Sarah Palin obviously has star power. Her appearance on Oprah would be a big plus for the show. How to explain Oprah’s refusal to host Sarah Palin? I can think of two explanations either or both of which would do the trick:
1. Oprah justifiably fears that Palin would come across so much better than Obama that it would sink Obama’s boat.
2. Oprah is a racist.
We all know that Oprah is biased. She wants Obama to win in November. She can use her show how she wants. But she can’t escape the reputational consequences of running from Palin.
{ 86 comments… read them below or add one }
c’mon Blues help us out here, you big ” racists’ ” mind reader you! Surely being an expert on ‘ racists’ you can fill us in on what this woman is thinking!
3) Her candidate of choice is Obama and she doesn’t want to give airtime to another.
R- Choice 3 seems the same as 1.
Is there an “all of the above” choice?
Greta Van Susteren polled her viewers last night and 97% of 30,000 responses said Oprah was not being honest in her excuses for not having Sarah on. It’s her show, but she can’t have it both ways.
If Oprah has come out in the past in support of the “Fairness Doctrine”, yes she is being a hypocritical.
If she has opposed the “Fairness Doctrine”, then she is being true to her stance. She can have whomever she desires to grace – or not – her stage.
She doesn’t like white people and will pick a black–based not on character, but on skin color– any day of the week.
Bob { 09.06.08 at 5:37 pm } She doesn’t like white people and will pick a black–based not on character, but on skin color– any day of the week.
====================
I don’t know Oprah personally, so I have no personal ax to grind with her–in spite of the fact some guests on this blog might accuse me of such.
That said–I really do think Bob is right. She puts on a good show, she says and does all the right things (most of the time) and acts like she is really a very multi-cultural and colorblind “now” woman, but I can see through the thin veneer and agree.
If there is a black person (or even a 1/2 black person) in the running–for anything. The Oscar. The Nobel. The POTUS or VPOTUS, she’s going to sponsor, host, support (financially) or otherwise champion that person of color for that award, position, or office.
Were a major white talk-show host to do, say or fund the things and people Oprah has over the years, they would have been branded a “Racist” with a capitol “R” long ago–and might even have lost their TV show over it.
The fact that she is the almight “O”prah has put her on an entirely different plane than others and protected her from such accusations and repercussions.
I”ll grant you this–I don’t think that’s going to hold much longer. The majority of her audience is made up of over 45 (years of age) females—white ones. She has NO idea how badly her support of Obama has put off many of these women, nor how Mrs. Palin has gotten the attention of those middle aged white women in the great “O”‘s audience. Oprah offends many of these women with (seemingly) racist ideations and behaviors–and only now are many of them even realizing it. After years of watching her show, reading the books in her book club, exploring her latest causes and supporting everything “O”. Finally it is dawning on them that she doesn’t actually like them, since afterall they *are* white–but she *does* like their money.
I’m a 45 year old white “baseball/volleyball Mom” who also works full time, so I speak with some authority on this.
Jeny
PS. If she has “the great” Maya Anjelou (another black woman who does *not* like white people, especially white women) on her show just one more time, I think I will scream.
Oprah = Racist
Coming out in support of the fairness doctrine and doing it are not one and the same thing.
She had Obama on. If fairness is pretended, she needs to have his opposition on. End of story. As I said, she cannot have it both ways.
What the hey, maybe she signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Muslims — you know, like Obama’s favorite cousin, Odinga. Or maybe with Rev. Wright’s buddy, Nation of Islam top banana Louis Farrakhan, which would be the same difference, wouldn’t it? What a thought.
All blacks have an ax to grind [t'was not so long ago blacks were denied basic human rights] and will not rest untill that ax is ground down, down. The ax is white folks. The motive? pay back.
Forgiveness? Not in their mindset. Most of their leaders have to hate white people to be accepted as a black leader.
Oprah is clearly racist.
She is a Democrat and yet she did not even want to host Hillary because it could hurt her idol Obama.
She bases her judgement on race, not on capability or experience.
And make one thing clear. At the end of the day, she doesn’t give a damn about her audience. Her show is meant to “empower women”. Today, she is using it as a weapon to support a political candidate.
I will no longer watch your shows Oprah!!!
wow, how is oprah racist? just because she doesnt want a racist like sarah palin on her show makes her racist? wow, you idiots are amazing. oprah has done more for women, and especially black women since dr king, I think that racist whites that watch fox news all day hate oprah because she is not saying “yessah boss” to them. and maybe she should be put back in her “black” place cause she has too much influence, well screw u sara, sheila and all others who support anti diversity, screw u all
and oh yea, why the hell did obama need to go on the idiot o’reilly’s show to appease racist whites? screw newt, bush, o’reilly, and anybody else in their ilk who hates blacks or any other minority that doesnt kiss up to them and make them feel superior to the rest of the world, screw u all
Whites empowered Oprah by supporting her show. Whites empowered Obama by voting for him. It is amazing, we create these people by supporting them, yet if we give them due criticism we are somehow racist! If whites adopted a “screw u all” attitude there would not be an Oprah or an Obama in the first place. No matter what whites do, good or bad it will always be, SCREW U ALL.
D=Rozita=Oprah=anti-white
jeny-
i’m pretty sure maya angelou supported senator clinton in the primaries.
how about a discussion on whether or not sarah palin is a racist?
how would you all react if obama’s team suddenly started crying sexism on palin supporters. that would be silly, right? maybe not….
Jay –
Your hypothetical questions are — like Obama — detached from reality. If any of McCain’s talk-show-host supporters refused to invite a male candidate on the show, Obama’s team might have a reason to allege sexism. But they haven’t.
In fact, they’ve gone out of their way to invite Obama on their shows because, unlike the average Obama supporter, they believe in open dialogue and fair play. They also know that when thinking Americans compare Obama-Biden to McCain-Palin, they’ll pick McCain-Palin every time.
If you want to discuss whether Sarah Palin is a racist, have at it. What’s your evidence? She lives in Alaska? She’s married to an Eskimo? What?
I used to love Oprahs show. But, now NO I will never watch again. Due to the fact that she in my eyes and the eyes of a lot of people she is racist. I have always known that she was somewhat racist, BUT she wants Obama in as President and she feels that if she has Sarah Palin on her show that she might win the hearts of millions & that people might vote for her and Mcain! The black community are all voiting for Obama, because he is Black. Not because he stands for what they believe in. If you ask most of them they don’t even know why they are voting for him. They don’t know his issues or what he stands for. They are voting because they want a black man as President of the US. Hopefully he will not win and we can get on with life.
*Mcain and Palin*
I perceive that Oprah Winfrey has people on her show that she ‘resonates’ with and I would do the same….I think she has a huge heart and her intent is for the good and I also believe people like that get criticized the most. We could all stand to take a look at areas where we’re ‘racist’ – because we’re all basically the same and if we’ll stop criticizing what we don’t understand and walk in people’s shoes before we judge them, I believe we’d have more compassion for all people.
FYI, a commenter who calls himself “Martin Wade” repeated anti-Palin propaganda accusing her of uttering a racial slur. That propaganda has been thoroughly debunked and I have, therefore, deleted the comment.
You can read up on the truth at Michelle Malkin’s blog:
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/09/06/latest-smear-palin-called-obama-a-sambo/
K
Michele Williams { 09.08.08 at 12:07 pm }
I perceive that Oprah Winfrey has people on her show that she ‘resonates’ with and I would do the same….I think she has a huge heart and her intent is for the good and I also believe people like that get criticized the most. We could all stand to take a look at areas where we’re ‘racist’ – because we’re all basically the same and if we’ll stop criticizing what we don’t understand and walk in people’s shoes before we judge them, I believe we’d have more compassion for all people.
