With the likes of Magic Johnson and Oprah Winfrey throwing their political weight around, it seems that the top presidential candidates have found that black celebrity backing can be pivotal in winning votes.
When Oprah Winfrey hit the campaign trail with Barack Obama, she caused a killer bee swarm of buzz about the celebrity’s possible impact on the polls. With Obama recently claiming victory in Iowa, that impact is hard to deny.
Of course, when Oprah Winfrey supports something, it’s not to be taken lightly. I have no doubt that if Ms. Winfrey supported the avian flu, tens of thousands of Americans would trample each other to be the first to get it.
Pundits all over the country proclaimed that Hillary Clinton should watch her back. It marked the first time that Oprah had strapped on a pair of boxing trunks and stepped into the political ring. And it gave Obama a much-needed push.
In South Carolina, so many people turned out to see Oprah that the event had to be moved to the 80,000-seat University of South Carolina football stadium. Spectators in Des Moines, Iowa, lined up hours before the event, just to get in. The turnout totaled 18,500 people according to the campaign, the largest turnout of spectators for a primary campaign in Iowa history. One person close to the stage even fainted!
Initially, to counter the Oprah effect, the Clinton campaign brought out what they hoped would be the big guns; something unprecedented in the history of political campaigning. Hillary brought out her daughter, Chelsea Clinton, and her mother Dorothy Rodham (dun dun duuuuuunnnn!). Yeah ummm, that didn’t do much, for obvious reasons.
People didn’t really want to look at Hillary’s family when Bill was in the White House. It’s difficult to imagine why her campaign strategists would think that people would want to look at them now. But that’s neither here nor there.
It was time for plan B. It was time for a little magic… uh… Johnson? That’s right. Hillary Clinton broke out the middle-aged, former Los Angeles Laker and five-time NBA champion, Magic Johnson.
I know what you’re thinking. She probably could have done a lot better. And you’re probably right. Let’s face it. Comparing Magic Johnson to Oprah Winfrey is… well… like comparing Magic Johnson to Oprah Winfrey. It really speaks for itself.Johnson did manage to pack the house though. He filled an entire gymnasium at Davenport Central High School in Davenport, Iowa. There were reports that a couple of people even had to stand.
Magic didn’t give Hillary the advantage she had hoped for, she claimed third in the Iowa Democratic caucus. But even so, Magic Johnson is nothing to sneeze at. He may not have filled a college football stadium, or brought victory in Iowa, but the man has clout. Over the course of his entrepreneurial career, he has built a portfolio worth an estimated $700 million. He owns three companies, and the only Starbucks franchise, owning a 50 percent share in 75 locations across the country. He is a well known figure, with a million-dollar smile that has already been on the front lines of fundraising for AIDS research.
So what’s the deal? Why have candidates turned to black celebrities for support? Maybe it’s just for Iowa? Doubtful. African-Americans in Iowa only make up 2.3 percent of the population. You would find a larger African American population at a NASCAR race.
It has to be something more than that. Magic Johnson and Oprah Winfrey have personas that appeal to everyone. They have impact on national public opinion regardless of race. They are much more than tools for securing the black vote.
When two black celebrities worth about a gazillion dollars between them hit the campaign trail on behalf of leading Democratic candidates, it says something. It speaks to the influence of African Americans on American culture. Oprah and Magic have transformed themselves from jesters in the king’s court to king makers.