A couple of months ago I wondered if Oprah’s very public endorsement of Barack Obama would backfire.
Apparently, for some, it has.
I thought maybe some fans would just see the endorsement as a bit of Oprah-overreaching. But one Oprah-lyte started a discussion thread on Oprah’s website entitled, “Oprah is a Traitor!!!” Apparently some viewers and fans who believed Oprah’s messages of female empowerment and ‘you go, girl!’ felt her endorsement of a man for the White House amounted to turning her back on what has become her bread and butter — the all woman, all the time message.
“I cannot believe that women all over this country are not up in arms over Oprah’s backing of Obama. For the first time in history, we actually have a shot at putting a woman in the white house and Oprah backs the black MAN. She’s choosing her race over her gender- hypocracy [sic] at it’s finest!! Oprah- you should be ashamed of yourself!!!!!”
To say that what followed was a spirited discussion would be an understatement. Over 30,000 views of the thread and close to 1,000 comments. Some in the sisterhood felt a bit betrayed.
While I do have a preference for who I’d like to see sitting behind that big desk in the Oval Office, I, and others I know, would be happy if any of the three Democrats still in the race could take the White House. So why has this become, for some, a referendum on gender and race rather than one of qualifications?
In the end, I’m assuming it’s because we relate to political candidates in the same way we relate to others in our lives — we usually gravitate toward those whose experiences and views are similar to our own.
Obviously, Oprah has a right to endorse whichever candidate she feels best represents her goals and ideals. But after a lifetime of trying to convince us to buy into her brand of women boosting other women to find their best and highest purpose, it is a little inconsistent to endorse a man and exclude Hillary Clinton from even getting an appearance on her show.
After all, if you’ve invited Bill, what’s the point of excluding Hill? Oh, well — Hillary’s got Tyra!
I can only speculate on this, but I can imagine that Oprah may have been pretty torn. In addition to her advocacy for women, she’s also a significant leader in the black community, and she made a choice between two important constituencies. Of course, no one said she HAD to make a choice and endorse anyone at all…but it must have mattered to her, and so she did. Perhaps she thought an endorsement would carry more weight among black voters than with women? (Again, not being a black voter, I’m just speculating.)
But I’d say labeling her a traitor is a bit harsh.
Florinda | January 24th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Yeah. I’d agree that the traitor tag is harsh. And the ABC article cited above concludes there’s no evidence of a widespread “Oprah effect” backlash amongst resentful women voters. But I guess the heated discussion on the Oprah website just highlights how torn many women voters feel.
Diane | January 25th, 2008 at 1:13 am
Whoever started that traitor thread clearly isn’t a true Oprah fan. Oprah’s “live your best life” is about looking beyond labels and thinking and doing for yourself. Oprah would never espouse voting for someone purely along gender or even racial lines.
Amy S. | January 25th, 2008 at 2:49 am
Oprah doesn’t need to be ashamed for backing Obama. Better him than Hillary. Hillary has already showed signs of weakness by teaing up in dealing with emotional matters. Do you want four years of that?
Richard Greenhalgh | January 25th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
i agree people tend to generalize and assume far too often. I am sure that oprah put a lot of thought into who she was choosing to back and even into making that knowledge public. I agree with Amy, i think if she felt strongly that the best candidate, based on their platform, was a white male, she would have backed that person too (or maybe kept it to herself). she is media savvy, she knows what she wants and what she wants to portray. It could also be she felt that Hillary had enough advantages with Bill and other endorsements that she could stand on her own while Obama needed a little help? who knows! If she feels the need, i am sure she will address it!
doesnt sway my vote one way or another, i already know who i am voting for!
Kate | January 25th, 2008 at 8:11 pm