Simon, you are talking apples and oranges.

You mention likability, I was speaking to endorsements.

I don't think endorsements matter much.

I used the example of Springsteen, despite sold out shows, failing to help Kerry with the white male vote.

I just don't think the type of person that votes in a primary (I would argue thoughtful people with their own opinions in politics) will be swayed.  I think in a general an endorsement would help a smidge more because you do have a lot of people who put little thought into how the vote.

Does anybody remember the movie “Beloved”?  Didn’t think so.  This was the motion picture that starred Oprah a few years back and she was all over every TV show (including her own) to promote it.  It bombed – as have many other movies and CDs that have been promoted on Oprah’s show over the years.

Also – Oprah has been named the second most admired woman in the US in the last eight annual  Gallup polls.  Hillary Clinton has been named THE most admired woman in the US in those last eight  annual Gallup polls.

"...A least he is not throwing/slinging mud and lies as some other candidate (HRC) is doing."...
BIGOLDTEXAN (Sent Friday, December 07, 2007 12:46 PM)



Huh? Better check again B.O.G.
Obama is the one who STARTED the attacks on Hillary, and he's the one who used Neo-Con rhetoric from the 1990's
Your unhappy because you thought that Hillary and her supporters were going to sit there and take it. You just don't like it that she, and her people hit back.
That's the reaction most bullies give when the kid they been shoving around, pushes back.

I'll live you pundits with the analysis of Oprah’s effect. I am sure Obama strategists that are behind the scene know what they are doing.

I am glad that Mark Penn is not running Obama's campaign because the guy has no clue on what he is doing. You can tell the difference between Obama's campaign and his chief rival. He knew all along that the road to the white house starts from Iowa but Mark Penn thought otherwise. Mark Penn thought the road to the white house starts from the media and National polls number.

The person with the best strategist and organization will win this election. I am sure the Clinton’s campaign wish they had started earlier in IOWA. Currently, Obama has been organizing in Wisconsin, Indiana, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, North Dekoda and Colorado but the rest of his rivals are banking on name recognition. I won’t be surprise if Obama win the race because of his organizing power. Watch out for shifting in polls from this state.

"Here's the story.  Anyone who hasn't been to see Obama speak doesn't understand the power that he has on stage.  The man has rock star status because he has earned it.  Like JFK and Reagan, he is able to speak to people's hearts and talk about what is good about America.  But uniquely, he speaks without invoking fear and without demagoguery, without divisiveness.  He makes the crowd feel enthusiastic about what they can be contributing to this great land of ours."

The only thing missing is Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers, "Touch the Hem of His Garment" playing softly in the background...(one of my favorites, BTW)
Blind devotion and hero worship are both detrimental to rational, objective thought and the democratic process.


Van

At least women are not mad at Obama but are mad at Clinton.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/12/07/the_skinny/main3588217.shtml

One additional thouight Van you are starting to sound as petty and shrill as Hillary.

lyn,MD (Sent Friday, December 07, 2007 2:15 PM)


Gee more BS criticism from someone who accuses anyone who supports Hillary of being a paid staffer or from Hillary is 44. What a surprise. BTW, that's a load of crap and indicates that you either don't read my posts , or like Lewis, you don't always get them. Not my problem and not really my concern.

Cheers,

Van

Here is another news that will shape the race come Feb. 5

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/dec/07/obama_wins_kansas_straw_poll/

Hillary is up on the polls because of Bill ok? Obama will be too because of Oprah....

Folks -

Nobody believes Oprah will win Obama votes.  Not even Obama believes that.

He has said repeatedly that he simply thinks that Oprah can reach out to citizens who are cynical about Washington politics.

Obama knows that it is up to the voters to listen to him and decide for themselves whether he can bring the change they are looking for.

This is the worst in our political system when a candidate brings on the super rich to essentially buy votes and cover his inadequacies. Why isn’t he enough?  Well, he has no accomplishments, no plan for America and no experience.  Do you think each voter will get a car?

Oprah will bring them Barack will give them

BARACK OBAMA'S ANSWERS Top Priorities, Iraq war, SecurIty, Health care, Education, Gay Marriage, Abortion, Poor, Guns, Stem Cell Research, Energy, Affirmative Action, Budget Issues, Social Security

BARACK OBAMA'S ANSWERS as found on
choose your candidate washington post

CHOOSE YOUR CANDIDATE
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/interactives/candidatequiz/?

