Comments on: Oprah Campaigns for Obama

By: kreiz

kreiz — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 16:50:08 +0000

And it’s not just women- I like her and her show!

By: C Stanley

C Stanley — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 15:12:53 +0000

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.

By: Michael van der Galien

Michael van der Galien — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 15:07:00 +0000

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.

By: Larry

Larry — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 15:04:49 +0000

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.

By: C Stanley

C Stanley — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 13:30:57 +0000

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.

By: Michael van der Galien

Michael van der Galien — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 13:24:07 +0000

But Bill was far less green than Obama. He had been a Governor. Obama a Senator for a couple of years. Uncomparable.

By: kreiz

kreiz — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 13:16:59 +0000

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.