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Obama and Oprah Hit the Campaign Trail

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December 08, 2007 9:23 PM

ABC News' David Wright and Sunlen Miller report: The atmosphere was almost that of a tent revival.  The preacher was quite possibly the most admired woman in America.  In Des Moines and later in Cedar Rapids, Oprah Winfrey preached a political sermon on behalf of Barack Obama.

“It feels like I’m out of my pew, out of my terrain,” she admitted. “Backstage someone asked: Are you nervous?”

“You’re damned right I’m nervous,” she said, “because I have never done this before.”

Oprah sang Obama’s praises as “a very rare thing ... a politician who has an ear for eloquence and a tongue dipped in the unvarnished truth.”

She exhorted her legion of fans.

“I’m not here to tell you what to think,” she said.  “I’m here to ask you to think.”

And Oprah dismissed the Clinton campaign’s argument that Obama lacks the requisite experience to be president.

Oprah said, “Experience in the hallways of government isn’t as important to me as experience on the pathway to life. I challenge you to see through those people who try to tell you that experience in politics as usual is more valuable than wisdom outside the walls of Washington, D.C.”

While Oprah did not mention Obama’s top opponent by name, it was an obvious reference to Sen.  Hillary Clinton.

Couching her argument in the language of a parent, spending quality time with their kids, Oprah almost seemed to chide Clinton and praise Obama at the same time.

“Time you spend in Washington means nothing,” she said,  “unless you are accountable for the judgment you made in the time you had.”

Oprah said she had voted for many Democrats and Republicans in the past, but declared Obama “the one” for right now. 

Thirty minutes into the program, Barack Obama took the stage, admitting that he may not be the reason some in the audience showed up.

“Some people are here to see Oprah, and I’m sort a byproduct of that,” and added that he’s grateful Oprah stepped out of her comfort zone to campaign for him.

An audience member interrupted Obama, yelling, “Oprah for VP,” a slogan which was on numerous buttons in the crowd.

Obama shot back, “But that would be a demotion. You understand that?”

When Obama began speaking, some audience members were seen filtering out of the room.  Asked where they were going while the candidate was still speaking, most offered sheepish excuses.

“I have to go the bathroom,” said one woman.

Said another: “I’m late for a holiday party.”

For some, like Kerry Kennedy, the draw of Oprah may have been more impressive than Obama.

“I’m coming for Oprah," she said, "but I may stay for Obama.”

The Obama-Oprah duo has three more stops this campaign swing, hitting the other early states of South Carolina and New Hampshire.

December 8, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (115)

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I'll take Howdy over Snake any 'ol day.

Posted by: Matt | Dec 9, 2007 1:59:07 AM

I think the well-oiled Clinton Volkswagen has just run into a tank.

Posted by: Randle Bate | Dec 9, 2007 2:29:25 AM

"Andrea: Yes,and I'm claiming, SUPERMAN is my cousin. Just because Senator Obama acts like Cheney and Bush, doesn't mean they're related."

Posted by: pointman | Dec 9, 2007 3:55:47 AM

I'm voting for John Edwards, the ONLY candidate that has bothered to mention the ever increasing poor in this country. Edwards would make a great president, Obama really doesn't stand a chance.

Posted by: impeachbush999 | Dec 9, 2007 4:24:31 AM

Oprah is just another rich liberal, no different than the other rich liberals who want to make this a socialist country. George Soros, Ted Kennedy, the usual Hollywood wackos, Ted Turner,etc. Why would anyone care what Oprah thinks anyhow? She has about as much qualification as Obama.We have a liberal Congress with an approval rating 12% below that of Bush who has a rating of 38% approval. Pretty sad.

Posted by: Ron Powell | Dec 9, 2007 5:10:19 AM

It seems like some of these candidates including Barrack Obama rely on Celebrities to do the work for them.If this is the case why running for President if you cannot handle the tasks of doing the hard work? His rival Hilliary Clinton did the same thing asking her husband Bill for help.So in my mind if these type of candidates cannot go all the way without someone assisting them then something is wrong here.You want to enter the Presidential race because you think you are fit to go the distance without help,now it's beginning to show signs of fatigue and breathing very hard.They are not fit enough for the race.

Posted by: kmjjp | Dec 9, 2007 5:14:28 AM

I think the reason Hillary is running for president is so she can get some more of the furniture Bill and her had to return when they left the Whitehouse the last time. I heard they even siphoned gas out of Air Force One when billy Bob left office. Judicial Watch, a non-partisan group has been trying to obtain information involving Hillary's Whitehouse years but have been stonewalled and told by archivists at the Clinton Library that the information wouldn't be released until after the election...I wonder why? Under the Freedom Of Information Act the information should have been given to Judicial Watch attorneys long ago.

