President Obama needed Oprah Winfrey to make him the man he was to become. Obama relied on Winfrey to interview him, donate big bucks to his quest for the presidency, and hit the campaign trail. Yes, Barack Obama needed Oprah.
Perhaps this is why Oprah, in her arrogance, assumed Governor Palin would need her, as well. She does not. Oprah is not used to that. What she is used to are people rising to great heights because she made room on her couch for them, promoted their books, and gave them the official Oprah-nod.
In fact, in an old article called Oprah Winfrey Presents: Barack Obama, Nitya Venkataraman wrote:
In the world of retail, there’s star power, there’s celebrity endorsement and then there’s Oprah Winfrey. Her Midas touch saves names from anonymity, best sellers from dusty storerooms and favorite things from Internet obscurity.
Crowns of glory are bestowed upon Queen Oprah–so much so that she begins to think she holds that kind of power over everyone. She does not. Governor Palin did not rise from the PTA to the first female Republican vice presidential nominee by relying on someone else’s “go ahead” before she would go ahead.
Oprah hadn’t gotten the memo, however, and after the election, she whined that Governor Palin would not appear on her show.
“[I] went and tried to talk to Sarah Palin and instead she talked to Greta [Van Susteren]. She talked to Matt [Lauer]. She talked to Larry [King]. But she didn’t talk to me. But maybe she’ll talk to me now that she has a [multi-million dollar] book deal,” Winfrey told Extra earlier this week.
Were Oprah Winfrey’s feelings hurt? Did she expect Governor Palin to drop everything for a date with her talk show couch as soon as she decided to call because…well… simply because it was she who had called? Obviously, the answer to both questions is yes. So when Palin didn’t come running, she consoled herself with the belief that, as Master of the Universe, she would hold the success of Palin’s book in her hands. Looking to the future, Oprah was quite confident that Governor Palin would soon find time for her because she would need Oprah’s Book Club to catapult her book to the top of the charts.
Well, the last time I checked, Going Rogue: An American Life was already number one on both Barnes and Noble and Amazon. And the last time I checked, Governor Palin didn’t need an endorsement from Oprah Winfrey to make that happen. Not only didn’t Governor Palin need to travel to Chicago to push her book, but as Oprah Winfrey traveled to Denmark to push Chicago, Governor Palin’s book became a bestseller shortly after it became available for pre-order.
In a world when people speak the name Oprah in the same breath as the word power, it’s no surprise that Oprah would fancy herself the decider of Governor Palin’s fate, but it’s safe to say that the governor isn’t relying on Oprah Winfrey for anything–and certainly not for the sale of her book.
No doubt, Oprah has now gotten the memo.
Originally posted at Adrienne’s blog Motivation: Truth
GO SARAH!
Oprah’s ratings are on a decline, and Sarah’s book tops number one. I love irony sometimes.
Gee, wasn’t it Oprah who wouldn’t have Palin on her show during the election campaign? What goes around comes around.
I don’t get it. Is this “in your face Oprah”, you wouldn’t help me, so now I won’t go on your show? I do recall that Oprah has invited Ms. Palin to appear. If she declines Oprah’s invitation to go on Oprah’s show to sell her book, is that good? Does Ms. Palin not want to reach that audience?
Is the point of this article simply that it is possible to be successful in this world WITHOUT going on Oprah? (is that really news?)
PJ, Oprah made it quite public that because she supported Barack Obama as president, she would not have any other politician on her show. I don’t know if I would go on her show now if I were Palin, that is a decision for her to make. I don’t know, thinking of it now, any press is good press, isn’t it? So then I say go if you want, Sarah, what could it hurt? But again, Palin has a huge audience, as does Oprah. Palin need not dignify Oprah’s obvious bias with her appearance, but if she does refuse the invitation, it isn’t going to hurt Oprah’s ratings either–I’m sure.
