Candidates Reaching For the Stars
With polls showing Barack Obama in a virtual dead heat with Hillary Clinton in Iowa, having The ``First Lady of Television'', Oprah Winfrey at his side, as he did Sunday before 29,000 supporters gathered at the William Bryce Football Stadium in Columbia, S.C., might be the spark the Illinois senator needed to catch his New York rival, who not so long ago was considered invinciple.
Most political analysts, though, play down the importance of high profile celebrities embracing presidential candidates. Donald Green, Director of the Institution for Social and Policy Studies at Yale University, responding through an email, wrote: ``I think Oprah's endorsement is in the category of "It can't hurt." Oprah is widely respected and admired, but I don't think that many voters actively remember whom she endorsed as they formulate their own preference....primary politics is a game of momentum, and every little bit helps, especially early on.’’
Still, it's hard to dismiss the queen of talk shows as mere window dressing. After all, she regularly appears on Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people; her show is seen nationally by 7.4 million viewers, representing 2.6 percent of American households, and her book club is legendary for putting obscure authors on the best sellers list practically overnight
According to her website, a 1997 episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show, encouraged viewers to make a difference with their lives through public charities. To date, the appeal has generated more than $50 million to non-profit organizations worldwide.
On Sunday, it was being reported that even before Winfrey hopped on stage with Obama, a representative from the Guinness Book of World Records, was certifying a new record for ``largest phone bank, had been set, when 35,000 potential Obama supporters were reached on their cell phones by members in the audience.
Time will tell, then, if star power holds much influence in the presidential campaign. Shortly after Oprah embraced Obama, the Clinton camp was quick to have Barbara Streisand, a passionate Bill Clinton backer, throw her support behind the junior senator.
Think what you will of the Obama Oprah marriage, but it can hardly be accused of being manufactured. Both, after all, are black, but appeal to a much more diverse audience, both have deep footprints in the streets of Chicago, and both are encouraging voters to ``dream the dream’’, a reference to the message of Martin Luther King Jr; just a few days after Obama called for the extension of the Peace Corps, in an obvious attempt to paint himself as the JFK of the 21st Century.
As John Edwards sits watching his opponents poll numbers rise as celebrities enter the political ring, maybe the former North Carolina Senator might consider having Hollywood producer, and former hair stylist, Jon Peters, (ex-boyfriend of Barbara Streisand) stump for him. At the very least, it might convince some voters his $400 haircuts were worth every penny.
-Bill Lucey
billlucey@bellsouth.net
Most political analysts, though, play down the importance of high profile celebrities embracing presidential candidates. Donald Green, Director of the Institution for Social and Policy Studies at Yale University, responding through an email, wrote: ``I think Oprah's endorsement is in the category of "It can't hurt." Oprah is widely respected and admired, but I don't think that many voters actively remember whom she endorsed as they formulate their own preference....primary politics is a game of momentum, and every little bit helps, especially early on.’’
Still, it's hard to dismiss the queen of talk shows as mere window dressing. After all, she regularly appears on Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people; her show is seen nationally by 7.4 million viewers, representing 2.6 percent of American households, and her book club is legendary for putting obscure authors on the best sellers list practically overnight
According to her website, a 1997 episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show, encouraged viewers to make a difference with their lives through public charities. To date, the appeal has generated more than $50 million to non-profit organizations worldwide.
On Sunday, it was being reported that even before Winfrey hopped on stage with Obama, a representative from the Guinness Book of World Records, was certifying a new record for ``largest phone bank, had been set, when 35,000 potential Obama supporters were reached on their cell phones by members in the audience.
Time will tell, then, if star power holds much influence in the presidential campaign. Shortly after Oprah embraced Obama, the Clinton camp was quick to have Barbara Streisand, a passionate Bill Clinton backer, throw her support behind the junior senator.
Think what you will of the Obama Oprah marriage, but it can hardly be accused of being manufactured. Both, after all, are black, but appeal to a much more diverse audience, both have deep footprints in the streets of Chicago, and both are encouraging voters to ``dream the dream’’, a reference to the message of Martin Luther King Jr; just a few days after Obama called for the extension of the Peace Corps, in an obvious attempt to paint himself as the JFK of the 21st Century.
As John Edwards sits watching his opponents poll numbers rise as celebrities enter the political ring, maybe the former North Carolina Senator might consider having Hollywood producer, and former hair stylist, Jon Peters, (ex-boyfriend of Barbara Streisand) stump for him. At the very least, it might convince some voters his $400 haircuts were worth every penny.
-Bill Lucey
billlucey@bellsouth.net
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