Oprah could be a good president
Re: “The hazard of celebrity politics,” Jan. 9 Citizen.
The key premises of the editor’s opposition to Oprah for president need to be closely scrutinized as they all arise from a very blinkered testosterone-driven view of what it is to lead.
These emerge in the imaginary dialogue Neil Godbout pens between Barack Obama and Oprah in which the former president peppers Oprah with rhetorical questions, largely about the presidential role as commander of the military and the supposed necessity to send soldiers off to kill and be killed.
The imaginary Obama goes on to ask whether Oprah is ready to tell lies and to “crush” opponents. These are very dismal yardsticks to suggest as central to being America’s leader: maybe they have been past criteria and maybe we have to leave them behind.
Indeed, a huge counterview exists that would argue against the knee-jerk response that far too many male, highly experienced former presidents have felt are unavoidable: the Vietnam War was sustained largely by the two most politically experienced leaders in American history – and, no, contrary to the hoopla last year, Hillary was not the most experienced person to ever run for the Oval Office. In that she was greatly exceeded by Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, both of whose presidencies ended badly and largely because of their penchant for trying to lie their way out of tough spots.
As one considers the virtues of being “experienced” and ready, no, eager for hostile interventions think of Kennedy’s Bay of Pigs; Reagan’s ridiculous invasion of tiny Grenada and more insidious interventions in Latin America; and, yes, Obama’s great penchant for drones.
And of course most egregiously there was George W.’s fabricated rationale for the invasion of Iraq, a slice of his war on terror that has led to more death and terrorism than the world ever before saw.
If President Winfrey was far more hesitant about jumping to the use force against America’s presumed enemies, we might all have a safer world to live in.
As to her having “no qualifications to be president,” though I was never a big fan of hers, it’s not hard to see that what Oprah has extraordinary empathy especially for those who suffer; a huge following that cuts across race and gender; an ability to inspire, to encourage not deport dreamers. Add to this deep selfreflectiveness, a business sense that self-made her a billionaire – no rich daddy Bush or Trump backing her! – wonderful public communication skills... I could go on.
To me these are vastly more important qualities than enthusiasm to give kill orders. And, by the way, none of these are attributes of the only other big celebrity who made it to the Oval Office, quite the opposite.
So, to Oprah, if I might borrow an expression I’ve heard her use often: “you go girl!”
Norman Dale Prince George