thanks for the article
it made me smile
Oprah is indeed a moral force.

I didn't realize Bush has been in power for 15 years:

"BACK in 1992, the Bush White House deemed..."

Oprah for Vice President?HHHMMMMM?

Gary, you silly, there have been TWO Bush presidents. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt that you're Canadian and even that's insulting to Canadians; they probably know about Daddy, too.

Wow, think again Mr. Smarty pants. That was dubya father, remember him?

Its a sad commentary of our citizenry that they feel compelled to remain undecided and apathetic like so many brainless sheep, until they are distracted and guided by the shiny, pretty thing (Oprah, in case you're not following). As anyone who has followed the voting cycle in this country for the past two decades knows, the individual vote no longer matters. The "winner" is chosen ahead of time and plunked into office at the behest and utilization of the rich and powerful. All the rest is a dog and pony show put on for the entertainment of the populace to continue the farce that we are a democratic nation. Get real.

Linda, support your fatalistic comment with some facts, please.

Anyone in publishing can attest to the enormous amount of influence Oprah has on the choices people, especially women, make. The impact of her endorsement and active campaigning for Obama cannot be overestimated. It will be a subject for the history books one day, in my opinion. As for the previous post, your point is well taken. I have little faith in the electoral process after the last 2 presidential debacles. But if we are to really "get real" in this country we must at least make every effort to actually use the current system and hold our nation to its supposed ideals, as Gandhi did in India. Then when it fails we have a moral leg to stand on. When such a small percentage of the electorate votes, how can the shortcomings of the system be uncovered? I'd like to see the polls so overrun that the whole thing crashes and we have to start the voting over. By hand. On pieces of paper.

Oprah has amassed a large personal fortune and an empire based on very smart marketing of herself and where she intersects with other women of a certain type. However, having arrived at that level of successful marketing worries me as a voter. I would rather see people care about any candidate based on shared perspectives and interests that are not based on celebrity/marketing.

Right on! At a time when we are besieged with bad examples, it is good to have someone with Oprah's audience and fame stand up to be counted on something as important as our next president.

5 stars for this article!

Yup...Oprah has good intentions and is a formidable force...unfortunately she doesn't always think before she acts. James Frey who somehow convinced people thatt his book, which was classified as fiction in the library and should have been a dead giveaway, was really biographical...gained Oprah's ire when the truth was revealed... So Oprah was gullible.

Linda M. thinks Oprah is a shiney thing you should be aware of. HAH.

Evergreen says: If you want to be afraid of something...be afraid of the corporate takeover of America. Now that our elected corporate cronies in congress have deregulated almost every industry...we have greater disparity of wealth (tax breaks for the rich out of the kazoo), increased industrial pollution (mustn't interfere with their profit) , governmental lies, war for oil, banks going bust, and a shameful deceleration of American Health. But most importantly the deregulation of our media has insured that we no longer get real news, it has now been reduced to mostly propaganda and pap and opinion so that we only hear corporate wishes.

Oprah Winfrey, with T. Friedman was an early supporter of the preemptive war on Iraq. From years of watching her interview with persons convicted of crimes and their ilk, she appears to lack compassion or the willingness to forgive. Both of these situations make me question that she takes the moral high ground.

Oprah Winfrey, with T. Friedman was an early supporter of the preemptive war on Iraq. From years of watching her interview with persons convicted of crimes and their ilk, she appears to lack compassion or the willingness to forgive. Both of these situations make me question that she takes the moral high ground.

