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Gee, thanks, Oprah!

By Michelle Malkin  •  December 12, 2007 12:14 PM

Oprah puts down her Obama pom-poms and hedges her bets. She tells ABC News that she could change her mind about her man:

As soon as Oprah Winfrey endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., for president, the buzz began about her potential to sway an election.

In an exclusive interview with ABC News’ Diane Sawyer, the media mogul seemed to downplay the power behind her seal of approval, saying that just because she is supporting Obama doesn’t mean she is against any other candidate.

“I’ve always said this, that my being in support of Barack Obama is not my being against Hillary Clinton or anybody else,” Winfrey said. “It’s just that for this moment in time, this is what I know I am supposed to be doing. I feel compelled to do this. So my vote for is not a vote against anybody. It’s just a vote for.”

Winfrey said she hasn’t talked to Clinton since her Obama endorsement, but she left open the possibility of changing her mind down the road.

“Well obviously, Obama’s great because I’m believing that the person that I’m speaking up for is gonna take it all the way,” Winfrey said. “And then if that doesn’t happen, I might readjust my thinking.”

With friends like these…

Posted in: Barack Obama

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  1. This ain’t Hell, but you can see it from here » The ‘O’ and ‘The One’
  2. Michelle Malkin » The real Oprah effect: Doubting Obama’s electability
  3. Michelle Malkin » What Hillary supporter Robert L. Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television, said
  4. A Tale of Oprah’s Mama and the Credit…Kinda Like the Bailout and the Taxpayer « Mcnorman’s Weblog

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Comments

  1. #1
    On December 12th, 2007 at 12:16 pm, thirteen28 said:

    Guess the Clinton’s called her and put a word or two in his ear.

    My advice to Obama? Hire a food taster.

  2. #2
    On December 12th, 2007 at 12:18 pm, 30 pcs of silver said:

    I’ll be waiting with bated breath…

  3. #3
    On December 12th, 2007 at 12:18 pm, WarTip said:

    Yeah, okay. There is true blue showing here. I support my candidate as long as he is a winner but if he starts being perceived as a loser I may change my mind.

    Ummmm, do you think there is any real regard for the issues here or just for a candidate selected for reasons that may be something other than one based on principles, political relevance, competence and other minor details such as experience with actually governing something?

  4. #4
    On December 12th, 2007 at 12:22 pm, On-my-soap-box said:

    Oprah must have seen the Faux News Alert about Slick Bill being the first black president. She may switch her vote in order to vote for the first black female president.

  5. #5
    On December 12th, 2007 at 12:23 pm, katieanne said:

    So what was the point of the big brouhaha of Oprah spinning for her man? What a farce. Sound like she should really be supporting Clinton. Oprah is probably waiting for the polls to come in as to whether people thought what she did was a good idea or not.

    I really don’t get the big deal about Oprah. She’s a talk show host who makes big bucks. Big woo. We should drool on her every word? Just what is the criteria of people we should pay heed to? Apparently, the bar is very, very low here for many people.

  6. #6
    On December 12th, 2007 at 12:23 pm, yt1300inHtown said:

    I really liked that story. Or did I?

  7. #7
    On December 12th, 2007 at 12:23 pm, Boomer said:

    Ouch! That is going to leave a mark. Oprah just showed us how fickle she can be to back only the perceived winner. You think the most popular and smartest woman on daytime television would find the courage to stick to her guns.

  8. #8
    On December 12th, 2007 at 12:27 pm, right_on said:

    Ahh…the beauty of “feel good” politics!!! It’s nice to know that influencial people think with their brains, not with their hearts.

    He’s black…he’s our hope! She’s a woman…she’s our hope! What has either Barak or Hillary actually done that would qualify them to be Commander-in-Chief? What strong moral qualities make them trustworthy enough to lead this country? Neither candidate can/will answer tough questions, and that alone is enough to give one pause.

  9. #9
    On December 12th, 2007 at 12:29 pm, dakine said:

    Other than being sort of interesting from an “election junkie” point of view, Oprah’s endorsement of Obama means very little to me. However, unless I’m missing something here, I believe that Oprah is simply saying that if Obama does not in fact get the nomination, then she reserves the right to endorse another candidate (e.g., Clinton). Not sure what the big deal is.

  10. #10
    On December 12th, 2007 at 12:30 pm, Jaded said:

    Of course she wouldn’t support an R candidate….nice to know.

    I rarely watched her before but I will never watch her now.

  11. #11
    On December 12th, 2007 at 12:36 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    Someone woke up with a pair of Socks on her pillow…

  12. #12
    On December 12th, 2007 at 12:43 pm, ajmontana said:

    Oprah who?

