Obama and the Oprah effect
Updated on 10 December 2007
What does it take to win a primary?
Millions of dollars to spend on TV ads, thousands of campaign activists to call voters and knock on doors, a crack team of strategists and advisers?
Oh, and a celebrity or two doesn't go amiss.
Who knows what boost Barack Obama will get thanks to the kudos of Oprah by his side?
Tens of thousands of people have packed into his campaign rallies to hear her speak, queuing for hours to get into each event, or maybe they just wanted to be in with a chance of winning a refrigerator.
But the Clinton team is already rattled about her chances in Iowa, bombarding supporters with worried emails about how close it all is.
Who knows what boost Barack Obama will get thanks to the kudos of Oprah by his side?
Now, with Oprah on the stump not only in Iowa but also South Carolina and New Hampshire, they must be getting seriously worried. Polls show Clinton's lead beginning to slip back in crucial states; in South Carolina, she's fallen seven points since August.
In her very first foray into politics the talk show diva didn't hold back in her criticism of the former first lady, especially on her claims of political experience.
"The amount of time you spend in Washington means nothing unless you are accountable for the judgement you made," she declared, before going on to praise Obama's consistent opposition to the war in Iraq. Who knew Oprah was such a peacenik?
Even the appearance of Chelsea Clinton to support her mother's campaign couldn't eclipse this kind of publicity.
More seriously, it's Oprah's popularity among two key groups of voters, women, and African Americans that is crucial here.
At the moment the strongest thrust of Hillary's campaign has been her appeal to women and she's also benefited from the backing of a majority of black voters, thanks in large part to the continuing respect for Bill Clinton's work on race issues during his time in the White House.
Losing support like this could transform Hillary Clinton from unassailable front runner to a candidate suddenly struggling to catch up.
Now it's Obama's star in the ascendant. So, with just weeks to go before voters make their choice has he got his political timing just right?
