December 10th, 2007
08:15 AM ET
11 years ago
Oprah rocks crowd in South Carolina
Watch the entire 20 minute address by Oprah Winfrey to a packed stadium in South Carolina.
(CNN) - Talk show host and media mogul Oprah Winfrey told a crowd of nearly 30,000 gathered in Columbia, South Carolina Sunday that she was “stepping out” of her normal setting because she’d been “inspired” by Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois.
"I've never done this before," Winfrey told the crowd, as she introduced the Democratic White House hopeful. "I've never done it before because in the past I've been disappointed by politicians."
Watch Winfrey's entire 20-minute stadium address.
Earlier: Oprah and Obama hit South Carolina football stadium
Related video: Obama: 'We're doing it'
- CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart
From CNN Politics
- Jack Daniel's says a dog toy company is ripping off its brand. What will the Supreme Court say?
- 10 Cards Charging 0% Interest Until 2024
- Grand jury indictments, explained
- US flying surveillance drones farther south over Black Sea after collision with Russian fighter jet, officials say
- US to send Patriot missile systems and tanks to Ukraine faster than originally planned
- Bruce Springsteen, Gladys Knight among group honored at the White House
My fellow Democrats, in as much as I like to see Obama become the first black president of the United States as a black man, I know that a vote for him is a wasted vote. Republicans are very excited about what is going on in the Democratic party right now. They are waiting around, hoping that Obama would win the nomination so that they could rip him apart as soon as the nomination is over. Fellow Democrats, we need to wisen up here. The only true chance we have in 08 is in Hilarry Clinton.
As an Obama supporter this is great news. 30,000! That's awesome. I know most were there to see Oprah, but still it gives Obama great face time. I won't comment about the she devil, but I hope you HRC lovers can read between the lines....I can....see ya'll in November 2008..
OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A MUST READ FOR ANY OPRAHBAMA groupie
http://www.obamatruth.org/
FIVE REASON NOT TO SUPPORT OPRAHBAMA
1. OPRAH AND OBAMA SWITCHED PLACES. (Surly not the leader)
2. Obama has ZERO foreign policy experience, infact no leadership experience
3. Refusing to show up and vote in the senate on Iran, Abortion measures
4. Seeking a trillion-dollar tax hike and raising the retirement age for Social Security!!!!
5. Not in favor of a health care plan to cover all children rich or poor.
Oprah's speach is about 10x better than any of those running for office.. funny how that is!
i dont get it opra's not backing a woman strange.so shes not backing a woman,or a republican. so what does that say. shame on you opra.
Oprah hasn't told me just what to read, only suggested! She surely won't tell me how to vote!
Obama is a great guy that is not quite ready to be the leader of the Free World! Give him time to gain more experience! (Like 2016)
Will Oprah help Obama win the electoral college in Florida? Tennessee? Ohio? Pennsylvania?
I think not.
A vote for Obama is a vote for whatever knucklehead the Republicans put on the ballot in the general election.
Oprah was very inspiring, and she made a good case for Obama. I especially like how she really challenged people with the notion that the time for Obama is RIGHT NOW, not four or eight years down the road for him to gain "experience." He is ready now, and there has never been a President quite like him before.
Clinton 2008
Obama 2016
Make the right choices Dems, if we want power for the next 16 years.
My fellow Democrats, in as much as I like to see Obama become the first black president of the United States as a black man, I know that a vote for him is a wasted vote. Republicans are very excited about what is going on in the Democratic party right now. They are waiting around, hoping that Obama would win the nomination so that they could rip him apart as soon as the nomination is over. Fellow Democrats, we need to wisen up here. The only true chance we have in 08 is in Hilarry Clinton.
^^^I think you have it the wrong way, they mention nothing of Obama. The Republicans say Hillary's name just as much as they say 911
Well, he had a chance for my vote...until Oprah showed up. I believe she will hurt rather than help his campain.
It's really sad that Obama needs Oprah in order to win.
I can think of a few reasons for Oprah coming out of her auto-imposed "neutrality" and backing this guy...
but.... does it really matters??? her support does not change the fact that he is EMPTY... that his speeches are just about hope, about "change" about....well, about nothing else, since he does not spend any time telling us how does he plans to do things....
tha fact is that faith ALONE will not save us... we need concrete steps to achieve the 'change'.....
HOW do you plan to change America, Mr. Obama???? Do you have the resources to do it???? Do you have the right people to help you, or do you depend on your 'groupies' ???
Some people complaint about the empty rethorics of politicians.... but – the way I see it, playing with people's emotions (e.i. : using hope/fear as the base of your plan) is not any better.....
This "experience" argument is getting old. The top Dem with Exec experience is Bill Richardson. The top Dem in terms of foreign policy is Joe Biden. If "experience" is realy important to you, you should be supporting one of them. Though "experience" didn't do us much good with Cheney and Rumsfeld leading the way.
And Ike, don't have such a defeatist attitude. Any Dem who wins the nomination CAN get elected. The person with the toughest road would be Hillary. Almost half the country has already made up their mind NOT to vote for her. The same is not true of Obama who polls as very likeable.
As for Oprah's appearance, it will be interesting to see if it has any effect in the polls.
"I know I haven't spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I've been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change.
The genius of our founders is that they designed a system of government that can be changed. And we should take heart, because we've changed this country before."
– Barack Obama, Springfield, IL Feb.10, 2007.
THAT is INSPIRING!
I heard Oprah’s spiel. America should not buy it. She's an egomaniac like Obama. Oprah can draw a crowd because her presence is hypnotic. I was even starting to like Obama and I’m a Clinton supporter. What breaks the hypnosis is the fact that America JUST DOESN’T NEED OBAMA to be the leader of the free world. He won’t change a thing. Oprah’s stump sounded better than Obama’s.
Americans should not let Oprah tell them how to vote. She can tell us what bath towels to choose, but when it comes to the CHANGE WE NEED we might want to listen carefully to Hillary Clinton.
Wow, how ironic. "obamatruth" is a liar.
"1. OPRAH AND OBAMA SWITCHED PLACES. (Surly not the leader)"
I don't even know what this means. So whatever.
"2. Obama has ZERO foreign policy experience, infact no leadership experience"
This is simply not true. He's a member of the Senate Foreign Relations committee for Pete's sake. He co-wrote the Lugar-Obama act that helps nations keep track of dangerous weapons so they don't fall into the hands of terrorists and criminals. He also sponsored the Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act.
"3. Refusing to show up and vote in the senate on Iran, Abortion measures"
The Iran vote was widely popular, his vote would've done nothing to prevent it passing–but campaigning for the presidency could help him make sure the drumbeat of war stops. I've no idea what abortion votes you're talking about, but every presidential candidate currently in the Senate has missed the majority of their votes while campaigning. This is disingenuous at worst.
"4. Seeking a trillion-dollar tax hike and raising the retirement age for Social Security!!!!"
That trillion-dollar tax-hike line is a lie. Obama never proposed completely eliminating the cap on pay-roll taxes, which is where that trillion-dollar figure comes from. He said he advocates raising it, but he has never "sought" anything resembling a trillion-dollar tax increase. And tell me, when has he advocated raising the retirement age? I know he said all options are on the table, but he also specifically said that he things that raising the retirement age is the wrong answer.
"5. Not in favor of a health care plan to cover all children rich or poor."
Again, this is a lie. Obama's plan rests on providing healthcare that's affordable to every single American, and it includes a measure to mandate insurance for children.
So out of five points, we have three outright lies, one misleading statement, and one piece of nonsense. Fantastic. This post actually made me *more* eager to vote for Obama, just because liars and idiots don't want me to.
For the record, I'm supporting either Obama or Biden, but I have nothing against the rest of the Democratic field and will happily vote for any of them.
Yes, let's look at the truths about Obama.
1. Not even sure what you are talking about.
2. As a person with an MBA degree, I have read many books on leadership. Leadership can be developed through a variety of experiences. You DON'T have to be a mayor or governor to be President. Great leaders surround themselves with other leaders. This was seen in Obama's foreign policy forum, where he was surrounded by brilliant foreign policy advisors (including some of B. Clinton's advisors).
3. Obama did NOT refuse to show up to the senate vote on Iran or abortion. Harry Reid told them the vote on Iran was suspended, Obama left to campaign, and then Harry Reid called the vote not giving Obama enough time to return to the Senate to vote. Harry Reid's son is the chairperson for the Clinton campaign in Nevada. Regarding the abortion measures, the strategy was devised by the leader of Planned Parenthood in Illinois, for which she says Obama showed great leadership.
4. It is not a three-trillion dollar tax hike. The income level to be taxed for social security is already going to be increased from $97k to $106k. He has said that he would be in favor of extending that further, if needed. If that is needed and what the tax implications would be are not yet able to be determined. The three-trillion dollar number is a figure thrown out to generate fear, but is baseless.
5. Obama is in favor of a healthcare plan to cover all. He just does not want to include a mandate. Other candidates have included a mandate, but they don't say how they will force people to purchase health insurance. Obama is not in favor of a mandate that could create criminals out of people who are the border and still can't afford health insurance. Obama's plan is to make sure that Everybody CAN afford insurance.
Don't trust the fearmongers out there.
Obama '08
The only reason Oprah is backing Obama is because she does not want Hillary to be President as Oprah wants to be the most important "female" in the United States. This is just a cat fight.
Experience is NOT a measure of how great a president can be. JUDGEMENT IS!!
As a Hillary supporter, I'm very excited to have Oprah stumping for Obama. I really like Oprah, and think she did an excellent job of bringing the crowd to Obama. Sadly, he didn't capitalize. His speech afterwards was so awkward, so disjointed and his deferential tone (to Oprah) made it more believable that She (not He) was running for office. He doesn't have it together now and I find it impossible he will for our 2008 hopes.
Oprah has some clout over people. I wonder why; truly I do. I have to say that I have not watched much of her show. I will say of her endorsement of Obama like I have said of other celebrity endorsements of other candidates; it is our responsiblity to do our research about the candidates ourselves. That means watching the debates, reviewing the material that they have on their websites just to start. Remember, if you don't vote, you shouldn't complain. I voted in many elections which is why I am some what irritated that more people don't vote.
FIVE REASON NOT TO SUPPORT OPRAHBAMA
1. OPRAH AND OBAMA SWITCHED PLACES. (Surly not the leader)
2. Obama has ZERO foreign policy experience, infact no leadership experience
3. Refusing to show up and vote in the senate on Iran, Abortion measures
4. Seeking a trillion-dollar tax hike and raising the retirement age for Social Security!!!!
5. Not in favor of a health care plan to cover all children rich or poor.
Please don't post lies like this. Your first charge is just ridiculous. On the second point, Obama's specialization in college was international relations, and he also is on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
As far as number three goes, yes, he missed the vote on the Kyl-Lieberman Amendment, but he didn't "refuse to show up." The vote was announced after he had already left Washington for a debate later that day. The vote took place about 40 minutes after it was scheduled, so there was no way for him to make it on time even if he had tried.
Obama does not support raising the retirement age, he supported lifting the cap on what earnings are taxed for Social Security.
Lastly, his healthcare plan does cover all children, coverage is mandated for children as with Edwards' and Clinton's plans. He doesn't mandate coverage for adults.
If you have legitimate complaints about a candidate, that's fine. What you posted is a list of lies and distortions.
Ike from VA – the ONLY way to deal with that perception is to change it by VOTING for our candidate. People should not be led by FEAR, and not voting for Barack based on what you said is making a choice by fear.
Obamatruth- You are clueless.
– He is on the foreign relations committee in the SENATE and has visited 32 countries as a delegate from US.
– As a citizen he has traveled to many countries, his family is diverse and he has worked hard with the poor, been part of the working class and understands through life experiences what is going on in the country.
– He is not looking to change the retirement age, he is primarily looking at should people stop paying SS taxes at $97,000 – Bill Gates is all paid up within 4 hours on Jan. 1st.
– His healthplan is more for children, and adults are given a choice because the bottom line is you can't force or mandate grown people (HRC & JE)!
Try getting the truth first and dispute the true facts before speaking.
It is better to be thought a fool, then to open your mouth or in your case blog and remove all doubt.
Pretty sad if Oprah has the power to convince any one of us re who we vote for...this is about our lack of judgement and her abuse of her power.