  13. #13
    On December 12th, 2007 at 12:45 pm, 30 pcs of silver said:

    On December 12th, 2007 at 12:36 pm, AlohaGuy said:
    Someone woke up with a pair of Socks on her pillow…

    If yes, did she checked them? There are some missing documents from the National Archives and word is they were smuggled out in someone’s socks.

  14. #14
    On December 12th, 2007 at 12:45 pm, shooter said:

    Is there anyone , ANYONE on the left that can make a frickin decision and STAND BEHIND IT?????
    .
    WTF?
    What IS wrong with these people?
    .
    not that I mind….but sheesh?
    .
    A MILLION LITTLE …OPINIONS.

  15. #15
    On December 12th, 2007 at 12:46 pm, 30 pcs of silver said:

    Whatever happened to Stedman?

  16. #16
    On December 12th, 2007 at 12:47 pm, John Ansell said:

    What did the Clinton campaign find? that should be the number one question.

  17. #17
    On December 12th, 2007 at 12:48 pm, shooter said:

    …I wonder what they found in Oprah’s kindergarten writings….

    Must be bigger than just wanting to be President some day.

    Those damn Clintons sure do get around.

  18. #18
    On December 12th, 2007 at 12:48 pm, ajmontana said:

    Rudy basically said the same thing, after the Skankee’s didn’t make the Series he was rooting for the Red Pox, because he was an American league fan.
    :roll:

  19. #19
    On December 12th, 2007 at 12:52 pm, Regulus said:

    On December 12th, 2007 at 12:43 pm, ajmontana said:

    Oprah who?

    Precisely.

    I recall first heaing about “Oprah!” many years ago, from a television commercial touting one of her early shows: the topic was going to be, “How to keep a marriage going” from a panel of “experts.”

    The origin of their expertise? They’d all been divorced at least six times.

    That’s when I started calling her “Dope-rah,” and I’ve never seen any reason to change my mind since then.

  20. #20
    On December 12th, 2007 at 1:04 pm, bvw said:

    Does it seem to anyone else that what is happening here is a mating ritual?

  21. #21
    On December 12th, 2007 at 1:04 pm, John Ansell said:

    On December 12th, 2007 at 12:46 pm, 30 pcs of silver said:
    Whatever happened to Stedman?

    Rumor is he’s walking Sox.

  22. #22
    On December 12th, 2007 at 1:04 pm, radio relay said:

    Obama’s most loyal constituency is the black community. They will vote for him because he’s black (or at least looks black), and he’s a democrat. The two things they like best in a candidate.

    However, the other 85% of the country will vote “against” him (not just “for” someone else), precisely because he’s a democrat, or because he’s black, or both. The “powers that be” know this. Even if it’s extremely politically incorrect to say it.

    I think Oprah got a little carried away, and is now realizing that her team, the democrats, have a better shot of winning with Obama as the vp candidate. So, the big “O” is definitely hedging her bets. She’s not going to throw the baby out with the bath water. Although, she would prefer it to be a black baby, and not a white baby.

    Hillary will run for president as a democrat, with Obama her vp.

    We will have a black president in our lifetime. It may even turn out to be Obama. But not this election.

  23. #23
    On December 12th, 2007 at 1:05 pm, DelosWorld said:

    I was kind of hoping for Oprah to say something like this, but that would be wishful thinking!

    “I’ve always said this, that my being in support of Barack Obama is not my being against Mitt Romney or anybody else,” Winfrey (could have) said.

  24. #24
    On December 12th, 2007 at 1:08 pm, John Ansell said:

    Good Point Delos, Since she’s just throwing her support around, why does she not pick a Republican to back as well?

  25. #25
    On December 12th, 2007 at 1:13 pm, nbarry said:

    Never mind Oprah. Who is Jerry Springer endorsing?

  26. #26
    On December 12th, 2007 at 1:13 pm, TXRose said:

    I do not watch Oprah, nor do I read the books she recommends because they are not the type of books I prefer to read.
    I do not buy products that Oprah recommends because I figure she probably gets a
    fee for recommending most of these products, if not all.
    Therefore, I do not take recommendations from Oprah on which candidate gets my
    vote.
    She is more successful business wise than I am, but I will put my brain up against
    hers any day and since my brain thinks GOP instead of Dem, I consider myself more
    intelligent on that level.

  27. #27
    On December 12th, 2007 at 1:14 pm, meatpieandtatters said:

    Oprah, BIG CONSUMER PRODUCT’S own paid-for Lucifer in Prada, always hedged her bets. She won’t sacrifice one cent of passive income for any failing product or politician.

  28. #28
    On December 12th, 2007 at 1:19 pm, coldfront said:

    “……but…….BUT!!……
    I thought you said you’d still love me tomorrow!!!?” B.O’Bmah

  29. #29
    On December 12th, 2007 at 1:19 pm, DesertLover said:

    Basically Oprah just laid out the exact criteria in her pecking order to select a Presidential candidate in the primary elections:

    1. A Black Democrat
    2. A Female Democrat
    3. Any other Democrat left standing

    Qualifications and platform be damned …

  30. #30
    On December 12th, 2007 at 1:21 pm, John Ansell said:

    So I guess this is what a fake Big O is.

  31. #31
    On December 12th, 2007 at 1:21 pm, bvw said:

    To Regulus: She seems to have a certain fascination with something that is not quite marriage, nor even divorce. But is the play between, that is the non-willingness to be in any committed state. To be uncommitted to a marriage and just as uncommitted to a divorce. “Uncommitted” could be her preferred state.

    That kind of constant teaser’s ambiguity sells much cheap literature throughout history, and maybe it is her mojo — her secret marketing strength.

    It is the kind of projected sentiment that captures those in her audience who imagine more than act, and by inaction have undeveloped, weak roots in whatever state — single-hood, marriage or divorce, that they be in. Imagination is the breast-milk of the pleasant now, a cheap fix even even when the world sees so “unkind” because the dreamer foolishly scrimps on being real to the world, and in such withdrawal the normal bumps and upsets of life seem bittingly unkind.

  32. #32
    On December 12th, 2007 at 1:32 pm, commonsensemom said:

    That’s a nice “never mind” for all the glowing rhetoric she spouted from the campaign trail this weekend!

  33. #33
    On December 12th, 2007 at 1:37 pm, TexasTiger said:

    Oprah just wants to be able to say she voted for Obama before she voted againt him.

  34. #34
    On December 12th, 2007 at 1:37 pm, John Ansell said:

    Exit stage left?

  35. #35
    On December 12th, 2007 at 1:37 pm, rightisright said:

    ajmontana said:Oprah who?

    Exactly…just what is it this woman ever did to become so famous,wealthy and likable? I see this ranting and raving about this woman I have to wonder if the sun rises and sets by her command…or is that Hitlery Rotten Clintoon? They have to be the 2 smartest women in the world, just read their left wing press clippings.

  36. #36
    On December 12th, 2007 at 1:39 pm, skoolingmamaof4 said:

    Translation:

    When Obama loses the primary, she reserves the right to put her weight behind Clinton ~ the other black candidate.

  37. #37
    On December 12th, 2007 at 1:42 pm, On-my-soap-box said:

    She liked me. She really, really liked me.

    Barack Obama

  38. #38
    On December 12th, 2007 at 1:43 pm, BlameAmericaLast said:

    This smells of a setup for Barack as Clinton’s VP candidate.

  39. #39
    On December 12th, 2007 at 1:52 pm, ajmontana said:

    “Faux News Alert”
    Oprah and Obama Wed!
    In a secret service ceremony the couple was quoted as saying they will keep Stedman and the current Mrs. Obama on as pool boy and maid.
    film at 11:00

  40. #40
    On December 12th, 2007 at 2:04 pm, On-my-soap-box said:

    Pool boy - EWWWWW

  41. #41
    On December 12th, 2007 at 2:08 pm, BrianNY said:

    Wow, after her “less than loyal” performance on ABC News, I wonder if Obama is starting to believe that Oprah might be his biological father?

  42. #42
    On December 12th, 2007 at 2:14 pm, 30 pcs of silver said:

    John #21 - good one!

    aj #39 - hilarious!

  43. #43
    On December 12th, 2007 at 2:45 pm, jungatheart said:

    I ‘ve heard people gush about Oprah and every time I’ve thought she was a fake who’s pretend emotions were designed to influence people. I’ve always thought Oprah is a wanna be king maker who is only interested in power and not the least bit interested in values.

  44. #44
    On December 12th, 2007 at 2:46 pm, shooter said:

    Basically Oprah just laid out the exact criteria in her pecking order to select a Presidential candidate in the primary elections:
    1. A Black Democrat
    2. A Female Democrat
    3. Any other Democrat left standing

    BINGO!

  45. #45
    On December 12th, 2007 at 2:54 pm, Laree said:

    Tammy Bruce, called Obama, a Straw Man and said, that Oprah Winfrey would support Clinton, this was a month or so ago. I listen to Tammy Bruce, she is usually right on in her analyses.

  46. #46
    On December 12th, 2007 at 3:02 pm, Tennessee Dave said:

    Oprah was for Obama before she was not against anyone else….
    Is that what she’s saying?

