Author Topic: Oprah 2020?  (Read 9399 times)

Peter Parker

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Oprah 2020?
« on: January 08, 2018, 11:34:26 AM »
Don't know if you saw Oprah's Golden Globe speech, but it sure sounded political....

What are your thoughts about an Oprah run at 2020?  Trump has broken the barrier of a non-politician attaining the presidency.  A celebrity president is no longer out of the question...

Would you vote for her?

What are your concerns?

tophdna

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2018, 11:41:16 AM »
Yeah, I've been hearing about this today. I wouldn't be surprised to start seeing some presidential campaigns we never thought we'd see before since Trump's election.

Just for clarity though, there are quite a few Presidents that were non-politicians before attaining Presidency. Usually, war heroes. One of the more popular ones was Ronald Reagan (actor), although he had some political experience before hand, aka Governor of California.

aaahhrealmarcus

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2018, 11:52:25 AM »
I can't think of a more fitting end to Trump than defeat by a woman of color

Davnasty

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2018, 12:09:03 PM »
I don't like it.

Regardless of who she is or her abilities I don't want to go down the road of celebrities turned politicians but it may be inevitable at this point. I fear that if popular celebrities start putting their name in for a major party bid they'll have too much of an advantage over people who are actually qualified. The early stages of our elections are largely a popularity contest to the majority of voters.

Plus it feels like another step towards commercializing and branding everything. So many celebrities now are their own brand, how can they possibly avoid conflicts of interest? Who's next, President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho?!

jrhampt

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2018, 12:32:25 PM »
On the one hand, I think Oprah would be better than Trump.  But on the other hand, I am not a fan of celebrity presidents with no prior public service or political experience.  Case in point - our current celebrity president who seems to lack both the experience and the interest to do this job.

newgirl

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #5 on: January 08, 2018, 01:05:40 PM »
Oprah 2020, The Rock 2028, and so on down the slope to IRL Idiocracy.

LibrarIan

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #6 on: January 08, 2018, 01:39:48 PM »
I thought Kanye was running. What happened to that?

ketchup

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #7 on: January 08, 2018, 01:59:23 PM »
On the one hand, I think Oprah would be better than Trump.  But on the other hand, I am not a fan of celebrity presidents with no prior public service or political experience.  Case in point - our current celebrity president who seems to lack both the experience and the interest to do this job.
Basically my thoughts.  It could start (continue) a bad trend.  But it'd still be an upgrade from the pussy-grabber-in-chief.

desk_jockey

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #8 on: January 08, 2018, 02:15:24 PM »
Oprah 2020, The Rock 2028, and so on down the slope to IRL Idiocracy.

We started down the slope in 2016.  Electing Oprah over Trump would be a small climb back up the hill.

Those that voted for Trump have no right to use the celebrity or experience argument against any other possible candidate. Trump had no knowledge or experience in doing the work of an elected position. He was a business-esque celebrity made into a reality TV celebrity.  Oprah is a better businessperson than Trump and at least she'd have interest in doing the job more than going golfing.  I bet she would read a few biographies of past presidents in attempt to learn how to do the job. Trump has never been interested in anything but taking credit and receiving praise.

Aelias

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #9 on: January 08, 2018, 03:06:23 PM »
I just want someone boring and competent, with a long career in public service and achievable, evidence-based policy proposals that will make measurable positive impacts on people's lives.  Is that too much to ask? 

It is, isn't it?

Well, then . . . Oprah 2020, I guess.

WhiteTrashCash

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #10 on: January 08, 2018, 03:11:22 PM »
Well, the Democrats tried running someone with decades of successful public service with strong economic and foreign policy experience who had served as a former Secretary of State, so she would have been able to diffuse major international crises like, say, nuclear threats from North Korea and military threats from Russia against Eastern European states, but that didn't work out so well. A combination of ignorant rednecks and ignorant hippies squashed that idea.

