Oprah Campaigns for Obama
Oprah Winfrey has started campaigning for Barack Obama in Iowa. Will she make a difference?
Yesterday, Oprah Winfrey – the popular talk show host and producer, and, well, say something and she’s it – campaigned for Barack Obama in Iowa. According to the Politico it was a tremendous success, at least if we look at how many people showed up: some 18,000 Americans took the time to visit Winfrey / Obama rally.
At the same day, Hillary Clinton appeared before an audience approximately 100 times smaller than Obama and Winfrey’s.
Winfrey called Obama “a politician who has an ear for eloquence and a tongue dipped in the unvarnished truth.”
So, will Winfrey change many minds? It seems to me that she will have an impact, but a relatively minor one. Having said that, in these elections minor difference are huge. Just look at the polling in Iowa. If Winfrey helps Obama get the support of 3% more voters, he wins South Carolina, Iowa, etc.
What Winfrey brings is, I think, an opportunity for Obama to speak to many people in an air of energy and fame. It’s not just what Winfrey says, it’s the atmosphere that’s created. In the end, though, Obama has to do it himself.
Of course, Clinton and Obama are fighting for the women vote. In this regard, again, Winfrey may have a minor impact, which is actually a major impact.
Gateway Pundit has more links up and wonders whether this will be the end of the Clinton machine. “Hillary and the Clintons can’t stop this…” he writes. He also links to this article. You can watch some videos there. I did and I’ve got to say: a tremendous show. Again, there are two forces in play here: Winfrey herself, and the atmosphere that’s created. The latter is probably more powerful than the former but wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the former.
Click here to watch a video, here to watch another one. Once you’re there you can watch more.
One of the things Arianna Huffington said sounds true: the difference between Winfrey’s endorsement and say, a Springsteen endorsement is that people celebrate Springsteen for his music whereas they celebrate Winfrey for being… Winfrey.
Although I favor Clinton on the Democratic side, I also have to say that Obama is a natural, extremely talented and that he would make a good president. The only thing that truly worries me about him is his lack of experience in foreign policy issues and his ‘dovishness.’ That’s also why I wouldn’t support him for the Democratic nomination. Having said that, if he surrounds himself with good people, with experienced people, he can make up for his lack of experience, the only thing that’ll remain is his dovishness, which truly concerns me.
Oprah will have a big pro-Obama impact. She’s the bomb of daytime television- her endorsement (books, presidential candidates) translates into immediate success. This is a big deal- the Clinton campaign knows it- and trotting Bill out won’t counteract Oprah’s power.
As for Obama, I agree with your comments. Like FDR, he seems to have a first-class temperament, and like Clinton, a first-class mind. He’s green yet- but so was Bill.
But Bill was far less green than Obama. He had been a Governor. Obama a Senator for a couple of years. Uncomparable.
Kreiz is right about Oprah’s influence- it’s quite incredible and impressive. I think it’s going to be quite a battle for the hearts and minds of women. I’d like to think that most women would carefully consider issues and vote on a rational basis, but observation tells me that many will be considering whether to vote for Hillary because she’s a woman or vote for Obama because they value Oprah’s opinion so highly.
One thing this does is to draw in huge crowds that must sign a card with their contact information.
This gives Obama a huge growing database for building a victory.
Christine: fascinating that. How many women, percentage wise, do you think will be influenced by Oprah. Was I off mark with my 2% (or even 5%)?
Also: I wonder – what’s more important Oprah’s direct support or the mood, the atmosphere and momentum that’s created? Understand what I mean? Oprah’s endorsement is one thing, but the momentum is quite another.
I think.
Larry: some say Obama doesn’t have the network necessary. Well, he’s building one very quickly.
I think you are severely underestimating Oprah’s direct influence, but I’m not sure the distinction between direct and indirect matters that much anyway.
Let me put it this way- if Oprah were to have endorsed Hillary, then I think a Hillary win (in the general election) would be absolutely inevitable. Why? Because I think that Oprah’s influence on women in America is so strong that the combination of her endorsement and the general idea that women would like to see the ‘glass ceiling’ shattered would be very, very strong- and from what I’ve seen, ever since around the time of Clinton if the female vote all goes one way then there’s nothing the other party can do to stop it- especially if women as a demographic group turn out to vote in high numbers, which they’d tend to do if they are more fired up.
So in that sense, what Oprah’s endorsement of Obama does is to reduce the inevitability of Hillary’s win.
And it’s not just women- I like her and her show!