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'
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Thank you obamatruth person for showing some facts, and not just dealing in emotion, as most Oprama supporters do.
I also have major trepidation about Barack Obama because:
-he will not wear an American flag pin
-he will not put his hand over his heart during STAR SPANGLED BANNER
-he didn't do anything except raise taxes in Illinois
-his answer to America's issues is to raise taxes (I could do that, why not elect me for President?)
-the hard part is NOT raising taxes, NOT increasing Congressional spending, and Obama has no clue about approaching it that way
-he just failed to show up for the tough votes on Iran and abortion (what kind of leadership does that show?)
-he wants to "solve" all our country's social issues by simply asking rich, successful people to pay for them (NOT what our country was founded on)
-he makes inane statements such as "being related to Dick Cheney is a 'sad situation'" – oh THAT's real nice
-he doesn't want to show his hand to voters, so his method is simply to NOT SHOW UP when votes are being taken that will illustrate his record
-his supporters haven't named anything he has done EXCEPT raise taxes to provide more government handouts (he calls them "programs"- they are in fact welfare and other free stuff paid for by hard-working people to people who don't particularly care to work)
Wel;l I can tell you I am happy Oprah came....however it doesnt change my mind on Obama. It would be a wasted vote for him since he wont beat the republican in the general election.
Hey Don from San Fran, you wrote: "it's time for Obama to come out, on his own, with a clear-cut plan to meet the challenges our country faces today."
If you are unaware of Senator Obama's detailed plans and strategies, it means you're not paying attention. Go to Barackobama.com/issues it's all there! He has a great mix of inspirational generalities and nitty-gritty specifics.
Barack's got a real plan for change, while Hillary continues to vote alongside the Bush-Cheney agenda. To me, the choice is clear.
The latest poll of the state taken BEFORE Oprah hit South Carolina has the race within 2% whereas Clinton had been leading for a long time. And this could really put Obama on top.
If you think black women share more in common with white women as opposed to black men, then you are clearly white and don't get it.
Posted By Shaquan, DC : December 10, 2007 11:18 am
Shaquan,
I'm a successful black female and I don't get it. Maybe you as a black man could explain it to me. Obama is too inexperienced to hold and effectively run the office he seeks. I would not vote for a 4th grader as senior class president. This is what I equate a vote for Obama to be. Maybe I would vote for him in 8 years, but not now.
**AND**
Learn to loose graciously.
Posted By Maria, Houston : December 10, 2007 11:16 am
Please learn exactly which words to use in your post or you will appear VERY uneducated. The correct word is LOSE not loose. "How dare are you"...what does that mean? Please, if you want to support Obama, learn some grammar. It will make you look as if you are educated and even-tempered, and not a blubbering idiot.
Obama helped to deliver the first significant campaign finance reform law in Illinois in 25 years. He brought law enforcement groups around to back legislation requiring that homicide interrogations be taped and helped bring about passage of the state’s first racial-profiling law. He was a chief sponsor of a law enhancing tax credits for the working poor, played a central role in negotiations over welfare reform and successfully pushed for increasing child care subsidies (NYT, 7/30/07). As a Chicago community organizer, Obama notched accomplishments ranging from job-training programs to a successful attempt to improve city services at the Altgeld Gardens housing project, chaired a voter-registration drive that helped carry Illinois for Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton in 1992 and led an effort to acquire state money for a dropout prevention program that still operates today (any Obama bio you can find online). So to those who want to criticize Obama by saying that he's too green, that he did nothing for the people of Illionos or doesn't know how to lead, maybe you should think about addressing whatever your personal issues are that allow you to make such blatant falsehoods. It's a shame that more people don't know how to share in a dialogue on the issues without trying to manipulate others with some form of fear-based "hyperbole." Wow!, how Bush/Cheney like is that.
your level of naivete is appalling, if you wanna accuse oprah of making this a race issue then accuse chuck norris who is for huckabee and barbara streisand who is for hillary just to be fair to obama, but nah that aint gon happen because you thrive on your ignorance, racist thinking, feeling and comments, oprah is free to choose who to support, just because she is a mega star and she chooses obama now thats all about race? f.y.i he is of mixed race, half white, half black, since you are all about race, how are you sure oprah isnt supporting his white side? lol
can Oprah help him win the electoral college and keep the Republicans out of the White House.
I think not.
Oprah is supporting Obama because he's the most inspirational candidate (which is usually the first thing she looks for before endorsing anything/anyone), and because she believes that he can effectuate real, positive change in Washington unlike any other candidate running. Would those of you throwing the race card around embrace the silly notion that all of HRC’s white supporters are only backing her because she's white, or that women are only backing her because she's a woman? How about showing some intellectual evolution and stop the hate-mongering. And for those of you who believe that Obama can't win because of the tired, ill-conceived arguments that he's not experienced enough or tough enough, do the math. Obama has more elected years in office than HRC and more practical years working in the community at a grassroots level on issues affecting everyday Americans. His stated aggressive policies towards terrorism along with his forward-thinking diplomacy approach were once ridiculed and then embraced by foreign policy experts and military officials alike ("google" and do the research). Considering Obama's weathered HRC's petty, below-the-belt and comical attacks on him with flying colors, I think it's safe to say that he's more than capable of withstanding any right-wing Republican shots. Here's the bottomline that folks should be focusing on. Can HRC get elected with her high negatives? Yes, but it won't be with a 50+1 majority but more than likely something closer to a 46-43 edge at best. With that kind of deficient win, HRC will not be able to govern or lead effectively because of the animus and distrust she generates from those "red states" and the other side of the isle that will bog down the legislative process in even nastier partisanship. That's why Obama's maturity, intelligence, vision, and skills as a proven leader, coupled with his broader appeal over HRC and lack of combustible "political baggage," will allow him to do just as he says as President of the United States… bring both sides of the aisle and independents together to address and find solutions for the vital issues facing our country.
Hey...no one on this or any other board is getting someone to change their vote by posting trash. People have the right to express their opinions and vote as they please.
My opinion is I would NEVER vote for Hillary Clinton because of her character.
I question any woman who calls herself a leader and puts up with a man (Bill) who has repeatedly disrespected her, their marriage and their daughter.
A woman like that either has real self esteem issues or a real selfish political agenda that requires staying in such a relationship. Either way, her judgement is suspect and she's not presidential material to me.
BARACK OBAMA 2008
HONESTY, INTEGRITY, WISDOM & STATESMANSHIP!
Eyz....
Since you are so educated on the accomplishments of Obama, please educate the rest of us on why exactly he has missed approximately 70-80% of the critical votes while in the legislature and Senate? Are making decisions on important issues not important to Obama? Or is he missing the courage to take a stand on something and show it with actions, not just empty words? I need some more education from an Obama person on this to help me decide about his credentials.....
Thanks.
It is rather puzzling that Ms. Winfrey is supporting Mr. Obama. Oprah Winfrey has built an empire by making shrewd, intelligent and informed choices and now this…very strange. Obviously Mr. Obama is not the right person for the job and one must question Ms. Winfrey’s judgment. What does she hope to gain?
As Oprah gets older the more I see that I truly do not like who she really it. No white children in her African school, Supporting Obama (surely based on skin) and the muted racist comments. If Obama were white, Oprah would not be supporting him, nor would she be supporting Clinton. Voting should be based on the candidates ability to lead our country whether Black or white and our votes should not be influenced by anyone society deems to be GREAT. Maybe Oprah should run for president. I personally will not vote for anyone who does not fit the bill and definately not for anyone who slaps our country in the face with the failure to site our state pledge. The Oprah stance is to win the votes of Women and blacks – We need equalism not racism!!
Please tell me why anyone would make such an important decision on whom to vote for at this juncture in our history based on what Oprah Winfrey says...
This is so absolutely awesome!!! What a great time in my political history! Take it all the way, Barack!! Thanks Oprah, you were - what can I say - brilliant for Barack!!!!!
Eyz,
Your second post.....who started the negative attacks? Not Clinton now did she? You of course will say that Barack did not attack.. he just asked her to clarify her positions or take a position.... but it is an attack when she states her position and he then chooses not to accept it and instead says things like she has no integrity, she is not being "honest"... etc... those are attacks no matter how you try to twist it. (the funny thing is that the one example that is most clear is the drivers license issue where he "attacked" her and then the following debate he gave almost the same answer as she had two weeks before... so it was an attack wasn't it?)
So, now that she is responding to the attacks (which I don't agree with but can understand) you Obama supporters start crying that she is "dirty"? Signs of immaturity now isn't it? Kind of childish behavior isn't it?
And I still do not understand how Obama supporters can say he has more experience in politics? He has missed about 70-80% of the requested votes on important issues since his time in politics? Is that doing his job? Is that leadership? take a stand or position on something to try to make a difference, change, and hope? I don't see it that way... I think it is lack of courage to make change.....
Not that he cannot mature into a great leader... but the time is not right now... I do believe we need someone who is capable of making the changes NOW that we have to have as a result of the mess the current administration has created....