So why not Oprah? She has a ton of money, a hot piece of arm candy (I'm assuming this so maybe the ladies could help out with that assessment), and she had her own TV show. Those seem to be the requirements for the US Presidency these days.

aceyou

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #11 on: January 08, 2018, 03:26:36 PM »
Would I vote for her in a Primary?  Probably not.
Would I vote for her in a General Election.  Absolutely.


The Republican Party (of which I was a staunch member of when I voted for George W Bush when I was 21 years old) has year by year convinced me how stupid I was as a youngster.  George W Bush, and now Donald Trump?  Bush sucked, and he looks like Abraham Lincoln compared to Trump.  I'm scared to see who the GOP comes up with next.  Maybe they'll just cut out the middle man and go straight to David Duke? 

jrhampt

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #12 on: January 08, 2018, 03:30:24 PM »
Ha, yes, Oprah at least has a book club.  She reads.

But still...I'd rather not try this again.

Aelias

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #13 on: January 08, 2018, 03:34:11 PM »
Well, the Democrats tried running someone with decades of successful public service with strong economic and foreign policy experience who had served as a former Secretary of State . . .

I know. Believe me, I know.

So, yeah, Oprah I guess.

accolay

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #14 on: January 08, 2018, 05:39:34 PM »
Sure. Oprah would be alright. But as mentioned, we go down the road to Idiocracy. You've got to wonder though, these are the only best people we have that could run for office in the country? Really?

Besides, we already have a genius in the White House. How much better can we get than that?

Peter Parker

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #15 on: January 08, 2018, 06:57:51 PM »
I'm not convinced about Oprah...but who do the Dems have that excite anyone?

Bernie is too old and too bombastic
Elizabeth Warren is also too bombastic
Joe Biden is too old...

What Democrat exists that elicits any excitement--I know, I know excitement does not mean political chops.  But the knock on Hillary was that she was not relatable, not honest, beholden. 

I think Oprah is like Jimmy Garoppolo--she's been a student to some of the greatest politicians and world leaders (Obama, Mandela, etc), gathering and studying from the best, learning what it takes to be a leader.  She is completely relatable to the common man as she has pulled herself up by the bootstraps and has become one of the most relatable people in the world.

She also seems to understand (unlike Trump) that she is not always "the smartest person in the room"  and has shown a knack for surrounding herself with people who provide her with good advice and political savvy.   I think she may do that as president--if she didn't it wouldn't matter how relatable she is (a la Jimmy Carter).
« Last Edit: January 08, 2018, 07:00:14 PM by Peter Parker »

Yankuba

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #16 on: January 08, 2018, 07:24:43 PM »

kayvent

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #17 on: January 08, 2018, 08:08:36 PM »
I think 1960 & 2008 were some nails in the coffin of the "Qualified Person should get the job" approach.

I say 1960 changed the game because it was when televised Presidential Debates became a thing. Not just in the USA but around the world, when we could actually SEE the candidates' animated face and their mannerisms, we weighted aesthetic characteristics more heavily than before. (You can see this all around the world. World leaders are becoming younger and younger and more handsome or gorgeous. They're becoming younger and stronger even in the last eight years. If you stand Obama 'circa 08 next to Singh or Marcon, Obama '08 is nearly a decade older and less physically in shape.)

'08 was a game-change as well because: two mavericks defeated the party consensus, the top three candidates (Clinton, Omaha, McCain) were standing senators, and all were wildly under-qualified for the position. Anyone who says that Omaha won for any reason besides his charisma, is a liar1. Similarly, anyone who says that Trump won for any reason besides his braggadocious nature and charisma, is deluded1. The USA may never give a monotone, crippled man the presidency again. I doubt Canada will vote for a party who's leader has Bell's Palsy again.

1 Some would say it was Omaha's/Trump's policy positions that propelled them to victory. Considering how many positions they flipped on so casually over the years, I am skeptical of that being a primary contributor to their successes. In other words, I think Barrack Rand or Donald The Marxist would have done comparably well as the personae who ran.
« Last Edit: January 08, 2018, 08:36:59 PM by kayvent »

2Birds1Stone

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #18 on: January 09, 2018, 05:37:23 AM »
I would rather have Dave Chappelle as president.

gobius

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #19 on: January 09, 2018, 07:13:18 AM »
I think 1960 & 2008 were some nails in the coffin of the "Qualified Person should get the job" approach.

