There is talk of Oprah Winfrey running for president.
And not just talk. There’s speculation about if and how she could win, about what dirt would be dug up on her, or if she would crack under the constant scrutiny that comes with being a presidential candidate of the United States –– or if she would strive.
She’d be the Democrats’ Trump: a lethal swing at the current President’s ego. Most say if she threw her hat in the ring, she could win. I don’t know if this is true. But what I do know is that I, a Democrat through and through, will not be voting for Oprah Winfrey in the 2020 election.
Oprah is many things. She’s a talk show host, a television personality, a widely known celebrity, a story of perseverance, and an embodiment of the American Dream.
However, she is not a politician. Oprah has never been a senator, has no experience on the Hill.
She may have relationships with important political figures, but so do many other celebrities. This doesn’t qualify her to hold the highest political office in the country.
That is my sole issue with this whole preposterous idea-- she just isn't qualified: not to discuss tax reform, not for international negotiation, not to act on the current opioid crisis.
I share many of her political views and support what she represents. But being popular has little to do with your presidential potential. Trump was nothing more than a celebrity, a brand. And, somehow, he’s climbed the ladder and done nothing but talk of stripping away our health care plan and building a large (sorry, huge) wall to protect our borders.
I’m not saying Oprah would be this blunt and unproductive. And she would be nowhere near as vile. But both come from the same tree, the same line of celebrities that America swoons over. As of now, our Commander in Chief is a man who made his money through restaurants and casinos, who took advantage of his fame and far-fetched ideas to become the leader in a field he has no experience in.
And if there comes a time, three years from now, when Oprah’s name is on the ballot, I will not let it happen again.
