Wow! Guess who first introduced Obama to Donnie McClurkin....OPRAH WINFREY DID!!

[mtnsnake]

:puke:

Monday, October 29, 2007 Obama campaign spokesman blasts gays at Gospel concert.

“God delivered me from homosexuality,” he added. He then told the audience to believe the Bible over the blogs: “God is the only way.” The crowd sang and clapped along in full support....

Mr. McClurkin’s support for Mr. Obama could signal to some black evangelical voters that race and religion are more important than Mr. Obama’s support for gay rights.

McClurkin said during the concert that he had been introduced to Obama by Oprah Winfrey

http://www.americablog.com/2007/10/obama-supporter-blasts-gays-at-gospel.html

[undercoverduer]

1. Oh God. . .

. . .here we go.

[Cameron27]

6. Oh God

here we go? No, there Obama went. I don't have a word to say about Oprah campaigning for him, but I have plenty to say about Obama taking up McClurkin on Oprah's advice, and then using him in his gospel tour.

[MethuenProgressive]

2. Bloomberg /Novak /Oprah /McClurkin

The beat goes on.

[jonnyblitz]

9. you left out Andrew Sullivan, AKA Bareback Andy. nt

[sniffa]

3. you should edit the subject line to include the word Oprah

[mtnsnake]

5. Why?

[Progress And Change]

7. more people will read it and learn the truth about Obama/Oprah and the politics of division/hate

[mtnsnake]

8. OK. will do it

[Progress And Change]

14. good job

[ElizabethDC]

11. Something like, "Where was Oprah when Obama and McClurkin met?" would be nice. n/t

[Elidor]

4. Oh, goody

:popcorn:

[geek tragedy]

10. Hillary fans shamelessly playing the McClurkin card.

As if Hillary and Bill didn't throw LGBT Americans under the bus and then back over them again.

[FreeState]

13. How does that make what Obama did correct? n/t

[Progress And Change]

16. it is telling that you call equal rights for all Americans a "card"...

That is close to the right-wing theme of GLBT "special rights", but anything to defend Barackstar...

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

35. You certainly bring...

A special flavor of vitriol to primary season, don't you? That said, in reading around, I would say that all of the Hillary supporters seem to have a very active triple heater meridian today.

[mtnsnake]

19. Kucinich is my favorite, then Hillary, then Obama (I'm embarrassed to say, but that might change)

and there is no shame when you're reporting the truth, dude. Don't ever forget...the "t" in mtnsnake stands for truth :smoke:

[ecstatic]

36. Kucinich jumped the shark.. that is, unless your a Ron Paul supporter nt

[Nedsdag]

20. DOMA? "Don't Ask Don't Tell?"

Bill telling Kerry to go against gay marriage during the 2004 election?

Yeah, the Clintons don't use the gay card either.

[ruggerson]

27. Bill Clinton

did far more than any prior President for gays and lesbians. Sure, he got rolled a number of times by bigoted Republicans and Sam Nunn Democrats, but he tried. He tried to change the military policy, he wrote an executive order immediately banning discrimination against gays in the federal workforce, he routinely included the mention of gays and lesbians in his speeches as part of the fabric of the country, including in his nomination speech. He appointed more open gays and lesbians to positions in his administration than any prior President. Yes, he was hammered on and forced into a bad compromise on gays in the military. Yes, he was hammered on and signed DOMA in the hope that it would defuse the issue and stop a constitutional amendment. Yes, like virtually every other politician of the time, he opposed same sex marriage. Bill Clinton was no saint, and too often sacrificed righteousness on the altar of expediency.

But, he tried to move the country in the right direction. That's the bottom line.

And for you, out of some crazed partisanship for your presidential candidate, to pretend like you know what the fuck you're talking about when it comes to Bill Clinton and gay issues, is utterly pathetic.

Promote your candidate all you want. But leave the broad brushed, illegitimate smears against Bill Clinton's record to the far rightwing of the Republican party. They do it far better than you do.

[mtnsnake]

30. Yup, I agree with you that Bill "did far more than any prior President for gays and lesbians"

Thanks for pointing this out, even though they should've already known it.

[Nedsdag]

46. Then why did Bill Clinton tell John Kerry in 2004,

to support the anti-gay marriage initiatives in several states?

One of the few decent things Kerry did was to tell Clinton where to go on that issue. He wasn't going to do that.

Can you defend Bill Clinton for that? I don't think so.

[CTLawGuy]

33. Bill "DOMA" Clinton?

I remember that guy.

Donnie McClurkin looks like Dennis Kucinich by comparison.

