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NEWS >POLITICS > EVEN OPRAH DITCHES OBAMA, THOUGH THAT DOESN’T MEAN AS MUCH ANYMORE
EVEN OPRAH DITCHES OBAMA, THOUGH THAT DOESN’T MEAN AS MUCH ANYMORE
January 14 2012
Chicago, IL – When celebrities get behind a political candidate it usually doesn’t matter. Sometimes it does, no doubt. Sometimes the weight and influence of celebrity can, at the very least, get people to go out to vote. Changing a political viewpoint may be a little tougher, but at the very least it can inspire voting and that unto itself can really have an effect.
That was very much the case in 2008 when Oprah Winfrey publicly advocated Barack Obama for President. Her vocal support, and his appearances on her show, whipped up enthusiasm for the unlikely campaign and no doubt helped him eventually win the office. While not a cinch itself, there is no doubt Oprah was a big part of getting Obama to the Presidency.
This time around, though, Oprah has decided to not be so supportive of the President as he seeks re-election, choosing instead to stay a little quieter and let him run his own campaign. While still a supporter of the President, Oprah’s lack of public campaigning may be indicative of a wider dispassion for the Obama, though of course Oprah’s voice isn’t exactly what it used to be anymore.
“I don't need to endorse him because I am a 100% supporter him of and I've already endorsed him. And I've already, you know -- everybody always asks me 'Are you going to do what you did in 2008?' What I did in 2008, I did because people really didn't know -- my friends didn't even know who he was at the time," Winfrey told CNN.
“No, I don't think it's necessary because my endorsement is that I am a 100% supporter of him. And if he or his office called me tomorrow and said that they needed me I would do whatever I thought would be of service.”
It’s not clear how many people were actually watching the interview, though CNN does still bring in more viewers than Oprah’s channel, OWN.
It’s not clear if the Obama campaign committee declined Oprah’s support in an effort to not be dragged down even further.
“In ’08 Oprah’s support was a big deal, a really big deal. It really did help get people excited and that is certainly something Obama could use right now, but is not really something Oprah can deliver. I mean she can’t get support for her shows anymore so trying to get support for an unpopular President, well you would just have two sinking ships sinking faster,” said Scrape TV Political analyst Gabriel Kinsey. “I really don’t think anything can help Oprah at this stage, and support from Obama is certainly not the solution. Both sides are in tough right now and they need to just sort out their houses.”
It’s not clear who would be worse for the other.
“It also probably wouldn’t matter much. Oprah could run pro-Obama pieces 24/7 and only the same few people would actually see it. Eventually the message would be lost through repetition. You’d win over those people but it’s such a small number it likely wouldn’t have much of an effect,” continued Kinsey. “The idea is to get more support, from a wider group, not just other support, like the same dozen or so people who would likely support them in the first place. Just kind of a pointless exercise really, waste of time for both Obama and Oprah.”
Obama has declined to publicly support Oprah’s station the past, already having enough problems of his own
Edward Bastil, Political Correspondent
NEWS >POLITICS > EVEN OPRAH DITCHES OBAMA, THOUGH THAT DOESN’T MEAN AS MUCH ANYMORE
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