Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder So Oprah Winfrey has chosen to throw her support behind probably the least experienced major candidate running for President, Barack Obama. Obama will be 47 next month, and has been a civil rights attorney, an Illinois state legislator for seven years, and a U.S. senator for less than three years. Winfrey's show is based in Chicago. Something about this does not seem genuine to me. It is possible Winfrey really likes his candidacy, but the cynic in me smells a rat. Celebrity endorsements are a dime a dozen, but Winfrey is one of the more influential ones and revels in the idea that she can motivate her fan base to do whatever her bidding may be, whether it's what book to buy, car to drive, food to eat, movie to see etc. Now she wants to be a kingmaker. So, here's the question. Why is she doing this? A) Solely because he's black, no other reason. Winfrey wants to be able to say she had a hand in getting the first black President in office. B) She really believes in him and his candidacy. C) She really does want to be a king maker and Hillary Clinton wouldn't agree to give Winfrey a cabinet post if Clinton was elected. D) Some other reason. I have decided it's A, solely because he's black and her ego wants to take credit. Their are other candidates out there she could endorse, such as Hillary, but by backing Obama she's in the spotlight and able to satiate her ego.
Originally Posted By gadzuux I give oprah more credit than you do. Although obama isn't my candidate, I don't think her motivation is anything other than above reproach. Oddly, hillary is leading obama among black women, and oprah feels (probably correctly) that she can have some influence on that, as well as with women across the board. If her motivation was for her own benefit, she would probably have endorsed other candidates, or at least been politically vocal long before now. I don't see that. She doesn't need to be any more famous, wealthy or powerful - she has "arrived" already. As for the "black card" - sure, I can see how she might be more enthusiastic about obama because he's black. But even that's understandable - she sees in him someone who understands some of her life experiences. But oprah's a smart woman, and not likely to be moved by a single issue such as race. Before she decided to throw the weight of her name and reputation behind him, I think she thought it through thoroughly. And she may yet prove to be a significant factor in obama's ascension.
Originally Posted By HyperTyper I think Oprah's support for Obama is genuine. He's upbeat (like her), he's an Illinoisan (like her), and of course, he's black (like her). There's a lot of common ground there, and I don't hold it against her. Oprah has a lot of strengths, and she and Obama are popular for a lot of the same reasons. For the most part, they are straightforward people who have a great deal of camera appeal for a lot of people. I'm sure Oprah is a nice, genuine person. However, there is one thing that really bugs the heck out of me: I have never seen such a blatantly materialistic woman. Yeah, I know there are things that are more important to her than money and fame, but money and things (and fame) are right up there on her "favorite things" list. I tuned into one of her famous Christmas shows, where she gives the audience a bunch of her "favorite things." It was sickening ... to see a bunch of women screaming and crying over getting a bunch of overpriced and useless stuff... Things that were just frills and brand names ... things that most people would never be able to justify buying on their incomes. It was worship of wealth and materialism, and it was awful. It's a shame a person who is so obviously strong, and reasonably decent, has a shameless weak spot for money, stuff, frills and image. It totally sends the wrong message to those who admire her.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper I didn't realize Oprah and Obama were black. In any event, I think it is fair to assume that Oprah is genuine in this. I also think it is fair to assume that the folks who make up Oprah's audience are not going to influence the election enough to make much of a difference. Celebrity endorsements don't amount to much.
Originally Posted By jonvn His platform is that he's black. Otherwise, I've not heard a thing from him that's a bit different than what anyone else has to say.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder "Clearly, Oprah wants to be VP." That has seriously occurred to more than a few people. I have a reason for starting this thread, other than to just toss rocks at Winfrey. A member of our family has a connection to Winfrey through a very good friend of the family member. This connection is practically idolized by Winfrey, and has already questioned her motives. Apparently the responses that came back raised some concerns within the vaunted "inner circle" as to why she was doing this. The thought is Winfrey will indeed come across as genuine to most people, when in fact she might not be here. She could be using Obama to further her own agenda, which is all about inflating her ego. I wanted to see what people here thought about it.
Originally Posted By jonvn I was just at a Kathy Griffin show, and she says Oprah is a very nice person as long as you understand Oprah is god, as she knows herself to be. And maybe if you had a billion dollars coming from nothing, you'd probably get a bit of a swelled head yourself.
Originally Posted By DAR <<I was just at a Kathy Griffin show,>> And Oprah's first order as Queen of the Universe should be to banish Kathy Griffin to the furthest reaches of the galaxy. Cannot. Stand. That. Woman.
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy She played Susan's roommate from college on Seinfeld -- remember the one where she made Jerry carry the huge wedding gift for George and Susan back to NYC on the plane from Memphis?
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder CNN's website is actually conducting a poll on whether Winfrey should be Obama's VP.
Originally Posted By jonvn Oh she had a great story about Seinfeld. She said he introduced her to Stephen Spielberg, who absolutely hates her. He started yelling "How am I supposed to know who you've now got pissed off at you in this industry?"
