To Oprah: Shut up about Obama!

[meagain]

Right on, Marnie.

[kat8585]

You have a lot of faith in the American voter. Basically, most Americans are ignorant and like sheep. They are hero worshippers, and gullible, and many are more than happy to let Oprah do their thinking for them. I don't mean to sound cynical, but listening to college students talk and reading some of the truly dopey things people write leads me to one inescapable conclusion: we have a generation of citizens who live in a world all their own, with no clue about government at all. They are content to play their video games, suf the net, watch Oprah and cash their support checks every month.

That's why people like Oprah are dangerous, and that's why Christians, especially, should take note. Of course she can say what she wants, when she wants and to whomever she wants. To answer your question, NO, we don't have to "accept" anybody, if by that you mean we have to condone what they say or let it pass without comment. We are all judged by the words we speak and public figures are open to scrutiny. Perhaps, if Christians had been more proactive 35 years ago, we wouldn't be debating the merits of Roe V Wade today.

You are so right. We are a nation of sheeple. David Gold, talk show host, called his core audience of those who knew what was going on, 5%ers.

Hannity did a "man on the street" of college students last year before the election. Many of them identified themselves as Democrats, but couldn't answer the most basic questions, like the political science major who didn't know there was an election coming up. Fortunately, most of these won't vote. The Republicans generally could answer the questions.

Then there are first time voters who vote for candidates for really stupid reasons, like that they like his name or smile. That's really scary.

[Ovedya]

I like Oprah sometimes. Other times I find her completely obnoxious.

Think she's only supporting Obama because he's black?

Yep. He's black, educated, and actually speaks english well. What more could you ask for?

Substance.

[Marnie]

I like Oprah sometimes. Other times I find her completely obnoxious.

Think she's only supporting Obama because he's black?

Yep. He's black, educated, and actually speaks english well. What more could you ask for?

Substance.

Yeah, you, me and kat...everybody else loves the winning smile.

[MrsSealedEternal]

I like Oprah sometimes. Other times I find her completely obnoxious.

Think she's only supporting Obama because he's black?

Yep. He's black, educated, and actually speaks english well. What more could you ask for?

Substance.

It is the substance of what I have heard about some of his views that cause me concern.

[Guest]

You have a lot of faith in the American voter. Basically, most Americans are ignorant and like sheep. They are hero worshippers, and gullible, and many are more than happy to let Oprah do their thinking for them. I don't mean to sound cynical, but listening to college students talk and reading some of the truly dopey things people write leads me to one inescapable conclusion: we have a generation of citizens who live in a world all their own, with no clue about government at all. They are content to play their video games, suf the net, watch Oprah and cash their support checks every month.

That's why people like Oprah are dangerous, and that's why Christians, especially, should take note. Of course she can say what she wants, when she wants and to whomever she wants. To answer your question, NO, we don't have to "accept" anybody, if by that you mean we have to condone what they say or let it pass without comment. We are all judged by the words we speak and public figures are open to scrutiny. Perhaps, if Christians had been more proactive 35 years ago, we wouldn't be debating the merits of Roe V Wade today.

First: That one hit the target, Marnie!

There's a bike shop I go to near the main ASU campus in Tempe, AZ. I get to hear some of the things the younger folks talk about both on the bus and on the way to the bike shop. I'll usually try engaging a few in conversation to see where the Lord leads. Many (not all) seem only concerned about themselves or at best a very small circle of "friends". It's really hard to find anyone who is willing to have a regular conversation any more as most have Ipod's implanted in their ears. An old pastor who has since gone home to Jesus called it "going through life with blinders on." Anything outside of their immediate social group and they have no idea -- most dangerous is that they don't seem to care.

[LossForWords]

"SHEEPLE!!"

There's my chuckle for the evening.

Thank you Kat.

[LossForWords]

The winning smile and the dancing...

Bill Clinton went on MTV, played his sax, and had an entire generation behind him.

I saw Obama on Ellen, he was dancing, (poorly I might add)...so now he has the black vote and the homosexual vote? Geesh.

I'd cast my vote for Fred Thompson, however, I don't think he'll even make it on the Republican ballet. That's another fear...like Marnie said, I'm afraid my generation will look to the more public Republican like Guiliani...not because he has the best values or what not, but because we all remember him as mayor during 9-11. He's the trendy pick, so might as well put him in office.

[redwing]

WITH less than a week until Iowa's first vote is cast in the 2008 presidential election, the politicians aren't the only ones feeling the heat: Celebrities, who have become important players in the political fundraising process, are under increasing pressure to campaign for their favorite candidates in the early caucus and primary states.

