“According to two of Winfrey’s close friends who requested anonymity to speak freely, Winfrey is ‘actively thinking’ about running for president in 2020,” reported Brian Stelter. “One of the sources said these conversations date back several months. The person emphasized that Winfrey has not made up her mind about running.”
Which is strange, because this should be an easy decision: just say no, Oprah.
No good can come from a presidential run — not for you, and not for America.
You can understand why Hollywood and millions of Winfrey fans are eager to see her storm the White House, a residence that now seems robbed of the feel-good inspiration she showcased on Sunday night and over a quarter-century as the undisputed Queen of Daytime TV.
Winfrey is one of the most gifted public speakers of her generation. When she looks into a camera, it’s like she is peering into your soul. On the relatability scale, and by force of personality, she is everything Donald Trump is not: inclusive, thoughtful, empathetic, decent, generous, emotionally and cognitively stable.
But while all of this is to be admired, none of it qualifies her to be president.
If anything, America needs to halt this era of gut-and-heart decision-making. If we’ve learned anything from Trump, it’s that celebrities make lousy politicians.
While a theoretical President Oprah would usher in a new age of hope and change, at least in rhetoric, when it comes to actually governing, odds are she’d be a spectacular flame-out and in very short order.
Much like Trump, the key to Winfrey’s success is that she has always operated without compromise. Trump does things Trump’s way and Oprah does things Oprah’s way. They may be polar opposites in terms of disposition or ideology, but they are twins when it comes to the functional expectations of the rich and famous.
Unfortunately, in politics, unilateral instincts can be a liability. They can trigger inertia, especially when the person refusing to compromise is unfamiliar with the labyrinthine world in which he or she is a rookie.
And here, Winfrey has much more in common with Trump than her admirers might care to admit while caught up in this 2020 fever dream.
She would bring zero experience to the Oval Office. She would need a crash course in both domestic and foreign affairs. Her incoming strength would be celebrity status, which as we’ve seen is not a reliable gauge for political success inside a two-party system disfigured by partisan warfare.
When serving a country as polarized as the United States, any decision now stands to alienate about 50 per cent of voters. But within 18 months, even Hollywood liberals would turn on Winfrey if she failed to enact their vision, which is precisely what would happen because being president is not the same as being a mogul.
On TV, Winfrey was beloved as an inspirational figure.
As president, she’d need to stir more than feelings.
On TV, her appeal was based on message.
As president, her popularity would hinge on action.
Winfrey has much to contribute to social dialogues. But her sphere of influence is stronger on the periphery, where she can inspire from a perch not contaminated by the headaches of realpolitik.
“A new day is on the horizon!” she said on Sunday night.
We can only hope this has nothing to do with her political ambitions.
https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/opinion/2018/01/08/talk-dont-run-oprah.html
