Gene Robinson, the gay bishop Barack Obama invited to his presidential inauguration, has criticized the president-elect in the past. But he’s on board with the transition team’s insistence that his invitation was long planned, well before the Rev. Rick Warren scandal … even though he wasn’t actually invited until recently. (Obama maintains they had planned to invite him all along.) Here appeared tonight on Rachel Maddow‘s show — which locked him in to a “speak to us and nobody else” arrangement — saying, “I do feel very confident that this president-elect understands us [the gay community] and stands with us in the issues that are important to us. Of course, we’re going to hold his feet to the fire about that.”
“But as a religious person, no one had a bigger tent than Jesus, and I must say I think the whole notion of the big tent, where every human being is acknowledged as being a child of God and frankly, as worthy of our respect and concern, that sort of vision I believe is Barack Obama’s vision as well, and I long for a government that respect the dignity of every human being, especially those who are less fortunate.”
And regarding Obama’s 1996 full support of gay marriage, Robinson says: “As you know, all the Democratic candidates stopped short of endorsing gay marriage. What I do believe about this new president is that he believes in equal rights for all American citizens. And in the end, I hope that that’s where America will move in terms of gay marriage. Certainly as a religious person I will support anything that shows us to be equally valuable to each other and to our government.”
ralph crawford
Have no fear for Obama is queer. Obama sucked me off for years when we were at Harvard. Abe Lincoln, Obama’s idol, also was a cocksucker, did you know?
Tim
@ralph crawford: Is that really the best you could come up with?
TikiHead
Well, if he’s telling the truth… OK, I am being very kind.
Brian Miller
As you know, all the Democratic candidates stopped short of endorsing gay marriage. What I do believe about this new president is that he believes in equal rights for all American citizens.
What a bunch of doublespeak and blather. All the Democratic candidates stopped short of endorsing equal rights — but I believe, deep in my heart, that this candidate who didn’t endorse equal rights really believes in them anyway!
Notice the epicenter of all this latest controversy around the inauguration is — as usual — religion. And atheists/agnostics/nonbelievers are another group who will receive no recognition or participation in the upcoming event.
It’s a shame, because a little logic (as opposed to “faith” and belief in fairy tales) would go a long way towards resolving all the ridiculousness on display right now in Washington.
Kid A
“Notice the epicenter of all this latest controversy around the inauguration is — as usual — religion. And atheists/agnostics/nonbelievers are another group who will receive no recognition or participation in the upcoming event.”
My roomie and I were just discussing our disappointment in Obama’s pandering to the religous. We both decided that if either of us runs for president, we’ll just say “my religion is none of your business, nor is yours any of mine.” How far do you think we’d get with that….
Kenster999
“What I do believe about this new president is that he believes in equal rights for all American citizens.”
But no marriage for gays. Partial equality?