Oprah's ex-fans trash her support for Obama over a woman

Well, Ticket readers gave each other an earful -- or eyeful -- in the last 24 hours over Oprah Winfrey, her endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination, her perceived declining popularity, religious views and what many called the increasing irrelevance of her widely-viewed daily TV show.

"Oprah has been sliding not only because of her suport of Obama but her show has became a religion," Keith wrote. "She has let everyone know how new age she is and that turns a lot of Christians off. She is not as entertaining."

"I think she felt compelled to come out and support someone just so she could get her name out in the media for more than what the latest book club joke was," Bruzilla added. "She's been on her way out for several years now."

Wednesday morning, The Ticket published a detailed item, since read by hundreds of thousands, that told of a study compiling Winfrey's declining popularity after she announced her backing of Obama last year, her first entry into politics after more than two decades of national TV popularity that created a personal fortune of about $2.5 billion.

The conclusion was that Winfrey, who's not exactly in danger of unemployment, may be paying a higher price for her political involvement than the benefit she provided Obama by drawing large rally crowds for him in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

"I never watch daytime TV," Sam admitted, "but if the women in my family are any measure, this drop in popularity is correct. They are a mix politically, mostly moderate but they were all big Oprah fans. They felt she was above the politics of the day.

"Now they all, every one of them, feel she sold out and they no longer watch her, at least so they say. I know my wife now watches 'Ellen' when she is home at that time. I also know that my sister-in-law posted her anger on the Oprah website. Don't make light of this, I think it is true."

Many, even most critics, defended her right to ....

political opinions, but they appeared offended to have them imposed on their entertainment, even though Winfrey has used her celebrity, not the show, to promote Obama.

The talk-show hostess, whose book recommendations turn them into instant bestsellers, did get some support among Ticket readers. "Oprah had the guts to go out on the limb because the other two candidates would be a disaster for this country and she knows it," said Mike.

Two strong strains appeared in the more than 200 comments left by readers. They involved religion and politics. Many had watched her precisely because she appeared apolitical. "I used to watch Oprah faithfully, " Sherry Jones wrote. "But once she came out backing Obama I have refused to watch any of her shows, even the one on Sundays. Ellen has filled that niche nicely, until she too, gets politicky."

Jean speculated that Oprah herself "is looking for a spot in politics now, getting tired of crying on the blabber show." Bronte felt there were a variety of factors contributing to the decline in viewers of Winfrey, who formerly attended the same Trinity United Church of Christ as Obama with its controversial pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

"Adding the evilness of Wright, and the petulance of Michelle, with the inability of Barack to tell those who are doing him harm to 'pipe down,' that figure could go higher. It was her decision, and she made it. However, in retrospect, she may have precipitated her own demise as Queen of TV."

"Maybe," Nina speculated, "Oprah is just boring. All that new age garbage, the badly written books, the 'its all about ME' attitude put me off long ago. I like Obama. It's Oprah who I wish would shut up and go away."

There was also considerable anger expressed that someone women regarded as a feminist would so eagerly support a male candidate over his Democratic opponent, another woman. "As someone that used to be a fan of Oprah's," Diane said, "I can attest to being in the group that no longer listens to or watches Oprah.

"She spent her entire career promoting women, yet for the first time in history, a woman is running for prez, and she rejects Hillary for a man (I am not even a Hillary supporter and that just rubbed me wrong - how about supporting both of them since they have the same platform?). Oprah is a fraud. I lost all respect for her."

Tea added: "Why I was upset with Oprah is that she (got) her billion dollars because she had her show for WOMEN -- men did not cause her rise to fame. Women backed her, supported. She knows better than anyone the struggles women have to be treated equally and fairly and she jumped right into Obama's arms telling us he could walk on water."

"I may forgive her for being a liberal," Lynn wrote, "but when she messed with God, she went too far. What's next for the book club? L. Ron Hubbard?"

And, perhaps alas for the growth of Winfrey's still-considerable broadcast audience, Kathy was far from alone in her vehemence: "The support of white women made Oprah her billions. While she has every right to vote and campaign for whomever she wants, she stabbed all women in the back. She used her clout against the first viable white woman. Hope she sinks into oblivion. I will never forget."

Then there's Hokie, who put things in a different perspective by adding simply: "I couldn't care less what the non-workers are watching or feeling."

To read your own selection of the many comments, click here.

To leave your own new comment and add to the discussion, simply scroll down. We want to hear from you.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Photo credit: Joe Raymond/Associated Press

Comments

[vwcat]

I am a white, middle class 50 year old woman.
As a woman I am highly disturbed by the bully tactics of Hillary's supporters. Why should I support Hillary, who I do not care for and find untrustworthy and typically Clintonian, just because she is a woman
I dislike this mindset of woman as victim and seeing imaginary sexism around every corner.
I cannot imagine women leaders around the world who would welcome this kind of support. They would be horrified. And embarrassed.
Can you imagine Thatcher or bhutto playing the victim and crying poor me? Nancy Pelosi is the most powerful woman and would never stoop to such things and she would cringe if supporters acted this way. This is why these women gained so much respect.
Women will never gain higher office as long as they play these kind of games here in the US. It is not equality they want. whenever Hillary is treated like other candidates they cry unfair. It is only when treated special and with kid gloves do they feel she is treated right. As far as I see, they do not want equality. They want special treatment and this will not just keep talented women from gaining high office but, cause a backlash because of their out of control behavior.
Besides, isn't part of liberation making decisions for yourself and chosing who and what you want. Not be forced by others to chose when you don't like that person.
As an independent and liberated woman I chose obama and it is my right to do so.

