I watched the whole “We are one” concert. It was actually pretty good, overall. Obama gave a nice speech toward the end — likely a warmup of sorts for Tuesday. And the 89-year-old Pete Seeger did a great job with “This Land is Your Land” — including the radical and now rarely-sung 4th and 5th verses by that old radical, Woody Guthrie.
But where was Gene Robinson?
Supposedly, Bishop Gene Robinson was going to give a high-profile invocation. It was going to be ecumenical, and the fact that the openly gay Robinson was giving it was supposed to be a powerful message of inclusion, especially to gay Americans, in part as a counterweight to Rick Warren’s presence at the inauguration.
Problem is, HBO didn’t televise it. A couple of minutes after HBO went live, the Bidens and then the Obamas walked in, and then the star-studded lineup began the performances. But Robinson was nowhere to be seen.
Was this a screwup by HBO? By the transition organizers? Was it intentional? Whatever it was, it seems to me to considerably lessen the impact of Robinson’s appearance, since now the only people who saw it were the people actually at the event. And I’m betting the networks will choose to cover Rick Warren.
UPDATE: Here is the prayer by Robinson, which was indeed delivered a few minutes before HBO started its telecast. Whoever worked out the details, I’m afraid that at least some of the blame rests with Obama, who surely was aware that he would be walking out after Robinson’s appearance. He should have insisted that Robinson speak after the Bidens and the Obamas were seated (that, I assume, will be the case with Warren). Anyway, here’s what Robinson said.
Welcome to Washington! The fun is about to begin, but first, please join me in pausing for a moment, to ask God’s blessing upon our nation and our next president.
O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will…
Bless us with tears – for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.
Bless us with anger – at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
Bless us with discomfort – at the easy, simplistic “answers” we’ve preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.
Bless us with patience – and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be “fixed” anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.
Bless us with humility – open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world.
Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance – replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.
Bless us with compassion and generosity – remembering that every religion’s God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.
And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.
Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln’s reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy’s ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King’s dream of a nation for ALL the people.
Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm captain in these times.
Give him stirring words, for we will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.
Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.
Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.
Give him the strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters’ childhoods.
And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we’re asking FAR too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand – that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace.
AMEN.
at least, according to this. but the fact that he was cut from the hbo telecast speaks VOLUMES.
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p>why, again, did people get enraged when i said “fuck you obama”?
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p>i expect the networks for black out Homobigot Warren too. but the odds of that are small, since he’s the
chief theologian-elect’spresident elect’s bff.Pam’s House Blend talked about this a little, as did Tips-Q.
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p>I talked about it as part of a larger post that I wrote about the Inauguration and an Ordination I went to up in Manchester
I think HBO has some explaining to do. They had exclusive rights, which means they were free to snuff out his voice, as they did. Robinson’s billing was never on a par with that accorded to Warren.
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p>The Washington Gay Men’s Chorus sang “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” with Josh Groban yet was not acknowledged.
Yes they do. But so does Obama. If he had walked out before Robinson spoke, HBO would have covered it. They certainly weren’t going to miss Obama’s entrance.
to get your pledge in for the Rick-A-Thon
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p>http://www.rick-a-thon.com/
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p>I’m in D.C. and was at the concert. Unfortunately I missed the beginning. I am now sitting in my friend’s apartment watching the concert on HBO. Pretty disappointed that I didn’t get to see Robinson on TV either.
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p>I’ll be rocking the Rick-A-Thon with signs all over the capital. I’ll post pictures on http://www.rick-a-thon.com when I get back to MA.
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p>Looks like Rick Warren is about to raise at least $2000 for LGBT equality. It could be up to $5000.
Thank you for sharing it. In this time when the “most vulnerable” are the first cut, I am glad there were tears for them.
Reads like a NYT editorial with a lot of “Bless Us”s added. This brought tears?
According to Joe.My.God, HBO failed to include Robinson on the rebroadcast this evening. They also didn’t credit the gay mens chorus, who mirrored Marion Anderson’s groundbreaking performance during the Roosevelt years.
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p>Let HBO know what you think of their erasing gays from “our” party.
Thanks for the link.
According to this blogger, Garth Brooks cut the verse from his song “We Will Be Free” that addressed homophobia and religious intolerance. He doesn’t censor his song while otherwise on the road.
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p>Well well well. The pattern continues. Thanks Barack for excising me and mine from “our” party.
rick warren, gene robinson not televised, garth brooks cuts out a pro-glbt rights verse of his song…
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p>I don’t think I’m wearing a tin hat here.
Well I am going to try and refrain from making a sarcastic comment but let us walk through what you are suggesting.