[dbackjon]

40. That is fucked up

You are defending a guy that hates gays and wants us eliminated over Bill Clinton???

Fucking crazy.

[CTLawGuy]

56. becuase of Bill Clinton and DOMA

even Mass. gay married couples can get ZERO federal benefits. ZERO.
DOMA says that to be married in the eyes of the federal government you must be married to a member of the opposite sex.
That means even if you fight tooth and nail for your state to recognize totally equal marriage, you will never truly be equal.

This law is giant thorn in the side of gay equality. and you can thank Triangulatin' Bill for that.

Some idiot who sings gospel is not worse than that. What rights has Donnie McClurkin denied you?

[Beacool]

62. Do you remember 1993?

I remember how Bill was vilified for trying to make the military inclusive. DOMA was a compromise, but it was all that he could get at the time. Maybe so many years later and with a Democrat in the White House it can be modified and improved, but don't trash Bill for trying to do the right thing 14 years ago.

[ruggerson]

12. Who cares? Gays are only important if they can be used divisively to get votes

from bigots.

Good for Oprah and Obama. They understand how to play the Republican game.

[FreeState]

15. Im gay and take offense at that - my life and rights are not a game n/t

[Progress And Change]

17. they are to Obama the "uniter"

:(

[FreeState]

18. and apparently some of his supporters n/t

[dsc]

21. so is the person you are answering

He is being very sarcastic. He was a huge poster about McClurkin.

[ruggerson]

29. Pretty sad

that I would have to use the sarcasm tag on DU. Speaks volumes about what is considered legitimate discourse here.

[NMMNG]

34. They are to the RRRW types

:-(

A game, as well as a source of $$$ and votes.

[mtnsnake]

37. You took him the wrong way. He was being sarcastic. nt

[maddiejoan]

51. Maybe I'll be lucky !

Maybe Obama can be President and set up some Federal programs to cure me of the gay!

[ruggerson]

52. The office of "Abolishing the Down Low"

run by a coterie of federally funded gospel singers.

[DURHAM D]

86. Put Oprah in charge - that is her personal mission.

Oprah is a homophob and highly concerned about "down low" black men. She has had more than one show on the subject. She is unable to make the connection between extreme homophobia and men on the down low.

McSinger is exactly her kind of queer.

I have hated her for years - the main reason is her own internalized (and unrecognized) homophobia.

You don't suppose it has anything to do with Steadman do you???

[NMMNG]

66. Pray Teh Gay Away!

The power of Christ compels you--to be straight!

[terrya]

55. You're exactly right.

"Gays, give us your money and your votes. Meanwhile, you can take your ENDA and hate crimes legislation and your wanting to repeal DADT and you can shove them up your asses, because we don't fucking care about your issues".

[ecstatic]

22. This is desperate. Neither Oprah nor Obama knew about McClurkin's views

The guy sang some of the most popular modern gospel songs ever. And he can sing. That's it. Nothing more or less.

[FreeState]

24. BS

Obama knew - the man wrote book on it for gods sake!

[mtnsnake]

25. Nice try

but no takers

[dsc]

28. I find that pretty hard to believe

This isn't some rock star who has political views divorced from his music. This is a man whose music is derived from his religious views, including those which think gayness is a sin and changable condition.

[ecstatic]

31. People generally don't care what a celebrity has done, as long as they're being entertained

That's why Michael Jackson could probably make another platinum record... along with R. Kelly and anyone else with a questionable background.

[dsc]

32. I could see some of his fans not knowing

but Oprah interviewed the man and Obama's campaign presumedly vetted him. It didn't take a massive spy mission to uncover his beliefs.

[aquart]

39. So you want Michael Jackson campaigning for Obama?

[dbackjon]

41. Bull shit

McClurkin sang at the GOP convention.

GLBT groups made sure he knew.

Lame ass defense of the bigot.

[emilyg]

44. They knew.

[Sandaasu]

47. Even if he didn't, he should have checked.

He also could have canceled McCloset's appearance, as he certainly knew about those views before the event.

[Sapphocrat]

61. That says a lot about your man...

...and that idiot talk-show host hailing him as the next Messiah.

In other words: Both Oprah and Obama would have to have spent their lives under a rock not to know who and what Donnie McCloset was all about.

Why don't you just come clean and admit that both of them have always known about McCloset -- and just don't give a fart in a jar about taking a big, steaming dump on the heads of every gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trangender American as long as it gets Obama H. Christ into the White House?

Otherwise, you're saying both O&O are ignorant twats who don't know what they're doing.

Well, which is it?

