It had to be a special moment for Illinois Senator Barack Obama to peer into the Meadowlands of Oprah Winfrey’s estate and realize that the crush of celebrities and sports figures were there to give money to his campaign. About $3 million in realization in the first election that the queen of television has openly supported throughout her career.
It isn’t all about the money, although the three mil is nice, but the backing of one of the most influential women in television can go along way towards a successful campaign. While her personal donation is limited to just $4,600, $2,300 for the primary and another $2,300 for the general election, there is nothing preventing her from forming an “O for Obama” 527 fund through which to channel donations. The same type of fund was generated by the Swift Boat Captains to sink the election boat of John Kerry.
She is also free to appear in campaign advertisements and the possibility is ever present that her participation in the campaign can send a loud message not only to the viewers of her daily talk show but also to the subscribers to her magazine, to her website and for the daily tidbits she sends out to subscribers of her email newsletter.
Whether her popularity and support of Obama will be seen as a positive belief in the candidate or as an attempt to use her money and influence to buy an election can only be determined by her fans and detractors. According to USA Election Polls (USAElectionPolls.com), Obama is trailing Senator Clinton by 20%. He is doing best in Georgia and California and is expected to continue to be a frontrunner in the race.
