The Oprah brand in jeopardy

By Thomas Lifson

Oprah Winfrey and her TV staff are reportedly in turmoil over whether or not to invite Sarah Palin. The wrong decision would change the nature of her brand, transforming her into a perceived partisan and an implicit antagonist of a large segment of her female audience.

The Drudge Report writes:

Oprah Winfrey may have introduced Democrat Barack Obama to the women of America -- but the talkshow queen is not rushing to embrace the first woman on a Republican presidential ticket!

Oprah's staff is sharply divided on the merits of booking Sarah Palin, sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT.

"Half of her staff really wants Sarah Palin on," an insider explains. "Oprah's website is getting tons of requests to put her on, but Oprah and a couple of her top people are adamantly against it because of Obama."

One executive close to Winfrey is warning any Palin ban could ignite a dramatic backlash!

That last executive is absolutely correct. In the wake of the infamous Us Magazine cover and the building backlash, Oprah had better be very careful indeed. Many, many women feel the media has been unfair. Half of all females in Survey USA's latest poll think the media are favoring Obama.

If Oprah snubs Sarah, she will suffer enormous consequences. Her dilemma is that if she has Sarah on and lets her talk, her guy Obama will lose votes. And if she tries to put Sarah on the spot, she could lose fans in droves.