Do you agree with this statement ? ....

[Blarch]

Barack Obama appointing a centrist cabinet, and allowing Warren to give the prayer will provide political cover for a leftist agenda of equal rights and other needed reforms in the following years.

[GarbagemanLB]

1. Who knows? I hope he builds a lasting Democratic majority, and I think he is off to a good start.

[Blarch]

2. Damn.

I should have added 'Who Knows' as an answer.

[marylanddem]

3. Do YOU agree with this statement, Blarch?

My guess is that Obama made some kind of lame-ass, semi-joking promise to Warren years ago that, if elected, he would let Rick give the invocation.

Maybe my theory is too left field & it's sheer politics.

[Blarch]

4. I am from the radical left.

But I can't go down that path ...a promise years ago ?

Just by letting him speak it has pushed the issue to the front, BW (before Warren) the issue wasn't a hot issue for most, you have to see some genius in that.

[marylanddem]

6. Actually, I meant two years ago, when he first spoke at the church

kind of a joking quid-pro-quo.

[Blarch]

9. It's possible.

But unlikely in my twisted mind.

[Heidi]

5. Could we please not frame equal rights as part of a "leftist agenda"?

We're gonna need a helluva lot more support than the catchall known as "the progressive movement" to secure equal human rights for all Americans, and "leftist agenda" is exactly how the right wants to frame the discussion, right along side "homosexual agenda." This is a human rights issue, a matter of liberty.

[Blarch]

7. Sorry.

But I think it IS a leftist agenda for the moment, is sure as hell won't be picked up by the right.

I do agree we will need more support for reform, and I do think Obama has a plan to do so.

[Heidi]

15. It might be "leftist" in the context of the US, but equal rights in the rest

of the western world are absolutely not a purely leftist concept. You can think and believe and speculate all you want to, but history should have taught us to hold all elected officials' feet to the fire, including _our own_ elected officials.

[marylanddem]

10. Agree 100 percent, Heidi.

[Heidi]

17. We just need to tell the true stories of love and partnerships

that aren't currently validated by law, and instead of asking our GLBT brothers to be patient, work as hard as they're working to secure their equal human rights. Telling the stories is a lot more expedient than protracted, unproductive battles with those we preconceive as our opponents, in my experience. :hi:

[DevonRex]

11. I'm hoping that "leftist agenda" will be viewed in a positive light from now on.

I hope "liberal" will also be a positive word. For too long we have allowed those terms to be used as a negative by the RW wackos. I'm a leftist, I'm a liberal, and I'm a progressive. They're all good terms that we should embrace and be proud of.

[Heidi]

12. I'm a proud liberal, a proud leftist, but when I want to convince my 85-year-old,

Democrat-votin' Oklahoma granny of something, I don't go all liberal and leftist on her. Instead, I go all "Know how Jay and DeWayne love each other so much and have been together longer than CMW and I have been together? There's not enough love in the world, so why not validate it where it exists? Isn't that what Jesus would do?" on her.

[DevonRex]

14. Heh heh. I know exactly what you mean. That's how I talk to my

unfortunately RW wacko family, too. And hey, I've even had some small victories that way. I got my really wacko brother-in-law to admit that his gay army buddy was a great soldier who never made him feel uncomfortable in the barracks or in the showers or when they had duty together.

That was one of the proudest moments of my life because my sister and brother-in-law are SO fanatically fundy. They love James Dobson so you know they're really way out there in their beliefs.

[Heidi]

16. Tellin' the stories in ways rational opponents can relate to is KEY.

At least 10 percent of our population is gay, and that means everyone knows and/or loves someone in the GLBT community. We need to know and tell their stories. There are plenty of people who'll set religious dogma aside and do the right thing when it's personal to them. That's just my experience, but I've changed a lot of hearts and minds with this approach, so I'm sticking with it. :hi:

[DevonRex]

23. It really is the only thing that works. It's exhausting sometimes, too.

We have to choose our words very carefully in order to reach them. There are times that I'd just like to say EXACTLY what I think, without having to put it in their terms. But if I did that, they would stop listening.

:hi:

[Blarch]

18. So you admit to playing the religious card on grandma.

Is it possible Obama is about to play the religious card on the nation ? Certainly you could relate.

[Heidi]

20. Get this: I _know_ what I'm doing. My granny knows what I'm doing.

She's known me for 39* years. I love her and respect her and I know her mind is open enough to be changed. If I didn't know that, I wouldn't waste my time.

But I don't know what Obama's doing any more than you know what he's doing. But you can read in this thread that I do believe that people concerned with doing the right thing can put religious dogma aside. I have no clue, nor do you, whether Obama is going down that road.

*Edited from 45 to 39 because I was adopted when I was six, so she's only known me for 39 years, despite what my birth certicate says. :hi:

[gravity]

27. We shouldn't frame anything as a leftists agenda

It sets you up for a bad political position

[chill_wind]

8. No centrist cabinet is going to push anything but centrism.

Obama, alas, is not a leftist, but a pragmatist.

[BeFree]

19. Well

from where we've been for most of the last 30 years, centrism is a move away from the right and toward the left.

And Human Rights is a leftist leaning... as opposed to the rightwads who are in favor of denying the people certain unalienable rights.

[DevonRex]

13. We will have to wait and see if it does or not. I certainly think it can.

I also think that Obama believes it might. I think he is more liberal than some people here do. But only time will tell.

[patrice]

21. Yes, except for "...will provide..." should read "...can provide..."

What will happen depends upon what the People do.

[polichick]

22. It could - or it could indicate centrist policymaking. No way to tell yet...

But the green team is definitely inspiring imo!

[noamnety]

24. Occam's Razor

Obama votes for centrist and/or right wing policies (Iraq funding, FISA, etc)

Obama says he supports centrist and/or right wing polities (opposing gay marriage, leaving 50,000 troops in Iraq, putting more troops in Afghanistan, not impeaching

Obama appoints a cabinet that supports centrist and/or right wing policies (NAFTA, world bank, supporting the Iraq invasion from the start)

Obama gives the stage to people who advocate for centrist and/or rightwing policies.


-------
That's one hell of a "cover." More obvious explanation: These are the things he believes in as a politician. I know "change" and "hope" were his campaign slogans, but (not to burst anyone's bubble here) those are campaign slogans. Picked by focus groups. I suspect "I believe in a lot of the republican agenda" didn't poll so well.

[Heidi]

28. Agree 1 jillion percent. (nt)

[davidwparker]

25. .. a wonderful idea to HOPE for

[SheilaT]

26. I think the invitation

reveals that Obama (like too many elected Democrats) have no clue how angry and dispossessed the Left actually feels.

The right has been treating us with scorn and contempt since Reagan became President. A lot of them claim to be Christians, and I think they need a good dose of being dun unto what they have done unto us.