Letters to the Editor
-
Go, Barack!
We love you, Barack - looking forward to seeing you in the White House!!!!!
-
Oprah sets my teeth on edge
She's so gushy and oversincere. Her audience claps for her like trained seals clap for fish.
If I voted for Obama, it would in spite of her visibility in his campaign.
-
It's about the war, not race.
It strikes me that Obama is the most prominent of the "leading" candidates who is and was definitively against the war, and his uniqueness among the slate of contenders stems from this philosophical and policy position rather than any coding in his DNA.
The tone of this article implies that race acceptance or voting aggregation would be the defining factor in whether or not Obama could get the nomination and the presidency. While I understand why this is seen as a consideration, the defining issue of our time is whether or not the voters in the United States have the independence and fortitude to select someone who would reverse our interventionist foreign policy in Iraq and across the globe. If so, this will be the true and lasting legacy of an Obama, Edwards, Kucinich, or Paul presidency.
-
Right now for me
Health care in the future matters more than how someone voted in the past on the war.
-
Love Her or Hate Her
Oprah Winfrey is a force to be reckoned with, and her influence absolutely is not limited to, nor even primarily with black people. She is a phenomenon unlike anything we have known, and it is only more remarkable because she happens to be a black woman. The fact that she is so remarkable in so many ways is why she is the most influential, wealthiest and most well-known black woman -- and probably woman of any race -- in the world.
Anyone who believes this is not an asset to Barack Obama's campaign is insane. This is one of the greatest boosts any candidate could have gotten. It has nothing to do with race. It has everything to do with a pair of dynamic, electric personalities, either of which is capable of lighting the city of Chicago with the sheer force of their respective personalities. Together they can hardly go wrong. This is a major, major event.
Since most Americans are still in thrall to the cult of personality, we will have to deal with the Oprah cultists and the Oprah detesters, but that's not going to change the fact that the power the woman wields is enormous, and the fact she has chosen to wield that power in an effort to help Barack Obama win the Democratic candidacy is nothing short of a landmark historical event. If between them they succeed, it will be bigger than that.
The time has come to stop looking backwards and reading everything through the past, darkly. Race, gender, none of those things really matter anymore. Vision, clarity, sincerity and resolve are what will carry the day and set this nation back on course toward resectability and honor. It can't happen too soon.
It doesn't matter what any individual thinks of Oprah Winfrey; all that matters is that she is Oprah and she showed up on behalf of the candidate she believed can turn us around. The rest is mindless nit-picking.
-
Hopes and Prayers
It's exciting to read that Obama is rising in the polls and that he appears to have a real chance. From the moment I heard him speak at the Democratic Convention I felt very strongly that he was someone who would do this country a tremendous amount of good.
At the time he seemed too new in the political arena to run for President this soon. But I gotta tell you, I'm ready and I feel very strongly that the country is, too.
-
Hypocrisy not confined to politicians
Contrast this paragraph:
Neither Winfrey nor Obama ever mentioned Hillary Clinton's name. But Winfrey dinged the former first lady by raising the issue of the decision to invade Iraq. "He stood with clarity and conviction against this war in Iraq," she said of Obama. "It's time now for a president who stands on conviction."
with this earlier story from Salon:
Oprah Winfrey, warmonger? Sweden's Broadcasting Commission apparently believes she is. The media watchdog organization has censured one of Winfrey's shows run on Swedish TV back in February for showing a bias toward a U.S. military attack on Iraq. "Different views were expressed, but all longer remarks gave voice to the opinion that Saddam Hussein was a threat to the United States and should be the target of attack," the broadcasting commission announced Wednesday in a finding that has no legal or financial penalties. Oprah's show is reportedly one of the most popular daytime TV programs in Sweden, a country that strongly opposed the war in Iraq. (Reuters)
-
Ebonics?
What's with the put-on "black" English when Oprah and Obama were addressing the crowds in South Carolina? Okay, Oprah is reaching back for her roots, but Obama??? Was he being black or was he being southern or was he just being phoney? He sure didn't sound like the man I heard in Iowa.
-
smear job
now we will soon start seeing Salon's smear job on Oprah and Obama. We already saw one on Oprah in the form of that why is a woman like her even attempting to run? Then we saw another one from Joan Walsh questioning if Oprah star power can help Obama. Salon never really ran any articles on Oprah prior to her endorsing Obama. Salon doesnt have a problem with Speilberg endorsing Hillary or some other hollywood star or politician endorsing Hillary. but all bets are off now because Oprah endorsed Obama. In fact I bet the feminist's at Broadsheet looked up to her at some point.
It wont be long before Salon's starts running articles about whether Obama is really a Christian
-
re: Ebonics?
George Bush famously turns on the Texas twang when he needs to reconnect with the "I'd rather have a beer with him" crowd. Hillary Clinton has let a southern accent creep into her speeches when she needs to (her husband could really crank it up if needed). This is just the show business part of politics.
Obama is actually getting a two-for-one deal with Oprah. As we saw in SC she can attract a huge black crowd, but look at the audience of her TV show: middle class white women. She can help Obama with African Americans and women.
I'm no fan of Winfrey, but I'll certainly give credit where credit is due. She's turned herself into a force of nature. The easiest, and safest, thing for her would be to remain nuetural, but she's taking a risk on this one. I have to admire that.
Interestingly, Oprah and the younger Hollywood crowd are going for Obama. I think most people assumed Clinton would have had Hollywood all to herself.