Oprah and Obama: The Iowa Stump
By Adrienne P. Samuels
It's no secret that Oprah Winfrey's endorsement of presidential hopeful Barack Obama has sparked debate over whether she could affect the voting attitudes of the coveted constituency of White females who worship daily at the house of Winfrey. Many attending the Des Moines event made it clear who they were there to see: As they waited for the doors to open some held up O magazines and chanted.
But Oprah herself, during her 20-minute endorsement speech, said that she only came out to encourage people to get involved and to seriously consider the future of the country.
"I'm not here to tell you what to think," said Winfrey as she addressed the crowd of at least 15,000. "I'm asking you to think."
The crowd stayed riveted during Winfrey's remarks. By contrast, several hundred began to flood out midway through Obama's statements.
And, even though the crowd that stayed riveted during Winfrey's remarks began to flood out during Obama's, the so-called Oprah effect was not a sure
shot: Many attendees - Black and White who identified themselves as undecided said they came to see Obama for themselves, and would have done so with or without Winfrey.
The pictorial evidence:
Photos: Vandell Cobb/Valerie Goodloe
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THE OBAMA REPORT
By Kevin Chappell
Editor's Note: When Senator Barack Obama announced his plans to travel to Europe and the Middle East, U.S. news organizations began jockeying for one (or a few) of the coveted "embed" spots available. Johnson Publishing was the Black media organization invited along. For the duration of Obama's trip, EBONY Senior Editor Kevin Chappell and staff photographer Valerie Goodloe will be posting daily reports from their time spent traveling with the senator and his delegation. Check back daily for their exclusive perspective.
TUESDAY: PRESS V. STAFF
For the first time since arriving, the American press witnessed Sen. Barack Obama in the Middle East. Early in the morning, the press had been given a security notice stating that last week a gunman opened fire on six people in the Hashimiyah Square area near our hotel. We were advised not to venture in that area.
The day kicked off with an early morning press briefing at the Four Seasons in Amman, where Obama staffers give trip details and answer questions by reporters. It’s a “pen and pad briefing on background,” which means no recorders or cameras of any kind are allowed, and staffers can only be quoted as “an Obama staffer.”
Not much news, only the obvious: that Obama was cramming a lot into a short time, that he was excited about his trip, and that he is pro-Israel and wants U.S. troops out of Iraq as soon as feasible.
What was striking was question after question from the press trying to get Obama’s folks to say that his tour or the Middle East and Europe was indeed a campaign trip, not a congressional trip as Obama has said. Increasingly, it’s becoming clear that the sole purpose of much of the press being here is to either catch Obama flip-flopping or catch him in a slip-up or a flub.
Launch Slide Show!
TOUCHING DOWN
Obama, who last visited Jordan in 2006, arrived to Jordan in the afternoon via a V-22 military helicopter painted grey with Marine insignia, at a military/civilian airfield on the outskirts of Amman from Iraq. Security was tight. Uniformed soldiers lined the runway at regular intervals. Obama and Sen. Jack Reed and Sen. Chuck Hagel emerged. Obama was wearing khakis, heavy-duty brown hiking boots, and a slightly wrinkled blue oxford. He carried a black helmet and what appeared to be body armor. His orange earplugs remained in place as he walked across the tarmac, enabling him to ignore the cries of "Senator, senator!" from a pool of reporters who had waited in the desert sun for his arrival.
Braving it out on the hot tarmac in black dress suits to greet Obama: Dan Rubinstein, the deputy chief of mission from the U.S. embassy in Amman, and Scott Gration, a retired 4-star Army general who is advising the senator's campaign. Obama and the general exchanged bear hugs.
In fact, there were big smiles all around. Obama looked very happy to be here. A few minutes later, all three emerged from the terminal and boarded the motorcade. Obama got into one Suburban; Hagel and Reed jumped in another. It may have been an indication of the handoff that was taking place. Up until his arrival in Amman, Obama was traveling on an official congressional delegation. Now in Jordan, although no one on the staff will say it, the focus shifts from official congressional business to Obama time.
Under the 100-degree sun, Obama held a press conference at the Temple of Hercules, a flattop mountain with picturesque views of Amman in the backdrop. Members of the media again peppered him with questions about his stance on pulling troops out of Iraq. Obama was consistent and clear with his answers.
After a one-on-one interview with CBS’s Katie Couric, Obama was scheduled to have dinner with His Majesty King Abdullah II, who himself flew all night from Denver to be here for Obama’s arrival.
After having dinner with the King, Obama was personally driven to the airport in Jordan by the King himself. In fact, as the media waited on the tarmac for Obama to arrive, in the distance several lights could be seen approaching. The ride of choice: about six or seven black Mercedes. The King and Obama were leading the pack, traveling at a high rate of speed.
Now that’s the way to travel.
While it was a short flight from Jordan, it was anything but ordinary. Although it was the first time Obama had flown on his refurbished airplane, the media didn’t cut him, or his staff, any slack. In fact, several reporters staged what could only be called a mini-revolt. At issue: Obama staffers’ frequent use of virtual anonymity in disseminating information that can only be credited to them on background. They did it at the morning briefing and they tried it again at an evening briefing onboard. But this time, the press, always looking for a name to attribute information, wasn’t having it. Someone shouted, “No background. No background.” Then others chimed in. In the end, the reporters agreed that if no one on the Obama staff wanted to take responsibility for the information that they were giving to the press, then they could keep it. Frustrated staffers turned around and went back to the cushy digs in the front of the airplane.
While many in the press seem determined to find a “gotcha” moment on the tour, Obama could be a little more forthcoming. After all, the Brother may be ahead in the polls, but he’s not President yet.
With an angry press corps and a frustrated Obama staff that has been called out from behind the magic curtain, (Can’t we all just get along?) we take off for Jerusalem. It’s Obama’s next stop, and a place where his support (or lack thereof) of Israel will surely be tested.
Sunday and Monday
