Will the Oprahbama Phenomenon become one of the features of the 2008 election or is it just another celebrity flare-up? Watch out for Oprah on the campaign trail.

The Oprahbama Phenomenon - Another Celeb Uniname with Real Power

There was Bennifer, Brangelina and Tomkat and now the latest uniname is Oprahbama, probably one of the most potent mixes of African American power and celebrity ever to hit Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina and who knows where else Barack and Oprah will travel on the 2008 election campaign trail.

Oprah Winfrey on the 2008 Election Campaign Trail

Oprah Winfrey is more than a celebrity, she is a phenomenon and is famous enough to have only one name like Elvis and Cher and Madonna.

No matter how many names they have, celebrities have always hung around politicians – Sinatra was tight with the Kennedy’s; Ronald Reagan could trot out Charlton Heston and Fess Parker. The senior George Bush was partial to country stars like Loretta Lynn and the Oak Ridge Boys. Half of Hollywood seemed to be on location through the two terms at the Clinton White House: Barbra Streisand, Paul Newman, Richard Dreyfuss, Billy Crystal and many more.

Matt Damon, George Clooney, Barbra Streisand and Tony Bennet have already come out in support of Hillary Clinton for the 2008 Election, and there is still plenty of time to go.

But it is hard to match Ms Winfrey for pure, dazzling star power.

Is this Oprah's Moment of Hubris?

Marvin Kittman of the Huffington Post poses the question, what would Oprah do if Barack Obama isn’t all he’s cracked up to be; if he doesn’t deliver on his promises? Kittman says: “I worry that Oprah's public endorsement of a political candidate might be her moment of hubris. She may now have finally jumped the shark.”

The 2008 Election Produces the Oprahbama Phenomenon

So, the overreaching question to the Oprahbama Phenomenon is, does Oprah really bring Senator Barack Obama more than attention and presumably, campaign contributions? Will these appearances of Oprah actually deliver Obama the vote?

There is no doubt that Oprah Winfrey can turn books into best sellers overnight and by her endorsement and approval, turn almost any product into the next big must-have of the season.

After all, of Oprah Winfrey’s daytime audience of 8.6 million viewers, 75 percent are women. More than half are older than 50; 44 percent make less than $40,000 a year and about 25 percent have no more than a high school diploma, according to Nielsen Media Research.

But will her influence turn her television audience into voters in the 2008 Election for Barack Obama?

Katherine Q Seeley writes in the NY Times: “While the moment is political, it will test whether Ms. Winfrey’s life philosophy — be true to yourself! be grateful every day! transform your life! help others! stay positive! — translates to the political arena. Does her formula work beyond the Oprah bubble? Can she translate her powers of suggestion — for a book, a hairstyle, an attitude toward life — into votes?”

Oprah will Certainly Draw Crowds on the Campaign Trail

What is beyond dispute, is that for the first time, the Queen of daytime talk has endorsed a presidential candidate, bestowing her blessing on Senator Barack Obama, the Illinois Democrat. And there is no doubt that the turnout to see Oprah on the campaign trail with “her favorite guy” should be enormous.

Whether the Oprahbama Phenomenon will flourish and bear fruit for Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey on the campaign trail for the 2008 election or wither into yesterday’s news, is something only time will tell.

Oprahbama Phenomenon preview - watch Oprah interview Barack Obama in 2004.