The Audacity of Homophobia

In an attempt to close the gap between himself and Hillary Clinton in South Carolina, Barack Obama has scheduled a 3 day tour with gospel singers to try to gain support among the conservative black Christians in that state.

One of those gospel singers is Pastor Donnie McClurkin, an “ex-gay” preacher who has publicly vowed to battle “the curse of homosexuality.”

The Grammy winning McClurkin is popular among blacks in South Carolina, especially black evangelicals, a demographic largely opposed to gay rights.

In 2004 Bush used McClurkin to tap into the homophobic sentiment to win votes and create anti-gay marriage initiatives in several states. Although black evangelicals still voted overwhelmingly for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004, they gave Bush the edge he needed to win the election.

To maneuver ahead of Clinton in the polls, Obama is reaching out to this same demographic.

Liberals, however, are up in arms about Obama’s choice. Obama has built his campaign on being the candidate of change that will challenge Bush and the Republican Party. By taking a page from Bush’s 2004 campaign strategy and pandering to an anti-gay sentiment, Obama is alienating the gay rights lobby--a major Democratic constituency, and the increasing number of Americans that support civil rights for gays.

By micro-targeting in South Carolina, Obama has failed to see the bigger picture and anticipate the potential repercussions of this tour. I am interested to see how Obama tries to justify—or rectify this decision.

Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/earl-ofari-hutchinson/obama-should-repudiate-an_b_69244.html

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