Thoughtful and well said…
Michelle & Martin –
This is mushy nonsense:
“because we’re all basically the same and if we’ll stop criticizing what we don’t understand and walk in people’s shoes before we judge them”
We’re not all the same. If we were, then Oprah would be following the example of Bill O’Reilly (who has interviewed Obama) by inviting Palin to appear on her show. Because Oprah is a closed-minded bigot and knows that Palin would look way better than Obama, she has so far refused to “be the same” as O’Reilly.
K
Martin Wade has struck again, calling Michelle Malkin a racist and comparing me to a ruthless dictator of yore. If Martin would like to provide evidence supporting either allegation, I would be happy to let him post his comment.
We Support Oprah’s Right to Choose!
http://www.floodthelines.com/supportoprahno2palin/
Racist? That’s a pretty hefty allegation.
The fact is that Oprah decided not to use her show as a platform for *any* political candidate. That is her right, and she’s applied it fairly. She hasn’t specifically curtailed Palin or any other candidate. In fact, she wouldn’t host Obama on her show at this time either.
Oprah’s interviewed Obama WELL BEFORE he announced his candidacy: once in January 2005 and then again in October 2006.
From Oprah’s statement:
“…At the beginning of the presidential campaign, when I decided that I was going to take my first public stance in support of a candidate, I made the decision NOT to use my show as a platform for ANY of the candidates.”
Sarah= redneck
Sorry about the typo, the third paragraph should read “Oprah interviewed…,” not “Oprah’s interviewed…”
Being charitable is obviously a good thing. But in a political campaign, truth must be sought after and told, even when it is not positive. Oprah’s excuses for keeping Sarah off her show are not honest, and we need to recognize that. She has had shows I consider questionable that I *hope* were not things Oprah was comfortable with. She had Obama on. She needs to have Sarah on — unless electing Obama is more important to her than the trust of her fans.
Sarah = “redneck”?? What’s the meaning of “redneck”? Is that supposed to be a negative?
Abbra — We all support Oprah’s right to choose. We also support her obligation to enjoy (or suffer) the consequences of her choices. In this case, she’s alienating many of her audience by her willingness to have Obama on her show (so what if it was two years ago) while she is unwilling to accede to fans’ desire to see her engage Sarah Palin.
I’m find with her not doing it. But I’m definitely not going to let the snub slide by unmentioned.
dear bill john, and any other racist that hates oprah, when i say “[REDACTED EPITHET]” i am only talking to the racist. and i believe that noone but whites can be racist, blacks can be prejudiced and bigots but not racists, unfortunately, “john bill”, you havent empowered us enough with the equal distribution of wealth as a group of people. blacks cant be racist because they are not the majority and do not start out on the same playing fields as their white counterparts. your ilk wants to keep the wealth that was built off the backs of slaves to maintain “master” status. to continue in the plight of one world government and rulership, to bring all other races under your feet cause we are beneath you “right”…………….. [REDACTED EPITHET] I hate people with superiority complexes. and this hate backlash against oprah is because she is “misbehaving” and betraying “master”. and let’s look at the time line, we just now learn about sarah palin, what 2 weeks ago, and u complain about her not being on oprah’s show, well, she starts filming in mid september and ends filming her show in april, and even after that point she has her shows themes lined up, so sorry sara baracudda, maybe after the elections. and go deal with your 17 yoa daughter who is pregnant by a BLACK KID…lol. wow the irony. [REDACTED EPITHET]
My, D, you sound like one ANGRY person.
Could you be so kind as to provide proof of your nasty accusation about the father of the Palin’s daughter?
Sorry. That should be – the father of the Palin’s daughter’s future baby.
D –
There are PLENTY of blacks who support McCain-Palin. You happen to be, apparently, among those who do not but cannot explain in logical terms why you do not.
Your message — which I will leave up as a exhibit of the racism and virulent class hatred among (from what I can of your race) some sectors of the black community here in the U.S. — says far more about you and your mindset than about anything you apparently want to address. Should we take you as illustrative of the kind of people who support Obama?
I hope that you are able to work through your issues. You are obviously a very angry, unhappy person.
K
Kurt, I certainly agree with you that the right to choose carries with it the obligation to face the consequences for our choices. But I disagree that Oprah has “snubbed” Palin. She stated that she would not use her show as a platform for *any* political candidate. That includes Obama, McCain, Biden, Nader, McKinney, Barr and anyone else with a stake in the presidential election. I think she’s applied the standard fairly, and I think the “Racist” allegation is both inflammatory and without basis.
Had she specifically snubbed Palin I would be incensed. I am not. And I don’t think mainstream America is.
We will have lots of opportunities to hear Palin speak in the coming months, and I look forward to getting to know her as a candidate so I can make an informed choice.
Abbra –
I’m not incensed. I just think Oprah is chicken and a racist. She did have Obama on her program — yes, before he was technically a candidate. But she had him on her program and it was, largely, for the purpose of promoting him as a presidential candidate. It’s disingenuous of her to claim that she isn’t using her show to promote any of the candidates when, in fact, she did use it for that purpose.
Anyway, I’m not incensed at all. I’m happy to see her and Obama discredited for her unfairness. After having Obama on, she should have hosted Hillary. She didn’t. And now she won’t host Palin or McCain.
But you’re welcome to interpret it as you wish. It’s a free country.
K
D,
Blacks can’t be racist?
You don’t have to be in the majority to be racist. The M-w.com definition of racism is “2 : racial prejudice or discrimination”, the dictionary.reference.com definition is “3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races”, they never say only majority’s can be racist. By their definitions you are a racist.
This person D is – to coin an Obama phrase – a “typical” Obama supporter (and obviously I don’t mean all of his supporters, but a fair number of them). It is so clear that they are angry and resentful and that Obama represents to them the chance to get back at “whitey.” For the first time in my 48 years, I have been called a racist simply because I’m white and because I don’t support Obama, although I have provided my reasons over and over again. I have been called – and have seen others, as well – names that I wouldn’t repeat here, simply because we supported Hillary Clinton or John McCain or, for that matter, anyone other than Obama.
Obama frankly scares me – between his inability/unwillingness to say what he really plans to do for our country (if he has a plan), to his arrogance, refusal (still) to answer unscripted questions and cries of “racist” anytime anyone questions him. His acquaintances and supporters are a more virulent reflection of him, in my opinion – is this really the future we want for our children, for our country?
Sorry, I’m not willing to stand by and let a charismatic speaker who has powerful allies take this country by storm and become our president simply because he’s black. I’m not saying a black president wouldn’t be great, because the RIGHT one certainly would be. This person is not the right candidate and, frankly, never will be. The hatred and animosity he has stirred up has already set race relations back. What happens if he gets elected? The pressure to conform with the “Obama doctrine” has already been so intense – what will it be like if he actually achieves that power?
Sorry, but the minute Oprah Winfrey decided to immerse herself in this election – and, let’s face it, she did so because Obama is a black candidate – she made a choice to use her show as a political forum, because she IS the show. She didn’t give Hillary Clinton any time; certainly, it can’t be any surprise she won’t do that for Sarah Palin. She isn’t in this to help women (at least not all women) – she’s in it for the money and to further the black cause. Frankly, I’m tired of having to apologize for being white to blacks – what about other minorities, what about whites who have been victimized, what about disabled people? Sorry, I don’t owe you anything, and I’m not going to be pressured into supporting a bad candidate because the media thinks it’s politically correct.
Unless I’m much mistaken “D” is what we call a “troll” in online forums. D doesn’t believe what he/she is saying, and probably isn’t black. No one is as stupid as “D” portrays him/herself to be.
D-wanna knock it off?
Oh ya… Oprah is clearly a racist. Isn’t that obvious?
My Goodness!
