So, do DUers still think that the Lincoln Memorial event was a last minute job?

[TheWraith]

That was the line that some people were spinning when it became known that Rev. Robinson was giving the invocation. Just a little, trivial non-event cooked up to have an excuse for another invocation.

[NightWatcher]

1. Obama is a pro, he has had every aspect of this perfected since Feb.5th

[dsc]

2. the concert, no

but Robinson's involvement, well, so far there is no recording anywhere of his prayer. It wasn't covered by a single network. And reports from the concert are that the speakers didn't even broadcast it. On Robinson, the thing speaks for itself, and it aint saying pretty words.

[Vanje]

44. Not covered by a single network

That is fucked.

[NYC_SKP]

3. I missed that little bit of, er, "commentary".

Interesting. When you're looking for a reason to be upset, almost anything can become an excuse. It's classic dysfunctional behavior, like paranoia.

[dsc]

4. given the treatment of Robinson

it doesn't seem paranoia. He was invited weeks after Warren. His prayer isn't recorded anywhere. He spoke before the offical time given on Obama's website and before HBO's coverage, a fact not pointed out to anyone at anytime before the concert happened.

http://www.pic2009.org/content/home/

[firedupdem]

7. I don't know why that happened. It doesn't make much sense...

however, I don't think it's some conspiracy against having him speak. What would be the point of inviting him just to not record his portion? At least the thousands there heard him. I'm sorry he was on before HBO recorded.

[yardwork]

11. Apparently the thousands there didn't hear him either. The mics weren't on yet.

[Solon]

13. OK, WTF, talk about snubbing a person, invite them to do an invocation, and make sure no one...

hears it. What the fuck is wrong with this picture?

[jefferson_dem]

51. Nothing is wrong with the picture.

Please check your facts before getting all wound up for no reason.

[yardwork]

61. Which facts are wrong? HBO had the exclusive rights to coverage and didn't televise Gene.

Pam's House Blend and other blogs are reporting that people there couldn't hear the invocation:

http://www.pamshouseblend.com /

Kenny Yum of the Canada's National Post was liveblogging the event and reported that many there couldn't even hear Robinson (mic problems?) and were shouting "We can't hear you."

[firedupdem]

14. Where did you hear that? n/t

[yardwork]

15. News reports from people who were there.

[firedupdem]

17. That's bad. Seems like everything went off without a hitch today, but no mic for him?

Not good.

[Vanje]

45. Fucked

Thats fucked

[jefferson_dem]

54. A total lie.

We all heard him loud and clear. Thank god! Don't let the naysayers rain on the glorious parade.

[firedupdem]

58. I'm glad you posted this. I talked to my husbands old boss and his

wife a bit ago. They are there and said they were pretty far away and heard every word. She was quite surprised I was even mentioning that people couldn't hear him and that there was a problem with the mic.

[yardwork]

60. Reports from those who couldn't hear it at the link:

http://www.pamshouseblend.com /

Kenny Yum of the Canada's National Post was liveblogging the event and reported that many there couldn't even hear Robinson (mic problems?) and were shouting "We can't hear you."

[yardwork]

65. Another person who was there and couldn't hear it:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8104182&mesg_id=8104592

[jefferson_dem]

50. Bullshit!

Why make shit up? I was there. We all heard the reverend perfectly and were totally wrapped in the message and inspired. It was more than awesome.

[Jay Landsman]

56. What I heard

I was standing near the Washington Monument and heard most of what he said. I think the speakers weren't working at the beginning and a people started yelling to turn up the volume. So it might have been that some groups couldn't hear Robinson and other groups could.

I don't think there was any malice involved. I thought they did an incredible job of handling a massive crowd and making sure that people who showed up got to take part even though there wasn't enough room near the Lincoln Memorial.

[yardwork]

62. That's wonderful. Apparently other people who were there couldn't hear as well.

http://www.pamshouseblend.com /

Kenny Yum of the Canada's National Post was liveblogging the event and reported that many there couldn't even hear Robinson (mic problems?) and were shouting "We can't hear you."

[Lilyeye]

57. People in other threads (who were there) said they heard him.

[yardwork]

66. And others could not hear him:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8104182&mesg_id=8104592

[yardwork]

36. Seems like this event might have had some "dysfunction" associated with it.

[yardwork]

5. When was Reverend Robinson's invocation televised? I missed it.

[dsc]

6. as far as I can figure out, nowhere

It isn't on CSPAN either.

[JoFerret]

35. Not in the HBO version I just watched

No Robinson.

