Berl Falbaum
With this column, we are announcing another winner (loser) of our coveted (despised) Pence Outstanding Hypocrite Award (POHA) and you might want to sit down as you read about our latest choice.
We confess: We are somewhat at a loss for words in bestowing this particular honor (dishonor).
It gives us chills. We made this decision with lots of misgivings, and it leaves us with much sadness not to mention fear given what we expect in reactions from the candidate’s followers which number in the millions, if not billions.
The POHA goes to a -- nay, the -- “cultural guru” in this country, maybe even the world.
With trembling fingers on the keyboard, we announce: The winner (loser) is… Oprah.
There we did it. That Oprah. The only Oprah. The one who, in all humility, has appeared on the cover of her magazine for two decades.
Yes, the one who can solve heart-rending, emotionally searing personal disputes between TV commercials (sometimes called exploitation) to advising Prince Harry on the relationship with his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and his father, King Charles III, to recommending the books we must read.
Admittedly, we had several sleepless nights before making this earth-shaking decision. So, how did our one-member Board of Directors choose her for a POHA?
Well, Oprah, as we expected she would, made headlines when she appeared as a “surprise” speaker at the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
She let Donald Trump have it -- in Oprah style. The media were left breathless. Analyst after analyst could not find enough accolades to describe and applaud her condemnations.
We were told she “electrified” the crowd, advising among other admonitions:
"More than anything, you know, this is true, that decency and respect are on the ballot in 2024, and just plain common sense. Common sense tells you that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz can give us decency and respect."
She urged voters to further choose "optimism over cynicism," "common sense over nonsense" and "the sweet promise of tomorrow over the bitter return to yesterday."
She blasted "ridiculous tweets and lies and foolery…”
So far so good. But…
It has come to light that in January 2000, when Trump was flirting with running for president, Oprah was a bit kinder to Trump.
After Trump sent her an excerpt from an upcoming book he planned to publish, “The America We Deserve,” in which he said she would be his first choice for vice president, she responded with the following hand-written note:
“Donald -- I reviewed the book excerpt. I have to tell you, your comments made me a little weepy. It’s one thing to try and live a life of integrity -- still another to have people like yourself notice. Thank you.”
Then she added: “Too bad we’re not running for office. What A TEAM!”
We agree on one point: It makes us a little weepy to cite “integrity” and Trump in one sentence. Actually, it makes us more than weepy.
While a point has been made that she wrote the note 23 years ago, Oprah defended doing so in a March 2023 TV interview. That was after such Trump misdeeds as January 6, lying about winning the election, two impeachments, endless corruption, thousands of lies, sexual perversion, racism, misogyny, and so much more. She said:
“When I heard that this letter was now going to be part of a book, I thought ‘Oh, wasn’t that nice of me to write a note.’ That’s what I thought, because I’m always like ‘Oh I should write a note. The person did this, or I should write a note.’ So, I’m really happy that I wrote a note.”
This defense came even after she endorsed Obama in 2008, and Hillary Clinton instead of Trump in 2016.
One can’t miss a weeping opportunity to be in a book written by a man of “integrity.”
Let’s be clear, it’s not like she was ignorant about Trump’s rectitude, honor, ethics (synonyms for integrity) or wholesome life. She had known Trump for decades, ran in the same high-society circles, had “cuddly” photos taken together, and kissed each other’s rings.
While she was constantly on the cover of O, her magazine, he was on the front pages of New York’s tabloids.
And Trump was reciprocal with his admiration for Oprah, stating:
“Oprah. I love Oprah. Oprah would always be my first choice [as vice president]. If she’d do it, she’d be fantastic. I mean, she’s popular, she’s brilliant, she’s a wonderful woman. I mean, if she would ever do it. I don’t know that she would ever do it. She’s got, you know. She would be sort of like me.”
The line “she would be sort of like me” has got to hurt. Maybe not.
Given all of the above, we expect that even Trump is confused about her position and can use some “Oprah advice” whether to blast or commend her.
Which brings us to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp who refused to help Trump overturn the election in his state in 2020.
As expected, Trump let loose with his insults, calling the Georgia governor "Little Brian Kemp,” adding, "He’s a bad guy. He’s a disloyal guy and he’s a very average governor.” He also attacked Kemp’s family.
Kemp has decided that Trump is more important than his family and endorsed the former president.
Thus, he receives a POHA and an invitation to appear on a special Oprah show.
