Oprah Winfrey showed Sunday why she might be Barack Obama’s secret weapon in the Democratic primaries. Her star power helped attract a huge crowd of more than 25,000 to a stadium in South Carolina, where the billionaire media mogul showed her talent for connecting with ordinary folks.
Oprah declared that Obama “speaks to the potential inside of every one of us†and asked people to embrace his “new vision†for America.
It was good TV. But how many people will Oprah convince to actually go out and vote? Surely enough to worry the Clinton campaign.
With Obama gaining momentum in polls, the race neck and neck, and the primaries just around the corner, Oprah’s appearances will put wind in his sails at a key moment.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Bruce Cole of Wichita became the Intergalactic Cartoon Caption Writing Champion with his winning take on this week’s contest. We don’t keep records of such things, but surely Bruce has won ten or twelve of these contests by now. Here are a few other entries that deserve more than a lump of coal (Cole?) in their stockings as well. From Wichita’s Amy Godsey came, "You really should get a flue shot." Bill Papineau, also of Wichita, came up with, "Santa, maybe it’s time we get our BUTTS outa here!" "Hand me my inhaler!" was sent in by Nancy Mueller of Wichita. Troy Davis touched on another subject with, "Don’t worry, Santa. It’s just the grill smoke from the fatty, salty steak you ordered." Wichita’s Thomas Coats said, "We get hazard pay for this, right?" From Derby, Julie Dombo sent, "You’re going to have to throw in a long-term health care policy if we keep this up!" Wichita’s Karen Wallace submitted, "…While visions of carcinogens danced in their heads." Another good one from Bruce Cole: "Talk about secondhand gifts…" Then there was this slap at my friend and coworker from Fred Wolfe of Wichita: "Brent Castillo says to pass them by, Santa. They couldn’t be evangelical Christians because they smoke and drink and do you know what."
Posted by Richard Crowson
Attorney General Paul Morrison has acknowledged that he had an adulterous “consensual relationship†with his employee Linda Carter while he was Johnson County district attorney. Regardless of the accuracy of the rest of Carter’s allegations, that truth shows terrible judgment on Morrison’s part — as a boss, lawyer and husband — and should trouble the 58 percent of Kansas voters who put their trust in Morrison last year. His apology and pledge “to continue to fight for the safety and security of Kansans to the best of my ability†fall short, leaving Kansans to wonder how much of Carter’s shocking story is true. Whatever becomes of Carter’s civil rights claim with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Morrison’s credibility, ability to work with the Legislature, and political prospects have been damaged. And at least for the underlying conduct, he has no one to blame but himself.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Should he not win the Republican nomination for president, Mike Huckabee could have a bright career as the new face of Subway. The candidate lost 110 pounds and speaks out against American obesity.
Could that be a liability, though? Bruce Reed of Slate magazine suggests Huckabee’s fat fear and need to keep the pounds off could distract him from presidential responsibilities.
Maureen Dowd of the New York Times recently razzed President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for their physical obsessions, implying that overzealous workouts steal time from more important things, say, foreign policy.
Reed wrote: “Recent history suggests a direct correlation between how much time presidents spend worrying about keeping fit and how much time they have left to solve the nation’s problems. . . . Bush works out, but his policies don’t. After seven years, he’s in a lot better shape than the country.â€
Posted by Kristin Mehler
Researchers have known for some time that a significant number of entrepreneurs are dyslexic, but a new study found that the percentage is even greater than previously thought. A survey of U.S. entrepreneurs found that 35 percent identified themselves as dyslexic, the New York Times reported. Not only that, but entrepreneurs who are dyslexic are twice as likely to own two or more businesses as entrepreneurs who aren’t dyslexic.
Why are so many successful entrepreneurs dyslexic? Because of their learning disability, they know how to overcome obstacles, they excel in oral communication (to compensate for reading and writing challenges), and they are good at delegating authority.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Remember those pro-coal ads suggesting that the Sebelius administration’s coal-plant denial would please Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and the leaders of Iran and Russia? It turns out that Peabody Energy, which helped fund the ads, is part owner of a Venezuelan coal mine also co-owned by Chavez’s government.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