BARACK OBAMA SAYS:


TOP PRIORITIES:
My top priority as president will be ending this war
in Iraq, a war that should have never been authorized
and never been waged. In doing so, I will work to keep
our country safe from terrorists and to restore
American credibility around the world. Providing
universal health care to the 47 million Americans who
currently do not have it will be another top priority
of my administration, as will combating global warming
and putting our country on the path toward energy
independence. But all of the issues that I have
focused on in this campaign -- whether it's creating a
21st century education system and fighting poverty or
achieving comprehensive immigration reform and
strengthening our economy -- are vitally important and
must be prioritized by the next president. And all of
these issues share one thing in common: in order to
fully address them, we have to do more than change
political parties. We have to fundamentally change our
politics and transform the way business is done in
Washington.

IRAQ WAR: 1
IRAQ WAR: 2


SECURITY:


HEALTH CARE


EDUCATION:
CHANGES IN EDUCATION:

GAY MARRIAGE:
CIVIL UNIONS:

ABORTION:

POOR:

GUNS:
GUN CONTROL:

STEM CELL RESEARCH:


ENERGY: 1
ENERGY: 2

IMMIGRATION: 1
IMMIGRATION: 2


AFFIRMIATIVE ACTION:

BUDGET ISSUES: 1
BUDGET ISSUES: 2

ECONOMY: 1
ECONOMY 2:

SOCIAL SECURITY: 1
SOCIAL SECURITY: 2


CLICK READ MORE TO SEE ALL THE ANSWERS BARACK HAS LISTED AT THIS WASHINGTON POST POLL SITE. I THINK IT GIVES AN EASY READ TO HIS PERSPECTIVES.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/danielleclarke/C5Ph

Huh? Better check again B.O.G.
Obama is the one who STARTED the attacks on Hillary, and he's the one who used Neo-Con rhetoric from the 1990's
Your unhappy because you thought that Hillary and her supporters were going to sit there and take it. You just don't like it that she, and her people hit back.
That's the reaction most bullies give when the kid they been shoving around, pushes back.

Well how soon we forget.
HRC was the first democrat to throw the mud when she stated that Obama was naive & inexperience.
HRC also stated that she would not attack another democrat during the campaign, so you see she lies well enough for you to forget how  dishonest she really is.

Now she can`t help herself, lies on top of lies.
I guess if that the way you want your president to be with you, do what you do and vote ofr her.
I never will.

OBAMA 08'

B.O.T. OUT.........

Van

"I'm not referring you to A poll, I'm referring you to ALL THE POLLS."  

That sounds an awful lot like Karl Rove's statement the facts and having THE facts.  Van I understand you are a supporter of Senator Clinton and you want to put out the information that supports your candidate, please when others have contrary information (that means polls that DO show Senator Clinton losing in states or her leads in others slipping considerably) do not accuse them of not having THE FACTS.  Obviously you choose to believe the polls that support your candidate and others choose to believe those that support theirs.  

Let me just respond to some of your comments: I don't think being president is only about foreign policy. Yes, foreign policy is important, but that is not the only issue facing the US. There are other issues like immigration, tax cuts, health care reforms, education e.t.c. Obama has shown that he is very competent in all those areas, and he has also shown that experience doesn't necessary means wisdom. Please, give Obama a chance to show that its possible to have wisdom without "experience".

Dickie Flats.....your arguments are fine I suppose, but the point you're arguing for is the wrong one.  No one has ever claimed in honesty that the point of the "Oprah Effect" is to have people swayed to vote for Barack.  While millions of dollars in advertising are spent in South Carolina just for candidates to get heard on tv for 30 seconds by only thousands of people, Oprah is allowing Obama to be heard for a very extended period by just as many people.  That's the "Oprah Effect".

The biggest danger in having Oprah help in this way is the spin that some media and talkers put on it...if the spinners manage to convince enough people that Oprah is trying to convince people to change their vote based on her support, there'll be a backlash.  That is why we see Hillary supporters and others making statements like "You'd have to have a pretty dim view of the people who watch Oprah's show to believe they will simply be sheep and vote for someone not on issues, but because Oprah so it is a good thing to do."  That kind of spin (lies) is no better than swiftboating.

And vanreuter, NY.....you have some facts wrong...for starters, Clinton does not currently have support of 3 times as many black women in SC as Obama.  Also...I'm impressed at how many words you used to say so little.