I can’t believe that during this whole campaign the focus has been on everything except the fundamental needs of a country in crisis. Now “Oprah” is the target, give me a break. The only people that think of race in this election are white people. Yes, Blacks are excited at the possibility of have a Black man in the White House. Excited for many reasons, not just because he is Black but because he is the candidate the “majority” relate to – and the majority is not just “Black”. Remember that Blacks make up a small percentage of the population, so our vote alone will not put Obama in the White House.
If I hear the story of “The Maverick” and his days as a POW I’m going to scream! We have heard it time and again! If I hear the story of Gov. Palin “the executive” selling the Jet on E-Bay, laying off the chef, driving herself to work, telling us that McCain is not afraid of a fight but will fight if he has to, yada yada yada – the same repetitious material is like “brainwashing”! Maybe that will be what it takes to put the Republicans in the White House.
As for Oprah! She can do whatever she wants on her show. Trust me, I don’t think that she is afraid that Gov. Palin will appeal to her audience. If you make your selection based on an interview from the Oprah Winfrey Show, there is something wrong with you. Oprah is an Obama supporter, I can’t blame her. In time she will have Gov. Palin on the show. But there is so much more to learn about Gov. Palin, we all have skeletons and she will soon be revealed as Sen. Obama was. It is unfortunate for her that it is so close to the election now and instead of focusing on the issues, she will have to answer to those skeletons – this will not be good for the Republicans.
Let’s be nice to one another, we don’t need to step back in time and let race issues rear its ugly head again today – we’ve come too damn far to start looking back now!
To: LRM–Baloney. Obama is getting more than of 90% of the black vote precisely because he is black.
It is because of the color of his skin and nothing else. Go out and ask blacks what some of Obama’s positions are and you won’t find that many who even know.
Blacks are bloc voting race this year. Your attempt to deny it is pathetic.
And, Oprah is using her show to try to help her fellow black win the election.
Of course, many people in Oprah’s audience are waking up to this fact and rejecting her and her prejudices against white people.
Obama is trying hard not to be cast as the black candidate, but more people know that’s what he is. He’s not a candidate for all the people.
He’s only gotten this far because of his skin color. Can you imagine a white with as little experience as Obama even being considered for such a position?
LRM:
Wake up! Blacks won”t move forward. They live in the past because they get mileage out of it. They are the ones with the grudge. When you interact with a black they are looking for the racist in you, and by golly they always seem to find it. No matter what you do you are white and to them white= racism. When you interact with a black you’ve got to watch yourself. They are ready to get their feelings hurt. But I will tell you this, they have no problem hurting your feelings.
first off, let me say that I dont think that all whites are racists, just the ones with superiority complexes and that happens to be a disproportionate number of you. I am called a racist because I call you a racist, wow, is that the old childish addage of what u say about me bounces off me and sticks to you? lol, Obama has done an awesome job of stirring up the race issue in this country just by being a black face, wow, maybe there are too many blacks that need to shut their faces and slip back into a docile gullable state that the powers that be of this country expect us to do. I feel sorry for you, the only thing that makes me understand the rationale behind “white” anger towards anybody who is not satisfied with “things as usual” is the mean bully at school that beats the nerds up and takes their lunch money. The time for change has come, Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s dream is recognized in the very life of OBAMA. So when you say that he is not a candidate for all people, what are you really saying? This country is just “white” anymore. This country is truly a melting pot. We can no longer rest on the ideals of yesterday and the racists beginnings of this country. And dont question my patriotism. To me when I see your news anchors and your media question patriotism, it is almost like a code word for “white power” and not true love of a country. People and a form of government of those people make a country, not just a select few who have been entitled and feel threatened that their cozy lofts and lucrative businesses and dozens of homes will be taken over. I wonder what the inhabitants of this land felt like when those early settlers messed them over. It is sad, and now the descendents of those settlers are angry because things are changing. Obama is right for the kind of America I love, which is inclusive of all, gays, whites, blacks, jews, muslims, christians, etc. Is that was Jesus was all about “christians” loving everybody? Too bad Jesus wasn’t a racist bigot, then maybe there would only be one color in the whole universe. lol
I enjoy the rebuttles and opposing opinions, because this is what makes American what it is, we could not get away with this in other countries. And I see my “screw you all” was censored, but this forum is not run or moderated by me. And in a later post i will share why I like Obama, and what his policies are that I appreciate and love. I love you Oprah, Ellen, Tyra all of those strong lovely women. When is Sara going on Ellen or Tyra’s show?
