Obama: " "My presence here today is unlikely just like Oprah is unlikely. We share that in common."
Oprah:"(What are you talking about, Willis?)"
Posted on 12/08/2007 7:29:04 PM PST by Graybeard58
DES MOINES, Iowa — Television star Oprah Winfrey, an influential voice in American popular culture and one of the most successful blacks in the world, urged Iowans on Saturday to use their first-voting status to give Barack Obama the momentum to overtake Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination.
"I'm here to tell you, Iowa, he is the one," the billionaire, philanthropist and top-rated talk-show host told a crowd estimated at more than 15,000 who navigated snow-crusted roads to see her stump for the Illinois senator at Hy-Vee Hall in Iowa's capital city.
Without naming Clinton, Winfrey argued that Obama's community activist background is more valuable than the former first lady's more extensive Washington experience and that he could better unite the nation. Obama, she said, has a "new vision" for the country.
Since the 1980s, Winfrey's endorsements have sold millions of books, created the likes of Dr. Phil, integrated black culture into swaths of white America and brought instant credibility to various causes and charities. Her appearances for Obama, the first presidential candidate she's campaigned for, will test whether the "Oprah effect" extends to American politics.
"I understand the difference between the book club . . . and this critical moment in our nation's history," she said. "I am not here to tell you what to think. I am here to ask you to think seriously — about a man who knows who we are and who we can be."
Obama looked star-struck as he told the crowd how much he loved and appreciated her.
"You want Oprah as vice president?" he asked, and the crowd cheered. "That would be a demotion, you understand that." He then delivered a standard stump speech, talking about his desire to end the Iraq war, expand health care and college affordability and shared his biography.
He also sought to frame his candidacy in the context of Winfrey's ability to succeed against the odds for most blacks. "My presence here today is unlikely just like Oprah is unlikely," he said. "We share that in common."
The mixed-race, heavily female audience began arriving two hours before the mid-afternoon event. The mood was raucous and festive, the lines to get into the standing-room-only hall grew longer and the crowd fed off its own energy.
The attendees were a mixed bag. Some were committed Obama supporters. Others were primarily Winfrey fans.
"I love Oprah, she's like my role model," said Adrienne Williams, 31, who said she's trying to decide between Clinton and Obama. She said that Winfrey's opinion could influence her vote.
But Kay Bolton, 68, who slipped out a few minutes into Obama's remarks, admitted that she's already a committed Clinton voter and said that hadn't changed. "We respect Obama, but we're here to see Oprah," she said. "She should run for president herself."
Then there was Liz Ward, a middle-aged businesswoman who said, "I'm a Republican and I'm not even a huge Oprah fan. It's just the place to be." Ward said she probably wouldn't have come to an Obama appearance otherwise, but that she was "open" to voting for him. "None of the Republican candidates do anything for me."
Des Moines was the first of Winfrey's four planned stops with Obama on a two-day blitz that was to continue to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and then to the early voting states of South Carolina and New Hampshire.
In South Carolina, where black voters comprise half the Democratic electorate, the Obama campaign changed the venue for Sunday's planned appearance in Columbia from an 18,000-seat arena to an 80,000-seat stadium to accommodate the anticipated crowds.
Experts, however, say that most celebrity endorsements have little impact, especially in caucus states such as Iowa, where only the most dedicated voters participate.
But if former president Bill Clinton is his wife's most powerful endorsement, Winfrey may be Obama's best answer.
David Redlawsk, a University of Iowa political scientist, said that Winfrey already has generated free publicity for Obama and could bring into the loop Winfrey fans who haven't focused on the election.
But Redlawsk was dubious of her impact on Jan. 3. "It's not clear that any of that matters when it comes down to getting people out on a cold winter's night to caucus," he said.
He predicted a greater effect in South Carolina because it holds a primary election rather than a caucus and because Winfrey may be poised to convince more black voters Obama is electable.
Obama, 46, a first-term Illinois senator and the first black candidate to compete this strongly for president, has been holding second place in national polls behind Clinton, but in recent polls the gap between them has narrowed.
Obama, however, is still struggling to convince many fellow blacks that he could win a general election and to woo older Democratic women who gravitate to Clinton.
Winfrey, 53, has had the nation's No. 1 talk show for 21 consecutive seasons. It reaches 46 million unique viewers each week, according to CBS Television Distribution. Many share traits of Clinton fans: three-fourths are women, more than half are over 50, and viewers' median income is $46,000.
Winfrey's talk show is the No. 2 syndicated program among adult women in Iowa, behind "Wheel of Fortune", and the No. 1 syndicated show among women in South Carolina and New Hampshire.
LOL! Oprah ain’t going to be second fiddle to anyone!
Oprah is just another celebrity leftist, willing to sell her soul to an empty suit.
Who knows how many but one thing for sure is it will be more than Barbra and Chelsea deliver for Hillary.
That being said, who had the right to vote when the founding fathers set up the US?
Small wonder why the USA wil be destroyed from within.
I’m not surprised by anything anymore.
America is definitely ready for a black president or a female president. But they would prefer a black male president to a white female. And mark my words, the first black president will be a conservative. Americans are not going to climb on board the bandwagon of a liberal black. They would be uncomfortable with all the liberal racial baggage a liberal black would bring to the White House.
I think Americans would elect Colin Powell (let us say) in a heartbeat. Please don’t take that to mean that I think in any way that Colin Powell is conservative enough to be president, just that I believe America would elect him in the vastly unlikely event that he were to run. It is only an example of my contention that race will have nothing to do with Obama’s eventual defeat, just liberalism.
The more Obama is identified with Oprah (the entertainment and the religion), the less presidentiable he looks. His campaign is starting to look like an Oprah book tour and seminar...
Obama: " "My presence here today is unlikely just like Oprah is unlikely. We share that in common."
Oprah:"(What are you talking about, Willis?)"
Me either. I can still be disgusted but not surprised,.
Oprah can’t deliver the votes in a National Election but in Iowa and maybe New Hampshire she can help sink Hillary for the short term.
Oprah doesn’t normally get involved in politics to this extent and I think it will have a far greater impact than most people think .
It will definately benefit Barry O , and it might be the factor that pushes Barry O to the top. This is the worst possible development for Hillary , as Oprah will peel off a great number of crucial female voters from Hillary .
Now the question is , do we want to face Obama or Hillary in the general ? Who would be easier to beat ....
Let’s not underestimate the Oprah factor ....i’m not ...
Obama is Oprah’s “boy.” This endorsement has nothing to do with qualifications...it’s strictly race motivated.
Edith Keeler In Iowa.
Anything to make the Beast not walk away with the nomination is fine with me. Obama is an empty suit so I’d much rather run against him than the Clinton machine.
i just figured her arm would prolly be elbow deep up his puppet azz he'd be her beard... 8^)
LOL! As a mater of fact ... LOL!
He would be far harder to demonize .....Maybe we don’t want to have to face him ..... Everyone knows Hillary is evil , but Barry O could and would play the race card , which is far worse than the chauvinist card ....
This is fantastic.... Obama or Hillary.... Man 2008 is looking great....
Those two will be so easy to beat...... life is good.
Don’t know about Vanna but Pat is definitely on the right side.
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