Oprah, Barack and Michelle Obama: 'Like a Religious Experience'
Compiled by the DiversityInc staff
December 10, 2007
The "Oprah Effect" was in full force over the weekend as the superstar joined presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama in front of standing-room-only crowds in Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire.
Evoking the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Oprah Winfrey urged the almost 30,000 people gathered at the University of South Carolina football stadium to support Obama's quest for the White House. Spectators said it had the feeling of a rock concert, headlined by one of the world's biggest stars.
"Dr. King dreamed the dream, but we don't have to just dream anymore," Winfrey said. "We get to vote that dream into reality by supporting a man who knows not just who we are but who we can be," reports AFP.
Obama was accompanied by his wife, Michelle, who is also quite popular.
In New Hampshire, Kathy Price told The Associated Press: "It was like a religious experience. It was inspiring. I feel like now America could do anything."
How much impact Winfrey's endorsement will have on Obama's campaign has been the subject of much debate since she announced she would stump with Obama throughout the Midwest and in key early states. (See also: If Oprah Asked, Would You Vote for Obama?)
A recent poll by The Pew Research Center called "The Oprah Factor and Campaign 2008: Do Political Endorsements Matter?" showed that as many people said they would be less likely to support Obama because of the endorsement as they would be to support him. But when asked if they thought the endorsement would help his campaign, 60 percent said yes. For an in-depth look at Oprah's effect, see the upcoming Jan./Feb. 2008 issue of DiversityInc magazine.
"Typically, when it comes to the general public, celebrity endorsements don't really matter all that much," says Carroll Doherty, an associate director at The Pew Research Center. "That said, the Winfrey one was very interesting because it's not just an endorsement in name, she's actually doing something for Obama. She's lending her considerable star power for him."
A Newsweek poll released on Friday shows Winfrey may be having the desired effect. The poll, based on telephone interviews with 1,408 registered Democrats in Iowa, showed Obama has pulled within a point of Clinton (29 percent versus 30 percent). The poll says among those likely to attend the caucus, Obama has actually moved ahead of Clinton, 35 percent to 29 percent.
A McClatchy/MSNBC poll published Sunday showed that in South Carolina, Clinton leads Obama 28 percent to 25 percent.
And if you're curious what type of impact Winfrey has had on previous campaigns, recall when then Republican nominee George Bush appeared on Winfrey's talk show in 2000. He was trailing Democratic contender Al Gore by 10 points, reports NPR. But after he appeared on the show, Bush soon caught up to Gore.
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