover when the NPD rage flares up.
True, effective, and solid leaders acknowledge and accept the fact that there will always be many people who are going to dislike them and their actions. Being decisive with the knowledge that toes will be stepped on, oxes will be gored, and feelings will be hurt, is a halmark of a good leader. Obama will be frozen by his fear that he may loose some popularity with any of his actions. His election was a popularity vote, not a mandate on any particular issue, his positions on any issues were never clear and constantly changing. He is the antithesis of good leadership.
True, effective, and solid leaders acknowledge and accept the fact that there will always be many people who are going to dislike them and their actions. Being decisive with the knowledge that toes will be stepped on, oxes will be gored, and feelings will be hurt, is a halmark of a good leader.
Precisely right, Andrew. Which is why Obama won’t knuckle under on his choice of Pastor Warren.
You know what? If the Pope himself were chosen to give the inaugural benediction, the gay lobby would have the same complaint. We must acknowledge that gay marriage is not a “civil rights” issue; it is, for many, a profoundly significant religious issue.
Amen brother.
Religious issue? Are you kidding me?
Marriage is a civil institution that confers rights to those who take part. If the government is issuing marriage licenses it should be for everyone.
This is a civil rights issue.
The church was separate from the state the last time I checked. And nobody is asking to have churches issue marriage licenses.
Obama will be frozen by his fear.
Band of Brothers;
People who serve and defend this nation, at great cost, should be remembered, to them I say God Speed and stay safe. They require solid leadership.
I hope all of our military loved ones, here and abroad, can feel the presence and protection from all of us as we stand behind them the best that we can.
OMG. barky hasn’t changed his core positions????!! i won’t even bother to list all the major flip-flops he’s done, especially since the primary ended. well, i suppose that since he has no core positions, you could say that they haven’t changed. i’m not sure that’s a plus for your boy, though.
Did you even bother to read past the first two sentences? Obama is not my “boy” as you carelessly put it. Far from it. Go to the back of the class until you finnish reading the entire statement and can understand what I wrote. Geeeze!
People like Warren usually have some skeleton in their closet like being gay, having a mistress or pilfering money from the church. People that judgmental are not Christians and neither is anyone who supports Warren and his views. If you’re not going to be a real Christian, then PLEASE TAKE DOWN YOUR SIGN. You know who you are….
Heide, Obama hasn’t even been sworn in yet and you’re already thinking he needs to be challenged in ‘12? come off it. Obama will be judged by how well he manages the economic crisis. That’s the beginning, middle and end. If the U.S. economy is recovering by 2010, he’ll win reelection in a walk. If it isn’t, then all bets are off.
The rest of this stuff (and I say this as someone who is genuinely offended by the Warren pick) is a sideshow.
Oh, you poor, lonely Obots, left alone to do blogger battles on Christmas Eve? The only reason I am here is because I had to work and checking in on my lunch break! Don’t you all have family to be with?????
What, Dear Leader told you to fuck off for Christmas?
Isn’t there an Obot candle light vigil for the end of the Obama Presidency? Why not go start one?
LOL
Maybe they’re just trying to “troll the ancient yule-tide carol.”
Well, since you asked, I dropped my daughter off at preschool and my wife off at her job, but I have the day off.
As always, the level of unwarranted personal rudeness on this site is startling. It’s a lot easier to take, though, now that we’ve kicked your asses at the polls and rendered PUMAs an embarrassing footnote to political history.
I’m glad to hear that “political history” had a happy ending for you. Sorry to be such an embarrassing footnote to the joyful story. ‘Tis the season to be jolly!
rendered ???
Yikes!
What do you think, you’re the only person who has to work? It’s hilarious you’re on a blog, making comments knocking other people who are on the same blog and making comments. But, hey, have a very merry Christmas. I hope you get something that helps alleviate your bitterness.
Bitter? Me? Not in the slightest. I’m quite happy with my life and overjoyed at the outcome of the election. I mentioned my job because some other (non-bitter) PUMA accused me from nowhere of having nothing to do today except post to a blog. Now you’re accusing me of thinking I’m the only person who has to work?
The bitterness is all on your side, Skinny — the sad, futile PUMA bitterness that simply cannot partake of any political conversation that doesn’t revolve around hating Obama and all his supporters.
The way comments are set up on this sight can be confusing. I wasn’t replying to you, but to obamastolemyboyfriend(akaCsuzeq). Believe me, I’m no PUMA, and I think you and I are pretty much on the same side.
Okay, cool. Sorry for the confusion.
That’s what happens when you circle the firing squad.
Observe. An exchange..of confusion…
Chasing tails.
Sweet!
Ooooooo, SNAP!!
