All the talk about Oprah running for president is … distressing. It’s exactly the sort of thing I’ve been fearing — the idea that if Trump can be president, so can any other wealthy celebrity. Both Oprah and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (and who knows how many others) have considered running for president. Political experience? Who needs it? Trump has shown you don’t need it to be elected. Would other celebrities even consider running if Trump hadn’t been elected? Would the general populace consider voting again for someone with zero political experience if Trump hadn’t been elected?
Winfrey and Johnson are okay as celebrities go, but nothing I can think of qualifies either to be president. And while I don’t know much about Johnson, I’ve seen Oprah promote some hair-brained ideas on her show and she has millions of fans who blindly follow and believe anything she says.
(Yes, Ronald Reagan was a celebrity before he was elected president, but he’d also been governor of California for eight years. That’s a significant amount of relevant experience.)
I dread the 2020 election if Trump survives that long. What if we end up with Trump running for a second term against some other totally inexperienced celebrity?
Maybe it will finally be the perfect time for a third-party candidate to run. Someone with at least a modicum of political experience. A stable, sensible personality. A college education at the very least. Not too extreme one way or the other.
I go back and forth with this one, too. There is a massive difference between Oprah and Trump, though. I really shouldn’t have to explain the difference, as it is as obvious as the nose on one’s face. Trump cares pretty much only about profit, whether his or other corporations. Oprah, on the other hand, cares about people more than profit. Plus she would be wise in selecting her staff whereas Trump was nothing but appointments for favors.
Difference between the two is night and day.
I’m waiting to see if Joe Biden is going to run. Biden and Elizabeth Warren would be a helluva combo. Plus, I think the country would be okay with a female veep, but many are still struggling, or denying, the idea of a female president.
Certainly there’s a huge difference between the two of them, but that doesn’t make either one qualified to be president.
I absolutely agree! When I started to hear that chatter moments after her speech I couldn’t believe it. Although I think she’s a great businesswoman, the traits that made her so don’t necessarily translate to political acumen. This world is a complicated mess… it’s not a talk show or reality TV. I fear that not only has Trump set a very low bar but, in this era of social media and celebrity worship, we are losing sight of what is really needed to be the “leader of the free world” (I put that in quotes since I’m not sure we can still claim that). I also fear what message electing another celebrity president would send to other countries.
I neglected to mention something about diplomacy and international relations. Some knowledge and understanding there is also important, even if it means just shutting your mouth.
It drives me crazy when the media, seeking opinions from the public, go to celebrities. Oprah Winfrey thinks this. Tom Hanks thinks that. Kim Kardashian says something else. Celebrities put their pants on one leg at a time just like everybody else. Being a celebrity doesn’t make you any smarter or more knowledgeable or educated than anybody else. And yet, as some British news source (can’t remember which) observed, Americans seem to worship their celebrities.
… and look where that’s gotten us.
I’d like to take this opportunity to announce my candidacy for the 2020 presidential race. I am now accepting donations and suggestions for a running mate.
Not sure you’re famous enough yet. How many readers do you have? Have you appeared on TV, made a movie, recorded a hit song?
You see that’s the trick – I’ll be the alternative candidate. “Vote for me because I am not famous and don’t have any money.” If every one of my blog followers voted for me, I’d have 2,300 votes. That should get me a small town in Idaho at least.
Ahh, the Un-Celebrity. Crafty.
Eek, just say “no.”
Yes, “No!”
Yes, Oprah is a celebrity, and massively rich. But the similarities end there. She is a woman, she has experienced extreme poverty and hardship. she is compassionate, she is SMART. These attributes make her very different from the VSG (very stable genius). I started watching Oprah during the 80s, when she was just starting. She is the same person now.
You forgot to mention the most important similarity: lack of experience. Neither of them is qualified to be president.
I suppose you’re lucky that Arnold Schwarzenegger is excluded from running, although he like Reagan has had a bit of experience.
Talking of Reagan reminds me of the time the Australian PM paid him a visit at the White House. Seems when they were chatting in the Oval Office Mr President knew the right questions to ask.
He had them all written on cards which he read out one after the other, our PM was much amused, he being a Rhodes Scholar with the gift of the gab and always knowing what to say and, more importantly when to say it!
Apparently Reagan knew what he didn’t know and was willing to accept aid from his aides. I much prefer that to what we’ve got now.
I’ll go along with that,