Kuwait Times, Kuwait
12-09-07
Oprah draws crowds for Obama
DES MOINES, Iowa: Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama's campaign
has rolled out talk show host Oprah Winfrey, one of the nation's most influential
women, aiming to reach female and black voters in key election states. Winfrey
brought a showbiz buzz to Obama's campaign, kicking off a three-state tour with
a rousing speech Saturday to a sea of screaming fans who braved freezing
weather to come and see her. One of the biggest crowds so far in the 2008 race
for president - some 18,500 people accordin
g to Obama's team - crammed into a hall in the early caucus nominating state of
Iowa to hear Winfrey's first ever speech for a political candidate.
I'm here to tell you, Iowa, he is the one," Winfrey told the cheering crowd, some
of whom screamed they wanted her as vice president. She urged voters to back
Obama's "new vision" for the United States. Three-and-a-half weeks before the
first voting in the Democratic nominating race, the tour was to continue Sunday
with the signature rally in Columbus, South Carolina, a state where half the
Democratic electorate, like Obama and Winfrey, is African-American.
Obama's campaign has had to change the venue for Sunday's appearance from
an 18,000-seat basketball arena to an 80,000-seat football stadium to
accommodate the vast crowds expected. The Obama/Oprah roadshow will then
roll into New Hampshire. Winfrey, 53, viewed as one of the world's most
influential entertainers, is said to be the second-most admired woman in the
United States - behind former first lady Hillary Clinton, Obama's main Democratic
challenger, according to a recent Gallup Poll.
Her legendary book club on her afternoon television chat show has turned
unknown authors into best sellers. The show is estimated to attract up to 10
million viewers daily and she earned $260 million in the year to 2007, according
to Forbes Magazine. Now Obama hopes her millions of mainly female disciples
will help him outpace Clinton - the first woman with a realistic chance of winning
the White House.
In her speech, Winfrey said Obama's stance as a candidate of change was more
important than the perceived lack of political experience for which opponents
such as Clinton criticize him. "Experience in the hallways of government isn't as
important to me as the experience on the pathway of life," Winfrey said, citing the
first-term Illinois senator's achievements outside Washington.
I understand the difference between the Book Club and a free refrigerator,"
Winfrey said. "I understand the difference between that and this critical moment
in our nation's history." She said she is "tired of politics as usual," which is why
she seldom invites politicians on her show to spread their rhetoric. Obama, she
said, has an "ear for eloquence and a tongue dipped in the unvarnished truth".
Her debut campaign trail appearance comes with polls deadlocked in Iowa,
though Clinton still leads in New Hampshire. Many at Saturday's event appeared
to have come just to see Winfrey. After she spoke, hundreds left, missing all or
part of Obama's speech. Obama acknowledged that he was under no illusions
that the crowd was there to hear him. "You want Oprah as vice president?" he
asked the crowd that responded with enthusiastic cheers. "That would be a
demotion, you understand that?
One woman in the crowd fainted while Obama was on stage. He asked a
paramedic to assist her. "This is what happens when folks get too excited for
Oprah," he said. The Washington Post meanwhile reported that Clinton was
responding to his bid for Winfrey's female following by launching her own drive to
win over women voters in Iowa. It said she would bring her mother Dorothy
Rodham and her daughter Chelsea to a series of rallies in Iowa this weekend,
and planned other appearances by prominent female activis
ts and officials. The reluctant Chelsea Clinton's public emergence normally would
have been big news, but it was a last-minute announcement that was
overshadowed by hype surrounding Winfrey.
I wanted to see both of them, but Oprah sealed the deal, let's face it," said Des
Moines administrative assistant Sarah Albracht, 35, an undecided voter. Albracht
said Winfrey's endorsement might help convince her to support Obama. "I like
the fact that she's been in every socioeconomic category ... both wealth and
poverty, so yeah, her opinion means more than a lot of other people," she said.
Susan Cameron, 47, was torn between Obama, rival Clinton and New Mexico
Gov Bill Richardson. She said Winfrey's endorsement would not sway her. "It's
not really about her, it's about the candidates - though I really respect her,"
Cameron said. "She is real buzz, a superstar who is not political, a likable woman
- the most admired woman in America. Many people will go to see her and then
think about Obama," said Iowa State University professor Steffan Schmidt.
Obama campaign spokesman Josh Earnest said some 23,000 free tickets had
been distributed. Attendees had to provide their name, address and phone
number and could trade a promise of four hours of volunteer service for spots
closer to the stage. Winfrey's position did not sway Irma Hohneke, 69, who
attended a Hillary Clinton rally on Friday night but declined tickets to see Winfrey
and Obama. "I'd love to see Oprah but I don't care about him," the retired
secretary said. "He's trying to get her to sway peopl
e but, no, her opinion wouldn't sway me." - Agencies