STANDING O. Could Oprah's endorsement help swing women voters to Obama? CNN and the Washington Post ponder the question as the megastar vows to stump for the other Big O.
But maybe a more important question is whether Oprah's endorsement will help swing anyone more engaged in pop culture than politics -- the boob tubers, college students, and suburban housewives included -- to Obama's camp. That and all the white people in Middle America whose only regular exposure to black people is their daily date with Oprah.
"I think what Oprah can do is potentially bring out the congregants of the church of Oprah," Marty Kaplan, a communications professor at the University of Southern California, told CNN. "She is a charismatic leader of a lay congregation."
As the Post points out, her attention seemed to bump George W. Bush up a notch in the polls back in September 2000, and that was just by letting him sit on her couch and chat for an episode. What kind of role could active campaigning on her part play in a highly contested primary?
She's already said the Obamas will be her only political guests this year, and she's slated to host a massive fundraiser for the candidate at her estate this weekend. The extent of her future involvement in the campaign is still unknown, but regardless, it's likely to be more significant than any of us realize.
--Kate Sheppard
