Why Oprah Won't Help Obama
I agree with Mark Halperin. This is akin to Obama sending Forrest Whitaker to the Johnson County Fair a couple of months ago when I was in town checking out the Edwards Campaign in action. According to this Time Magazine story:
To win the Democratic nomination for President, Barack Obama still needs the same thing he has needed all along - for voters to see him as ready to be commander in chief by January 2009. So now the question is: Will appearing at weekend campaign rallies with Oprah Winfrey help him achieve that goal?
Mark me down as more than a bit skeptical.
...So yes, expect loud, rousing rallies in all three early voting states when Oprah Winfrey comes to town with her friend Barack Obama in early December, with gobs of media attention, raucous crowds, emotion and great pictures. But don't expect those events to do anything productive to allow Obama to get over the biggest hurdle standing between him and the White House. American voters are not looking for a celebrity or talk show sidekick to lead them. Obama is an intelligent and thoughtful potential President, but Winfrey's imprimatur is unlikely to convey those traits to many undecided voters.
In that respect, Winfrey's events might even be - dare it be said - counterproductive.