Oprah goes for Barack

Oprah Winfrey is wading deeper into politics. The talk queen has repeatedly said "No thanks" to friends like designer Diane von Furstenberg and media mogul Barry Diller who've begged her to run for office. But the woman who can turn books into best sellers is now ready to stump for candidates.

"The reason I've never come out and risked my position is because there's never been anyone I felt was worth taking that risk for," she tells us.

That is, until she met Barack Obama during his campaign for an Illinois U.S. Senate seat. "Barack feels like the truth to me," Winfrey says.

She says she hasn't been bothered by Obama's go-slow approach - for instance, his cautious questioning of Secretary of State Rice during her confirmation hearings. "I'm pleased that he understands there is a growth period, that he is the new kid on the block," she says. "He has to sharpen his pencils first before he can go at it." <...>NYDailyNews

I don't know why Oprah would want to stump for Obama now, but whatever brings money and attnetion to good causes, I suppose.

conducted by Oprah and published in her magazine. Once again I thought that he sounded like a very level headed young man who is not taken with himself. She probably thinks the same thing and her intuition tells her that she should use her considerable influence to help him. I applaud her.

never supported a Democrat.

I didn't care for her prolonged hug of *. But better late then never!

Oprah, welcome to our world!

Undergroundrailroad

is not politically inclined. But she seems taken with Barack and this is a good thing.

she's always tried to stay Non-partisan.

for her to take a side in this is a good thing .

during the recall and not Gray Davis?

They have been friends since before Maria even met Ahnuld.

The connection with Maria, and Ahnuld by relation is personal, not political.

His appearance on the show helped influence the vote. She gave Ahnuld a voice, but not Davis. Who cares if they're friends or not; the reason he was on the show was because of the recall and nothing else. It was a tacitly partisan move, whether she realized it or not (she's a smart woman, so I'm thinking she did.)

and him.

What's the point?

...and stiffed Davis. Same as Jay Leno.

By not having him on the program . . . Davis does not "present well" in any situation and the comparison between the two would have been damaging.

We know that musclebutt won because he's a star and Davis is a black hole -- and that Davis had stupided himself into the recall by redifining the terms "tin ear" and "bought politician" (can you say "Correctional Institution Guards"?).

So now rather than a compromised but basically reasonable pol, we have an increasingly wacky and scary bully who's beholden only to his considerable ego and ambition, and with the principles of a hyena.

I blame Davis, not Oprah.

And as other posters have said, she's carefully stayed on the entertainment side of the equation, which gives her the leeway to do pretty much whatever she wants without violating "fairness." If she's found, in Obama, a politician she respects, I don't think we should diss her for treating Schvartzi as what he was at the time -- an intriguing showbiz freak.

Certainly Oprah realized her partisan effect when Davis asked for equal access and Oprah denied it...I expect Oprah to be fair if she is a good democrat..'Small d.' As I expect her to be..It was intentional...She is too savy not to know its effect.

I saw both the Gore/Bush shows (I imagine you saw the Bush show too), and she was *clearly* more interested in Gore. Bush hugged her, and she didn't throw him off her. IIRC, she asked Gore for a hug.

Hugs, geez, LOL.

Anyway, there is no question in my mind she has always leaned Democratic.

However, she might as well have gone out and campaigned for California's Gov. Groper...She had him on just before his election in 2003...No chance to criticize or offer equal time..We all knew of his women groping...Oprah is in a postion where this should have been a consideration...
She and Jay Leno helped to Get Gov. Groper elected..Now look at the farce he is..When will he stop campaigning and start governing..We all knew he had as many inadequacies as Dubya does..Lack of critical thinking...
Now she changes her tune after electing Governor Farce. We need ask a couple critical questions of Oprah.

Arnold was a newsmaker, as he was a movie star (she probably would have had him on if he'd just made a film), so he was a legitimate guest.

His wife is also a close personal friend of hers for over 20 years, and Oprah did a reading at their wedding. Playing favorites? Yes. Republican lover? HELL no.

Her personal choice of lousy friends is no reason to wish such bad luck on Californians....I know she does not have to live with the idiot, but we do..He has solved nothing. only intensified our problems...And we should forgive her..! The media has a right to be fair...At least by those who worry about democracy..She is a part of the media...too....I take it you do not live in California...
Also, his shady personal history..I guess they say just like love , some friendships should be unconditional.Thanks Oprah, for hoisting your favorite idiot on us...
As I recall , Gray Davis asked for equal time...Not asking too much...If Oprah was fair minded...Gray Davis was not perfect..But Arni refused personal contacts with Davis over the campaign( at any venue)..Had the principal participants been allowed equal access to debate, the outcome might have been different..

She's as much a 'journalist' as Ricki Lake is. Also, Ahnold was not just a candidate for governor, he's also a Hollywood figure, so there's a human interest angle that was not there with Gov. Davis.

Also, how many candidates were on the ballot for the recall? If Davis got a show, would she then have to give airtime to Bustamante, or Gary Coleman? :shrug:

I don't know what the whole appeal of Oprah is. As much as I hate to admit it, I kind of agree with Bill Maher, where he says that the Oprah show is mostly a bunch of middle aged women nodding, crying, and laughing to whatever Oprah says.

Now to her credit, her topics are usually more serious than Springer or Maury, but ultimately a you said, she's an entertainer.

I admire the fact that she came up the way she did but I don't think she's nearly as influencial as people claim she is.

She was so "nice" to Arnold and the Bushies...I thought she was a Rethuglican. Thank God she's not. Rethugs must be pissed about that.

So if she backs Obama...then maybe less Blacks will vote for Condi if she runs. She can really be a great help to our party!

and deserves eons of credit for shining the light on much that ails our society, and that in itself is political. The fact that she does not advocate for a particular party or person does not lessen her position and influence, wherever she sees fit to bestow it. Regardless of where her motives lie in showcasing a candidate, she is aware of her audience and her effect.

1. Her boyfriend Stedman was in business with Armstrong Williams-the disgusting right wing pundit employed by * & Co-which makes me think ole Stedman is a rethug himself. Does Stedman influence Oprahs politics? I'd say more than likely!

2. This was the MOST important election in this countrys history. Oprah did a show on voting where she did NOT support ANY candidate! If she had given Kerry just a little help-my gawd-the election could have easily been a landslide that would have been impossible for * to steal!

3. The show that she had Arnold & Maria on was a MAJOR endorsement of the gropenator! She helped him get elected, so that he could turn around like the bastard he is and go after nurses and teachers! Teachers, who Oprah claims to think the world of, I might add! BTW, Oprah does have a home in California, just outside of Santa Barbara.

4. Why does she like Obama? He made a nice speech at the convention-so f-in what! He's been a kiss ass disappointment since!

While I still watch her show, now it's with a jaded eye because I am EXTREMELY disillusioned with Oprah now. I can see that she does what's best FOR OPRAH. On that I'm VERY CLEAR. :mad: