With Days until inauguration I'll share my thoughts on the pick of Rich Warren. Many on the left have been upset by the selection of Rick Warren to dive the invocation at Obama's Inauguration. I think he is a much better choice than many of Obamas actual appointments. All of his major foreign policy and economic advisers are from the right wing of the movement that got him elected.
Obama should at least have one progressive economist on his team, someone not trained by Robert Rubin. The logical choice would be Dean Baker, the only economist I know of who predicted a housing bubble at least a couple years before the burst.
In foreign policy there is no obvious choice because of the institutional set up that rewards macho. the people we would really want would all be rejected, but he could have found someone who had real and outspoken doubts about the war for a position other than administering the VA. Shinseki was described by the media as a repudiation of the Iraq war by Obama, but he isn't in a place to advise on policy. Our best hope for progress would be the development of a department of peace.
But back to the inauguration and Warren, this is an excellent position to offer to someone to is anti abortion, and homophobic. The culture wars have seen these wedge issues used to elect Republicans again and again. The symbolic hand reached out to across the cultural divide does a lot to undermine elections won on wedge issues, and costs nothing in policy. Policy of course is what we care about regarding reproductive choice and gay rights. The real question on this front is not who will give the invocation but who will Obama appoint when there are openings on the supreme court.
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Gaia, Thanks for your blog and for the most recent post. I agree with you about Obama’s economic and foreign policy/national defense selections. But they are not all that surprising given his campaign statements about these issues. From the beginning he was for more intervention in Afghanistan, a larger military, more special forces, and even on Iraq, his withdrawal was always partial, calling for retaining troops for guarding the Embassy (largest in the world), training Iraqi forces, and protecting against future Al Queda activity.
I would like to take issue with you, though, about the significance of the Inaugural Invocation and Rick Warren. I don’t think the development of “policy” can be isolated from symbolic moments and public events. First, Rick Warren the man. Most negative reaction I have seen has been confined to his positions on abortion, gay rights and feminism. . But Warren is centered in the radical right on many other issues as well:
• He endorsed Sean Hannity’s call for the assassination of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, giving what he called Biblical support for the action.
• He is a creationist, opposing evolution. Humans & dinosaurs coexisted.
• He promotes a version of the “Gospel of Wealth”, Jesus will make you rich. In his book he repeatedly says that handling worldly wealth is a sign of spiritual good.
• He is associated with the Christian theocracy (dominionism) movement
But what is most problematic about giving Warren the lead-off slot is his desire to be known as, to become, “America’s Pastor”, Billy Graham’s successor. Obama already sanctioned Warren when he appeared with him at the Saddleback Church “Forum” Now he is further facilitating this ambition by choosing him for the Invocation. The new president seems to be disingenuous when he says that it’s important to engage with all points of view, certainly he recognizes the difference between dialogue and the stamp of approval that the Invocation represents. Talk with him, yes. Promote him, no. At the least, it is a slap in the face to veteran civil rights fighter Joseph Lowry, who has been given the Benediction assignment. Who listens to the last ceremonial words on a cold day? Why not a reversal of the lineup?
As if to confirm his anointed role, Warren will be the featured speaker at the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Service in Atlanta the day before the Inauguration.
But back to policy. It is seldom created in a contextual vacuum, but grows out of a field of opinion and thought, often taking years or even decades to come to fruition. The presence of Warren in the key position helps nurture the ideas and programs which he seeks to promulgate. A certain legitimization is conferred on the hateful and regressive Warren Project by his keynote role. Who would have thought that the estate tax, generally regarded as a fair, reasonable measure in the 70’s, would be re-christened “death tax” and win increasing numbers of opponents?
But, will this defuse the weight of “wedge “issues in the future. I don’t know, but I doubt it. Does it mean that Obama is embracing his right-wing views? I don’t think so. Only a benign ceremonial decision? We can only hope so, but worries persist.
Pa,
What merits analysis is Obama's strategy of engaging with republicans and the right wing. you have identified problems with that strategy and yes words and discourse matter. and yes I am probably optimistic to think that this move will do any thing to diffuse the bite of wedge issues.
That said, Obama appears to be skilled at engaging the opposition and this may be key to getting through policy, and avoiding attack. Part of the lost opportunity of Clinton rests with lack of commitment, and part lies with the attacks he faced that preoccupied much of his presidency.
As for where Obama stands, we will have to see. He has been reaching out to the right, but is taking unprecedented steps to organize his liberal base.
Regarding Obama as pastor maker for the nation, while I hadn't thought of that, its worth mentioning that in fact Warren is receiving as much attack from the right for participating in this as he is receiving critiques from the left for his positions.
Gaia -
Do you know Kucinich's econ advisor? I heard him on Democracy Now with Naomi Klein and Paul Krugman, and then, after the appointments of Summer and Geithner, Naomi Klein was back on saying that he would have made a much better choice.
Enjoyed reading a couple of your posts, and following the give and take here with your dad.
I've thought about blogging myself, and this is inspiring...
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