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Friday, August 15, 2008

The Politics of Oprah Winfrey, Activist & Philanthropist

Oprah Winfrey, a woman who's seen and done almost everything, will participate in a first for her this weekend: campaign appearances on behalf of a political candidate, Sen. Barack Obama.

"I don't consider myself political," Oprah commented in 2004. And the record backs her up. Oprah has never before publicly endorsed either a political party or a candidate. But some detractors believe very differently about Oprah and politics...

Oprah said that as she watched Obama deliver his inspiring 2004 Democratic convention speech, she thought, "This is something above and beyond politics."

Can Oprah Winfrey.... billionaire philanthropist, named among the 100 most influential people of the 20th century, host of the highest rated TV talk show in history... cause Americans to vote for Barack Obama in the upcoming Democratic presidential primaries? Can she convince American women to switch their support from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama?

And is this politics as usual? Has Oprah finally damaged her non-partisan brand by jumping into the political fray? Or does Obama's candidacy transcend political labels, as Oprah believes?

We'll find out soon as Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama make two joint appearances in Iowa on December 8, this Saturday, and one each in New Hampshire and South Carolina on December 9, where an event has been forced to move to the 80,250-seat University of South Carolina stadium due to overwheliming demand for tickets.

Meanwhile, take the time to read my new article (and some intriguing Oprah quotes about Obama and Hillary Clinton) about a fascinating and generous woman, The Politics of Oprah Winfrey, Activist & Philanthropist.

(Photo: Evan Agostini/Getty Images)