[Rhonda Stanton]

Oprah appeals to an audience with a higher level of intelligence. She endorses books that make you think. There are no harlequin romance novels on her list. The people of average intelligence need to go watch Dr. Phil, with the rest of the trailer park crowd.

[Talajazm]

Oprah is her own woman, with her own mind, who has the right to back whomever she chooses. As all you do. But to condemn her for exercising that right is a joke. So what if a woman is running, that does not make her qualified, I don't care if her husband held the job previously. The great thing about being in America, is you have choice and can exercise those choices. As does Oprah.
As far as her "declining" viewers, twenty years is a long time to be on TV. I think she's done remarkably.

[Judy]

I don't think any celebrity should publicly endorse a candidate. There are too many people who have no thoughts of their own and take these endorsements seriously, therefore will vote for someone just because a 'celebrity' thinks that candidate is worthy.

Certainly everyone, celebs included, should vote and support their candidate but publicly KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT.

[Saltwater Jim]

This is an odd article. Oprah is on at 7pm in the west and my wife and I seldom miss the show. The authors that wrote the above article both admit and prove they do not know what they are talking about. Oprah is great. No one else is like her.

[S. Williams]

So Oprah is being criticized for engaging in Democracy and the political process? She is supposed to be "above" that?
Just so I understand, "above that" is disengagement? Or is it engagement by endorsing someone that pleases her viewers? And how does that equate to empowerment or
"truth", whether it be the New Age or Christian variety?

[mostest]

It is true that Oprah made her billions off of white women. To not support (or at a minimum be neutral) the first quailifed/viable white WOMAN running for POTUS, is a sort of like biting the Hands that feeded you. No? All for Obama's political calculation (Hillary's white women base vs. Oprah's white women base). Who win? The white woman. DUH!

[vochoa0371]

Too funny. We know Oprah made her fame and fortune due to support from the women whom watched and followed Oprah. Hey, I have no arguments against whom she decided to support for the democratic runner. It does sound like she betrayed her fans. Well, life has twists and turns. Oprah simply made a left instead of a right turn in the eyes of her fans. Like most of us know, her show and popularity will end some time. Just let it be.

[westxn]

Oprah is a backstabber in more ways than one. So are the rest of the black people who turned their backs on Hillary and have tried their damnedest to label the Clintons as racists. Their loyalties and good judgements be damned . Just as Michelle Obama put it-----------"for the first time in my adult life-----------------," and we all know the rest.

[Ben Scissors]

Because Oprah is a women she has to endorse a women? Do you people have a brain. Should I vote for McCain because he most resembles me, being the only white male canidate left?

[mary]

i feel the same way as the women in this article.
we are the ones who made oprah what she is. if she could not support hillary, if anything she should have remained neutral. i will never watch her shows again.
any of them.

[JediMom]

Oprah lost me when she said Obama was "the one" People ask me, is he the one, yes he is, he is the one. What the hell is this the Matrix or an election for POTUS? Then in LA she said, women you are free, you can vote for Obama, Thanks for the alert Oprah, here I thought I was a slave to my ovaries all these years

She can go pedal some more BS books like Frye, and spend some more time with Wright
Ellen knows she is a celebrity and not a freakin Oracle of Delphi

[Texas Democrat]

They can both move to Africa, as both of them seem more concerned with Africa and her people than America and Americans. They could be President and Vice President of Kenya. And she can supervise her 54 million dollar school over there, instead of talking about how bad the Chicago and U S schools are and not spending 54 million to try and resolve it. And Obama can take Wright with him, as Wright, and his followers ,seem to think we owe more to Africa than America as well. And Obama can run commercials in Africa with his father's side of the family. The family he ignores in his advertising in America. Yes, they should. And truthfully, the country could use their help.

[sam magee]

I can't believe that Oprah fans follow what she says. She's like "the Piered Piper". Maybe she can lead them to another country. Her fans don't seem to have a mind of their own. They're like little mice.
So sad.

[sam magee]

I can't believe that Oprah fans follow what she says. She's like "the Piered Piper". Maybe she can lead them to another country. Her fans don't seem to have a mind of their own. They're like little mice.
So sad.

[Adrianne]

I can't help but agree with many of the comments above. Oprah is so full of herself it's uncomfortable and while she has done many good things for many disadvantaged people, it always has to be "look what I did!" A true act of charity is one where you don't tell anyone about it. She put me off a long time ago with her "live your best life" b.s. I'm glad she's occasionally knocked down a peg by making claims she has no right to do.

