Oprah Supports Obama!!!

As the race for presidential party nominations continues, candidates employ tactics to gain support. Some candidates are lucky enough to have qualities that appeal to certain interest groups, so they are able to gain many of these votes effortlessly. For example, Hilary=Female, Obama=Black, or Mitt Romney=Mormon. There are many other tactics almost all candidates’ use when campaigning. They give speeches, participate in debates, give interviews, run ads, send excessive amounts of mail, etc... Another way candidates can increase their popularity is by gaining the support of ‘big names'. All over the news there are stories about celebrities and well-known politicians supporting one candidate or another. These people usually have money to back the candidate they support, but there are limits on donations so it is difficult for any one person to make a huge impact through financial means. Celebrities' real impact comes from publicly announcing their endorsement; it is not surprising that voters are influenced by the opinions of celebrities they respect. Often times the celebrities know the candidate personally and can “vouch” for them.

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer just announced that he has decided to back Senator Hilary Clinton for president while Maryland Gov. Bill O’Malley made headlines as he is also endorsing her in the upcoming election. In a CNN interview, Oprah Winfrey recently announced her endorsement for Obama. She is arguably the most influential woman in the United States. Any book she recommends immediately jumps to the top of every bestseller list and any product she talks about has women everywhere flocking to stores to purchase it. Even though she has not made a financial contribution, $2,300 cannot compare to the kind of support she has given the candidate by her public endorsement.

Although this is an ignorant approach to choosing which candidate to support, many voters are affected. People should take more time to read the news and learn about candidates and their positions.