ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS COMMENTARY: The Value Of The O Factor

The conservative Republican commentator opines about how much Oprah Winfrey’s support for Sen. Barack Obama will help the liberal Illinois Democrat's presidential bid: "A new CBS/New York Times national poll was released last week saying that only 1 percent of people were more likely to vote for Barack Obama because of his supporter, Oprah Winfrey. And, 80 percent of those polled in the survey said the Oprah factor made no difference for Obama's chances, and 14 percent even said she made them less likely to vote for him. Furthermore, a survey done by the Pew Research Center in September showed that celebrity endorsements in general had little impact on voters."

Mr. Williams continues his commentary: "But here’s the strange thing: Obama’s numbers in South Carolina rose after Oprah’s visit, at least according to InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion poll taken over the weekend. InsiderAdvantage’s Matt Towery said it’s obvious that Obama's numbers rose because of Winfrey's visit. 'Obama’s support among African-Americans rose a bit over the weekend, while Clinton’s dropped. This follows our poll of late last week in which there was a major shift in black voters towards Obama,' Towery said in a statement. 'However, Obama’s white vote has not moved. Clearly the Oprah Winfrey visit to the state moved African-American voters.' Whether these weekend polls and national surveys have any reliable data is difficult to say. But one can argue the value of the O Factor forever. The fact is that she is out there. Oprah Winfrey is taking time off from her regular life to campaign for a presidential candidate. And people are listening. They are soaking up her words, attending her rallies, and reading her quotes. People trust Oprah more than Springsteen or some other liberal celebrity trying to spark their career or get some good PR. Oprah has it all, from money and fame, to likeability and trust. Her endorsement might just do something, but we’ll never really know – even if Obama does become the next President of the United States."

And more from Mr. Armstrong: "While Oprah’s likeability is likely to rub off on Obama, who is already a likeable character, likeability and electability are two different things entirely, as the examples of Howard Dean and Al Gore have shown. Though both achieved almost rock-star status early in their campaigns, they were not seen as having the gravitas befitting the office of President. Maybe Oprah does believe that Senator Obama is the person to lead this country in the future, but she can only base this on what she values and believes in as the direction our nation should go. But more fundamentally, the 'O' factor may be symptomatic of a deeper issue: that we have become so complacent, lazy, and downright disinterested in choosing a presidential candidate that we would rather have it done for us by a media maven. But there is too much at stake to leave it to others. There is absolutely no substitute for doing our own home work in making the best decision as to whom we will elect as the next President. It is critical that Americans become more serious about all elections that will take place in ‘08’ and thereafter, and choose the kind of leadership that can guide us through the turbulent times we all know are ahead."