I don't know who is best to do that, but I don't see it as Obama right now....
And yes, I have read his website, the only difficulty I have is his ability to recite half of what is written there when asked at a debate or at one of his appearances.. so not sure he really understands his own words (or whoever the words are from) on his website so I have hard time trusting them...(actions speak louder than words)
I am very impressed by Obama. He voted no on the war. If anyone is trying to claim that Hillary has experience because she was the First Lady then explain that vote. Obama can win the presidency. Hillary has higher negatives than any other candidates. There are many Democrats that are very concerned that they will lose if Hillary is on the ticket. They are already running ads against Senator Mary Landreau comparing her to Hillary. We need to have the faith and courage to make the right choice.
I agree with Ike Woodbridge, when he suggests that Obama may not win the presidency and votes cast for him will result in a Republican President in '08. The best opportunity that Democrats have to ensure a win in the White House in '08 would probably be to vote for Hillary. I hate to pick sides between the two, but you have to in order to make a calculated decision.
I'm reminded of the presidential election which pitted Gore against Bush and Nader. I feel like we lost significant votes for Gore, because so many people voted for Nader as a means of sending a message. That message fell on deaf ears and Bush was elected.
We need to be mindful of what we are doing as a voting population. I would LOVE to see Obama as president, but I'm skeptical as to the number of voters he will actually receive when it's time to vote.
Oprah is backing this candidate simply because he is black. Where I am from that is called racism.
Tom, NY, NY
You are either ignorant or a liar. This link shows how many votes were missed by all candidates:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/110/senate/vote-missers/
As you can see, McCain (54.1%), Biden (35.8%), and Dodd (34.4%) all missed more votes than Obama (34.1%). Hillary (19.0%) did not have to miss as many votes early on because she had name recognition and did not have to campaign as much early on.
The missing votes issue is a NON-ISSUE. None of these candidates have missed votes that would have had an impact on legislation. Unfortunately, campaigning is a necessary evil.
When reading these blogs, I find it interesting than many Clinton supporters post anti-Obama messages that are emotionally filled with rhetoric but no substance (sometimes to the point of racist hatred). Whereas, Obama supporters talk directly about issues, list FACTUAL stats and are more than ready to debate about who is ready to be the next president.
Obama will be able to beat Republicans in the general election. He is already taking on one of the most powerful attack machines there is.
Obama '08
Tom, New York – The figures you quote actually are for a two month period beginning in September 2007 (Sen. Barack Obama has missed the most votes of any Democratic presidential hopeful in the Senate over the last two months, including a vote on an Iran resolution he has blasted Sen. Hillary Clinton for supporting. CNN.com, 11/2/07). No argument on the facts and as far as the Iran resolution, Obama has admitted that he made a mistake in not getting back for the vote but he was on record for not supporting the resolution prior to the vote. All of the presidential candidates have missed votes during their campaigning and most folks accept and understand that, which is why it hasn't been a significant issue for most. As far as Obama's record in the Illinois legislature and the U.S. Senate overall, all you have to do is read what's listed here and check out the U.S. Senate official site to see what issues he's voted on and compare those votes to Senator Clinton. After you do your research, let's compare notes.
I would like to respectfully respond to Ike from Virginia. My 1st impression of your comments led me to believe your assessment of this contest is based on a pre-existing preference for Hillary Clinton. I pray that is your position, otherwise I fear you along with too many of my African-American brothers suffer from this lack of self-esteem, and self-defeatism that had so many of us actually resisting the Civil Rights movement in the early 1960's. If this is the case, you are the EXACT target of Michele Obama's "Wake Up" comment. As an African-American myself I say this.... if you are allowing Bacack's ethnicity to become SCARED of the republican party, then please keep that to yourself so that your cowardice doesn't infect anyone else, please.
1. IF Oprah had indorsed Hillary, the Media would have covered EVERY SINGLE MOMENT of Oprah and Hillary’s interactions. (Excluding only them going to the bathroom).
2. A MAJOR plus for Obama and he should be getting Media coverage. This is BIG!
3. Seems the only way Oprah would not get some ort of criticism for who her 1st Presidential endorsement. Is if Oprah had backed a white male.
4. Oprah backing any white male would have been haled a major accomplishment for that white male candidate.
5. The negative comments all seem from jealousy and hatred.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/02/opinion/02rich.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
I love Oprah,and if she was running, I would for sure vote for her.But I will not vote foe Obamma,he seems inexperienced. Being an independent,I am listening closely between Clinton,and Huckabee.