Posted by: Ron Powell | Dec 9, 2007 5:29:19 AM

Little does Obama know that the vast majority of the people attending the the Oprah rallies are expecting Oprah to give away some free cars and other free gifts. Oprah is going look pretty stupid once Hillary gets the nomination. A Clinton never looses!

Posted by: Karl | Dec 9, 2007 6:39:42 AM

Oprah is an American and she has every right as any other to endorse,campaign and stump hard enough for a candidate she believes in, period.It is her first amendments rights to associate freely and congregate at will.
The same goes for Hillary except that, her supporters are showing their ignorance and envy for the fact that their candidate did not get a buzz like Obama is getteing right now from no mean a personality but the Queen of the Television,Oprah Winfrey.

Posted by: TITUS GLAVEE | Dec 9, 2007 7:12:45 AM

Superb rallys! Obama was on-fire, as was the audience. This can only help his cause. Thank you Oprah for taking this risk to help Obama overcome the Clinton machine. From what I saw last night he might just pull it off.

Posted by: bob | Dec 9, 2007 7:16:51 AM

If I wanted to attack Obama I don't care who was at his side. Oprah is campaigning for him because he don't know how to campaign for himself and he needs help. I never heard of her going to the southside of Chicago and consoling the mothers of young children that got shot to death. And to me she is not the most admired women only by the people that don't know better. No matter what she does voters have their own minds and she is trying hard to change them. Does she want a job in the white house? I think so. And what happened to run of the mouth Michelle? Didn't say a word. Hillary will win the nomination for the presidency and I hope she laughs in their face after that.

Posted by: Mariann Pepitone | Dec 9, 2007 7:30:42 AM

There are reports out there that Hillary Clinton is facing a wave of defections by supporters to Barack Obama. See todays UK Times article.

Posted by: bob | Dec 9, 2007 7:38:27 AM

Oprah need to stay out of Obama's way and out of sight!! I feel it would be in the harm's way.

Posted by: Lynn | Dec 9, 2007 7:40:47 AM

I have no problem with a black man being in office, but not THIS black man. I'm sure he's all good and fine, but he doesn't say the pledge of allegiance, he doesn't face the flag, he stands with his back nearly to the flag with his hands folded!

Posted by: Shtoopid | Dec 9, 2007 8:43:47 AM

I think using celebrities like this is really just taking away or trying to aviod issues and is a mind game to play with peoples intelligents. If any one is persauded to vote for a canidate just because he's got some big celebrity endorsing him, then I got a bridge to sell you.

Posted by: Kardasia_Prime | Dec 9, 2007 8:46:11 AM

I value my right to vote to much to let a snake oil salesman (celebrity) tell me how to spend it. After all, I have more at stake than the rich, over hyped celebrities who have their own agenda's. So enjoy the show, but never let anyone tell you who to vote for.

Posted by: Morty | Dec 9, 2007 9:04:59 AM

A Barack Obama presidency represents a huge fundamental change in US politics. Just the basics are significant -- Barack is of mixed race, has a Muslim father, has an Arabic name, and lived overseas for several years as a child. These facts, even on the surface, will make America look entirely different to the rest of the world. It will be much more difficult for those who hate America to claim we are the enemy of the Islamic and Arabic world when our president's name is Barack Hussein Obama. Plus he has limited inside the beltway experience, few connections to the lobbyists and special interests that have influenced the White house during the past few decades and has an inspirational, uplifting, charismatic style that we have not seen since JFK. This is the kind of change many are looking for and this is the change America needs now.

Posted by: bob | Dec 9, 2007 9:05:53 AM

It's clearly obvious that she is doing this because he is black. Now she does have that right but this is what's wrong with this country is that people vote for canidates because of their race, gender, religious beliefs, etc Instead of that canidates qualifications for the most important job in the world.... By their own admission, NONE of the presidential canidates even have a plan to get us out of Iraq, at least not in their first term in office,

Posted by: TopseyKrett | Dec 9, 2007 9:20:08 AM

I'm not going to comment on race because I really don't think it matters, at least not to me. But what I will comment on is Oprah.. and Oprah only does what benefits Oprah. She has built an empire on Oprah. She is the only one that has ever been on the cover of 'O'. And as tempting as it may be to put yourself on every cover of your own magazine.. it's nothing more than narcissistic.

I don't believer the political arena is where she belongs.. that is unless she is running for Czar of USA.

She should just stick to her regular job of being a talk show host, pimping out school girls in Africa, and turning electricians into doctors.

Posted by: Dave Monroe | Dec 9, 2007 9:40:39 AM

It is a part of the campaign that those of affluence try to persuade others to follow them.
However, Obama may `one' day make a good President, I do not know. I do know he has little to offer middle America and Traditional America. He has words of emotion for the ails of the very present, but without sound long term logic. I find him wanting to lead but without and idea of where.

Posted by: Michael Gayer | Dec 9, 2007 9:46:39 AM

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