Obama’s Preacher Complex

Speaking of evil religious influences, Wayne Besen has a column that follows a New York Times article that looks at the circle of five (5) preachers with whom Barack Obama has surrounded himself. Most of them are toxic anti-gay ministers and Obama's action in selecting this circle of religious counselors again begs the question as to whether or not Obama's pro-gay campaign rhetoric was anything more than a cynical effort to secure gay votes and money. There are plenty of gay accepting clergy and religious denominations that are far more gay friendly than those from which Obama scooped up this crowd. Yet Obama has selected these people almost as another deliberate slight to the LGBT Americans who helped him win the presidency. Personally, I've had enough and have unsubscribed from every group and organization promoting Obama and his agenda. If and when he pushes through the repeal of DADT or secures passage of gay rights legislation, I will bite my tongue and stand corrected. For now, however, I'm tired of having Obama flip the bird at LGBT Americans. Here are some highlights from Wayne's column:

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The New York Times reports that the president has surrounded himself with a cadre of clerical crackpots known as the “Circle of Five.” These holy men are: Rev. Joel Hunter, former head of the Christian Coalition; anti-gay Bishop T.D. Jakes; the ex-gay loving Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell; and Jim “waffling” Wallis, a protean progressive. The only Obama shaman who isn’t shameless is the civil rights era preacher Rev. Otis Moss Jr.

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“Whoa, OK, so let’s assume [the Obama Administration decides to release] a mealy mouthed message like ‘the President does not believe in ex-gay therapy’ or some such nonsense,” wrote blogger Pam Spaulding. “If he doesn’t, then what is he doing talking to Caldwell when there are plenty of other prominent pastors he could choose to break bread with who don’t subscribe to that view?”

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By embracing these conservative clerics, Obama is also setting a wretched example overseas. Last month, the State Department released a report to Congress that documents “an unfortunate crisis in human rights abuse directed against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people worldwide.” Much of this violence was the result of brutal religious oppression. Yet, Obama pals around with reprehensible reverends, thus undermining his own administration’s call for moderate religious leadership abroad.

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It is time Obama stops searching for Daddy and becomes the man of the (White) house, by picking preachers who are not at irreconcilable odds with his human rights policies.

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Obama arranges a White House meeting with representatives of Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America and surrounds himself with anti-gay preachers all the while ignoring the plight of LGBT Americans who often face daily discrimination in their lives because of the likes of those with whom Obama is brown nosing. Here in Virginia, the reality is that gay citizens frequently cannot even secure legal counsel since many members of the Virginia Bar will not represent gays either out of their own religious based bigotry or out of fear of upsetting their Christianist clients. I'm not making this up and I received one such call today from a gay man who could not find representation due to his sexual orientation. While I managed to find him counsel since his legal needs were outside my areas of expertise, it is indeed a sick situation and Obama's fraternizing with anti-gay religious bigots does NOTHING to improve the situation.