As I have been reading recent diaries discussing the Rick Warren scandal, one question has consistently come to mind: What does the GLBT community expect from President Elect Barack Obama.
I could be wrong, but I think the recent issues can be summed up as follows:
There are those who expect PE-Obama to deliver on his promises. These people simply want what they bargained for. Sure, they would like more, but they could operate if he obtains his campaign promises. I do not confuse this with being satisfied. I said operate for a reason.
There are other who expect PE-Obama to exceed his campaign promises. I am not sure how far these people expect him to go beyond his campaign promises or what he would have to achieve to allow them to operate. Again, not to be confused with satisfaction.
Additionally, I believe there are those who expect PE-Obama to be exceptional when it comes to GLBT issues. I think if he can obtain this, the people who held the expectation would be satisfied, as would the people who merely want him to keep his campaign promises and those who expect him to surpass them
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While it is clear to me that the GLBT community deserves a president who will be exceptional and deliver on every civil rights issue that is facing the community today, I find it troubling that many are seemingly already unsatisfied with PE-Obama though he has not even had an opportunity to fulfill the promises of his campaign. There appears to be a serious problem of expectations vs. promises that I see hurting the community. My diary is not in response to the anger over the selection of Warren to deliver the invocation. Instead, it is directed toward the feeling of abandonment that have been expressed repeatedly here at DKos because of the Warren selection. I cannot say those those who feel abandoned speak with the sole voice of the GLBT community, but their voices are no less important as those of individuals.
Is there a way to resolve exceptional expectations (which are reasonable, of course, and owed to the GLBT community) against the promises made by the President Elect given the state of the country he is expected to govern?
Sorry if this is incoherent or considered an act of trollery.