Commentary: The Obama-Winfrey Ticket

Apparently there were two different events with Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama in Des Moines on December 8th: the one I attended and the one the television media witnessed. One reporter said Obama supporters stood for two hours waiting for their candidate to speak. Yet, the doors to Hy-Vee Hall opened at 2:30 in the afternoon and the event was over by 4:20. Michelle Obama talked for about five minutes. Winfrey talked for about ten minutes. The presidential candidate spoke for about 30 minutes.

What Winfrey said about the candidate and what the candidate said about the two women is exactly the reason why I started Leading Voices: Iowa. Winfrey used power words to describe Barack Obama. She spoke of “citizenship,” “strength,” “conviction,” and “honor.” In contrast, Obama said that as he grew to know more about Winfrey, he saw the “more spectacular and wonderful her soul is.” As for his wife, Obama said Michelle “fortunately is too smart to be president. She’d rather tell the president what to do.” Later he commented on Winfrey’s “courage” for stepping outside of her comfort zone and supporting a political candidate. This is language that women hear repeatedly.

Women are told they are brave just for supporting a candidate, implying they don’t need to be the candidate. Women are told they are smarter and praised because they don’t run for political office. Women are told they have (nurturing) souls. Yet women tell men they have strength and citizenship and conviction so they win the women’s vote. Hey, Barack, why don’t you tell us how you appreciate Michelle staying close to your daughters while you fly all over the country talking to the wealthy men who first pulled you into this presidential contest? Michelle, why don’t you explain why you chose to stay close to home to be with your daughters and let your husband take the political lead instead of running for office yourself? Oprah, why don’t you conduct a self-interview on your show about all the times you undoubtedly had to step outside of your comfort zone to build the business you’ve created and to use your own story to help girls and women around the world?

A second television reporter said that Hy-Vee Hall was packed. The campaign itself claimed 18,500 people attended the event. Volunteers with and precinct captains for the Obama campaign were seated where television cameras could capture them. Everybody else was left to sit on low-rise bleachers or to remain standing. Yet, there was plenty of room inside the hall to move around and after the event started there were also several seats to be found.

Iowans were used by the campaign with little payback. The campaign had people telling attendees in line waiting to enter the hall that they had to have their ticket stubs filled out before reaching the hall. It was obviously a tool to add to the campaign’s contact lists but it came across as authoritarian. In contrast, as people headed to the exits after Obama spoke, the staff haplessely waved clipboards trying to sign up more supporters. Several people attended hoping to make up their minds about whom to support. However, the advantage Iowans are supposed to have in making the first roster cut, i.e., the question-and-answer period, was not part of this event. Voters who caught the show at home, i.e., the national audience, had a better view of Winfrey than people at Hy-Vee Hall and the shortness of her speech didn’t warrant spending gas money to attend.

M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa.