PunditMom: Oprah and Obama

PunditMom: Oprah and Obama

PunditMom says:

It’s one thing to take her advice for which book is going to sit on our nightstands or which shows she thinks will hit with American audiences. But I have a feeling politics may be taking Oprah’s fiefdom a bit too far. This one has “backfire” written all over it. To me, it seems like Oprah is trying to take her influence a bit too far.

It’s one thing to have fund-raisers and support a candidate. But for some reason it just doesn’t feel right to have the queen of daytime TV stumping for a candidate and bestowing the official Oprah seal of approval.

However, all the candidates have supporters from all walks of life stumping for them, why should it be any different when Oprah is involved?

There was news, for example, that Hillary Clinton is having Barbara Streisand help out in her campaign. John Edwards is using Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne.

All the candidates have called on elected official supporters to stump for them in the early states.

At the very least, it may help bring some new people out to see Barack who might not have come sans Oprah.

The Oprah Factor

With Oprah Winfrey's big fundraiser coming up this weekend the question being asked is whether the mega-media star can sway the election toward her candidate Barack Obama.

The last star of Oprah's caliber to get active in electoral politics at this level that I can think of now was Frank Sinatra, who helped both Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Ronald Reagan during their successful campaigns. Sinatra was disenchanted by his Kennedy's standoffish approach after taking office and became a Republican for the rest of his life.

Oprah Winfrey will host a fundraiser for Obama's Democratic presidential campaign at her Montecito, Calif., mansion. (By Kevin Clark -- The Washington Post)

Sinatra was leader of the "Rat Pack" during Kennedy's time and a cultural icons to multiple generations when Reagan first ran for the White House.

Oprah is said that Barack will be the only candidate on her show during the election since fair time laws don't apply to talk shows.

That alone can be a tremendous advantage. In fact, she can support Barack through her entire media network.

There are also reports that Oprah may take a more active role in Obama's campaign. This could include appearing in television ads and at campaign events.

While Sinatra likely appealed mostly to men, Oprah's legions are found among voting age women -- a group particularly powerful in the Democratic Party, and a group that many feel would tend to favor Hillary Clinton as the first woman president. If Oprah can wield the same type of influence as she has shown in other areas, this might help Barack cut into Hillary's base of support.