There is a lot of evidence to support what Linda said about voting. First of all, we still have an electoral college, that is no longer needed and subject to corruption...the electorates vote is "supposed" to reflect the majority, but that person doesn't have to. This is an issue that I can't believe isn't discussed more often.Getting rid of the E.C. would also help break down the whole blue state/ red state division we have, and instead reflect what the majority of people in the U.S. think, regardless of where they live. Also, as far as evidence: Bush got the white house seat in his first election despite losing the popular vote...Before that, Gore lost Florida to Jeb Bush due to the fact that a company was employed to match African American voters to felons with similar names...They didn't even finish the recount, because even with all their scams it looked like Jeb might not come out on top...So, Katherine Harris (long-time Bush associate and fan..not to mention a neocon)stopped the recount. See, George W, needed Florida and its 27 electoral votes to help assure his ascendency to the W.H. With voting machines easily rigged, no paper trail, the only way to see if the machines were tampered with would be to scour the code--which the company that makes the machines will not allow...But it has been shown how a single line of code inserted at the right place would change your vote for say, Al Gore, to George W. Evidence? Clinton was impeached for lying about sex! This President has misled us into a disasterous war (and wants to start WW3),illegally spied on American citizens (until he bullied the spineless Democrat-controlled Congress into legalizing it,after the S.C. had ruled the practice un-Constitutional (thus destroying the 4th amendment, and seriously injuring the 1st, which he plans to finish off with bill S1959, where anyone with radical views, in his opinion, can be deemed a terrorist,he's endorsed torture...he's shown absolute unconcern for the will of the American people, or the Constitution of this nation...after all , it's "only a piece of paper."
Bush has damaged this country, which needed a lot of help, so deeply that, without extraordinary new leadership and reform, we are sure to fall as did Rome...For we are beyond bankrupt; and America's real power has always been its economic strength, which we now try to make up for with military might--spending 200 millions dollars a day digging our grave deeper and deeper. Our money is totally un-backed,a fiat currency. History has shown that this type of economic system cannot last...If you want to trace it back to the beginning of corruption, 1913, watch the late director Aaron Russo's last movie, "America:From Freedom to Fascism." Last time I checked it was still available for free viewing on Google video...

Thank you Alan.
What is the point of having Oprah support any canidate when what we need to be worried about is our very way of life. Please read Letters to a Young Patriot. We need to open our eyes to waht is going on in this Nation. I love what Oprah has done for people and the consciencness of this country but, if she as a very powerful person is not willing to speak out about the fascist goings ons than she is just like anyone whom stand by to see people taken by the train loads to die. Powerful or not. Time to get real. This election may not maen a damn thing if we The People don't demand change. Now!

It has become more and more difficult to stand back and be able to take in the entire picture as a whole on any issue these days.

There is so much information, mis-information, lies, truths ... flying around us that it appears all of America is experiencing Mass ADD.

This is led by the media but trickle down theory is not just for economics. Ask any soldier and they will tell you that "shit rolls down hill."

The disconnect between the majority and the very vocal minority -- pundits, so-called journalist, politicians and the like keeps growing.

This article is a perfect example.

Yes, there was a time when Oprah was the relevant figure that you describe here. Those were different times and many of us (self-included) are grateful for the many ways Oprah contributed in a positive manner to our lives.

But Oprah's show, style and demeanor is not the same. And in my many group discussions over the recent years, this has been a topic of conversation.

Oprah is just as out of touch with the populace as all other "Superstars" become as a result of their isolation.

In the last several years, I've been consistently turned off by Oprah's show. Who can afford 600 thread count sheets? And is that Oprah posing like a Ralph Lauren ad hawking an es pensive magazine filled with expensive items and ideas the average American can't even begin to afford?

I am not sure how much Oprah does for America's children. I am certain there is a lot. But I was still miffed that with the many homeless, hungry and needy African American children in this country, she opted to make a village in Africa her priority. I found that in conflict with the Oprah I originally got to know and admired.

One other thing that I wanted to point out that I have not seen brought forward anywhere.

What will Oprah's involvement mean for Obama's male votes?

Most men I know hate Oprah!

Thank you Ms. Dickerson. In a country where a large number of voters usually stayed home Winfrey´s calling is welcome.

Indiependent your posting started out rather interesting, and then I think you were spending too much time trying to find a way to knock Oprah's efforts in America. Take a look in LA, for there is now a town of new homes with a day care facility, playground, recreation center, etc. due to her funding efforts. Remember, her show is not presented on a publicly funded television station. Support the efforts to promote free press in America.

Nice article and nice comments by Alan. How can we rid our society of the electoral college? Are the members of the college elected officials? Help!