Everyone knows Oprah. She’s an inspiration, an idol, an icon for millions of young girls; she's visible proof that despite a challenging upbringing, one can achieve fame and fortune and do so without sacrificing integrity.
Many of us probably saw her on stage at the Golden Globes on January 7, 2018, where she received the Cecil B. DeMille award and delivered an incredibly moving speech about change, perseverance and a new wave of accountability.
Following her speech, many Americans have rallied with Oprah, encouraging her to run for president in 2020.
And, although Oprah has never made an official statement expressing her interest in running, she hasn’t out-right denied the thought either. Her close friends disclose that she is “actively thinking” about it.
However, despite how incredibly awesome Oprah is as a person, she shouldn’t be our president. Here are five reasons why:
1. She has no political background.
We need to learn from our experience with President Trump. I hate to compare them, but she too is a celebrity, not a politician. Although our nation seems desperate for a change, a shift away from the bureaucracy we are so accustomed to, she cannot fulfill that job as much as we think she will.
New York Times writer, Daniel D’Addario, says that “[Advocating for the election of celebrities is] a troubling trend…Replacing a political amateur with a political amateur with good intentions doesn’t solve certain core problems the executive branch is suffering at the moment.” D’Addario is right.
She might be able to fare better than Donald Trump with her ability to empathize, debate and express, but electing her president will not fundamentally solve the problems in our system. Instead, we need educated, experienced people with the same values and motivation as Oprah to take her place in the running.
2. Her election will undoubtedly promote a trend of celebrity nominations.
It’s no secret that popularity seals the vote. Many believe that, if Oprah were to run, she would win. People are accustomed to Oprah, maybe having grown up listening to her show on TV, watched her accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2013, followed her throughout her multifaceted celebrity career.
What will it mean for us if one only has to be famous to run for president, not experienced? If we vote for who we see on the screen, who we think that person is, we only know a 2-dimensional figure that can deliver the words we want to hear, maybe not the words we need to when the times comes.
3. It would undermine the knowledge and skill needed to be president.
Being the president of the United States is incredibly challenging. Winning the support of the public is only one responsibility and, although Oprah is good at rallying support, would she be able to hold cabinet meetings, be a chief diplomat and know the ropes behind what actually goes into setting legislation? Accepting the presidential title is not something to be taken lightly.
4. Her running furthers the disconnect between the people and the president.
When we see a celebrity like Oprah, we see a woman whose job is to electrify people, inspire them, change how they see the world. Often times they aren’t held to the same standards politicians are, and we see them more as people because they are so easily humanized through the various roles they play on TV.
They are able to choose where and when to express themselves as well as direct their opinions to a targeted audience. Ira Madison III, from “The Daily Beast”, illustrates that Oprah “reverberates emotionally… in America as a whole... because Oprah doesn’t decide how much you pay in taxes. Oprah doesn’t send drone strikes. Oprah doesn’t have to be friendly with racist, homophobic or misogynist politicians in order to pass the legislature.”
As Americans, we like Oprah because we like the way she empowers us. We like imagining her as our president because we don’t have any tangible evidence of her diplomacy or policies contradicting that positive image of her.
5. An outsider may not be what America actually needs.
Oprah may be the role model we need, but not the president we need. Hopefully, we have learned through President Trump that we should look to those experienced in politics when choosing our next president. In the future, I do genuinely hope that we get a nominee that has the same drive of Oprah Winfrey.
I admire her strength, her perseverance, her initiative, her voice--all qualities that the next generation of Americans could benefit from in the future.
As of now, however, I think we should retire #Oprah2020.
