Obama: We'd always intended for HBO to broadcast Robinson

[warrior1]

http://www.americablog.com/


HBO says it was Obama. Obama throws it back at HBO in this statement I just received:

“We had always intended and planned for Rt. Rev. Robinson’s invocation to be included in the televised portion of yesterday’s program. We regret the error in executing this plan – but are gratified that hundreds of thousands of people who gathered on the mall heard his eloquent prayer for our nation that was a fitting start to our event.” -- PIC communications director Josh Earnest

At least the Obama people think it important enough to weigh in, and that's a good thing. A lot of good people were disappointed by this.

[Fran Kubelik]

1. Well good.

I am glad he was moved to speak out on this. Give me hope.

[polichick]

2. Glad he addressed this - maybe Robinson will be included tomorrow.

[warrior1]

3. Let's just see what HBO comes back with

[polichick]

4. Should be interesting.

[ecstatic]

22. I don't care what they come back with. I will take

P-E Obama's word over theirs.

[TTUBatfan2008]

5. Why does it seem...

that when Obama does something good, the thread reporting it gets ignored?

[Fran Kubelik]

6. People like to argue.

This isn't controversial. :shrug: Good news often drops like a stone, whether it's about Obama or not.

[jenmito]

7. kick :)

[Maven]

9. I'm not ignoring it

I just think there are a lot of "mistakes" that get made when it comes to this issue, when somehow on every other issue the Obama campaign and the inaugural committee are a well-oiled machine.

[mckeown1128]

23. Yeah it's a big plot against the LGBT community.nt

[RC]

11. Give it a rest, it has been 8 minutes

jeeze

[EraOfResponsibility]

18. Because people NEED to believe that Obama is a bigot to justify

their childishness.

[Fran Kubelik]

21. Oh c'mon

How about an attempt at understanding? We're all in this together.

[cali]

8. good. and good he made this statement.

[Grateful for Hope]

10. Glad to hear that this was addressed n/t

[grantcart]

12. I suspect that their is a producer in the middle who thought a prayer would be boring compared to

three Garth Brooks songs.


It is inconceiveable to me that Obama would intentionally insult Robinson, he is giving McCain a dinner tonight for god's sake.



However the Obama campaign should have followed up and made sure that he was included in the televised portion.

[NashVegas]

13. Unfortunately, Someone Forgot To Actually TELL HBO and Whomever Was Coordinating the Broadcast

With the concert.

[The_Casual_Observer]

14. They wanted to start the thing with the horns playing the common man

It's show business.

For some reason it reminds me of when Steve Wozniak invited his old buddies to
introduce the acts at the US festival, instead Bill Graham had them kicked completely out of the festival by big bouncers & their passes taken away.

Show business is a very nasty shitty business underneath the thin veneer of fun entertainment.

[EraOfResponsibility]

15. Ameriblog HATES Obama

They're the left wing version of Freeperville.

[QC]

17. That was one of the first blogs to endorse him. n/t

[JohnnieGordon]

25. John Aravosis claims AmericaBlog was the first major blog to endorse him..nt

[Maven]

19. ROFL. You are clueless!

[EraOfResponsibility]

37. Like hell I am. Ameriblog is two-faced

[Bluebear]

34. Americablog was relentless in their support for Obama. You don't know what you're talking about

[EraOfResponsibility]

36. and they TURNED ON HIM when he chose Rick Warren

[QC]

38. Turned on him! Such melodrama!

I'm clutching my pearls as I type this!

[Bluebear]

40. I'm getting the vapors.

[QC]

41. I just clutched my pearls so hard the string broke!

Now there are genuine cultured pearls all over the floor!

[Jennicut]

16. methinks HBO thought a prayer was unexciting and decided not to broadcast it.

[Balderdash]

26. Me thnks that the PIC boo booed and now

there will be lots of finger pointing.

[LostinVA]

27. In another thread, someone psoted a link saying PIC said it was THEIR fault, not HBO's

[Jennicut]

29. Hmmm. Maybe. But I would think HBO just decided to cut right to the music/celebs

Their bottom line is entertainment. Or maybe I am just cynical about a channel that's main purpose is to entertain.:)

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[sniffa]

24. Mo' plonk

[SpartanDem]

28. I hope

this allows us to finally put this issue to rest as an regrettable mistake and put away the circular firing squad. So we can all get back to doing what we're supposed to, celebrating the inauguration of our new president.

[Jennicut]

31. I hope so. Whether is was the inaugural committee or HBO, it was a mess up

I don't think it was intentional.

[Cha]

30. I thought Obama team would

have wanted Gene Robinson broadcast and I'm disappointed that he wasn't. That was the best Invocation I've ever read.

Here's contact for HBO if anyone wants to write and let them know how disppointed they are that the Invocation wasn't aired with the Concert, "WE ARE ONE"! http://www.hbo.com/corpinfo/faq.shtml

I did hear Obama in his speech, yesterday, saying "Gays and Straights" when he was talking about a United America.

[katandmoon]

32. Total weasel statement. WHOSE error was it?

The statement does NOT make that clear.
I need more than this VERY carefully worded and vague statement to clear up what happened.

[Captain Hilts]

33. Agree. Who screwed up?

[QC]

39. It's the old "mistakes were made" kind of statement, beloved of politicians everywhere. n/t

[AZBlue]

35. K&R

[mkultra]

42. his statement clearly owns the blame

"We regret the error in executing this plan"

I think sometimes hes ability to speak correctly leaves some people without a full depth of understanding.

[sundog]

43. regardless of who is to blame

at least someone is taking the time to address the matter

you begin to wonder if anyone in obama's camp gives a damn, so at least *someone* is responding

a lot of finger pointing going on now no doubt

still a nasty fuck up on someone's part

[Bluenorthwest]

44. Good that they address the issue

but they do not say HBO did it. They say there ws an error, not who made that error, so the headline of the OP is misleading. Obama said nothing at all on the matter, and Earnest of PIC did not mention HBO nor blame them.
At least they said something. And that is good.