I tried.
I tried reminding people about how pro-gay Barack Obama has been.
I tried explaining how Rick Warren is not David Duke, and the supporters of Proposition 8 aren't the same as the "knights" of the Ku Klux Klan.
I tried to not lose my patience when John Cloud of Time magazine called Barack Obama "a very tolerant, very rational-sounding sort of bigot."
To quote Barack Obama; "Enough."
I do not dare question the justifications for the backlash against Rick Warren. I can understand that it was one of the most contentious issues of our day, and that Rick Warren was on the other side. I can understand using him as a conduit for venting one's anger at what happened. I cannot understand calling him a bigot. I can not understand lashing out at him when supporters of gay-rights should be supporting California Attorney-General Brown, the former governor of California who should be the topic du jour amongst the gay community and supporters of the gay community.
I cannot understand dwelling on the emotions and focusing on the outrage. I cannot understand fighting Rick Warren and Barack Obama in the public arena, with insults, when the battle should be fought in the courts and streets alongside state AG Brown. I honestly cannot understand it. I can understand the anger, but does anyone here really think that screaming "bigot" at prominent figures is going to win anyone over? Will any Prop 8 supporter reconsider their stance when they are called a "bigot", likened to the Ku Klux Klan? All for what; for supporting an amendment that said marriage is between one man and one woman?
Opponents of Proposition 8 nearly won on November 4th, and indeed they may still prevail if AG Brown is successful. However, people need to realize that there are a lot of people who support gay rights. If statewide elections were held for civil unions, they would easily win in states that would have, or have, voted to ban gay marriage. Winning more support for gay marriage requires winning over those who are uneasy about the issue of "gay marriage" while supportive of gay people, which is the middle that isn't going to like hyper-partisan name-calling, and certainly don't like to see Barack Obama be called "a bigot".
This isn't a "shut up and suck it up" diary, it's a "shut up before you go over the top" diary; it's a "shut up and ask how best you can serve the cause?" diary. Remember the old expression; honey, not vinegar.
I close with one of my favorite segments from one of my favorite speeches;