I say 1960 changed the game because it was when televised Presidential Debates became a thing. Not just in the USA but around the world, when we could actually SEE the candidates' animated face and their mannerisms, we weighted aesthetic characteristics more heavily than before.

I think there is even polling to confirm this; comparisons of people who watched the Kennedy-Nixon debate (where Nixon was sweating) vs who listened to it. 

There is also data on people's reactions to politicians' remarks when there is a laughing crowd (like a laugh track on a sitcom more or less).  People watching on TV are more likely to find something funny when the debate crowd laughs; some of Reagan's quips are famous examples.  I believe the first TV debates had no crowds.  Consciously or (likely) not, that has an effect on who you thought "won" a debate.

gobius

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #20 on: January 09, 2018, 07:36:15 AM »
I wouldn't vote for her in a primary, but I would in the general election if she ran on the Democratic platform against Trump.  Oprah has some pseudo-science beliefs from what I remember, but she is at least willing to welcome people more knowledgeable than herself.  She would probably look to Obama for help and advice.  I would also be watching for who she surrounds herself with and how seriously she is taking the job.

Against Trump I find her a relatively easy choice; she has no experience, but at least seems more sane and clued into reality than him.  He is a celebrity with no experience too, plus he's a walking Dunning-Kruger effect and a narcissistic ass.  Against Cruz I would likely pick her too.  Now if she were running against a more moderate Republican like John Kasich, I may have a harder time.  In principle I want someone who is qualified with experience, plus Kasich seems relatively reasonable, but on the other hand I don't want Ruth Bader-Ginsburg replaced with another Gorsuch.  I want a more progressive platform pushed.  I'm not a fan of his views on abortion.

Warlord1986

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #21 on: January 09, 2018, 07:37:58 AM »
I'd vote for Oprah over the clown we have in the office now. But that's not saying much. Ultimately, she would be a step up and I don't think she would be a disaster, but I feel we should probably keep looking for a political guru with policy experience.

A Definite Beta Guy

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #22 on: January 09, 2018, 08:12:13 AM »
I don't see the point. There's a logic to running Oprah, yes, but a Twitter thread summarized my thoughts yesterday: she's a hail mary pass. She's who you run if you're going against someone pretty popular and have no other options. Like, if it's 1984, or probably 1988.

There's no point in running Oprah in 2020. Trump is a highly unpopular candidate and can be defeated with conventional candidates.

Kris

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #23 on: January 09, 2018, 08:15:56 AM »
It's just silliness. She's not qualified. She has no relevant experience at all. Yes, she's way smarter than Trump and I'm sure she'd be better than he is, but I do not want another completely unqualified president. One is bad enough.

Aelias

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #24 on: January 09, 2018, 08:41:20 AM »
The more I think about this, the angrier I get.  And I like Oprah, dammit.  I've liked her for a long time. But that doesn't mean she should be president.

Agree with previous posts that we've been blurring the line between politics and entertainment (and, in turn, celebrity and leadership) since 1960.  President Donald Trump should be our national signal to climb out of this hole--not to dig ourselves deeper.

Also agree that I would NEVER vote for her in a primary, but in a general against Trump, I'd hold my nose and do it.  But in a general against 2008 McCain? Or 2012 Romney?  I'd really have to think about it.  And I'm a pretty solid blue state liberal.

There's an op-ed in the failing NY Times this morning begging Oprah not to run. Essentially, the argument is that part of the Republican party rejected intellectualism a long time ago, so it shouldn't be surprising that they went with someone like Trump who had a magnetic appeal to their base but no real interest in policy or in doing the work of being president.  Democrats, on the other hand, have at least tried to paint themselves as caring about ideas and policy.  If they go with Oprah, a Democratic foil of Trump, then they've ceded any intellectual high ground.  And no one will be pretending that ideas matter all that much in politics anymore. 

Which means we're just a few short cycles away from President Camacho.  But, hey, at least he found the smartest guy on earth and put him in charge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmZOZjHjT5E

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/08/opinion/oprah-2020-president-globes.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-right-region&region=opinion-c-col-right-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-right-region



Peter Parker

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #25 on: January 09, 2018, 08:47:31 AM »
I don't see the point. There's a logic to running Oprah, yes, but a Twitter thread summarized my thoughts yesterday: she's a hail mary pass. She's who you run if you're going against someone pretty popular and have no other options. Like, if it's 1984, or probably 1988.

There's no point in running Oprah in 2020. Trump is a highly unpopular candidate and can be defeated with conventional candidates.

You mean like Hillary?  Everyone thought that was a slam dunk too.  Don't discount the crazies--that's how we got Trump in the first place....

Depending on who the Dems trot out, I want a candidate that can defeat Trump.  I can't take another 4 years.  If it is Oprah v Trump, I vote Oprah.  Then again, if it is a dead Charles Manson v Trump, I'd vote Manson....

A Definite Beta Guy

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #26 on: January 09, 2018, 08:51:49 AM »
I don't see the point. There's a logic to running Oprah, yes, but a Twitter thread summarized my thoughts yesterday: she's a hail mary pass. She's who you run if you're going against someone pretty popular and have no other options. Like, if it's 1984, or probably 1988.

There's no point in running Oprah in 2020. Trump is a highly unpopular candidate and can be defeated with conventional candidates.

You mean like Hillary?  Everyone thought that was a slam dunk too.  Don't discount the crazies--that's how we got Trump in the first place....

Depending on who the Dems trot out, I want a candidate that can defeat Trump.  I can't take another 4 years.  If it is Oprah v Trump, I vote Oprah.  Then again, if it is a dead Charles Manson v Trump, I'd vote Manson....

Thing is, Hillary won the popular vote and had a very narrow loss in the electoral college. It's not like the Dems got completely blown out in 2016.

HPstache

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #27 on: January 09, 2018, 09:28:16 AM »
I could easily see it happening, but I would give Michelle Obama better chances.  Trump won't run again in 2020, he will now go down in history as a POTUS, he will also be going down as a 'winner' and there's really nothing else he needs to stroke his ego.

partgypsy

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #28 on: January 09, 2018, 09:33:55 AM »
I just want someone boring and competent, with a long career in public service and achievable, evidence-based policy proposals that will make measurable positive impacts on people's lives.  Is that too much to ask? 

It is, isn't it?

Well, then . . . Oprah 2020, I guess.

Me too. I prefer an actual public servant, to be our president. You know, someone actually excited and well versed in our government, the kind of kid who did united nations as an extracurricular and read Jefferson's letters for fun.  But if not, Oprah is a better choice than most.

I happen to be listening to a Christian radio station the other day, and they already had a speaker on there attacking Oprah. So, not sure what that means, but I think they are scared.

zoltani

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #29 on: January 09, 2018, 10:04:24 AM »
Please no, just don't.

Although if she does run the memes will be juicy, hmmm.

BlueMR2

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #30 on: January 09, 2018, 12:14:08 PM »
I truly hope there is a better candidate by then.  She seems like a nice caring individual.  I've talked to people that have met her in person before she was really famous that she was nice then for sure.  However, I've seen her show and I can just feel myself getting dumber each time I watch it.  The anti-science there makes Trump's anti-science look almost reasonable in comparison.

Nick_Miller

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #31 on: January 09, 2018, 12:20:25 PM »
I echo others in saying that I would vote for her 100% of the time against Trump in the general election.  Or against Cruz. Or against Ryan. Or against Pence.  I'm not sure how far down the line of GOPers you would have to go before I would hesitate in voting for Oprah. Pretty much any of them would nominate a horrible SCOTUS nominee, so I'm guessing you'd have to go pretty damn far down the list. 

