Black Pastors Announce Opposition to First Black President Over Gay Marriage Stand
From CNN comes word that Obama’s support for gay marriage has earned him some serious opposition among Black pastors, a group he can ill afford to lose.
Washington (CNN) – A group of conservative black pastors are responding to President Barack Obama’s support of same-sex marriage with what they say will be a national campaign aimed at rallying black Americans to rethink their overwhelming support of the President, though the group’s leader is offering few specifics about the effort.
The Rev. Williams Owens, who is president and founder of the Coalition of African-Americans Pastors and the leader of the campaign, has highlighted opposition to same-sex marriage among African-Americans. He calls this campaign “an effort to save the family.”
“The time has come for a broad-based assault against the powers that be that want to change our culture to one of men marrying men and women marrying women,” said Owens, in an interview Tuesday after the launch event at the National Press Club. “I am ashamed that the first black president chose this road, a disgraceful road.”
At the press conference, Owens was joined by five other black regional pastors and said there were 3,742 African-American pastors on board for the anti-Obama campaign.
When asked at the press conference for specifics about the campaign – funding, planned events and goals – Owens said only that the group’s first fundraiser will be on August 16 in Memphis, Tennessee. But Owens insisted that “we are going to go nationwide with our agenda just like the president has gone to Hollywood.”
More than 3700 Black preachers is one helluva lot of rhetorical firepower, and according to Rev. Owens their opposition isn’t aimed at Obama’s social policy, but at his reelection instead. That’s a serious problem for Obama and for Democrats.
For Obama to get reelected, he cannot afford to lose any of the 95% of the nation’s Black votes he got in 2008. If 10% of those voters choose to stay home this November, he will most likely lose Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina and the White House.
Four years later, The One’s coattails ain’t what they were in 2008.
Tags: Barack Obama, Domestic Issues
