Obama 'had a great weekend' with Oprah
Does he have organization to capitalize on boost she gave?
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- If Oprah Winfrey wanted to run for president, she wouldn't have to debate.
All she'd have to do is show up.
(AP)
So the fact that she's using her extreme popularity to help Sen. Barack Obama get his campaign message out to masses of people who aren't into debates, political forums and news shows is nothing short of priceless.
"She is just a wonderful person," Obama said during a short telephone interview Monday. "She's someone you like the more you get to know her. She and Gail [King] are very relaxed and don't make a lot of fuss except when it comes to getting their hair done before an event," he said, laughing.
Many of the tens of thousands who attended Obama's political rallies in Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire over the weekend weren't ashamed to admit they came to see the woman who managed to turn her "best girlfriend" brand into a billion-dollar empire.
With Oprah as the lure, the Obama campaign dipped into an ocean of untapped voters.
Although a lot of people claimed Oprah's endorsement wouldn't influence them, I'm not buying it.
In appearing on the campaign trail with Obama, Oprah walked the talk she preaches daily on her television show.
It would have been easier for her to throw a lavish fund-raiser and leave it at that.
Because Oprah got personally involved in Obama's campaign, others who are apathetic about politics will likely follow suit. Oprah came off looking not only trustworthy, but also surprisingly humble.
"Obviously, we had a great weekend," Obama said. "We had unbelievable crowds. Oprah was powerful in her speech, and as I said before I don't think just because she endorses me, people will vote for me. But she brought in a whole bunch of people who normally won't go to a political rally."
Polls released over the weekend show that Obama has narrowed the gap with Democratic rival Sen. Hillary Clinton to a couple of percentage points in key early states.
The shift mocks the naysayers, particularly in South Carolina, where one black state legislator supporting Clinton had argued that a black man couldn't win the primary contest.
"The timing couldn't have been better -- although it wasn't as if we were lagging behind in the polls," Obama said.
What happens or doesn't happen once the crowds go back to their neighborhoods will be a testament to Obama's organizational skills.
"What is interesting about this is that we used the events as an organizing tool," Obama noted. "It was all of the people who not only came out, but those who volunteered ahead of time. That makes a huge difference in Iowa . . . that we were able to touch people directly."
His strategy of using volunteers, especially young people, to carry his message is beginning to pay off.
Indeed, instead of hurting him, negative comments like the ones attributed to civil rights icon Andrew Young, reinforces Obama's message that the country needs a change in leadership style.
Besides touting Hillary's husband, former President Bill Clinton, as being "every bit as black" as Obama, Young, a former U.N. ambassador, said Obama is too young to ascend to the presidency.
Without calling any names, Oprah dealt deftly with the "experience" issue in her South Carolina speech.
"I wouldn't be where I am today if I had listened to people who told me to wait my turn," she said, drawing loud applause.
On Monday, Obama shrugged off Young's disparaging remarks.
"I think a lot of folks have longstanding relationships with Bill Clinton," he said. "If you are a former president, you've got chits out there. Obviously, I disagree with [Young], or I wouldn't be running."
Still, the truth of the matter is this:
With Oprah stumping for him, Obama doesn't need to be anointed by Andrew Young or Al Sharpton -- or any of the other black leaders who are trying to put a Clinton back in the White House.
If Obama didn't know that when he started this quest, he surely knows it now.