Oprah is likable and eloquent and I think she can be thoughtful, so for those reasons alone, she would be a huge improvement.

Basically our current president is so god-awful that almost anyone I can think of would be an improvement.

Me. My wife. My drunkard next door neighbor. My dentist. The guy who loiters outside my office with some sort of paper bag. The head of my daughter's school's PTA. A random person plucked off the street....


« Last Edit: January 09, 2018, 02:28:02 PM by Nick_Miller »

DarkandStormy

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #32 on: January 09, 2018, 12:42:37 PM »
Finding someone more competent and caring than Trump is such a low bar that some people take the Oprah thing seriously.

If we want to fix the current mess, we need someone who understands government and as a plus speaks to more than just the MAGA crowd.

On the Democratic side, I'd be eyeing Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, and Kirsten Gillibrand.  Those are probably my top 3 as of now.

Just behind, you probably have Amy Klobuchar and Jeff Merkley.

I expect Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden to give it a shot, but they're too old (imo - then again, we just elected the 2nd-oldest President ever, right?).  Ditto for Elizabeth Warren.

If Oprah decides to run, I'd put her somewhere in the middle of that field because of name recognition alone.

HPstache

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #33 on: January 09, 2018, 12:51:03 PM »
I echo others in saying that I would vote for her 100% of the time against Trump in a primary. Or against Cruz. Or against Ryan. Or against Pence.  I'm not sure how far down the line of GOPers you would have to go before I would hesitate in voting for Oprah. Pretty much any of them would nominate a horrible SCOTUS nominee, so I'm guessing you'd have to go pretty damn far down the list. 

Oprah is likable and eloquent and I think she can be thoughtful, so for those reasons alone, she would be a huge improvement.

Basically our current president is so god-awful that almost anyone I can think of would be an improvement.

Me. My wife. My drunkard next door neighbor. My dentist. The guy who loiters outside my office with some sort of paper bag. The head of my daughter's school's PTA. A random person plucked off the street....

Strange... I was assuming she would bid for the Democrat nominee if she ran

DarkandStormy

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #34 on: January 09, 2018, 12:57:06 PM »
She endorses Obama in '08, so yeah she would run as a Democrat.

GuitarStv

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #35 on: January 09, 2018, 01:36:23 PM »
I thought Kanye was running. What happened to that?

Kanye didn't want the demotion.

Nick_Miller

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #36 on: January 09, 2018, 02:28:23 PM »
I echo others in saying that I would vote for her 100% of the time against Trump in a primary. Or against Cruz. Or against Ryan. Or against Pence.  I'm not sure how far down the line of GOPers you would have to go before I would hesitate in voting for Oprah. Pretty much any of them would nominate a horrible SCOTUS nominee, so I'm guessing you'd have to go pretty damn far down the list. 

Oprah is likable and eloquent and I think she can be thoughtful, so for those reasons alone, she would be a huge improvement.

Basically our current president is so god-awful that almost anyone I can think of would be an improvement.

Me. My wife. My drunkard next door neighbor. My dentist. The guy who loiters outside my office with some sort of paper bag. The head of my daughter's school's PTA. A random person plucked off the street....

Strange... I was assuming she would bid for the Democrat nominee if she ran

Fixed! I don't know why I typed "primary"

scottish

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #37 on: January 09, 2018, 05:43:43 PM »
Forget Oprah.   It is written.  The next president after the disastrous presidency of Donald Trump will be named Lisa Simpson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMRtB6yEavU

Gin1984

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #38 on: January 09, 2018, 06:10:46 PM »
I echo others in saying that I would vote for her 100% of the time against Trump in the general election.  Or against Cruz. Or against Ryan. Or against Pence.  I'm not sure how far down the line of GOPers you would have to go before I would hesitate in voting for Oprah. Pretty much any of them would nominate a horrible SCOTUS nominee, so I'm guessing you'd have to go pretty damn far down the list. 