—————
Berl Falbaum is a long-time political journalist and author of several books.
We confess: We are somewhat at a loss for words in bestowing this particular honor (dishonor).
It gives us chills. We made this decision with lots of misgivings, and it leaves us with much sadness not to mention fear given what we expect in reactions from the candidate’s followers which number in the millions, if not billions.
The POHA goes to a -- nay, the -- “cultural guru” in this country, maybe even the world.
With trembling fingers on the keyboard, we announce: The winner (loser) is… Oprah.
There we did it. That Oprah. The only Oprah. The one who, in all humility, has appeared on the cover of her magazine for two decades.
Yes, the one who can solve heart-rending, emotionally searing personal disputes between TV commercials (sometimes called exploitation) to advising Prince Harry on the relationship with his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and his father, King Charles III, to recommending the books we must read.
Admittedly, we had several sleepless nights before making this earth-shaking decision. So, how did our one-member Board of Directors choose her for a POHA?
Well, Oprah, as we expected she would, made headlines when she appeared as a “surprise” speaker at the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
She let Donald Trump have it -- in Oprah style. The media were left breathless. Analyst after analyst could not find enough accolades to describe and applaud her condemnations.
We were told she “electrified” the crowd, advising among other admonitions:
"More than anything, you know, this is true, that decency and respect are on the ballot in 2024, and just plain common sense. Common sense tells you that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz can give us decency and respect."
She urged voters to further choose "optimism over cynicism," "common sense over nonsense" and "the sweet promise of tomorrow over the bitter return to yesterday."
She blasted "ridiculous tweets and lies and foolery…”
So far so good. But…
It has come to light that in January 2000, when Trump was flirting with running for president, Oprah was a bit kinder to Trump.
After Trump sent her an excerpt from an upcoming book he planned to publish, “The America We Deserve,” in which he said she would be his first choice for vice president, she responded with the following hand-written note:
“Donald -- I reviewed the book excerpt. I have to tell you, your comments made me a little weepy. It’s one thing to try and live a life of integrity -- still another to have people like yourself notice. Thank you.”
Then she added: “Too bad we’re not running for office. What A TEAM!”
We agree on one point: It makes us a little weepy to cite “integrity” and Trump in one sentence. Actually, it makes us more than weepy.
While a point has been made that she wrote the note 23 years ago, Oprah defended doing so in a March 2023 TV interview. That was after such Trump misdeeds as January 6, lying about winning the election, two impeachments, endless corruption, thousands of lies, sexual perversion, racism, misogyny, and so much more. She said:
“When I heard that this letter was now going to be part of a book, I thought ‘Oh, wasn’t that nice of me to write a note.’ That’s what I thought, because I’m always like ‘Oh I should write a note. The person did this, or I should write a note.’ So, I’m really happy that I wrote a note.”
This defense came even after she endorsed Obama in 2008, and Hillary Clinton instead of Trump in 2016.
One can’t miss a weeping opportunity to be in a book written by a man of “integrity.”
Let’s be clear, it’s not like she was ignorant about Trump’s rectitude, honor, ethics (synonyms for integrity) or wholesome life. She had known Trump for decades, ran in the same high-society circles, had “cuddly” photos taken together, and kissed each other’s rings.
While she was constantly on the cover of O, her magazine, he was on the front pages of New York’s tabloids.
And Trump was reciprocal with his admiration for Oprah, stating:
“Oprah. I love Oprah. Oprah would always be my first choice [as vice president]. If she’d do it, she’d be fantastic. I mean, she’s popular, she’s brilliant, she’s a wonderful woman. I mean, if she would ever do it. I don’t know that she would ever do it. She’s got, you know. She would be sort of like me.”
The line “she would be sort of like me” has got to hurt. Maybe not.
Given all of the above, we expect that even Trump is confused about her position and can use some “Oprah advice” whether to blast or commend her.
Which brings us to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp who refused to help Trump overturn the election in his state in 2020.
As expected, Trump let loose with his insults, calling the Georgia governor "Little Brian Kemp,” adding, "He’s a bad guy. He’s a disloyal guy and he’s a very average governor.” He also attacked Kemp’s family.
Kemp has decided that Trump is more important than his family and endorsed the former president.
Thus, he receives a POHA and an invitation to appear on a special Oprah show.
—————
Berl Falbaum is a long-time political journalist and author of several books.
