DILEMMA: OPRAH BALKS AT HOSTING SARAH PALIN; STAFF DIVIDED

[Desertdog]

If she doesn't invite her on, it may cause a big backlash from the conservatives that watch her show.  For me, it really does't make that much difference since I dont watch her show anyway.

DILEMMA: OPRAH BALKS AT HOSTING SARAH PALIN; STAFF DIVIDED
http://drudgereport.com/flash3os.htm

Oprah Winfrey may have introduced Democrat Barack Obama to the women of America -- but the talkshow queen is not rushing to embrace the first woman on a Republican presidential ticket!

Oprah's staff is sharply divided on the merits of booking Sarah Palin, sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT.

"Half of her staff really want Sarah Palin her on," an insider explains. "Oprah's website is getting tons of requests to put her on, but Oprah and a couple of her top people are adamantly against it because of Obama."

One executive close to Winfrey is warning any Palin ban could ignite a dramatic backlash!

It is not clear if Oprah has softened her position after watching Palin's historic convention speech.

Last year, Winfrey blocked an appearance by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, timed to a promotional tour of his autobiography.

Oprah and executive producer Sheri Salata, who has contributed thousands of dollars to Obama's campaign, refused requests for comment.

[charby]

I think this would be a very easy lawsuit to win for RNC and Palin becasue of the Fairness Doctrine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_Doctrine

[wmenorr67]

I really don't care what Oprah does.

[ilbob]

I think it is really better for our side if she is seen as refusing to grant equal time.

Her show has lost popularity, possibly due to her previous rabid support of BHO. I don't know if BHO's people told her to cool it, or her business advisers did.

On top of that, Oprah runs a very tightly scripted show. She is no better without a teleprompter than BHO is. BHO would stick to the script. I doubt the good governor would.

[Jamisjockey]

I think this would be a very easy lawsuit to win for RNC and Palin becasue of the Fairness Doctrine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_Doctrine

I don't think the Fairness doctrine is currently on the books.  Obama wants to bring it back though....

[charby]

I think this would be a very easy lawsuit to win for RNC and Palin becasue of the Fairness Doctrine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_Doctrine

I don't think the Fairness doctrine is currently on the books.  Obama wants to bring it back though....

The way I understand it, it is still there but I don't think anyone or the FCC challenges/uses it anymore.

[Ezekiel]

I doubt Oprah is concerned about Conservatives -- even women -- being the foundation of her show.

[Desertdog]

I don't think the Fairness doctrine is currently on the books.  Obama wants to bring it back though....

I know the Fairness Doctrine is off the books, but isn't there something that states that radio and TV have to give equal time to oppossing political parties?  That would be equal time for McCain as for Obama, but not necessarily for Palin.

[Antibubba]

I want to see gov Palin offer to take Oprah to the range! 

[Desertdog]

Operah does not need to go to the firing range, I would guess she has more paid guns around her than you do.  Probably paid by the stations, not herself.

[wmenorr67]

Operah does not need to go to the firing range, I would guess she has more paid guns around her than you do.  Probably paid by the stations, not herself.

Yeah but I don't need to have paid guns.  I know how to use my own.

[RoadKingLarry]

I don't think the Fairness doctrine is currently on the books.  Obama wants to bring it back though....

I know the Fairness Doctrine is off the books, but isn't there something that states that radio and TV have to give equal time to oppossing political parties?  That would be equal time for McCain as for Obama, but not necessarily for Palin.

Fairmess doctrine = communism. The Oprah show is a PRIVATELY OWNED operation. She can do whatever she wants on her show.
We DO NOT want the fariness doctrine reintroduced.
We do not want the government telling us what we can or can not listen to or watch or telling privately owned operations what they have to broadcast.
There is already a requirement for a certain amount of public service air time and that is plenty.

And I would actually hope Palin would decline an invitation from that bloated sanctimonious windbag anyway.

[French G.]

Last thing we want is for someone to force their way on to a show by pleading for fairness. Obama can take that fairness doctrine and... I really don't want to listen to Air America/MSNBC or whatever they call it these days. Now you think news outlets would be a little more level. Excluding Keith Olbermann of course. From http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com is a list of their blog post categories.
 No disparity there...

Categories

    * Barack Obama (2495)
    * Hillary Clinton (1872)
    * John McCain (1550)
    * Iowa (544)
    * Mitt Romney (486)
    * New Hampshire (485)
    * South Carolina (422)
    * Race to '08 (385)
    * Mike Huckabee (345)
    * John Edwards (339)
    * Rudy Giuliani (338)
    * President Bush (301)

[French G.]

