i'm really curious about how powerful this oprah effect really is. my usual attitude towards celebrity endorsements is that they're pretty overrated. i don't think people will change their views just because some famous person they like reveals their preference for a particular candidate. maybe they can push the truly undecided to take a closer look at a candidacy, but i'm suspicious whether that translates into many actual votes.
but for whatever reason, people see oprah as a little different from the run-of-the-mill celebrity. sure, she is very popular with a certain segment of the population. her book club announcements do have a measurable impact on book sales. but are votes really like books? maybe they are, i don't know.
the thing that bothers me is that there's a stereotype that her fans are some kind of mindless oprah cultists, waiting for instructions from their exalted leader. somehow i doubt things are that simple, but then again, i don't know any dedicated oprah fans these days.
i used to though. in law school i had a friend who referred to herself as an "oprah zombie" and she joked about how she waited for instructions every afternoon from her leader. but it was a joke. there was no question my friend thought for herself, no matter what her afternoon viewing habits were. i'm out of touch with her now--i just failed to google her up. i don't know if she's still an oprah person, but she's the only one i could think of.
