Ok, I know some people might be overdosing on Rick Warren, but I have to give you one more hit. Hey, this is important. The mixing of political strategy and culture issues is one provocative clusterbang. Kos makes a good point on the hullabaloo ... sort of:
It is precisely this backlash that has forced Obama to clearly affirm his commitment to equality. And it will be continued pressure that will force him to do the right thing on the issue. If we shut up, he'll take the path of least resistance. And that path of least resistance is kowtowing to the conservative media, the clueless punditocracy, and bigots like Warren.
Well, I'd say instead that it was the appointment of Warren that gave Obama the opportunity to affirm his commitment. In short order, Obama has a cadre of wise men who could have just as easily been Johnny Maverick's defense secretary, national security adviser and spiritual guru. That doesn't mean Obama's tacking to the center on foreign policy and social issues; in fact, I think it means just the opposite. This is a very basic political chess move. Obama is stealing the conservative movement's symbolic leaders to provide cover and build a coalition. Contrary to what Kos says,Obama was absolutely counting on a backlash. That's part of the move: it was a given that the gay community and progressives were going to push back loudly, as they should. But what matters more are the moves that follow. Beyond the momentary hollering, finding common ground is the bigger goal, as Crain points out:
Keep your eyes on the prize, boys. Obama's campaign to unify the country -- which last I checked includes millions of Warren's fellow travelers -- is in the service of an administration whose stated policy positions are the most supportive ever on LGBT civil rights.
You can't make this a center-left country without changing some hearts and minds. Obama's political calculation in picking such a divisive figure presents opportunities (at the very least it sets a far more respectful tone than what we've come to expect from our leaders), especially on issues like climate change, torture and AIDS, where Warren, like progressives, has a vested interest. Obama is elevating Warren. Warren knows this. A move like this typically comes with a return of favor. And keep in mind that there are other things Obama controls the purse strings to that may interest Warren, like funding faith based initiatives.
Meanwhile, the gay and lesbian community is no longer a one note movement. There are multiple issues that matter. And Rick Warren is a vessel through which Obama could deliver a unified effort between progressives and Evangelicals on many issues, including the global war on AIDS:
LGBT people also care about global poverty and the AIDS pandemic (which is both a global and domestic issue). We cannot, and should not, absent ourselves from the table of communities coming together around these shared concerns. The LGBT community has long years of experience working around HIV/AIDS and the opportunity to share this knowledge and these skills with a global community. If Rick Warren is serious about addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis then he needs to be working with LGBT people, and he needs to approach the disease from a holistic framework that sees the virus for what it is: a pandemic that affects all identities.
From my vantage point, that looks to be the play. If nothing comes of this, if Obama's stated policy positions don't lead to something tangible that the liberal and Evangelical community can agree on, or if we don't see the repeal of DOMA, then this just might be the politics of Clinton's crass triangulation; something ventured and nothing gained. But Obama shouldn't be judged on this now. That comes later.
-- Update --
Sullivan adds:
If I cannot pray with Rick Warren, I realize, then I am not worthy of being called a Christian. And if I cannot engage him, then I am not worthy of being called a writer. And if we cannot work with Obama to bridge these divides, none of us will be worthy of the great moral cause that this civil rights movement truly is.
The bitterness endures; the hurt doesn't go away; the pain is real. But that is when we need to engage the most, to overcome our feelings to engage in the larger project, to understand that not all our opponents are driven by hate, even though that may be how their words impact us. To turn away from such dialogue is to fail ourselves, to fail our gay brothers and sisters in red state America, and to miss the possibility of the Obama moment.
Inclusion is about including those who aren't inclusive. Being tolerant of those who are not tolerant. Being bigger than their smallness. The politics of division is easy. What Obama is asking is much, much harder. But then, isn't this why we elected the guy?