And to Oprah, kinda sucks when you are playing identity politics and get confused. Lessee here, am I a woman, a black woman, a democrat, just plain black, or a rich Chicago gangster. Of course for O that is easy, she can satisfy the majority of her identities with one big empty suit. Most of her loyal viewers though carry the primary identifier of woman pretty close.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Dumb move on Oprah's part.  If she's wants Obama to win, then put Palin on the show and make her look bad.  If Oprah plays it right, she could completely turn women against Palin.

[AJ Dual]

Dumb move on Oprah's part.  If she's wants Obama to win, then put Palin on the show and make her look bad.  If Oprah plays it right, she could completely turn women against Palin.

Oprah and her show format is way too invested in her neo-feminist zen of feel-good to do any kind attack or ambush interview. Her own brand comes before her allegince to BHO, and it would be at complete odds with the air of the "has-it-all older-sister you're secretly jealous of but love too much to care" she cultivates with her core audience.

The problem for Oprah is a huge Catch-22. She puts Palin on, she gives a HUGE stage to a very beautiful, charismatic, and inherently likeable woman and puts her in front of an audience of millions of squishy emotive women who vote thier "feelings" and not party line or policy. She refuses to seat Palin, and the scandal only deepens the Hillary supporter/BHO rift that arguably STARTED on the Oprah show and her website chat forums when she made the big BHO endorsment in the first place.

[Werewolf]

If Oprah was white and had had McCain on and then refused to put Obama on she'd be accused of racisim.

But she's not and she won't even though she obviously is!

It never ceases to amaze how popular she is. What's the allure?

[Scout26]

Yep, she ticked off about half of her audience when she dissed Hillary for BHO.  Another snub to Palin and she'll PO even more of her audience.

If the middle class women who watch her show, buy her books, magazines and other stuff get the impression that she's not so much women focused as race focused she could be going over the tipping point and begin her (financial) death spiral.......

[Desertdog]

If Oprah was white and had had McCain on and then refused to put Obama on she'd be accused of racisim.

But she's not and she won't even though she obviously is!

Only if she was a white conservative or Republican.  White or black Democrat would not hear a charge of raceism no matter what they did.

[Balog]

Yep, she ticked off about half of her audience when she dissed Hillary for BHO.  Another snub to Palin and she'll PO even more of her audience.

If the middle class women who watch her show, buy her books, magazines and other stuff get the impression that she's not so much women focused as race focused she could be going over the tipping point and begin her (financial) death spiral.......

Let's hope. That woman is a cult leader.

[Manedwolf]

Yep, she ticked off about half of her audience when she dissed Hillary for BHO.  Another snub to Palin and she'll PO even more of her audience.

If the middle class women who watch her show, buy her books, magazines and other stuff get the impression that she's not so much women focused as race focused she could be going over the tipping point and begin her (financial) death spiral.......

Let's hope. That woman is a cult leader.

She is apparently losing viewers due to her excessively touchy-feely "all religions are the same" thing with new-agey slow-talking cult people babbling all the time. She's totally obsessed with it.

Ever hear any of the commercials for her "experts" she has? It's all platitudes and double-ended, meaningless "truths" that remind me of the Sphinx character in Mystery Men.

Like "To learn teachings, you must be taught how to learn", that kind of nonsense. And she is absolutely "Wow, that's soooooooo deep" about that sort of thing.

[Balog]

Ever wonder what David Koresh would look like as a fat black woman?

[Brad Johnson]

..but ..but ..but

This has to be a lie because there's no bias in the entertainment industry, right? 

Brad

[roo_ster]

Ever hear any of the commercials for her "experts" she has? It's all platitudes and double-ended, meaningless "truths" that remind me of the Sphinx character in Mystery Men.

Like "To learn teachings, you must be taught how to learn", that kind of nonsense. And she is absolutely "Wow, that's soooooooo deep" about that sort of thing.

I would like to state for the record that Mystery Men was one of the great parodies. 

And that Ben Stiller played a near-autobiographical role as a wanna-be hero whose only power is flailing, impotent frustration.

That is all.

[Desertdog]

According to Shepard Smith, Studio B With Shepard Smith, FNC, 12:00PM PDT, Oprah "would love to have Sarah Palin on her show AFTER the election."