And no, I don’t think Adrienne was saying this was “in your face Oprah” but instead I think that it was quite possibly an “in your face” of sorts to Obama. He is the one who reached great heights, a great deal based on her support and endorsement. I think Adrienne was highlighting the fact that Palin is reaching great heights all on her own. As opposed to being the groomed-to-be-politician-type that Obama is, she is a self made woman. I think it’s just an observation really.
And to answer the last question: is that really news? No, probably not. However the purpose of creating this site was to report political news, analyze it and point out if something just doesn’t smell quite right, and to offer opinions. You may or may not agree with Ms. Ross’s opinion, but it doesn’t devalue hers. All opinions are welcome here, provided all involved are open to honest discussions regarding why they have said opinions.
Thanks Natalie:
When you say “I think Adrienne was highlighting the fact that Palin is reaching great heights all on her own” you mean without Oprah’s help. Surely she would not be touring the globe and promoting a best seller today were it not for the “groomed-to-be-politician” help she got from the McCain campaign, as well as help from the RNC, Fox News, Rush, Newt, and other prominent supporters?
Natalie, you can’t win against someone who lacks common sense and has no goals in life other than being a troll. your probably to nice to say that,,,but i am not.
PJ, obviously you didn’t understand my use of the phrase “groomed-to-be-politician.” I was referencing, obviously-I thought, Barack Obama. He has been groomed, almost his entire life, by various liberal thinkers, to be a politician. That is not what the McCain campaign was, to the contrary, which is one of the reasons they lost so badly. It was a severely poorly run campaign. The “good old boy” know-it-alls thought they knew better than to make use of technological advances, such as the internet. They thought they knew better than the likes of Sarah Palin and those of us who now make up the tea party movement, in their thinking that we’re looking for “big tent” politicians. If the politicians who purport to support my views, are highly appealing to someone of say, your political leanings, then that means they are not being truthful to one of us. That might get them votes, but if you haven’t noticed by the name of this site, I’m more interested in political integrity. There is a school of thought that says politicians should be speaking in a more simplified manner to a crowd of less informed individuals and giving a more technically oriented speech to a more educated crowd. That is fine, it’s simple: know your audience. But when the actual content of the message changes according to who is listening, then we’ve got a problem. You might respect that politician, but I will never–I don’t care if they call themselves a Republican, Democrat, or Astronaut! INTEGRITY is the key here.
Now back to your point–excuse my rant. I am going to have to put this bluntly: You’re wrong about Sarah Palin and her supporters. I’ll ask you: Do YOU actually think that if she hadn’t gotten an expensive wardrobe, hairstylist, and makeup artist during the campaign that she wouldn’t be touring the globe and promoting a best seller today? Perhaps you’ve made some other fabulous argument and I’ve missed it. If that’s the case, feel free to clarify. Perhaps you are misinformed and someone out there is pretending that the RNC has supported Sarah Palin, but that is not the case…far from it actually. You think, seriously, that Newt supports Palin as a Republican leader? You’re borderline delusional if these are more than words and are your actual assessments of the state of the Republican party. At every chance, many–as the Steve Schmidt and John McCain quotes show–distance themselves from Palin. Their general consensus is that she is a name that can bring in bodies, but they actually don’t want to support any of the ideals that she holds dear. They think mentioning her name is their way of “throwing us a bone.” If you haven’t realized by now, that is one of the reasons we’re all so ticked off at BOTH sides of the aisle. We’re tired of this, “we know better than you” and “we’re doing this for your own good” “this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you” mentality. Washington has forgotten who the big boss really is. Sarah Palin’s been trying to remind them, but as of yet, they’re not listening.
Enough of the tirade against Fox News. Fox News “news” is fair and balanced. Whether you like it or not, it is. Where liberals can’t seem to draw the contrast is that Fox ALSO has conservative analysts who have their own shows and share their OPINIONS. If it’s too hard to understand, watch MSNBC any given weeknight. You may take much of what MSNBC’s “news” reports, but I dare you to honestly watch Olbermann, Matthews, or Maddow and tell me that they’re just reporting the facts. They are commentators, just as Hannity and Beck are. Use some real statistics to back up your claims, not again comparing apples to oranges. Square pegs still do not fit into round holes–no matter how hard you try to push.
