Via Pam Spaulding: Barack Obama, in an effort to attract more religious voters, is taking a gospel band on tour with him in South Carolina. The show will feature gospel acts Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker, Byron Cage and the Mighty Clouds of Joy, according to reports.
"This is another example of how Barack Obama is defying conventional wisdom about how politics is done and giving new meaning to meeting people at the grassroots level," the campaign's religious affairs director said in a press release. "This concert tour is going to bring new people into the political process and engage people of faith in an unprecedented way."
But as Pam highlights, one of the artists on his tour is Donnie McClurkin, an "ex-gay" who has said homosexuals are liars who have a "lack of character." They can, however, be cured through prayer he argues. McClurkin also appeared at the Republican National Convention in 2004, where surely his "ex-gay" message went over a lot better. (See here for more.)
It's an effort to attract more black voters in a state where he's locked head to head with Hillary Clinton and half the Democratic primary voters are black. While it's doubtful McClurkin would use the tour to spread his ex-gay agenda, it unnecessarily creates tension between more conservative black voters and gay voters, tension that many are already trying to exploit. Even if it helps draw South Carolina primary voters, it's a poor choice on the publicity front.
--Kate Sheppard