[Me]

I thought Top of the Ticket was supposed to be a political blog, not an Oprah blog.

[AVRIL]

THIS IS TRULY UNBELIEVABLE. OPRAH IS NOT GOD, SHE IS A HUMAN BEING AND HAS THE RIGHT TO SUPPORT WHO SHE WANTS TO IN THIS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. THESE PEOPLE POSTING COMMENTS ACT AS THOUGH THEY ARE MINDLESS DROANS WHO WILL BLINDLY FOLLOW ANYONE THEY ADMIRE. VOTE AS YOU WILL AND DON'T BEGRUDGE OTHERS TO DO THE SAME. THE ONE QUOTE THAT ATTRIBUTES OPRAH'S BILLIONS TO THE SUPPORT OF WHITE WOMEN (WHETHER TRUE OR NOT) IS TOTALLY IRRELEVANT. EVEN IF THIS WERE TRUE, DOES IT MEAN THAT SHE MUST CARRY HERSELF AND MAKE DECISIONS REGARDING HER PERSONAL LIFE TO PLEASE ALL WHITE WOMEN. YOUR INSANE. THIS IS SO TYPICAL OF WHITE PEOPLE TO COMPLAIN WHEN THEY DO NOT GET THEIR WAY. I AM NOT AWARE OF HER NEW-AGE TRANSITION FROM CHRISTIANITY, BUT IF YOU ARE A TRUE CHRISTIAN YOU WOULD PRAY FOR HER TO SEE THE ERROR OF HER WAYS AND NOT JUST BAD MOUTH HER ACTIONS. COME ON, LET'S GROW UP.

[Tony]

It's annoying to hear progressive women complain that to be a feminist obligates one to vote for a woman. That's ridiculous. In fact, no single demographic group has it harder in the U.S. then black men - incarceration rates, disenfranchisement, lack of education, HIV. White women as a group have far more opportunities and power than black men - by leaps. So it strikes me as disingenuous that some feminists (and I am a feminist and a man) are complaining at the level of social consciousness. Identity politics are dying - and thank goodness.

[Skipper]

Oprah supported Obama because he is black. This is
wrong. She should have remain neutral. I guess she
has become bigheaded & think she does not need to
worry about offending her white viewers,who might
consider her to be racist.

[Yinitrus Wynn]

It must be great to be able to vote for person that best identify with you. All my life I had to choose between two white males. Most candidates did not acknowledge my needs of my government. I'm a single, AA and female, finally two candidates that can identify my needs. Both have lived in a similar world as me. So now I have to pick the person that has the best character, knowledge and want to unify this country. I understand Oprah's right to choose, she is a free woman and made her decision for her life not mine. I don't understand other women dictating her choice b/c they watched her show. Oprah doesn't use her show to make us to change our choice. Oprah loves women and their rights. Let's give her to right to choose for her life.

[Randall Richardson]

Who cares if all of the Oprah watchers leave? I have never watched Oprah, but I like her more than ever. It took nerve to do what she did. She will gain new watchers, perhaps those old suburb queens need to go to the Ellen D. show......... then they can complain about her being gay.

She said what she felt and I respect that more than some liar who says what people want to hear instead of what they feel.

Besides if she supported Clinton simply because she is a woman, that would be as bad as voting with only race as a consideration. How sexist are these Oprah watchers.

[smily]

Oprah's sold out. I occassionally catch her show at night, and find her difficult to watch now. She's become very righteous, she interrupts her guests and uses one-liners to disguise the fact she's tuned out. To top that off, there is more commercial than content. Her show will break for commercial, air for 5 minutes, then break for more commercials. She just seems like a salesperson now. All she wants to do is push product - whether that's Rachel Ray, her other enterprises, sappy books or $3000 clothes/shoes/purses in her magazine. I could forgive those things since they are harmless. Presidents are not.

[No longer watches Oprah]

I no longer will watch anything Oprah or support anything she endorses. She once had lots of fans cause she connected with us and now she is totally on a different level. Goodbye Oprah, your days as #1 are definately numbered.

[DJ]

Wow! The white women finally got it! Oprah is Black! And that has always been part of the tension in white and black social relationships- that you are acceptable as long as you don't make too big a deal out of what it means to you to be Black in america in opposition to being white here It's so much more comfortable to believe, " She thinks just like I do", to say, "Why I don't even think of her as black, she's just a woman!". Again, see sentence 1. Though, to a point, your friend (Oprah) does think like you do. But when it comes to race, - do you know, heck do you WANT to know what's going on with her? It is scary territory.

So, you folks with time at the end of the day to watch Oprah, you just can't understand how she could do it. But have you really tried to understand??? Have you listened to her reasoning? Oh yeah, that's right, she's not supposed to be Black first for once in her adult life and female second. She's not a person with a history that informs her decisions. She was only your idol when she said and did what you wanted her to say. Now with this one decision, decades of support and enjoyment and education are out the window. Unforgivable, her choice. Hmmm. I think it's more about your delusions about Black folks than anything she has done.