Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Obama in His Own Words: 2004 Oprah Interview Revisited

A 2007 New York Times article on the rise of Obama noted that politicians' bios are often seen by critics as "fluff pieces."  But for Axelrod, they supplied "a coordinating presence, a basic story to wrap the campaign around[;] there is precision in the fluff."
In the fifteen years before Obama announced his candidacy for president, the Chicago public relations man "worked through Obama's life story again and again, scouring it for usable political material."
Earlier references to Obama's fondness for incorporating traditional American motifs into his own personal fiction appeared in a 2004 O magazine interview of then-State Senator Obama.  Oprah Winfrey conducted the Q&A soon after the television personality heard the speech she "would never forget." 
The O interview encapsulates Obama's entire story.  The messiah complex; collectivist philosophy; malignant narcissism; condescension toward those Americans he would later say were  bitter, religious gun-clingers; the race card; and most importantly, the value of relating simple, personal stories that resonate with his audience.
The November 2004 "Oprah Talks with Barack Obama" opens with the queen of talk shows reminding Obama of his convention speech and asking, "Will you be the One?" 
Oprah had a pivotal role from the get-go in bringing an unknown Chicago radical to life.  For a woman who lambasted James Frey for his distortions and lies in an inconsequential memoir, it's not surprising that she has suffered a financial backlash against such hypocrisy.

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