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| Star Power Hits Iowa … Under the radar is Emily’s List. |
Everyone is talking about Bill
Clinton being Oprah’s counterweight in the Iowa primaries. Weighing star
power alone it’s a two front Wow! But the real competition is actually
on a completely different front. Not surprising that Anne Kornblut doesn’t know
about it, but it’s not a minor miss.
You go girl! Emily’s List is reaching
out to women in Iowa in the hopes of getting them to caucus, having endorsed
Clinton long ago. The site is powerful. It takes Iowa caucus voters on a step-by-step
process of what to expect on January 3rd. As an aside, we’re working out
dates for the president of Emily’s List,
Ellen Malcolm, to come on my radio show. I’d ask Oprah, but that’s a high hurdle. Emily’s List is the largest PAC in
the country dedicated solely to electing Democratic women.
Oprah’s events are open to the public. There will be “preferred seating”
offered according to the campaign. Those wanting this seating will
be accommodated providing they commit to doing 4 hours of work for the Obama
campaign or commit to attending a caucus. Bringing in new people is an important
goal. The splash Oprah will make is unquestioned. She is one of the most respected
women in TV and culture in this country. Her accomplishments are awesome. However,
she’s never ventured into the political campaign arena. What her endorsement
and campaigning will mean to Barack, besides great headlines, is still unknown.
As for Emily’s List, there is no organization more equipped or committed to bringing out women to vote for their endorsed female candidates, of which Clinton is their most important.
However, no one is talking about them. Instead, people like Anne Kornblutt are
focusing on the power personalities, Bill Clinton vs. Oprah Winfrey, which is
understandable, but still a glaring omission. That means reporters are missing
a hidden powerhouse organizer for women in the Iowa race, with Emily’s List
primary goal being to elect Hillary Clinton as president, which starts in
the first primary state.
Oprah is powerful, but she’s not a caucus organizer. She will light up the
publicity in Iowa. But she’s still an outsider in caucus land.
You Go Girl! has 250 women and counting organizing
for Hillary, whose only purpose is to get women out to vote, and they’re
Iowans. Interesting that no one is covering this under the radar angle.
We won’t know until after the caucus which one mattered most, but in capacity
to turn out the women’s vote, Oprah and Emily’s List are at the very least equal in power, if not in front
page publicity.
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