Oprah is likable and eloquent and I think she can be thoughtful, so for those reasons alone, she would be a huge improvement.

Basically our current president is so god-awful that almost anyone I can think of would be an improvement.

Me. My wife. My drunkard next door neighbor. My dentist. The guy who loiters outside my office with some sort of paper bag. The head of my daughter's school's PTA. A random person plucked off the street....

Thank you for the laugh

kayvent

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #39 on: January 09, 2018, 07:15:38 PM »
We were talking about this at work and I made the statement that 'we' should have learned our lesson about electing celebrities to high offices by now. My co-worker retorted "What about The Arnold?" My response "yeah, he was a highly immoral governor." Their response "Well Jesse Ventura was a governor". Then they added that Jesse Ventura is a loon. They mentioned Reagan and I looked at them and said "You think that is a good example?"

At this point I would have thought my point would have sunk in. It didn't.

I don't see the point. There's a logic to running Oprah, yes, but a Twitter thread summarized my thoughts yesterday: she's a hail mary pass. She's who you run if you're going against someone pretty popular and have no other options. Like, if it's 1984, or probably 1988.

There's no point in running Oprah in 2020. Trump is a highly unpopular candidate and can be defeated with conventional candidates.

As Nick_Miller pointed out, Trump's set the bar pretty low. I honestly, truthfully, believe with reasonable confidence that if nearly anyone in the USA gets the Democratic nomination in July 2020, the person can just stay home for four months, forfeit the debates, and win handily. It will be a colour swapped '84. Campaigning, talking, getting in front of cameras can only harm the candidate.

After that second debate, ouch, did that hurt Clinton horribly. Whenever she was in public (which was rare) or gave an interview (rarer) or was at a rally, you could hear off in the distance her numbers dwindling each time. (From my understanding, Trump's numbers were 'reasonably' consistent from start to finish, it was Clinton's that fluttered. Please correct me if I'm in err.)
« Last Edit: January 09, 2018, 07:17:45 PM by kayvent »

soccerluvof4

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #40 on: January 10, 2018, 02:42:57 AM »
No i wouldn't, nor would I vote for any celebrity again. Left, right , socialist, communist........whatever the answer is no. I am tired of any celebrity period using their position for political gain.  Going to concerts listening to speeches, watching football and listening to announcers spend so much time talking about the person kneeling. Call me old fashion but I would really like to see good candidates with really knowledge engage but I know that's wishful thinking.

Gin1984

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #41 on: January 10, 2018, 08:28:40 AM »
No i wouldn't, nor would I vote for any celebrity again. Left, right , socialist, communist........whatever the answer is no. I am tired of any celebrity period using their position for political gain.  Going to concerts listening to speeches, watching football and listening to announcers spend so much time talking about the person kneeling. Call me old fashion but I would really like to see good candidates with really knowledge engage but I know that's wishful thinking.
So you would not vote if the general election was Oprah vs Trump?

Lis

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #42 on: January 10, 2018, 08:54:25 AM »
Vox ran an interesting article]https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/1/9/16868252/oprah-2020-president-explained]Vox ran an interesting article yesterday that brings up the arguments both for and against it. I'm against it - I'd rather see someone qualified with actual experience run, but I echo many other's sentiments that she'd get my vote against pretty much every other Republican if push came to shove. But... I don't think she's actually going to run. I think she's using it for publicity. Quote from the article above -

"She has also proven to be a force in presidential politics in the past. While celebrity endorsements have historically been relatively ineffective in swaying votes, Oprah has been the exception to the rule.

Her endorsement of Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary is estimated to have generated more than 1 million votes for Obama as well as increased campaign contributions and voter participation, according to research from University of Maryland economists Craig Garthwaite and Tim Moore. (Still, a Gallup poll found that most voters were not swung one way or the other by Winfrey.)"

