Donnie McClurkin Perfecting Gays

Gay Minister Joins Obama Concert in SC

WASHINGTON -- In response to an uproar from gay activists, Democrat Barack Obama's presidential campaign on Wednesday added a gay minister to the lineup for its weekend gospel tour.

Gay activists had criticized Obama's "Embrace the Change" tour in South Carolina because the performers included gospel singer Donnie McClurkin, who says homosexuality is a choice.

Obama's campaign invited Rev. Andy Sidden, a South Carolina pastor who is openly gay, to appear on Sunday in Columbia. Obama discussed Sidden's inclusion Thursday with Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, which supports gay rights.

In a statement, Solmonese said he thanked Obama for including Sidden but told the Illinois senator he was disappointed McClurkin will remain part of the program.

"There is no gospel in Donnie McClurkin's message for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and their allies," Solmonese said. "That's a message that certainly doesn't belong on any presidential candidate's stage."

McClurkin is a Grammy Award winner who performed at the Republican National Convention in 2004. He told AP Radio in an interview that September that he was "once involved with those desires and those thoughts," but God turned him away from them.

Obama has spoken out against homophobia, including in the black community. He supports civil unions for same-sex couples but not the right for gay marriage"

www.huffingtonpost.com

There will be a Caged Bitch-Slapping Match between McClurkin and Solmonese after Obama speaks.

Free daiquiris and chitlin's fer all!!

DOVER, N.H. -- Hoping to defuse a crisis among gay supporters -- but not alienate black evangelical voters in South Carolina -- Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) told gay activists Wednesday a gay minister will open weekend gospel concerts, while a singer with an anti-gay reputation will remain on the bill.

"I want to make sure that we are communicating the inclusive nature of this campaign, that I am continuing to reach out in the faith community," Obama told the Chicago Sun-Times.

"But I did want to do so in a way that is consistent with my strong belief in equal rights for gays and lesbians. And I don't want there to be any confusion about that."

The balancing act is the result of booking Grammy-winning gospel star Donnie McClurkin as one of the acts on a three-night Obama "Embrace the Change" gospel tour in South Carolina aimed at African Americans.

Criticism over McClurkin -- who performed at the 2004 GOP convention and says he used to be gay -- has been building over the last several days, fueled by Web-based commentators. At the same time, the Obama camp is on the defensive on another front because a Nevada African Americans for Obama event launched Wednesday included boxing champion Floyd Mayweather, who has domestic-violence convictions on his record.

The Obama campaign was not aware of McClurkin's views, and it seems Mayweather's legal problems escaped campaign notice.

On Wednesday, concerns about McClurkin reached a tipping point in the Obama campaign. The solution settled upon was to have a South Carolina gay minister -- identified as the Rev. Arthur Sidden -- deliver an invocation.

At midday, the Obama team held two phone conferences with gay backers -- one hosted by Obama and another with deputy campaign chief Steve Hildebrand and University of Pennsylvania law Professor Tobias Wolff, who chairs the campaign's lesbian-gay-bisexual-
transgender policy committee.

Later in the afternoon, Obama talked with Joe Solomonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign. Solomonese said after the call he was disappointed Obama did not drop McClurkin.

"There is no gospel in Donnie McClurkin's message for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. That's a message that certainly doesn't belong on any presidential candidate's stage," Solomonese said.

During one of the conference calls, according to a participant, the decision to have a gay minister deliver an invocation at the three gospel concerts was explained as Obama "not wanting to choose among elements of his Democratic base. ... So considering Obama is a big-tent guy, the idea was to form a dialogue among contrarian interests."

Gay outreach has been important to Democratic contenders because they are a powerful donor and voting bloc.

blogs.suntimes.com

Sooooo.... this tour will appeal to homophobic black evengels and gay right's activists in So Carolina?

The Pander War!

I didn't realize that homosexuals were biologically perfect, and that heterosexuality is a biological dysfunction for creatures engaging in sexual reproduction.

Now that I've learned that, I can learn other truths such as ...

Ah, the "big tent" problem. You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time.

So, who is it better to alienate?

It's all utilitarian to politicians. Most of them are sociopathic. It's all gauging what is of best advantage to themselves for them, and acting accordingly. They are bereft of morals, ethics, or values however derived.

-Most of them are sociopathic.

And here we never knew you were a politician.