going to watch some monday night football on espn. Go Vikes, and Go Raiders, for the obvious reasons, lol
Oprah has made it perfectly clear who she supports, its her show, she can decide who is a guest on it. I never watch her, not sense she set up Dr Phil with his own show, cause I cant stand that guy.
If Palin was running for President Id vote for her, but NOT with Mc Cain. But them Im not voting this year, just not good candidates in my personal opinion.
abby, what is your idea of a good candidate?
guys and gals,
Sarah Palin wouldn’t accept Oprah winfrey’s offer anyway. She is afraid of the press and McCain’s campaign is afraid she’ll say something wrong anyway. They are keeping her as far away from the press as possible. Take a look and do your research. By the way, has it ever occurred to you that Palin is racist? Ask the Alaskans that she represents…you’d be surprised. Many have expressed that they are afraid and cannot speak the truth about her….does this sound familiar?! This woman is playing the sexist card and she is racist. If I were black like Oprah is, would I want a racist on my tv show? Heck no!
I just cannot believe that women are falling for this woman. Why? Jut because she is a woman! It’s scary, and she’s not even running for President. It’s McCain we are voting for ladies, NOT Sarah Palin. He’s using her as a very effective tool. We have a man who is ready to push the button and begin war with Iran. Course, that’s what he and Bush wanted with Iraq. So, if you want this to happen and want your kids to grow up in this fearful environment, Palin and McCain are your pick. With his temperament, I’d be afraid every day that we’d be close to a nuclear war. Geez…he even admited that he would have gone to war with Cuba if he were President rather than Kennedy. Ladies, PLEASE open your eyes. McCain is using Palin and Palin is using McCain for their own political ends, not the welfare of our country.
I’m a Reagan/Buchanan Republican, and I was faced with an
avoidance/avoidace conflict this year because Obama is a non-starter for me and so is McCain.
However, now that Palin in on board, I’ll be voting for the GOP, instead of sitting this out.
I’m completely comfortable that Palin is a hearbeat away from the presidency.
I didn’t really want to vote for either McCain or Obama- McCain because of the rumors I hear about him not wanting to end the war – blah blah blah. But than after listening to the republicans I found out that that is not what he wants at all. I don’t want to vote for Obama due to his lack of experience. People can say that experience doesn’t matter all they want because it’s a lie. Experience is very, very important right now. We do not need someone coming in right now trying to flip everything around. Changes can’t be made over night. I like Palin – I like her a lot. I think she knows exactly what this country needs. As for Oprah – it’s complete racist behavior on her part. Her excuse is a terrible one. She openly admits she is for Obama- and than after she has him on the show decides no- more candidates on her show. Hmmmm I wonder why? Because she already had her choice on the show. it is soooo true if a white man came into this election – right now- with all the problems in the world- if a white person came in lacking experience like Obama does he would never had made it this far. Obama has made it this far because he is black. He has people like oprah, and P Diddy screaming his name left and right. Most blacks and the youth that are so easily influenced by the popular media (sooo much with youth and hip hop) are for Obama despite knowing anything about him or the other possible candidates. It’s ridiculous! I hope that the majority of people will wake up and take a better look at what is going on and stop supporting someone because of the color of their skin. We have a future to think about. we may not have the best choices but we have to work with what we have. I also – if McCain is elected- feel very, very comfortable that Palin will be there.
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