But how a star -- particularly a supernova -- responds isn't always a simple matter of "yes" or "no." With the exception of Oprah Winfrey, who's been working the trail with mixed results for Democrat Sen. Barack Obama, most of the A-listers have opted to stay out of the spotlight for now. (Chuck Norris, who has campaigned everywhere for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Republican candidate, occupies a planet of his own.)

Although it's true that rallies featuring Winfrey in Iowa and South Carolina have drawn some of the biggest crowds of the campaign so far, Obama's people won't know whether they also triggered a backlash until election day.

Winfrey's website has been buzzing for weeks with angry postings about her involvement in the Illinois senator's campaign, something Hollywood, which always keeps its eye on the public mood, is bound to notice -- this is a town, after all, that measures success by weekly grosses and daily TV ratings.

One posting on her site, Oprah.com, accused the talk diva of being a traitor. (By Thursday, that message string had attracted more than 12,000 views.) Another poster told Winfrey to "stop pushing Obama down our throats." (There were 3,000 hits logged on that one.) Another said: "Do you really know Barack Hussein Obama? Scary & something we have to take into consideration!" (There were more than 4,000 views for that.)

"First of all I want to say that I am a HUGE Oprah fan," one poster wrote. "I love what she stands for. She is a strong woman changing the world. However, I have been extremely disappointed with her recent touring with Barack Obama. It is a manipulation and an abuse of her power and influence on the American culture.

"Let the American people form their own opinion, Oprah."

Since Winfrey announced over the summer that she was supporting Obama, more than 25,000 views of more than 345 separate discussions -- almost all of them centering on the campaign -- have been roiling along in the local and world news section of her website. By comparison, there were eight discussions going in recent weeks on the issue of global warming, which had generated about 1,100 views.

From the beginning, Hollywood A-listers have seen the potential for this kind of blow-back.

George Clooney, who also supports Obama and is a longtime friend of the senator, has been reluctant to campaign in person, not because he's worried about the effect on his film career but because experience has taught him that a celebrity's presence can hurt a candidate.

In a dinner-party conversation in Rome recently, Clooney said that Obama's people have been urging him to go out on the trail. "I've told them that having me out there would hurt more than help. I know they don't see it that way."

He added: "I didn't even campaign for my own father." (Ultimately his father, newscaster Nick Clooney, who ran for Congress as a Democrat in Kentucky several years ago, ended up losing his bid. His Republican opponent blasted him for having "Hollywood values.")

Several months ago, producer Mike Medavoy had a blunt assessment of celebrity endorsements: "Who cares?"

This week, however, he announced that he was going with Obama. "I've been looking for a leader who, above all, will lead by example," Medavoy blogged on Huffington Post. For the record: Medavoy's wife, Irena, is a huge Obama fan and fundraiser. His endorsement may win him more points at home in Beverly Park than it does votes for Obama in Iowa.

A few others hitting the trail this holiday season include singer Bonnie Raitt and actor Tim Robbins (for former Sen. John Edwards, a North Carolina Democrat) and Magic Johnson (strong for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a New York Democrat).

Hollywood publicist Howard Bragman sees celebrity involvement as a good thing: It gets people thinking and talking about the campaign and reminds them they need to vote.

"The overall effect can be very powerful," Bragman said. "Let's be clear. I don't think endorsements can win a race, but it can catapult a candidate into a position where they have the ability to win."

But he also sounded a note of caution: Don't overdo it. "Celebrities can be seen as carpetbaggers," Bragman said.

Brad Pitt is following Clooney's lead in keeping a low profile: Although friends say Pitt has been leaning toward Obama, he has made it clear publicly that he has not made up his mind and won't be doing any campaigning soon. (He's also partnering with producer Steve Bing, an influential Clinton supporter, in an effort to rebuild New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward.)

Pitt told CNN's Larry King last month that he's "still listening," which is apparently what a lot of voters are doing.

(It's been decades since either party had a clear front-runner at this point, making this election a Hobbesian nightmare of all-against-all.)

Pitt, always willing to think outside the box, jokingly suggested to another interviewer that maybe Clooney should run for president. And if he doesn't want the job, perhaps Ben Affleck would be a good second choice.

Isn't that the story of both their careers?

LATIMES

Free speach gives you the right to tell oprah to shut up and it also gives her the right to speak as well. I am not an Obama supporter. Pray for her instead!

george clooney did in fact appear with his dad, nick,at two rallys in northern ky.. one of the reasons nick lost his bid for office, was, in his own words,his stand on gun control. you don't tell ky. voters how many guns they can have are how much ammo you can buy.

[Arthur Durnan]

Obama & Winfrey for President & Vice-President respectively of.....................

......the Caribbean Paradise of CUBA!!

http://arthurdurnan.freeyellow.com