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p>Apparently, the Obama people went to Garth Brooks (!) and asked him to cut a specific line from the song (!). And to what intent ? They just really wanted to insult the gay community ? Because … they really hate the gays ? And they knew how we would be really careful at listening at those lyrics. And we would really notice that SLAP IN THE FACE. They really wanted to SLAP US IN THE FACE by … cutting a line in a song.
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p>And also they sure as hell invited Gene Robinson JUST so that they could ask a major network to specifically time the broadcast to cut his invocation. It is not as if a TV network would be more interested in music stars and the man of the hour right ? Who has ever heard as such a thing as a network prioritizing celebrities over powerful earnest political message ? Never happened before. It is must be an evil conspiracy from Barack Obama to really SLAP THE GAYS IN THE FACE !
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p>Because not only Obama and his whole administration are a bunch of homophobes but they really want to go out of their way to insult our community with small petty gestures like that. I mean they REALLY hate us, don’t they ?
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p>Yeah. No tin hat here.
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p>In the meantime, while you get incensed over the rumored exclusion of a line in a song in a concert, I will celebrate the fact Gibbs went out of his way to answer a clear-cut no-wishy-washy no-but-or-ifs YES to journalists asking if DODT would be going to the garbage in the next few months. Among many other good things that are about to happen.
I do politics for a living. Almost every part of a message is controlled. That’s politics 101. Though I’ve never done anything near the size of a presidential campaign, that would almost certainly include cutting particular verses of a song, deciding when the President walks on stage and therefore when networks decide to cover the event and, most especially, who has a large role in the events (Rick Warren) and just what those roles happen to be (the invocation).
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p>I’m very glad Obama has said “yes” to dadt being repealed, but the Democratic party has made it clear that they are not going to tackle it this year – and Obama has made no indication, including in that answer, as to whether or not he’ll make it a priority that DADT go in 2009. If Obama truly wanted it, he could make DADT go away almost instantaneously, given the fact that he’s the Commander in Chief and has the biggest bully pulpit in the country, with the most popularity going into office out of the past 5 presidents – but in all certainty, that is not going to happen. He’ll let the congress “lead” on that issue, mark my words.
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p>I’m sick of politicians who claim to support my rights; I want a politician who will take measures to protect those rights and actually ensure they truly exist. So far, Obama has done a lot of talking, but in the few instances where he’s had decision-making power, his words have spoken volumes: he does not intend to do more than talk about how he supports gay rights. If enough complain, he’ll change tact, but not until then.
Wow. How controversial. Does this mean I’m getting an arranged marriage? My girlfriend is going to be pissed.
so says HBO
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p>I’m sorry, but this is a disaster. I don’t think this is Obama pulling the strings, but someone making the decisions is deciding that putting gay people on the telly and in positions of prominence is bad for the administration. That = homophobia. That = people like me are freaking pissed. That = we better see real progress in terms of legislation soon, or gay people are going to be rioting across the streets. And I mean weeks, not months.
because it suggests that Obama is being Clintonesque in sending a mixed message on LGBT inclusion. I refuse to listen to the happy talk about “We are one” when some of us are being slighted, apparently on purpose.
let Obama be President for a day, please. I can certainly understand frustration on the part of GLBT people after 8 years of Bush but can we just breath a little bit? The Obama administration will be thousands of times more gay-friendly than the previous one. Will they be perfect? NO. But let’s let the administration actually begin before getting so cynical. I’m all for protest but this is getting into conspiracy theory shit.
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p>And Garth Brooks sang portions of 3 songs– he cut out verses from each of them. Or else country-music haters would have been rioting if he had sung three full songs. Can’t make everyone happy, I guess.
what evidence have you to support that contention? the reason we’re so pissed off is because the evidence to date (mcklurkin, ibmibomaow, ‘god is in the mix’, not correcting the ‘yes on 8’ campaign when they used his words and image in ads to promote the hate amendment, warren, snuffing robinson) is that he is just as unfriendly and every bit the player as the rest. i mean, i hope you are right and i’m wrong, but i’m waiting for evidence of that.
Sitting and waiting never helped anyone.
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p>If I’m wrong and overreacting, what’s the worst that happens? Obama knows how much equality means to me?
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p>If I’m right but took your advice, what’s the worst that happens? We wait. And wait. And it’s too late to exert pressure on Obama and national Democrats. Suddenly, it’s an election year and we just need to wait until another election. And then another. Justice delayed is justice denied. No more.
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p>This isn’t a conspiracy theory. This is the reality of the world we live in. You’re living a delusion.
i will be right there with you when he does one thing wrong policy-wise, aka once he’s president, aka tomorrow. everything now is symbolism
you don’t wait till something goes wrong. you plan ahead. this is the political version of planning ahead in life, to put it to a metaphor.
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p>I’m glad you’ll be right there with me, but doing what you can to exert pressure now to get the national Democrats, including Obama, to make civil rights a top priority to be dealt with this year would be far more effective than waiting till later.