The ‘O’ and ‘The One’

The Washington Examiner today features an article written by Susan Ferrechio, entitled “The O Factor; Turning Oprah’s fans into voters“;

After Oprah Winfrey lured more than 65,000 people to political rallies for Democratic candidate Barack Obama over the weekend, his campaign went into overdrive to convert those fans into primary votes. It’s a strategy that just might work, political analysts say.

The people who went to the rallies in Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire often drove for hours and stood in line even longer to get a glimpse of the daytime talk-show queen.

Her appearances, coupled with high-energy speeches by Obama, created the kind of excitement more commonly seen at rock concerts.

In exchange for free tickets to the events, the campaign earned the volunteer help of thousands of people and, perhaps more important, their phone numbers and addresses.

Let me begin by saying that I admire Oprah Winfrey for her business prowess – the same way I admire Bill Gates and Warren Buffett for becoming rich and successful. The same way I admire anyone who works hard and achieves in America. Like a true American, I respect that irrespective of their race, sex, religion or favorite ice cream flavor.

But Oprah is a political idiot, and her fans are bigger general idiots. Remember back a few years ago when she rewarded one studio audience with news cars and several complained because she didn’t pay the tax, tag and title costs? And then they found out they’d have to pay income tax on the gift and bitched about that, too? Are those people we should emulate? Is that to whom presidential aspirants should be campaigning?

These people seem to be so politically shallow that they’re attracted to a candidate because some entertainer (that’s all Oprah is, by the way - an entertainer) tells them that the lanky, flop-eared doofus standing next to her is “The One”. The lanky, flop-eared doofus that announced if he was the President, as a policy he’d attack our allies and have tea with our enemies. The lanky, flop-eared doofus that would tax Oprah’s fortune into oblivion for one more vote.

Does anyone else remember when Oprah used to do the programs like “Obese women and the men who love them” and the program about the guy who had a sex change operation then declared that he/she was a lesbian? She only changed the format of the show because so many other sewer dwellers were doing the same thing, she decided to go legit (somewhat).

Personally, I’d be ashamed to admit that I support a particular candidate because some two-faced smarmy, back-biting cow on television told me to vote for him. But Oprah’s viwers aren’t exactly reknown for their shame.

I’ve been hoping Incognito would write something about it – maybe she’ll stop by with words of wisdom for us.

Added: Apparently, Oprah isn’t as committed to Obama as Obama is to Oprah writes Michele Malkin.

Category: Politics, Society