Oprah's Fans' Reaction to Obama

Oprah Winfrey’s influence as a strong female leader, both among African American women, women of all races across America, and beyond has done nothing but increase over the last decade.  Oprah has spent a lot of her time as the hostess of one of TV’s most popular chat shows focusing on stories of women who have suffered everything from abusive husbands to natural disasters and how they have not only survived, but rebounded from their various difficulties.

Since the core of Oprah’s strength among her many fans is built on the hope and empowerment she spreads to women in every situation, many of Oprah’s fans across the United States were shocked and dismayed when Oprah came out and not only actively endorsed Senator Barack Obama’s campaign for president in early January, but even went along with him on some of his campaign tours to Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Apparently many of Oprah’s fans in many states are upset that Oprah is apparently choosing to throw her weight behind a rising political star simply because, in their eyes, this star is black.  This wouldn’t be a problem if the opposition candidate wasn’t a woman.  Many fans feel that Oprah should have supported Senator Clinton, because it was the first time in United States’ history that a woman had a chance at gaining the presidential chair of the country.  

Some speculated that Oprah was surprised by the acrid reaction of so many of her fans, whose comments poured in on her website, Oprah.com.  Perhaps as a result of her fans’ feelings, Oprah didn’t show up at Obama’s later campaigns.