[mucifer]

9. It wasn't

[yardwork]

10. Then why are we supposed to be so pleased?

[mucifer]

18. I didn't say you are supposed to be pleased.

[yardwork]

19. I know. I was speaking rhetorically in response to the OP.

[NYC_SKP]

16. Ask HBO, they call the shots, but the good news is this:

Gay rights groups rejoiced when Obama picked Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Episcopal bishop, to lead prayers at the event...
from: http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=9690847&nav=menu183_2

See, gay rights groups are rejoicing! Yeaaah! :applause:

Did HBO fail to include the invocation? I dunno. :shrug: Ask them.

Robinson will be part of star-studded event
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/01/14/rick_warren_reaches_out_to_gen.html?wprss=the-trail

:hi:

[yardwork]

20. HBO calls the shots? I thought Obama was being inaugurated.

[NYC_SKP]

22. Show me specifically how Obama made this happen.

Or that it happened as a result of campaign staff. Then you might have a good point.

Unless you maintain that it was a matter of negligence, in which case it still isn't an overt effort to exclude.

I think it's an unfortunate oversight by people not part of the campaign.

[dsc]

24. all of his publicity stated the concert started at 2:30

the coverage started at 2:30 but the invocation was given at 2:20. How is that not the fault of the committee?

[NYC_SKP]

27. The concert started at 2:30. Concert=music. Now the committee could have

...made sure the invocation was at 2:30, that they could have done, but would HBO have cared to cover that?

Since when do concerts even have invocations?

What a mess.

[dsc]

28. nice try but the music didn't start right at 2:30

unless you count the fanfare for the entrance of the Bidens and the Obamas. I watched the coverage from the getgo. They could have easily put the invocation at 2:30 or at the very least, informed the public that it wasn't part of the concert so we would have known to watch other coverage. I included the link, and will again, no where on their site do they state that the invocation wasn't part of the deal.

http://www.pic2009.org/content/home/

[yardwork]

30. But I thought it was all beautifully planned!

We didn't make a big deal out of this. You guys did. You just never quit shoving it in our faces.

[Balderdash]

42. There is no way to twist and turn this into something

even remotely good. It's wrong no matter who's fault it is.

[yardwork]

25. Are you seriously suggesting that if Obama wanted it televised it wouldn't have been?

Give me a break.

[NYC_SKP]

29. I'll concede that Obama did not wake up with this on his top ten to-do list.

He's probably already getting annotated briefings on Iraq and Gaza, the economy, etc.

It's unfortunate, the failure to air Robinson's address, but I don't think it's deliberate and other people seem to think it is.

[yardwork]

31. I'm angry about this asshole thread. How would you feel?

You and the OP and your asinine constant attacks on gay people. Defend this, fuckers.

[NYC_SKP]

33. "attacks on gay people"?

show me one comment I've made that any rational person would reasonably call an "attack" and I'll eat a bug.

When I suggest that certain comments might be over the top, premature, without factual basis, or just too angry to be productive, said comments are called "an attack on gay people".

FYI, you don't speak for the community, you only speak for yardwork.

[yardwork]

34. Yes, you are a fount of wisdom and calm.

[Balderdash]

47. "When I suggest that certain comments might be over the top,

premature, without factual basis, or just too angry to be productive,"


But that's what you always say. Anytime we express our selves at all, that is what you say.
I know that GLBT issues aren't at the top of the list of important stuff but surely someone
could have made sure that Rev Gene got on the show and had his mic turned on. I mean really.

[NYC_SKP]

55. It was a monumental fuck up, and it has the appearance of being deliberate.

And no, I don't refer to anytime you express yourselves at all, and I'm really disappointed that I've left that impression.

Where I wrote that this event was not on Obama's top ten to-do list I didn't mean to suggest GLBT Issues should be among the top issues on his agenda, they should.

[yardwork]

70. Thank you. I appreciate this post. Too many others tonight are just jamming our faces in it.

[yardwork]

32. Deliberate?! Why do it at all if they aren't going to do it right.

I'm sick and tired of being thrown crumbs and then being kicked in the face because I haven't thanked everyone nicely enough. Fuck that.

[NYC_SKP]

37. They fucked up, they should have done it right...

They fucked up, I'm sorry for everyone, I'm just not trying to place blame without all the facts.

I must not know everything that you're experiencing, and I'm sorry that you're feeling really stepped on, but I don't see that this single particular fuck up deserving of what you are writing.

I'm truly sorry you're feeling this shitty. I mean that.

[yardwork]

38. Look. I didn't ask for Gene Robinson, but Obama made a big deal out of it.

We've been told all over DU for weeks to shut up about Reverend Warren, especially since "we" get Gene Robinson. Supposedly Robinson balanced out Warren.

So the invocation happens today and someone starts this shitty thread jamming it in our faces, and it turns out that nobody even got to hear Gene Robinson. But we're still supposed to bow down and thank everyone.

Argh. You'd be angry too.