Didn’t I already tell you to take your faux liberal angst and shove it? Obama is no hero and no champion of black people or any other group. What is it about that you don’t get? He doesn’t show, he doesn’t defend, and he doesn’t keep his word.
Obama is not an AA black man. He’s a chameleon with a white mother and a black father. He’s not a descendant of slaves. Neither he or his family participated in the Civil Rights movement.
He grew up with upper middle class white grandparents that sent him to all of the best schools.
Read a book and get a clue. Obama does not and cannot represent Black America or any other group.
He’s a phony.
Good thing he wasn’t elected to represent “Black America,” candymarl. He was elected to lead the United States of America.
The PUMAs, and Republicans in general, will never stop obsessing about Obama’s race. But if you ever mention this fact, they’ll accuse you of “playing the race card.”
Pathetic, which in part is why they lost the election so badly. Americans have no patience for this cultural gamesmanship in times of real crisis.
I totally agree. That’s why Obama will have a successful 8 year presidency.
Yeah, what has Obama done in the 8 weeks since he’s been elected? Why hasn’t he fixed everything yet? I mean, we all know that presidents are supposed to have done everything they said they would weeks before they even take office. So let’s figure out a way to throw him out of the office he hasn’t legally occupied yet. That’ll show him.
Just a quick note, though; per CNN, 80% of people approve of the transition so far. But other than that, he’s doing a terrible job.
You watch CNN? Yikes. I’d keep that quiet if I were you. I don’t know which is sadder. People who watch CNN or people who have no life that CNN polls.
You watch CNN? Yikes. I’d keep that quiet if I were you. I don’t know which is sadder. People who watch CNN or people who have no life that anawer CNN polls.
Damn you Spamfilters!!
It seems the Inscrutable Spam Filter never rests. I’m also beginning to suspect that a random number of posts are trashed for no reason whatsoever in order to ccnfuse any attempt to understand His Secret Ways.
skinny states, “Just a quick note, though; per CNN, 80% of people approve of the transition so far. But other than that, he’s doing a terrible job.”
CNN? LOL!
No one is forwarding the idea that he is doing a terrible job for the very reason that he hasn’t even begun his term. However, that is just the point; he is not even in office and he is already being dogged with a scandal that no one manufactured but his own associates and quite possibly him. After all, we need only invoke the name of his friend Rezko, Kwame Fitzpatrick, and the man for whom he campaigned, Gov. Blago… never mind that there is his friend Rahm Emanuel… etc.
Uh, Blago was caught on FBI survelliance tape cursing and ranting about how the Obama folks weren’t willing to offer him anything but “appreciation” in exchange for the senate seat, so “f–k them.” I kinda think it’s going to be hard to convince anyone other than the Limbaugh/ Hannity/Coulter axis that this scandal has anything to do with Obama.
But that won’t stop them from trying. Sad but true.
Whenever the trolls show up in an attempt to trash an article we KNOW that the author is discussing a subject that trolls do not approve.
The wise choice for women, Jews and gays is to dump both parties and remain Independent. If there is a large enough pool of Independent voters both parties would have to work harder to achieve victory — they would be forced to modify their more extreme position. (Thanks to Caffeine Queen for this argument.)
Basically the Obamacrat party has NOTHING for women, Jews or gays. The only women, Jews or gays who are members of the Obamcrat party are self-hating women, Jews or gays. The Obamacrat party is only ABOUT Obama (remember the 0bots changed HIS name — not giving a damned about America.)
The nasty, vile Obamacrat representative we see here in the form of ugly, deformed and demented trolls show us exactly why the democrat party is dead and buried. Only harpies from hell hang around a dead corpse.
Pretty amusing to hear you talk about the Democratic Party being “dead and buried” a few weeks after our most dominating electoral victory in over forty years.
It is the PUMAs who are dead and buried. You are a meaningless, trivial minority sect based on hatred.
And by the way, the name is Democratic Party. Only Republicans call us the Democrat Party.
Ouch. Don’t mention the Democrats overwhelming victory on Nov. 4th, it will cause PUMAs great consternation.
As an atheist, I think elevating any of these religious wing-nuts is another assault on separating churn and state, but Warren is a side issue.
If you think that people are not far more concerned with the economy, two wars, the environment, etc. then good luck with your candidate in 2012.
I thought you already had your candidate… Palin! Palin would be good for gay rights and I am sure her relgious wingnutry would really impress people of the jewish faith, but she is a woman!
Call me crazy: I’m going to wait until the man is actually inaugurated before I judge how I view his presidency. According to many of the commenters here at NQ, that day will never come, since the birth certificate scandal will somehow invalidate Obama’s election as president. Good luck with that!