‘O' gets kudos as Obama ‘wingman'
Oh, my. Or, should I say “O” my.
Today is D-Day for wingmen everywhere.
Wingman laws may have to be rewritten.
Iowa voters are headed to the polls, and we’ll discover whether TV personality Oprah Winfrey has been the best wingman for Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama.
O, brother.
Traditionally, a wingman is used by a buddy – the pilot – to occupy a young woman’s friends, while the buddy swoops in to win the affection of the young woman without interference. If needed, the wingman can take one for the team – wingman words, not mine – and remove a not-so-attractive woman away from the scene so the pilot can execute his mission and be alone with the tantalizing target.
Now, we find out whether Oprah’s message has earned her wingman wings.
Although she has political friends, Obama is the first candidate Oprah has ever endorsed.
Carroll Doherty, a Pew Research Center associate editor, told www.diversityinc.com that voters don’t value celebrity endorsements, but what Big O did for Little O may be special enough to earn her wingman’s wings.
After all this is a woman whose wingman-like endorsement made Dr. Phil McGraw nationally recognized. Her talk show is seen daily by 7.7 million viewers.
So far, Oprah has performed very well as a wingman for Obama, according to Andy Sharpe, owner of the Wingman Laws.
The 28-year-old and a buddy launched the North Carolina-based business that boasts a wingman vocabulary, wingman success stories and a list of 20 wingman laws.
“She has lived up to Wingman Law 12, which is to keep the target’s focus on the pilot’s best qualities, and Law 6, which is to support the pilot and not be about personal gain. She isn’t overshadowing him. She is there for him. That is what a good wingman does,” Sharpe says during a telephone interview.
Sharpe’s Web site now sells “Obama for President” items, including “Oprah is Obama’s Wingman” apparel and other paraphernalia.
But come on, we can’t be sexist here. Technically, Oprah can’t be called a wingman but rather a Lady Wingman.
“She is absolutely a Lady Wingman,” says Michael Chau, owner of www.ladywingman.com, based in San Francisco. “She has endorsed him in front of others as a man, as a decent man that she trusts. By doing that, she is telling us we can trust him as well.
“For women, it’s an intellectual level attachment,” continued Chau, during a telephone interview. “There is a comfort zone that people react to. It’s like if you have a female friend, you must be an OK, decent guy.”
Oprah thinks Obama is a decent guy.
That’s why it’s good to have a wingman – or a Lady Wingman.
kjackson@jg.net
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