Barack Obama is trying to become the first African-American to lead America, but he stands no real chance of doing that, partly because Oprah Winfrey, who is campaigning for
him, is already the first African-American to lead America. She has more followers than George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush and all the other Bushmen. She has more followers than all the presidential candidates put together. (Yes, even Dennis Kucinich.) Hers is no ordinary celebrity endorsement, as Richard Roeper writes in the Chicago Sun-Times.
Maybe not everyone who shows up to see their Television Best Friend in person will follow up by casting a vote for Obama -- but there's little doubt that thousands if not millions of previously disenfranchised citizens WILL vote for Obama, simply because Oprah says it's the right thing to do.
Look. They buy Oprah-endorsed cookbooks that quickly gather dust on the shelves. (Oprah fans who still regularly cook recipes from In the Kitchen With Rosie, please step forward.) They subscribe to O magazine and read every issue from cover to cover. They rush out and buy Oprah's latest book recommendation, even if it's another wrenching tale of heartbreak, or a John Steinbeck book they read in high school.
They consume specific types of camcorders, tall boots, watches, cupcakes, mixers, soaps, DVD collections, board games, skin care products and CDs because these products were featured on the "Oprah's Favorite Things" show. [Link]
If Oprah recommended eating baked beans for breakfast, the grocery store would quickly run out of air freshener.
They follow the Knights of Oprah -- the trainers and the interior designers and the advice experts who become regulars on her show.
They rush out to buy The Secret, one of the biggest chunks of utter hokum ever published.
If Oprah went on her show tomorrow and said the ultimate key to inner peace is to pretend you're a dog instead of saying hello when you greet other people, you wouldn't get through your day without somebody greeting you with a "Woof! Woof!" while sniffing your ankles. [Link]
Oprah may not get everyone to bark, but she'll get many people to "Barack! Barack!"
Photo by Joe Crimmings
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