Dot:  Only Biden and Dodd have the experience (as measured in years served).  And yet both of them voted to support this president's incursion into Iraq.  If experience doesn't translate into judgment than of what value?  

I know that eighty% of Americans supported this rush to war but there were those who weren't swayed by the hysteria and Barack was one of them.  If you look at all of Barack's foreign policy positions (even the ones for which he was criticised as being naive), he was right on the mark.  Also, as you point out, advisers are important and Barack has an incredible list of foreign policy advisors (some 200) who have endorsed him and signed on.

In my humble opinion, no one has the real experience to be president.  Every day is fraught with new challenges that make old experiences inapplicable.  But Barack provides the creds with which to approach this job and has, at least, as much intellectual  wherewithal as any of his predecessors (and when compared to the one presently occupying the White House, much more).  He, Kucinich and Paul are the only one's running who consistantly have had the right position on this war and for me this is paramount.  He maintains other policy positions and possesses qualities and skills that the other two don't have and therefore has earned my support.  But once again, for me, it's all about the war.
Obama '08

".....Granted, the following analogy is not a perfect fit, but I will state it anyway. I feel like it's kind of like the Super Bowl. Lots of people watch just for the game (Oprah). But some people watch just for the commercials (Obama). And some watch for both. But the people who are watching just for the game still see the commercials and find a lot of them entertaining, and often remember them long after the game is over.
CitizenJ (Sent Friday, December 07, 2007 12:45 PM)....."

And at the end of the day the game is what people allude to when they talk about a super bowl.
Oprah also angers a good many social conservatives who see her as a "bleeding heart liberal."
This Oprah thing could work against Obama.

Van:  You seem to miss the point of the analysis.  But somehow, I think you really do get it, otherwise it might not move you to comment.
Obama '08

Man everyone sure gets catty once you get through the sting of subtle insults to one another. I really enjoyed how some people ( van ) try to pass themselves off as democrats. I see how republicans would want hillary to represent the democrats. She's polarizing and it put bill back in the WH for more attacks on morality. they need someone to deflect from their own issues. Hillary would give them everything they ever asked for for christmas at once. If Obama/Edwards or Biden were the party choice , republicans would have to run on current issues and merits. Scary thought. I'm for Obama but would support Biden or Edwards. I am hesitant to support Hillary though. She comes across as a hypocrite to me or at least a little disingenuious with her positions and answers. Anyways all people deserve to voice their opinions and if Oprah brings out the masses to hear someone speak and inform , more power to her and the people. It seems to me that republicans fear the informed and love the ignorant.

Van,

Get a job! Stop your whining about Obama!

Oprah said she was a friend of Hillary.  If you are one of her friends watch your back for the knife.

"...HRC was the first democrat to throw the mud when she stated that Obama was naive & inexperience.
HRC also stated that she would not attack another democrat during the campaign, so you see she lies well enough for you to forget how  dishonest she really is.".....BIGOLDTEXAN (Sent Friday, December 07, 2007 3:50 PM)

Ha Ha....How soon YOU forget, BIG.
Obama slung mud first when he said Hillary was too old to solve any problems as President.
By the way, pointing out that someone is naive and inexperienced isnt slinging mud. In Obama's case, it's the simple truth.
Hee Hee

GO HILLARY 2008! *** experience counts***

Mitchell

Thank you for the response. The vote on war with Iraq was a mistake for both Senators Biden, Clinton and Dodd.  However, given the mood in this country following 9/11 and given the fact that Congress was given convincing evidence that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction that could be aimed at US interests, I can understand how that vote could have seemed, at that time, to be the right thing to do.

I also agree that Senator Obama has a very impressive group of advisors.  I have not decided whom to support if Senator Biden does not remain a viable candidate into the IL primary--I will keep studying all the candidates' positions on the issues that are most important to me; the war, education, health care, etc. Like you, for me the most important issue is probably the war.

Dot, quick question:  By "Seasoning" do you mean that a Presidential Aspirant has to be beholden to the people already in power: The Corporations??  It is pretty well known that if you are in Washington for very long, you become an Washington Insider (Like Clinton or ANY Republican)...which means you are already bought and paid for...is this what you REALLY want...because that is the only thing that I see lacking in Obama...he is not letting himself be bought by the Corporations.  If seasoned means bought then give me the fresh face ANY day!!