Tons of people already listened to her before she even put the idea of running for president into everyone's mind. But now, if she gets enough people foaming at the mouth for President Oprah, she can say, "I'm not running, but I think you should vote for this person," everyone who was going to vote for her will of course be disappointed, but will heed her advice and run of to the polls and vote for that person. I think that number will easily top the one million they estimated she did for Obama.

zoltani

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #43 on: January 10, 2018, 10:57:35 AM »
No i wouldn't, nor would I vote for any celebrity again. Left, right , socialist, communist........whatever the answer is no. I am tired of any celebrity period using their position for political gain.  Going to concerts listening to speeches, watching football and listening to announcers spend so much time talking about the person kneeling. Call me old fashion but I would really like to see good candidates with really knowledge engage but I know that's wishful thinking.
So you would not vote if the general election was Oprah vs Trump?

There's always 3rd party candidates.

kayvent

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #44 on: January 10, 2018, 05:02:15 PM »
No i wouldn't, nor would I vote for any celebrity again. Left, right , socialist, communist........whatever the answer is no. I am tired of any celebrity period using their position for political gain.  Going to concerts listening to speeches, watching football and listening to announcers spend so much time talking about the person kneeling. Call me old fashion but I would really like to see good candidates with really knowledge engage but I know that's wishful thinking.
So you would not vote if the general election was Oprah vs Trump?

There's always 3rd party candidates.

People often dismiss the third parties but one could be a general contender in as little as three years.

If a celebrity like Justin Bieber ran on the Libertarian ticket or both parties continues to suck leading to one's functional collapse, a third party could get elected. With how it currently stands, I'd not be surprised if either of those events occur before 2020/4.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #45 on: January 11, 2018, 03:30:08 PM »
If a celebrity like Justin Bieber ran on the Libertarian ticket or both parties continues to suck leading to one's functional collapse, a third party could get elected. With how it currently stands, I'd not be surprised if either of those events occur before 2020/4.

Sorry, you can't have him, he is ours, for better or for worse.  His birthplace, London, Ontario, was part of Canada (and is still part of Canada).  You have this silly rule about being born an American citizen to be President.  We aren't so fussy, our first Prime Minister was born in Scotland.

Actually, you can't have our present PM either. 

meghan88

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #46 on: January 11, 2018, 04:15:01 PM »
Aside from the fact that she doesn't have any political experience, I can't see how she can build any bridges with Trump supporters.  Totally agree though that she would be far more competent than 45.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #47 on: January 11, 2018, 04:35:59 PM »
I'd vote for her in the general election over trump.

But the woman who gives a platform to Jenny McCarthy and Dr. oz.

No.

wenchsenior

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #48 on: January 12, 2018, 09:13:28 AM »
I'd vote for her in the general election over trump.

But the woman who gives a platform to Jenny McCarthy and Dr. oz.

No.

Pretty much my feeling, as well.  I'd vote for her in a general over some of the more revolting GOP candidates (Cruz etc), but I don't want to be put in that position.  On the other hand, we've had plenty of 'magical thinkers' in the past in our more religious presidents, so I'm not sure Oprah's weird new agey brand of prosperity gospel and anti-science silliness would be any worse than any of those.

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Re: Oprah 2020?
« Reply #49 on: January 12, 2018, 09:46:43 AM »
I'd vote for her in the general election over trump.

But the woman who gives a platform to Jenny McCarthy and Dr. oz.

No.

Pretty much my feeling, as well.  I'd vote for her in a general over some of the more revolting GOP candidates (Cruz etc), but I don't want to be put in that position.  On the other hand, we've had plenty of 'magical thinkers' in the past in our more religious presidents, so I'm not sure Oprah's weird new agey brand of prosperity gospel and anti-science silliness would be any worse than any of those.

Ditto. No way I'd vote for her in the primaries. I'd pick her over Trump or Cruz in a heartbeat in the general election. If the GOP nominated a halfway-sane candidate (e.g., Kasich, Gardner) then I would be in a difficult spot, but the modern incarnation of the GOP doesn't seem interested in sanity, so I doubt if that will be a problem for me.

 

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