Do not underestimate the power of Oprah

Posted on Monday 10 December 2007

As a consultant to nonprofit organizations, I’ve seen Oprah single-handily drive charitable giving. But I’ve never seen anything like this:

COLUMBIA, S.C. — It was a staggering sight. Upwards of 29,000 people at a political rally. And the Democratic primary in South Carolina is not until Jan. 26.

The Double O Express — Oprah for Obama — drew what is easily the biggest crowd at a campaign event, for any candidate, so far this season. It may have helped that the day was unseasonably warm, above 70 degrees, and gorgeously sunny. But this size crowd is rare even for a general election in the fall. (JFK drew about 35,000 for a Labor Day rally in 1960; get to work, Caucus readers, and tell us if you know of a bigger campaign rally without an incumbent president.)

The next measure will be to see if Oprah helps drive up Obama’s fundraising numbers in the next few weeks. Could Obama beat Clinton’s fundraising machine in Q4? We’ll know in a few weeks.

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