Women Angry Over Oprah-Obama Campaign

Jan. 22, 2008— -- A month after Oprah hit the campaign trail with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, the queen of day time talk is facing heat from her largely female fans who have traditionally agreed with just about anything she has done – from the books she reads to the weight loss plans she tries.

But Oprah's endorsement of Obama is different from the typical seals of approval the host offers on her show, and as early as November 2007 commenters on her site's message boards began unleashing criticism of her endorsement for the black candidate – Obama – rather than the female one – Hillary Clinton.

"I cannot believe that women all over this country are not up in arms over Oprah's backing of Obama," wrote austaz68 on Oprah.com, in a message thread titled "Oprah is a Traitor!!!" "For the first time in history we actually have a host at putting a woman in the white house and Oprah backs the black MAN. She's choosing her race over her gender – hypocrisy [sic] at it's finest!! Oprah – you should be ashamed of yourself!!!!!"

And almost two months later, some are still fuming – sparking a heated debate among Oprah's fiercest critics and now her supporters, anxious to defend the beloved host.

On Jan. 19, wendykwrit posted, "You know, for so long I've felt a connection to Oprah and all that she's done not only for women but the world in general. She was such an idol to me and I truly loved all that she stood for. Since she threw her support behind Barack Obama I felt like she let me down."

"I feel like I lost a friend who I thought identified with me and now I realize she's something she's not," added the poster. "I refuse to even watch the show anymore."

But for every critic of Oprah there seems to be a supporter. One poster called those angry with Oprah's endorsement "ignorant."