I have to say I was impressed by the lineup of big names who turned out for Sunday’s Barack Obama rally in Pauley Pavilion.
Though Obama himself wasn’t in attendance, there were two Kennedys, the California Senate and Assembly majority leaders, the vice president of a major hospital chain, a mayor of a large city, and one of the world’s richest media moguls.
But what struck me most was that, with the exception of a brief appearance by Stevie Wonder, in which the singer led the audience in a song, every high-profile speaker lending an endorsement was female.
With all the media attention and discussion among pundits tying campaigns to certain issues ““ Hillary Clinton and her gender, Mitt Romney and his religion, Obama and his race ““ it is Obama’s successful courting of female endorsements that is perhaps most noteworthy. Regardless of the outcome of Super Tuesday and the primary elections, Obama’s endorsements from the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Caroline Kennedy and Maria Shriver represent a new era for political campaigning ““ one in which women not only successfully run for high-level of elected office, but serve as powerful shapers of public opinion, who make voters pay attention regardless of demographic.
Endorsements have played an important role in U.S. presidential election history and are crucial in securing candidates with a spot in office.
Before the mid-19th century, presidential candidates didn’t even openly campaign on behalf of themselves. They relied on local officials and traveling campaign members to speak on their behalf about the various political issues, believing the message would sound more legitimate coming from others who were seen as trustworthy.
Though the system has changed, the mind of the voter has not. Even more valuable than a candidate who defends his points well is a trusted observer who can lend knowledge and insight to a situation.
In 1968, in the middle of the Vietnam War, trusted CBS anchor Walter Cronkite declared that things seemed to be getting worse.
Because Cronkite had reported from the region himself, his comments helped precipitate a sharp change in American public opinion and attitude toward the war.
There are other examples, and before the 2008 primary election, such influence usually required the qualities most often found in men ““ positions of high leadership, trust and experience.
But with Obama’s endorsements, this standard has been broken, with high-profile women coming forward who are very likely to bring about changes in opinion.
Though Winfrey’s audience for her afternoon show may be comprised mostly of women, her publishing empire, newly launched XM radio station, billion-dollar wealth and label of “most influential woman in the world” make many more than just women take note. David Sobodos of Redondo Beach noted that he came to support Obama ““ and because of Oprah.
“Whatever (Oprah) connects herself with is about being good … helping people, lifting people up,” Sobodos said.
Though one may suggest that Oprah could just about run for president herself, her opinion is perhaps the most valuable thing she has to offer to American politics.
Not just a leader, Oprah is somebody Americans stop and listen to. They value her judgment. They trust her word by buying books by unknown authors, propelling them onto bestseller lists.
When Oprah felt betrayed by the inaccuracies in James Frey’s “A Million Little Pieces,” it made big news, partly because, with so many following her, millions felt deceived.
Caroline Kennedy is another example. More than just a member of a political family, she is an American icon. The last survivor of “Camelot,” she was a visible figure in a nostalgic era of American politics.
Since then, she has often shied away from the limelight, becoming only moderately involved in politics, publishing books about her family and presenting awards for courage. Given the sense of nostalgia that many Democrats still have for her father’s presidency, and her hesitation to become involved in current political issues, her endorsement of Obama in a New York Times editorial was one that made people pay attention.
Regardless of whether such endorsements signal victory for Obama, they signal a new era in political campaigning in which high-profile female endorsements are just as sought after as those from men.
E-mail Noble at bnoble@media.ucla.edu.