Richard Whalen

Before Senator Barack Obama won the endorsement of the cosmic celebrity Oprah Winfrey, he was expected to do well in the January 3rd Iowa caucuses. A December 5 USA Today-Gallup Poll showed that Clinton's support had dropped to 39 percent from 50 percent, while rival Obama was up to 24 percent from 22 percent. Why not Oprah for President?

Well, no. The diva of daytime TV, with eight million daily viewers, admitted she felt like “I’m out of my pew, out of my terrain….I’m nervous.” It didn’t show. Her crowds went crazy. Thousands of women, including many who had no contact with the Obama campaign in Iowa, signed up on Oprah’s web-site for tickets to her appearances in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. More than 1,300 volunteered to spend at least four hours on the campaign. All in all, Oprah drew nearly 70,000 people over the weekend at two events in Iowa, one in South Carolina and one last night in New Hampshire. Roughly 30,000 people came to the University of South Carolina’s football stadium – a record attendance for a campaign event in that state.

The New York Post reminds us that Oprah’s endorsements have made the books of long-dead authors into best-sellers and cleared the shelves of products like Ciao Bello gelato. After she featured Dr. Phil McGraw on her show, he got his own show and his books became best sellers.

Political experts agree that celebrity endorsements usually have little influence upon voters. The big question is: will Oprah’s incredible draw transform into Obama votes? Now, no matter how well he does, the “Oprah Effect” will be the explanation.

It may not matter. We continue to hear reports that New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg intends to enter the race in March, if he perceives he can win. When the staleness of the frontrunners has depressed everyone, he could borrow Bobby Kennedy’s slogan: “They are tired and I’m fresh.