PJ would argue with a stop sign!
All kidding a side. Remember, Palin was sought out by McCain and the RNC, she did not seek them out. In my opinion, they got more than they bargined for and probably thought they could reign her in, just like most politicians. They probably figured, here is a conservative that we can pitch against the Hillary effect that will probably sit idly by and take in the ride. What they didn’t expect, is someone who could not be bought and would not put her beliefs and convictions up on the auction block. Someone with a true belief in the American spirit versus the political machine.
An Ameritician, not a politician!
True conservatives caught on to this anomaly, which is why we stand by her as we watch her popularity grow. You are not a conservative, and to dispute this notion would be nothing more than a show of ignorance. If you don’t get that, you never will.
I like that Charo “An Ameritician, not a Politician” is a phrase that we heard somewhere and wrote on a sign at a Tea Party, in support of Palin! Great minds think alike?
In all seriousness, I think you’ve got it pegged. They saw 3 things in Palin that they thought would play to their advantage:
1. She is a woman = weak willed and easily swayed (in their delusional minds)
2. She is a woman = instant “Hillary votes” (also in their delusional minds and a prime example of how weak-willed they think women are)
3. She is not well known = a fresh face, and someone they could meld into what they wanted her to be (at least they had 1 aspect of this right, she was a breath of fresh air)
I think Palin is doing just fine with what she is doing. Adrienne is right, she doesn’t need Oprah. However, from the way Oprah’s rating are falling, I would say that Oprah needs Palin.
Ahhhh…karma!
Natalie:
Yes, I seriously think that without the national stage provided by the Republican National Convention (funded by the RNC) – being tapped as VP nominee by the McCain campaign for the 2008 presidency – and all the media attention that came along with those events, Sarah Palin would have remained the very popular governor of Alaska, and completely unknown to the vast majority of the United States. There would be no present day book deal, and the Republican Party would not be talking about her.
I also think that Sarah’s straight forward “home spun charm” were her strong asset in Alaska, and her media GROOMERS and political handlers in the McCain campaign thought that would not play nationally. I think she definitely WAS groomed to be a national political candidate, to her detriment, and the detriment of the McCain campaign.
I agree with you that Newt does not really support her. But he does pay her lip service, and did recently defend her when other Republicans were willing to throw her under the bus. (I think Newt is a snake. Brilliant man, no integrity)
Charo:
Your comment, “True conservatives caught on to this anomaly, which is why we stand by her as we watch her popularity grow. You are not a conservative, and to dispute this notion would be nothing more than a show of ignorance. If you don’t get that, you never will.” is actually one of the reasons I check in on this website. I am very interested in why people who call themselves conservatives believe what they do, and gravitate toward certain ideas and away from others. I am also impressed with Natalie’s honesty.
How to save a book that’s dropped to bargain basement prices?
http://is.gd/4raDa
Why, just go on Oprah of course!!
http://is.gd/4thqA
How to increase your ratings when they are on a steady decline?
http://www.aikenstandard.com/Entertainment/b0763-BC-US-TV-OprahWinfrey-09-14-0863
Why, just interview Sarah Palin of course!
http://www.thefoxnation.com/media/2009/10/20/oprah-interview-palin?page=2
Oh, and Cody, did you know that Amazon is in a price war with Walmart?
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=12558252#ProductDetail
And it is only a hard-copy version that has a limit on the amount that can be sold at the discounted price. It is called a “loss leader” which is what retailers do when there is a product that is in high demand that can attract people to their outlet (whether it be physical on internet).
Somebody hasn’t taken a marketing class!!!
Fun and fact-filled link to People magazine.
See if you can spot the lie.
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20314254,00.html