Oprah; Just another pol?

Oprah Winfrey does not want to have Sarah Palin on her show which has a huge demographic of women viewers. This is sad and dangerous for Oprah because part of her appeal is her normally a-political stand over the past decade. Up until Obama, she has stayed away from the political fray which is so much safer in a divided America.

The risk for Oprah here is that both conservative and liberal women watch Oprah, and if she is seen as supporting liberal candidates she may lose many conservative women viewers. Oprah is a skilled interviewer and could clearly navigate one with Sarah Palin. What she is afraid of is that she may really like her. And if Oprah likes her that could have an impact on the voters in her audience. It wouldn’t be an endorsement, but it would be an endorsement.

So if she chooses not to host Palin and the story takes flight, she and her show lose. If she does, she wins but so does Sarah, and only Obama risks the loss of some women votes. The right thing for the self proclaimed woman’s advocate is to have Sarah on the show. No matter how you slice it, Sarah is a history making woman that deserves the opportunity to be seen in the Oprah setting by the rest of the women in America.

I like Oprah as a person, and I hope she does the right thing…