Most people have forgoten that Oprah is originally from the south.She'll mix that southern charm into the mid-western accent, and will sweep the south clean. Super-stars has that appeal on people,like Streisand,Cornick,and Glooney. I remember meeting then Governor Clinton in Charlotte , he had Harry Belafonte with him in 1992.A lasting impresion on me.

oprah = large audience and exposure

obama = opportunity to present plans, ideas and philosophy

sum of equation-exposure plus opportunity of presentation equals possible positive campaign benefit.

evaluation-good political strategy from the point of
possibly creating new supporters (plus voters for the overall party)

i think this would be a good strategy for any of the candidates. it is about exposure.

Wow - seems like eveyone is so grumpy today - maybe we should all call a truce or something! lol

It takes a certain amount af hutzpah to run for President and put yourself through the scrutiny that comes with it, so my hats off to ALL the candidates - both Republican and Democrat - for stepping up and offering themselves for service.

It is fun to debate the pros and cons and see who is up in the polls, but I get the sense that maybe some of us (myself included) need to lighten up a bit. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend - and I hope that this comment is posted before Sunday! :)

Van,

Get a job! Stop your whining about Obama!

Ed,Seattle WA (Sent Friday, December 07, 2007 4:10 PM)

Very insightful and clever. So you feel that only those who support Obama should be posting here, or is it only MY posts that you feel should be censored?
As your opinion is very important to me and the world at large, we await your decision so that we can all do as you wish. LOL


Van

And at the end of the day the game is what people allude to when they talk about a super bowl.
Oprah also angers a good many social conservatives who see her as a "bleeding heart liberal."
This Oprah thing could work against Obama.

J. Merle Stanley, Westchester, NY (Sent Friday, December 07, 2007 4:05 PM)

If the game is all they allude to, then why are there web sites and contests based solely on the commercials during the Super Bowl, not once mentioning the game? In any event, I believe I disclaimed the analagy by saying it wasn't a perfect fit.

Also, EVERY move the candidates make has the possiblity of working against them, so why emphasize this one, which has more upside than down?

endorsements really don't matter. it has been found wether it is celebs, teacher, auto workers, etc. people don't always follow the unions leadership or celebs. some will follow the leadership or the celebs, but most will vote their conviction.

if however someone hears a message from a candidate that they have never been exposed to in person there is an increased chance of changing their mind. it also could make a person stay solidly behind who they were supporting at first. more so that anything it could increase voter participation across the entire political spectum. it does have benefit to the process.

Mitchell,
I dont agree with you in regards to Obama's qualifications, or lack thereof.
The man has but two years worth of experience in The U.S. Senate. The rest of his time in government was as a state legislator. I don't think that's enough.
Regardless of how many "new challenges" are faced by a President, familiarity with the domestic political landscape and also with the international diplomatic scene does make a difference.
I don't know why, but somehow your downplaying the experience end of this reminds me of a kid who thinks he's learned all there is to learn, and gets angry when someone tries to teach him something new.
Secondly, I discount Obama's position on the war because he wasn't in congress when the very difficult issue of authorizing the use of force in Iraq (or not) was voted on in 2002. He doesn't come from a district that was attacked on 911, either.
Hillary's vote to use force may be objectional to you.
But, she has a responsibility to protect the people she serves, and she believed in good faith that she was doing it when she made that vote.
I respect that.
I should note here that her vote on the Kyl/Lieberman proposal has come under a lot of scrutiny lately.
But, Obama didn't even show up for that vote!
I don't respect that.
Furthermore, I don't quite understand what this greater intellectual quality is that you see in Obama.
He has stumbled, mumbled, and fumbled in the debates several times. (i.e. "nukeing" China, invading Pakistan, and criticizing Hillary for trying to expound on her statements regarding the illegal alien license thing, then not being able to give a straight yes or no answer to the same question himself.)
See, I know what the reaction to this is going to be before I even say it. But, in the interest of being TRUTHFUL I must.
Your post is yet another example of how Obama's supporters such as yourself, see him as they WANT to see him, and NOT for what he really is.
Obama is too inexperienced to be President, and I don't think he posesses the kind of "savy" that a President must have to protect the greater interests of the entire country.
I respect your choice to vote for whoever you want.
But, I question the logic by which you have reached this decision.