[NYC_SKP]

43. I, for one, am not asking you to bow down and thank anyone.

And I don't read every damn reply on this board (that would be pathetic) but I'm not going to doubt that you've been given grief if you say so.

I've been searching the news to see if anyone has explained or described the timing of things, failure to televise the invocation, or the technical difficulties reported, without luck.

My perception is that some in the campaign DID make a big deal of it, and they did an shitty job of seeing it through.

It's easy then for it to look like they're just paying lip service, covering their ass, and doing it damn poorly.

And that may be true. I was just hoping to look for more information before getting too excited, and so far I got nothing.

Take care yardwork, I'd rather be friends with you than for either of us to bear animosity toward the other.

[dsc]

21. No it isn't HBO's fault

According to Obama's own website, the concert was to start at 2:30, the time HBO started coverage, but his prayer was at 2:20.

http://www.pic2009.org/content/home/

It should be noted that HBO actually suggest the DC Gay Men's Chorus to the Obama people.

[NYC_SKP]

23. I don't think there was a conspiracy to exclude this coverage.

And I agree that it should have been included.

[yardwork]

26. Nobody said it was a conspiracy. The message is clear, however.

Reverend Warren's invocation will be front and center during the televised proceedings. This one, not so much.

So stop jamming it in our faces, ok?

[Vanje]

46. You forgot

your sarcasm smilie

[Liberalboy]

8. No way!

That was a well put together event!

[Solon]

12. Robinson's invocation wasn't even televised...FAIL. n/t

[Zuiderelle]

39. It not being televised makes it REALLY seem last minute actually.

I hadn't thought so before, but I sure as hell do now.

And why are you CONSTANTLY rubbing salt in our wounds? WHY? Can't you just go be joyful and happy and celebrate without poking us and trying to get us angry?

Holy shit, you really need to get a life.

[yardwork]

40. This is just the absolute last fucking straw.

I am so fucking sick and tired of tuning in to DU to get kicked in the face out of nowhere over and over and over again.

Fuck these assholes. Just fuck them.

[Zuiderelle]

41. It really is sickening. The same people over and over and over, needling us when we're most down.

There are a lot of people here who understand our frustration, but it's ones like this OP that make all the noise and draw out the knives just when we need empathy and understanding.

I really don't understand why it's allowed to continue. All I ever see TheWraith post is things like this. It makes no sense to me that he could get any pleasure out of this kind of behavior. This site has become completely unwelcome to GLBT DUers, because of people like this being allowed to pound away at us.

[Runcible Spoon]

53. You're not going to get an answer.

This poster chronically posts antagonistic bullshit and then disappears.

[Vanje]

48. When Rick Warrens invocation is excluded from broadcast....

.....and his mike non-functioning,
then I'll be a lot less het up about the prayer from Robinson that No one heard.

[Marrah_G]

49. I hate people who go out of they way to be hurtful and offensive to others.

[Runcible Spoon]

52. POST AND RUN! Another winner.

:eyes: Love your style.

[NYC_SKP]

59. Complain to HBO HERE:

No, not here at DU,

here at their web comment page: http://www.hbo.com/apps/submitinfo/contactus/submit.do?title=General%20Information&questiontype=general

:patriot:

[Neshanic]

63. The concert? No. The gay Rev, completely last minute ass covering.

[Ino]

64. Well, now I'm bummed out.

Here I was thinking how refreshing it was to see this without someone praying over it. Now I find out someone WAS there mumbling to his god. I'm sick of this religious crap in my face all the time. At least it wasn't televised, so hallelujah for that!

[bluedawg12]

67. No one said the Lincoln Mem. event was last minute

People said that the Robinson prayer invitation was last minute.

Apparently it was - he wasn't even televised.

[Neshanic]

68. No biggie. It still goes on the program. "Presentation of token gay."

[JVS]

69. People are angry now that the prayer that they denounced as hollow pandering was not carried on HBO

[Neshanic]

71. Not everyone.

[yardwork]

72. I'm sure it's nothing but amusing to you but if you think about it, you might see why we're angry.

For weeks we've been told to stfu about Warren because "you're getting Reverend Robinson!!" I never asked for a gay preacher anyway. I never asked for anything specifically gay or referencing gay or anything at all from the inauguration. I was a little surprised that Obama invited Rick Warren - a world class asshole, Nazi-sympathizer, and all-around bigot - to give his invocation, but I didn't get really ANGRY until I was insulted over and over during the course of months here at DU.

And now to have what I did indeed view as hollow pandering so badly mishandled as this? Yes. I'm angry.

[bluedawg12]

73. People who promoted the prayer didn't follow through

to please people like you I suspect. :hurts:

[donco6]

74. When hollow pandering is all you get, you miss it when it's gone.

Like prisoners on a bread-and-water diet.