[madrchsod]

23. oh no

oprah hates gays and lesbians.....?
maybe she does :shrug:

[polichick]

26. Huh? You mean she and Gayle aren't really an item??? nt

[dionysus]

38. did they meet downtown at the railway station?

[msongs]

42. or the bathroom at minneapolis airport ? nt

[Kahuna]

43. I already said that at the time the controversy came up. I also said

that because of that there was no way Obama was going to cancel him.

[mtnsnake]

45. Yikes...Oprah even told McClurkin his CD was her "favorite CD in the world". Check it out:

Plus he even called Oprah "his number one fan".

McClurkin thanks his No. 1 fan, talk show host Oprah Winfrey, for making Stand (a song he wrote) such a smash. "She stood on television, held the CD up and said, `This is my favorite CD in the world. "After you've done all you can, stand." You all need to buy it.' And within two weeks, it went gold. Right now, she won't let me sing anything else on her show," he laughs.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_2_103/ai_96238156

[Bluebear]

48. McClurkin is also Obama's "best" and "favorite" artist. nt

[mtnsnake]

49. This stuff just keeps getting deeper & deeper, doesn't it, Blue

How could anyone have that bigot as their favorite artist?

[Bluebear]

50. I'm sure people will chime in that it is only "about the music". nt

[loveangelc]

59. you know every single on of your favorite artists views?

[Sapphocrat]

73. If you cared enough, you would make the effort to find out.

And you would immediately cease to support right-wing celebrities.

Direct action doesn't get much simpler -- or easier -- than that.

[NYCGirl]

64. You have a link for that because I've never heard him mention

McClurkin's name before the one gospel show?

[avrdream]

53. Says as much about Oprah as it does about Barack.

This won't ever go away for me.

[cuke]

54. It makes perfect sense

Oprah is big on "self-help" therapies, particularly those that have the "power of positive thinking" kind of bent. No surprise she likes a man who thinks he can pray the gay away

[DURHAM D]

87. Are you referring to Stedman ??? n/t

[Beacool]

57. Really????

Too funny!!!!!!!!!! :rofl:

[loveangelc]

58. I dont understand the problem

Just because a singer says he use to be gay Obama is suddently anti-gay and Oprah is too when she's done everything she can to make gays more accepted in this country? lol this post is full of fail.

[cuke]

63. "use to be gay"???

Don't tell me you think it can be "cured"?

[loveangelc]

70. i said...

who SAYS he use to be gay. of course i dont think it can be cured.

[NMMNG]

65. WTF has Oprah done to "make gays more accepted " in this country?

And if you don't understand the McClurkin issue you need to do some research.

[Sapphocrat]

67. What has she done?

How has Oprah "done everything she can to make gays more accepted in this country?"

Examples with links, or I call bullshit.

[loveangelc]

71. do you not watch oprah?

Oprah has said that she does not believe being gay is wrong and that people should be allowed to be who they are. And she has had many shows over the hardships that gay americans as well as transexual americans go through, being gay in different cultures, etc. Why would someone who is just soooo homophobic do that? I'm sure she doesn't believe people can be cured of being gay. She just likes his music. I can like the music of a person who believes the war was right, that doesnt mean I believe it, especially if the music has nothing to do with it.

[Sapphocrat]

72. Hell no, I don't watch Oprah.

I find everything about her -- and her show -- vapid, self-indulgent, and an appalling example of what's wrong with America. Someone who throws herself a multimillion-dollar birthday party (and then spends a week showing off the decorations) is not my idea of someone in touch with reality.

As for anything she's said, pro- or anti-gay: In case you haven't heard, actions speak louder than words. Anyone can pay lip service to a cause, and cancel out the meaning of those words in one fell swoop. Take a good, hard look at Obama himself: He can yammer on all day about what a "friend" he is to gay Americans, and then turn right around and tell us to fuck off -- which he did with the entire McClurkin fiasco, and which he continues to do by refusing to recognize us as equal citizens.

(Don't tell me how he prattles on about civil unions; if a person does not support marriage equality, that person does not support equality, period.)

So, no, I haven't heard Oprah say word one about equality for LGBT Americans -- because I don't watch her insipid show. But that was not my question: I don't give a damn what she says; I want to know what she has done.

Try again.

P.S. I do not contribute my attention or money to any performer who supports an anti-progressive agenda. I no longer watch Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, and I wouldn't be caught dead listening to Toby Keith (even if I liked him, which I don't). I am sorry to hear you do, because every time you spend money on a CD or a movie ticket, you are putting money in the pockets of people who are actively working against you -- you are directly supporting the enemy. Why would you do that?

[loveangelc]

74. wow.