HILLARY FOR PRESIDENT 2008! ***experience counts***

B Honest, Portland, OR

By "seasoning," I do not mean that a candidate has to be beholden to the corporations.  I prefer a who has shown (by experience) that he can carry out the requirements of his office in a way that satisfies the electorate who voted for him. Since he has been in the Senate since he was 29, I think Senator Biden's records shows that he can.  But primarily, I think I mean a candidate who is familiar with and accustomed to communicating with leaders of foreign countries.  I think those foreign leaders do listen to Senator Biden when he speaks and do give weight to what he has to say. That is my only area of concern with respect to Senator Obama--I don't think he has as much experience in foreign policy matters as does someone like Senator Biden.

With respect to your comment about being beholden to corporations and Washington insiders being bought and paid for by those corporations, I  think that all of the candidates have probably received money from corporations and/or their executives.  I'm not sure that the term "bought" is a good one, but I think if you apply that to anyone who has accepted corporate money, you would have to included everyone running for President.



 

Senator Obama has been in public office longer than the other front runners in Iowa. (11 yrs)  He doesn’t expect anyone to vote for him because of Oprah's endorsement, however, the fact that all tickets for the Oprah events were taken before the end of the 2nd day in Iowa demonstrates that Oprah will help bring undecided voters to hear his message.  That’s all.  He has a huge list of endorsements that include i.e., congress members; military, and civil rights leaders.  Many of them formerly serving in the Clinton administration.  Obama himself always draws big crowds and earns signed supporters by his message of unity and hope for a change we can believe in.  He is much more than a powerful speaker and has already proven his judgment and integrity by speaking out against the war from the beginning when the other front runners including Biden, and Dodd voted for it.  Experience didn’t help them make the right decision and America will pay for years to come.  Obama 08!

"In South Carolina, Oprah is even more popular. In the Columbia area, where Oprah and Obama will appear together on Sunday afternoon at an 80,000 seat arena"

Can anyone name a celebrity that has put 80,000 people anywhere for a political event? Wake up people, a change is coming....don't get caught napping.

I bet you anything that Barbara nor Celine would generate this type of fanfare, even if it was free...which this event is.

BR-New York City

why is there so much fuss over just obama's celeb selection. hillary has even more celeb endorsements. when barbra striesand comes out on the trail(if she comes out)will their be so much negative said about what hillary's strategy is or the down side of it's effect? it is a campaign. this has been done for a very long time.

I am somewhat disappointed in Oprah’s decision to back anyone.  It troubles me why she would do this and I probably would not vote for Senator Obama for this reason. Moreover, she has never done this before, so why now? Do we now elect fame to the White House? I think not! This is for a “President” for goodness sakes! Obama will get more of my consideration when he stands on his own merit. This is very troublesome to me because it looks like he wants fame to buy his ticket to the White House and my opinion this is a pretty desperate immature act. I also find that he stutters a lot when there are decisions to be made quickly and he cannot give good answers. Then sometimes he answers quickly and his judgments are poor. What would he do in a crisis situation is my question. I actually like the guy but believe he needs more than Oprah this time. For now, Hillary will be the one I choose and on the basis that I “feel” she has the brass balls and the experience to get out there and get the job done. He needs another round in the Senate to build his own qualities so that he doesn’t have to look for fame to honor him.

CitizenJ,
So what you're saying is that you "hedged" your statement by giving a disclaimer as to it's validity before anyone even had a chance to respond to it.
Typical.
I am a Jets fan. The only thing I remember about Super Bowl III is that the Jets beat The Colts.
Likewise Oprah fans will walk away from these appearances remembering they saw "Oprah." Obama supporters who come to the rallys will most likely be people that were predisposed to voting for him anyway.
Lastly, I'm not criticizing anything about her support of Obama. She's an American citizen and she too, can do what she wants.
I'm just making the observation that Oprah, herself, draws a lot of negative attention from social conservatoves who think she's a bleeding heart.
Damn, I didn't know that we who support Hillary had to have our commentary "cleared" by Obama supporters before we posted it. Next time I'll check with you before I post MY own opinion.....how's that?

Astari:

"Obama will get more of my consideration when he stands on his own merit."

Hillary needs to do the same.

P.S. lol about the "brass balls"

Why are we putting so much emphasis on foreign policy? I mean, don't get me wrong, I know that it is vital to our national security and we do have to do business with other countries. But America, we have a problem...and until we deal with the issues confronting us. How on God green earth can we deal the worlds problems? I don't care how much experience any of the candidates have.

And vanreuter, NY.....you have some facts wrong...for starters, Clinton does not currently have support of 3 times as many black women in SC as Obama.  Also...I'm impressed at how many words you used to say so little.