  47. #47
    On December 12th, 2007 at 3:07 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    Please, please, please can we get to the important issues - what does Oprah’s BFF Gail think!?
    I won’t know how to vote until I hear from Gail!

  48. #48
    On December 12th, 2007 at 7:35 pm, gayle said:

    Oprah is just covering her media bases.

    She doesn’t want to “offend” anyone.

    Another fence sitter who doesn’t usually vote.

    The irony.

  49. #49
    On December 12th, 2007 at 7:48 pm, BlameAmericaLast said:

    Yeah, didn’t someone say she hasn’t voted in the primaries since the 80s or something? Did I hear that right?

    Why all the sudden interest? Oh yeah, I know why…

  50. #50
    On December 12th, 2007 at 8:35 pm, deepdiver said:

    Is the oprah show crowd the same as the view crowd? She is an incredible business woman, but I don’t think that I could be that destructive to millions of people watching me just to make a buck.

  51. #51
    On December 12th, 2007 at 9:21 pm, beenthere said:

    I wonder if there is a more interesting question here: what on earth is causing the surge in Obama’s and Huckabee’s respective candidacies? They’re both a couple of zeros as far as any rational person can see. Neither has anything resembling a program or principles. They pretty much tell whatever group they are with what they want to hear. Standard issue you say, yet they do so in a way that is almost contemptuous. The republican candidates are bores and the democrat candidates are truly frightening, but are these two the answer to the American people’s dreams? Do desperate times call for vacuous men?

    BTW, If you want to go determinably mad, go off by yourself where no one can hear you, and start repeating, snapping your finger if it helps: “Oh Bam Ah Huck A Bee!” There is kind of a rhythm to it.

  52. #52
    On December 12th, 2007 at 10:36 pm, bear1909 said:

    Osmarma is made of wood wishing he could be real.

    I don’t know too many American Presidents who had Daddy issues.

    Wonder if he is going to come clean about it on the Oprah Show.

    The madrassa issue refuses to die. Some are dying to call it an “urban legend”.

    Again— an unresolved Daddy issue.

    As for Hillary— she is so inevitable she can’t deal with Osmarma on any substantive grounds. The more she picks at him the worse she looks. Nice team, Hillary. Can’t wait to see who you circle yourself with in the White House, God forbid.

    Ugh.

    Oprah Winfrey….honestly.

  53. #53
    On December 12th, 2007 at 10:41 pm, bear1909 said:

    She is an incredible business woman, but I don’t think that I could be that destructive to millions of people watching me just to make a buck.

    Oprah is surrounded by some of the finest marketing minds in media. When she puts herself out there on her own it is a different story– the fiasco in the girl’s school in South Africa.

    What if that had happened here? Oops.

    Sure, she deserves credit for building herself up from a local newsroom.

    But was it all her doing? Once media conglomerates kick in their support, it becomes more of a juggernaut than somebody’s business acumen.

    Gotta hand it to her– she reads people well and uses them accordingly. In time we’ll find out what many of them have experienced in service to the Diva of all Divas.

    This shameless backing of a noodleheaded presidential candidate doesn’t speak well of her, and certainly not of noodlehead.

    Real power doesn’t need a stage. There is something tinny about this cattle show she put on for Osmarma.

    Embarassing to many.

  54. #54
    On December 13th, 2007 at 6:01 pm, Salt said:

    dakine said:

    Other than being sort of interesting from an “election junkie” point of view, Oprah’s endorsement of Obama means very little to me. However, unless I’m missing something here, I believe that Oprah is simply saying that if Obama does not in fact get the nomination, then she reserves the right to endorse another candidate (e.g., Clinton). Not sure what the big deal is.

    This is typically assumed. The issue here is that she’s saying it before it’s even settled, hence hedging her bets as Michelle put it. Either she believes that Obama is the best candidate or she doesn’t. Saying it now would likely, assuming one believes she has the power to sway an election, cause the previously confident voter blindly following her opinion to second guess.

    Granted, I don’t put much stock in Oprah’s ability to sway, either. However, I was a bit surprised to here her read-between-the-lines slams against Hillary during her speech. Seems like she’s backing off of them. Lucky for her, most of the media already edited those out of the clips they showed of her speech.

    “So my vote for is not a vote against anybody. It’s just a vote for.”

    Too bad Oprah doesn’t understand the nature of voting.

    Perhaps she can, like she does on her show, give her vote to everyone on the ballet to take home with them. She can just put an extra smiley face next to Obama to show that she really likes him instead of ‘just likes’ him.

  55. #55
    On December 17th, 2007 at 5:42 pm, HeatherRadish said:

    I don’t know too many American Presidents who had Daddy issues.

    Bill Clinton.

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