You're right they all pay lip service (ie bill clinton and doma) but keep treating gay people like second class citizens by not fighting for gay marriage. Obama is no different on this issue than any of the other Democratic candidates other than Dennis Kucinich though, so I'm not sure why anyone is shocked by him more than anyone else. I don't think Obama is going to be making policy decisions based on some singer no one's even heard of.

"P.S. I do not contribute my attention or money to any performer who supports an anti-progressive agenda. I no longer watch Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, and I wouldn't be caught dead listening to Toby Keith (even if I liked him, which I don't). I am sorry to hear you do, because every time you spend money on a CD or a movie ticket, you are putting money in the pockets of people who are actively working against you -- you are directly supporting the enemy. Why would you do that?"

I do it because I like the music. They arent running for office or making any laws so how exactly is me supporting an artist who doesnt share my views on something like the war "working against me?"

[NMMNG]

75. Some singer no one's even heard of?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3809769#3810762

In 2003 Oprah mentioned on her show that McClurkin was her favorite singer. Two weeks later it went gold, because all her little lemmings went out and bought it. Are you still suggesting nobody has ever heard of him? Are you still going to try to make people think that neither Obama nor Oprah knew anything about McClurkin's rabidly homophobic views?

I do it because I like the music. They aren't running for office or making any laws so how exactly is me supporting an artist who doesn't share my views on something like the war "working against me?"

They may not be running for office or making the laws but they influence the people who do, the people who vote for those who do, and the people who vote for the laws that affect your life. For example, every person who buys a Donnie McClurkin CD helps to fund and therefore propagate his brand of rabid hatred for LGBT people, and helps to make sure that equal rights for LGBT people continue to be denied.

[loveangelc]

80. well

after hearing about what he has said I have to say I am disappointed and I'm glad he isnt campaigning with them anymore. Maybe I am naive but I really do not think they were thinking about what he believes about that when they hired him.

As far as music, I'm not talking about people who are constantly talking about politics, like him. I like Britney Spears (YES) music but I saw where she said we are suppose to go along with the President in Michael Moore's movie. Unless I had watched Fahrenheit 9/11 I wouldnt know about that though since she never talks about politics. I like her music and have since elementary school. I don't look through people's political views before I support their music..

[NMMNG]

82. Well,

after hearing about what he has said I have to say I am disappointed and I'm glad he isnt campaigning with them anymore. Maybe I am naive but I really do not think they were thinking about what he believes about that when they hired him.

They were thinking about what he believes when they hired him, but they didn't care. All they cared about was the votes and $$$ he would bring in for the campaign. LGBT rights organizations and LGBT individuals begged Obama to pull McClurkin from the event but he refused. Obama insisted that McClurkin was only going to sing some songs on the last night of the three-day tour but McClurkin emceed the entire thing. And Obama promised that McClurkin would not preach any of his homophobic beliefs, but he gave a 30 minute anti-gay sermon at the close of the concert. To top it all off, when all was said and done Obama said he was glad he didn't pull McClurkin from the concert tour. That goes to show you how much Obama really cares about LGBT peoples' feelings and rights.

As far as music, I'm not talking about people who are constantly talking about politics, like him. I like Britney Spears (YES) music but I saw where she said we are suppose to go along with the President in Michael Moore's movie. Unless I had watched Fahrenheit 9/11 I wouldnt know about that though since she never talks about politics. I like her music and have since elementary school. I don't look through people's political views before I support their music..

This being the Internet age we can find information about public figures relatively quickly and easily. Typically shortly after a celebrity or politician says or does something it's possible to Google it. I'm sure you remember how reporters hounded Britney about driving with her baby on her lap and so on? There's very little that's private when it comes to celebrities, particularly with the Internet.

A great site to determine which political party celebrities are contributing to is NewsMeat. And Opensecrets provides information on where political campaign donations come from and go to.

[Sapphocrat]

79. What's "wow" about any of it?

You're right: On the issue of LGBT equality, Obama isn't any different from the rest of the Dem candidates, other than Kucinich and Gravel -- but that's no excuse; in fact, it's a cop-out any Obama supporter should be embarrassed to resort to. Frankly, I'm sick to death of hearing that argument; every time someone criticizes Obama, the chorus of "But they all do it!" and "Hillary is worse!" is deafening. Almost no one around here can manage to keep the topic on Obama; people seem compelled to give him a free pass by way of comparison. A candidate should be able to stand up against scrutiny and criticism by virtue of his own words, actions, and record; to claim he's no worse than anyone else doesn't make him a good choice -- it only makes him one of a lesser-of-all-the-evils choice. That's hardly a ringing endorsement of his virtues. And it says a lot (none of it good) that Obama's supporters themselves don't (or can't) hold him to a higher standard than that.

