Monday, January 19, 2009

ROBINSON ERASED FROM HBO INAUGURAL PROGRAM

UPDATE... via THE LEAD: Obama makes it right
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I'm not remotely interested in all the parties, feel-good television, MSM analysis of this weeks inauguration. But I had a feeling deep down that something like this would happen.

There was that ruckus about right-wing conservative homophobe evangelist Rick Warren's invitation to say the invocation at Tuesday's presidential inauguration. So, the Obama folks invited Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire - the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church - to "do" the opening prayer at the Obama celebfest on Sunday. HBO carried it on TV, but Robinson's part was nixed, never shown live or on the later rebroadcast.
THE LEAD has what you missed:
It is hard to know what is more surprising: that HBO passed over the invocation in both the live and rebroadcast versions or that it was posted on YouTube by Sarah Pulliam of Christianity Today.
The blog, AFTERELTON got on HBO's ass to find out what really happened: a developing story; HBO says it's not responsible for the slight, but clearly a better explanation is needed.
But given that most Americans could not attend the concert, instead having to watch it on television, the decision to not broadcast the prayer is being seen by many in the GLBT community as a slight.

The exclusion of Robinson, even if unintentional, does not reflect well on the Obama administration's ability thus far to think through these sorts of nuances.
think through these sorts of nuances

You'd think with all their super marketing & planning from the campaign to victory to this week they would not have botched it, but they did indeed: purpose driven?

Meanwhile, the massacre has been paused. As people in Washington celebrate, Gazans are sorting through the rubble in search of their family members.

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