Oprah's Endorsement of Obama

I think Oprah's endorsement is a very positive thing. I was really surprised that she finally decided to get publicly involved in someone's campaign for the first time (you KNOW everybody and they Momma have been asking Oprah to endorse them over the past 20 years!). But I'm glad she waited until Barack came along to make the plunge. I'm sure it really pisses the Clintons off since they and Oprah are longtime friends, but this is precisely what I mean about the great value of PERSONAL INTEGRITY. Oprah went with the candidate of her choice and didn't allow the fact that Bill and Hillary are two of the most powerful (and popular) politicians in this country to keep her from taking a public stand on behalf of a Brother. Many--if not most--highly visible and tremendously wealthy blackfolks would not have done it--especially if they knew and were close to the Clintons. But I really appreciate Oprah standing up to the plate and doing what she genuinely feels and knows to be the right thing. It also shows that Oprah ain't afraid anymore to openly support a highly accomplished black man who's not an entertainer, athlete, or show business type. I'm really glad to see that because that hasn't always been the case in the past. It shows real growth and maturity on her part.

As for John Kerry: I would LIKE to think that Kerry is making this endorsement out of the sheer goodness of his heart, I really would. But REALITY AND ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE OF HIM tells me different. It's clear that Kerry is trying to 'stick it' to the Clintons (probably Bill more than Hillary) for what he perceives as their lukewarm support for him in 2004. The Kerrys and Clintons have ALWAYS been very chummy and mutually supportive of each other for over 35 years so it's very surprising to see him endorsing Obama so EARLY in his campaign. t means that Kerry really wants to help Obama win the nomination-- otherwise if he had any doubts or misgivings he would have waited at least another 2-3 months to make up his mind. But clearly he's with Obama for the LONG HAUL-- both through the nominating process and the potential run for the White House--and that only means that he's VERY UNHAPPY with or even ANGRY with the Clintons. Having said all that however I'm sure Obama can use his support--especially with the potential increase in independent white middleclass liberal and moderate voters outside the Democratic Party who still haven't made up their mind about who they are going to vote for. So for what it's worth I'm certain Obama is very pleased to have Kerry on his side. OTES ARE VOTES after all...Stay tuned...