Lucia

de Vernai

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December 10, 2007

Would You Really Let Oprah Winfrey Tell You How to Vote?

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. She’s not running for office – yet – but her public support of Barack Obama has placed her on the periphery (and sometimes center) of his spotlight over the course of the past months. When almost 20,000 people showed up to see her endorse Obama at an Iowa convention center this weekend, it became apparent that if any celebrity endorsement was to be taken seriously, this was it.

This “special guest,” as de Vernais for the Iowa event called Winfrey, has been known to make even the least likely contenders rise to the top. Her ability to turn obscure knick knacks into sought-after gifts of the season and send “Anna Karenina” to the top of best-seller lists is a force to be reckoned with, leading Reuters to poignantly ask, “Can Oprah do for Obama what she does for books?”

She can and she will.

But that may not be a good thing. Popular response and wide interest is not always indicative of the quality of the product. Oprah’s aesthetic taste, just like anyone else’s, is a subjective – and faulty – one. While not discounting her contribution to the suburbanite housewife reading cause, Oprah’s taste in books is not guided by expertise or training in literary theory.

Likewise, her political views are not driven by any super powers not available to all constituents with access to the Internet and the willpower to pull themselves from the TV to do their own research and, with some luck, thinking. Like authors who refuse to be a part of the Oprah Books Club, missing out on the little yellow “O” stamp on the next edition, there are those who recognize what Oprah’s place in changing the world is – and what it is not.

Transferring of authority – and tax shelter policy is a long stretch from handmade soap – is a dangerous practice in the times of political change. Many voters recognize the potential pitfall. 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.

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