Oprah Elects Barack as President — Not So Fast!

The woman who can sell millions of books and magazines is now out to sell us a president. And after a two-day campaigning swing through New Hampshire, North Carolina and Iowa, it sure looks like Oprah Winfrey may succeed in crowning Barack Obama as the next U.S. President.

There's been plenty of talk — and I've done my share — about how we live in a celebrity-obsessed culture. How celebrities are fashion, beauty, lifestyle, romance and even charitable and environmental role models.

Now if Oprah, a daytime talk show host and magazine impresario can sway a presidential election, that surely seals it — we are officially living in a celebrity culture.

But despite all the 30,000-seat packed stadiums Oprah can fill with cheering fans, I'd like to give some comfort to the hand-wringers in the Hillary Clinton and Republican camps.

Oprah may not decide the fate of the 2008 presidential election if the eleven hundred plus respondents to a Starmagazine.com poll represents the true feelings of most American voters.

There could be a backlash to celebrity endorsements of political candidates — even to Oprah's personal pick. Sixty-nine percent of Star's respondents said they'd be less likely to vote for Barack Obama now that Oprah has endorsed him as a candidate. Only 31% said they'd be more likely.

Now, this response actually made me wonder if people just wanted to dispense with the politicians altogether and get right to it — vote directly for a celebrity and not just their political proxy.

And I could see that. Why wouldn't we want to elect Oprah? She's smart, she seems to care about average folks, she's articulate, she gives a great speech, she's the epitome of the American Dream — she came from nothing and became a self-made billionaire. Plus, she can recite a verse from the Bible, has no messy divorces in her past AND she has weight issues. Everyone can relate to that.

However, when asked if Oprah should just go for it and run for president herself, the poll was definitive — 72 percent said she shouldn't run. And if she did run, 67% wouldn't vote for her.

Since it seemed like one of the major reasons that George Bush was able to trump Al Gore in 2000 was that voters thought they'd rather have a beer with him than with Al. So we asked a key poll question: Who would you rather have over for Christmas dinner — Oprah, Barack or Hilary?

The answer — a vast majority — won't vote for Oprah but they'd much rather feed her than either of the two presidential candidates. Maybe, if Oprah can eat enough Christmas dinners she'll overcome the celebrity-endorsement backlash factor and be able to convince Americans on Barack's worthiness, one family at a time.

If the Starmagazine.com poll worries either Oprah or Barack, they should take some comfort in the fact that they don't have Barbara Streisand's endorsement to worry about. Almost 83% of the respondents are less likely to push the lever for Hillary, now that Streisand has endorsed her as president! Who knows how many more will flee now that Madonna has thrown her weight (even though she doesn't weigh all that much) behind Hillary.

I actually think this is all good news about the American public. "We don't need celebrities telling us what to do," responded one poll taker. "They should stick with what they know about — acting," said another. "People can use their own minds," responded a third. So there it is, we absolutely love our celebrities but we still know the right ways to let them influence us — to watch TV, buy movie and theater tickets, dress and do our hair and makeup better, and even to make a donation to a worthy cause that they have drawn to our attention. Their mess-ups on the other hand may even make us think twice about marrying ne'er-do-wells or indulging in behavior that requires rehab.

But they may not yet be capable of picking our President. Not even Oprah!

I'm relieved — how about you?

Related:
Oprah Winfrey: Phenomenal Woman, Phenomenal Endorsement [ETP]

Follow Bonnie Fuller on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bonniefuller

Comments

[OhgReaTone]

There is an old political axiom about endorsements, "You get all of their enemies and none of their friends." There are two problems here - Celebrity and Race. The problem of celebrity culture runs deeper - we now have celebrity media hosts. The problem of Race is solved with the examples of Oprah and Obama - they have fulfilled the American Dream - in spite of their color.
Ohg.
http://thefiresidepost.com/2007/11/25/media-hosts-fail-as-celebrities/
http://thefiresidepost.com/2007/11/26/oprah-and-barack-transcending-race/

[RealOpinion08]

"The Oprah endorsement was shrewd stroke of political maneuvering by the Obama bunch. I wonder what they had to promise Oprah to get it."
Well I bet its alot cheaper on the American people than the corporate endorsment­s...

