By: Amanda Anderson-Niles
President Obama found a huge supporter in media queen Oprah Winfrey after he announced he would be running for president for the first time, and the former talk show host risked a lot when she endorsed him and dabbled into politics. Some say Oprah’s support is one of the main reasons Obama was able to beat out Hillary Clinton in the primaries and she expressed her happiness through tears after it was confirmed that Obama has won the election in 2008 against Senator John McCain. However, Oprah didn’t really seem to rally behind Obama as he ran for a second term against Governor Mitt Romney and rumors suggested it was because a rift between the Obamas and Oprah took place behind the scenes. However, Oprah says she was just too busy to get involved in politics again.
The New York Post is reporting that Obama’s Senior Advisor Valeria Jarrett phoned Oprah and several others to come to the White House to discuss a way to positively promote ObamaCare last summer, but the President was shocked when she turned down the offer. A source close to the publication says:
“All of Oprah’s top people thought she would go, because when the president invites you to the White House, most people automatically say yes. But Oprah said she didn’t have the time or inclination to go. It wasn’t like she had to think it over. It was an immediate, flat-out, unequivocal no.”
It’s been rumored that Oprah is at odds with the Obamas because she was told she would able to get regular briefings on initiatives the President would be enforcing and even a heads up on programs if he won the 2008 election. She would in turn use this information for her cable channel, OWN. But when that didn’t happen, reportedly Oprah began to feel like she was being stiffed by the President and the First Lady. The publication even claims she tried to contact Valeria Jarrett about the issue with no success, and she realized that the Obamas had no intention of keeping their word.
Interestingly enough, a friend of Oprah says her issue is even deeper with Michelle Obama:
“For her part, Oprah doesn’t like being with Michelle, because the first lady is constantly one-upping the president and anybody else around her. Oprah has struck back by banning the Obamas from her O, The Oprah Magazine . . . It probably hurts Oprah more than Obama, who, if he had his head screwed on straight, would have flown to California and begged Oprah to help him save ObamaCare.”
The friend goes on to say that Oprah is “hurt” by how things have turned out with the Obamas, and they expect her to hold a grudge considering she feels she was taken advantage of. Meanwhile, Oprah’s camp is denying that she is at odds with the Obamas.
I hope this isn’t true but something tells me it is. It was very fishy to me that Oprah was silent when Obama ran for a second term. If they promised to give her stuff for her network, they should have honored it. She helped them a lot.
Say it ain’t so. I hope they can all move past it.
Politics is a dirty business. So I believe this. Obama sure could have used Oprah to help him out with this Obama Care drama. Never burn your bridges. You never know when you may need to cross them again.
Exactly. I have to say I’m disappointed in them for doing that. Oprah helped them out a lot because before that, the left was rocking with Hillary hard.
“Never burn your bridges. You never know when you may need to cross them again.” >>> AMEN. So many people just don’t understand this and it comes back to haunt them.
Oprah and Michelle are two strong black women that probably clashed and Obama didn’t want to get in the middle of it. That sucks but it happens.
That’s what I think happened too.
Nooo!!!!! We can’t have the classy black people beefing! LOL!
LOL you’re right though. We need all the powerful black people to stick together, it’s not a lot of them to begin with unfortunately.
If this is true, the Obamas are the ones who are in the wrong. You can’t ask someone to help and then not go through with your end of the deal. Oprah may not have her talk show anymore, but she still has a lot of influence that Obama could have used right now with all the mess going on with the government.
Wow they did Oprah dirty and she basically was the one who put Obama on! A lot of people didn’t really know who she was until she invited them on her show and endorsed him. Come on now Obamas. Don’t do Oprah like that.
That’s messed up. Well Oprah was able to get her network on top without them, so I guess it all worked out anyway.
I’m not surprised. I knew something was up when she didn’t get involved in his re-election campaign.
Wow.
You don’t do Oprah dirty, you just don’t. Get it together Obamas.
What did she expect? Politicians are professional liars and crooks. I like Obama, but he didn’t get where he is by playing nice and being a good person. Good people don’t make it far in politics. She doesn’t need them though. I mean she is Oprah for crying out loud.
Oprah needs to sit her a-s down somewhere. There’s no doubt in my mind she and her people put this story out now to kick Obama while he was down. Yes it’s messed up they lied and didn’t follow through with their promise, but maybe it’s because they are too busy dealing with real issues to help her build her network. I mean seriously.
Cosign! Oprah is trippin.
People are jumping on Oprah’s bandwagon like Obama rules the world and can do whatever he wants. Just because he’s president doesn’t mean he can just invite whoever he wants to briefings or do whatever he wants. The govt shutdown shows just how much republicans have their hand in the pot. Why assume the Obamas are being malicious? Maybe he wasn’t allowed to? However he should have at least told Oprah why he couldn’t keep his word, he’s wrong for that much.
Honestly, Obama made a promise he had no intent on keeping. Initiatives and programs are not top secret information. He probably told her he would do it just to get her support and Oprah peeped game and she’s pissed about it. And she should be. He should have been honest from jump and told her he wasn’t feeling the whole OWN thing. And then on top of that, now he calls her when he needs her help again. I’d give him the cold shoulder too after all that. #shrugs
I think it’s messed up for him to ignore her calls and not explain why he couldn’t keep his word and then on top of that he then calls out the blue because he wants her to help him yet again for the Obama Care stuff. That’s pretty trifling in my opinion. I still like Obama though.