As for being "shocked by him more than anyone else," I'm not -- after all, he's just another politican -- until it comes to the issue of equality for LGBT Americans. Call it some sort of reverse racism if you like, but the bottom line is that yes, I do expect a black man, especially one from my post-boomer generation (Obama and I are almost exactly the same age) not to be so blind to his own hypocrisy -- and yes, homophobia. Obama has made the point that at one time, his own parents' marriage was "probably" not legal in several states, yet he seems absolutely incapable of understanding that his refusal to support marriage equality for gay and lesbian Americans is grounded in the same illogical, superstitious, archaic corruption of Christianity that prevented African-Americans from marrying Caucasians (not to mention from marrying one another at one time).

That same blindness was no more obvious than during the McClurkin fiasco: Aside from the sad fact (which I believe even the majority of Obama supporters admit now) that Obama deliberately threw us not-so-important queers aside in favor of the homophobic, Southern, black, devout, church-going vote, he stubbornly refused to pull McClurkin from the line-up... just months after demanding that CBS and MSNBC fire Don Imus for a single racist remark.

This is typical of Obama's double standard; how this kind of the-blacks-beat-the-gays hypocrisy doesn't turn everyone's stomach -- and how people fail (or refuse) to see how empty and meaningless are Obama's promises to unite all Americans, and be the President of all Americans -- is beyond me.

Finally, you write: "I do it because I like the music. They arent running for office or making any laws so how exactly is me supporting an artist who doesnt share my views on something like the war 'working against me?'"

Good heavens, where do you think right-wing celebrities get the money to make campaign contributions to right-wing candidates -- and causes? They earn it, just like you and I do -- and if you would stop buying their music, and stop buying tickets to their movies, and stop patronizing sponsors of their television programs, you will have withheld another ten or twenty or fifty bucks from their coffers. That may not seem like much of a difference to you, but it's just like doing your part for the environment (switching light bulbs, not littering, driving less, etc., etc.): If we all did it, we would "starve the beast."

It's the simplest, easiest, most painless, and most immediate form of direct action there is: You don't give money to people who give their money to the enemy. I don't know what's so hard to understand about that.

[NMMNG]

83. Hear, hear!

Can I have, like, 10,000 of your babies? :P

[Sapphocrat]

88. As soon as...

...they get that parthenogenesis thing worked out.:D

[loveangelc]

85. i download most of my music now anyway.lol

[Sapphocrat]

89. Bzzzzt!

"i download most of my music now anyway.lol"

If you pay for your music downloads, you're still putting money intot their pockets.

If you're not paying for your music downloads, you're breaking the law.

[Sultana]

60. good heavens

scrapping the bottom of the barrel much?

[snowbear]

68. Can you believe how many ANTI-Oprah threads are on here today???

Why is it that until she endorsed a candidate, no one here ever bitched and moaned about her?

I thought this place was bad during the heat of Dean v. Clark in '03 ..but the petty bickering is definitely worse this time around.

[Sapphocrat]

69. Were you asleep...

...while the rest of us were "bitching and moaning" about her clusterfuck with George W. Bush?



That know-nothing opportunist has been on my shit list ever since.

P.S. Sorry to hear that you think fucking over Teh Gays is "petty bickering."

[wiley]

76. He's her Senator

Clinton is mine, but I'm not a billionaire businessperson. The whole attack gays strategy was set up by Obama. It was probably Oprah's idea. The scales will fall off people's eyes very shortly. Then we'll all have to decide who to actually vote for.

[avrdream]

77. Yep, there are already some polls on the net that show Oprah not helping him.

One article spoke about how great SHE sounded and how dull he was in comparison.

None of that matters to me, though.......it's all about how my rights are going to get trashed on by Mr. Obama if he becomes President. And Oprah will have that on her conscience, no matter how much she tries to act all pro-gay. Sorry, but I have now seen the light with the both of them because of Donnie.

[sampsonblk]

78. I dissent

Your post does not reflect reality, it reflects emotion. To the impartial observer, what you are saying is not what's really going on here.

[NMMNG]

81. What in the OP is not true?

:shrug:

[ronnykmarshall]

84. I think Oprah turns a blind eye to homophobia at times.

Once Tyson Beckford was on the show and the gay question came up. Here how the conversation went down. This is not word for word but it's how I recall it.

Oprah: Address the gay rummor.

Tyson: I'm not gay and if a gay guy came on to me I'd ....

Oprah: Punch him out?

Tyson: Yes.

La Oprah didn't even question him about that.