The Oprah Factor

Would You Really Let Oprah Winfrey Tell You How to Vote? by Lucia Bill: They may not admit it, but the – let’s call them diverse – candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination have equally diverse means of drawing attention to their campaigns. The presidential hopefuls on the 2008 campaign trail, still in its beginning stages, are not taking any prisoners. As this weekend in Iowa demonstrated, they’re pulling out the big guns. No one represents this tactic better than Oprah Winfrey. . . .

A Pew Report poll shows that out of the 30 percent of voters who admit they would be influenced by Oprah’s endorsement, only half would follow her advice. The question everyone seems to be avoiding while addressing Winfrey’s impact on the Democratic contest: How big a role does race play in Winfrey’s selection? Would Obama’s platform be equally seductive and absorb the same amount of her time and effort if he were a white guy? Maybe, but maybe not. Winfrey is not color blind. As the story unfolds, voters will determine how far Obama gets. Hopefully they won’t judge the book by the cover or the “O” stamped on its cover. . . . [Read More]

---

Tags: Barack Obama, Election 2008, Lucia Bill, Oprah Winfrey, Pew Research, value voters, voting To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!