Garrett, Seattle, Wash (Sent Friday, December 07, 2007 3:58 PM)

Congratulations on being the SECOND person to, not only make the same, lame criticism, but to also obviously not see the authorship, link to HuffPo, or my reply to the FIRST person who made that mistake.
Go back and read the thread again. You will see that I didn't WRITE the piece; So if you dispute the numbers cited in the article, the email address of the AUTHOR is also included in my post.


Van

Oprah is about to put the screws to ole' Hillary the Hun like Boko Big Time. Her appearances on behalf of Obama will move him up at least 3-5% in the polls Iowa New Hampshire and South Carolina. All I can say to Oprah is "GO GIRL GO"

Oprah is not in the campaign to influences or persuade voters.... She is simply there to build excitment and give people from different walks of life to listen to Presidential hopeful, Barack Obama.   It is like a one two punch combo.  She will bring the audience and then he will turn them into voters with his speech filled with hope and conviction.

I think its to bad that political candidates cannot run on their own merits and not need the likes of oprah winfrey or any other entertainer. I would rather like to know what they would like to do for this country.

CitizenJ,
So what you're saying is that you "hedged" your statement by giving a disclaimer as to it's validity before anyone even had a chance to respond to it.
Typical.
I am a Jets fan. The only thing I remember about Super Bowl III is that the Jets beat The Colts.
Likewise Oprah fans will walk away from these appearances remembering they saw "Oprah."

J. Merle Stanley, Westchester, NY (Sent Friday, December 07, 2007 5:00 PM)

What I'm saying is I put that disclaimer in because I know people like you are eager to jump on anything that you will be able to twist to your liking. Typical. So I wanted make sure that I said that it wasn't a PERFECT analagy so as to dissuade people like you from commenting on how wrong I am. I guess I didn't make it clear enough.

I'm glad the only thing you remember about Super Bowl III is who won. Good for you. And you are ONE person. Yet you already know that Oprah fans will walk away remembering only that they saw Oprah? That's pretty impressive. Quick - what am I having for dinner tonight? If the voting were taking place 40 years after the event, then yeah, people will be remembering mostly that they saw Oprah. Unfortunately for you, the voting will be taking place less than a month after the events. Now, if Obama supporters are as stupid as you believe they are, then maybe they will forget all about him. But don't hold your breath on that.

BR

You are correct that we have problems here in the US that need attention. However, many of them may be the result of, or may be tied to, our actions with respect to foreign countries.  The war in Iraq has been a tremendous drain on the US budget and has seemed to take the focus from domestic concerns that need attention.  Trade policies and China's growth as an industrial power affect jobs in our country.  Continued fighting in the Middle East affects price of oil in this country, which in turn, affects the price of almost everything else in our country.

Obviously, though, foreign policy experience is only one criterion for electing a President. Voters will have to look at all the assets of each of the candidates before they make their decision. That's what I plan to do.

As if all the experience in our current administration has helped!?!

In my opinion, Oprah has hurt Obama's chances.  I don't listen to a word she says.

I'm sorry people, yes I support Obama, and no I don't care what Opriah has to say really. But if you think this isn't a good thing for Obama your joking yourselves. The Name of the game is exposure, otherwise why are they spending so much time on the campain trail,all the canidates could put out a couple page summery of what there stance on the issues are and that would be it.
All you Clinton supporters really think that if Hillary had a choice to give a speech to say 200 people or a speech to lets say 20,000 she would cancel the 20,000 people event, I think not!!
I honestily hope no one votes for Obama because Opriah says she likes him (I agree that is a lousy reason to vote for someone just like voting for Hillary because she is a woman or married to Bill).
But getting that kind of crowds is great for Obama, and I have no doubt that he can sell himself. He sold himself to me, and I never have seen him in person. And I am a 43 year old independent, that hates politics, has never voted for anyone I really liked, and definatily never contributed or supported a canidate.
But please don't take Opriahs, mine or anyone elses word for it, research all of them then decide Obama is best for America!!!! :-)

I never met anyone that didn't respect Oprah.  People will listen to her.  She is not just hawking a book on one show, she is putting time in on the road on Obama's behalf.  That's a lot more than just a good word.

I hope Obama runs the White House like he runs his campaign.  The man is good.  He has skills.  He has integrity.  He has brains.  He has common sense.  He gets results.  He really cares.

Message (please, no HTML tags. Web addresses will be hyperlinked):