[truthyguy]

Sway - no.

Raise awareness - probably.

[knosiswar]

Of course your premise is wrong, we are going to go down as one of the greatest peoples of any age that ever has or ever will be, we've eliminated, poverty, hunger, laundry, chores, taxes from almost a full third of the population. What master do you think we serve, we are sheep, lead by the flickering lights and the booming, reassuring voices emanating from the picture box. We are as ignorant as the masses that allowed Rome to swirl around the bowl 2000 years ago, we're just barely better educated, just enough to hold technical jobs and pay taxes to our masters,(thanks Billary and NAFTA-WTO). We are no more insightful or compassionate of those we never meet, but know exist as we do, seeking to make their way in this life and the next, as any failing society that has existed in the past. Man's arrogance is blinding.

[Kane]

Doesn't Oprah know that only the special interests and corporate news are allowed to tell people who to vote for?

[Mrrar]

I think the very amusing part is that a celebrity is telling us that celebrities don't matter..

bwee hee.

[eaglecapri]

One more thing....

I can't get over everyone telling us how her endorsement means basically nothing. If this is the case, then why the thousands of articles written about it? This should be yesterday's news and filed under 'Who Cares' just like Madonna and Streisand endorsing Hillary. But instead, we talk incessantly about her and are obssessed with the thought of her campaigning for Obama. If she is not dangerous to the election, in general, then why the infactuation and preoccupation with the woman? If we really don't care, why put so much energy into telling us why we don't or shouldn't? Just let her be and allow her to campaign for her candidate just like any other celebrity. Celebrities are famous for bringing issues to the forefront; so, let O bring Obama to the masses. What harm could that do...right­?.......

[eaglecapri]

'Now if Oprah, a daytime talk show host and magazine impresario can sway a presidential election, that surely seals it — we are officially living in a celebrity culture.'

I couldn't even get past this statement. First, and foremost, Oprah can't even be classified as a celebrity. She is a phenomenon, an icon.

[prithimp]

Oprah's contibution to the rush to war..

http://youtube.com/watch?v=vqVtRJeXxXM

[waiguoren]

I stopped reading before the end of the first sentence because you couldn't even get the three states right. So why continue?


SOUTH Carolina, not NORTH Carolina. There is a difference, specially because it's S.C. that has the early primary.

[jeffmorgan]

Likeliness to vote for Barack Obama now that Oprah has endorsed him as a candidate is misleading.

If you want to know Oprah's impact, what you ought to do is show a video or audio clip of Oprah doing her pitch, then poll "after seeing/hearing this are you more likely or less likely to consider/vote for Obama."

[MPeter]

You Oprah haters are know-nothing losers who pretend to advise the very people who are more successful in life than you are. The author of this nonsese is a pompous little nothing who is catering to haters who have accomplished nothing in life except cling to hate. Oprah can attract thousands. How many people have paid attention to the mini-me who wrote this gabbage? Find a life of your own, get off the back of Oprah.

[pennyfortheguy]

I'd also submit that Oprah is at least as polarizing as 'people' are claiming Senator Clinton is. So how does hitching his wagon to Oprah's star benefit Senator Obama?

[HowieKurtznot]

Chris Matthews is mentally ill.

You, too: "Oprah may not decide the fate of the 2008 presidential election if the eleven hundred plus respondents to a Starmagazine.com poll represents the true feelings of most American voters."

[SamanthaJaneSalem]

Funny, I don't think of Oprah as a celebrity. She's famous, yes. But I watched her show dealing with transgender issues, and I wouldn't expect Justin Timberlake or Reese Witherspoon to be able to discuss this topic with such insight and concern for nearly an hour.

What sets Oprah apart is that she *cares* and she uses her forum to help make the world a better place. If a movie star set up a school in South Africa it might seem like self-promotion-- with Oprah you know she really wants to make a difference.

Besides, Obama was doing pretty well before Oprah. Let's wait and see how much she helped him. She certainly didn't hurt.