Is America going insane or coming to its senses?
AMERICA woke up on Monday with a crazy idea in its addled brain: Oprah Winfrey could be the next president of the United States.
The notion has tugged at the imagination for as long as Winfrey has been famous, but her barnstorming speech at the Golden Globes on Sunday electrified much of the 56 per cent of the populace that disapproves of her fellow television personality, President Donald Trump. The viability of a Winfrey campaign, on Monday at least, seemed capable of uniting both ends of the political spectrum.
“I want her to run for president,” Meryl Streep told The Washington Post just after the Globes ceremony. “I don’t think she had any intention [of declaring]. But now she doesn’t have a choice.”
“Oprah. # ImWithHer,” tweeted Bill Kristol, scion of neoconservatism and the original promoter of Sarah Palin, whose tongue-in- cheek declaration gave way to an objective case for her candidacy: “Understands Middle America better than Elizabeth Warren,” he tweeted. “Less touchy-feely than Joe Biden, more pleasant than Andrew Cuomo, more charismatic than John Hickenlooper.”
The question lingering under this surprising groundswell: Are we now at a point where we believe celebrity is a prerequisite for winning ( let alone governing)? Jokes about Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson being so widely likeable that he, too, could run for president have recently morphed into something like actual candidate buzz; the wrestler-turned-actor recently said he’s “seriously considering” a run.
“Arguably Donald Trump is the most famous man in the world,” said GOP strategist Rick Wilson, a never-Trump Republican. Under the new rules of political engagement, “maybe you can only beat a celebrity with another celebrity.”
Her chances of winning? “One hundred per cent,” said another Republican strategist who has worked on presidential campaigns and who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speculate brazenly. “If she runs for Democratic nomination, I think it’s over.”
Have we lost our minds? Or are we coming to our senses? All Winfrey did was give an acceptance speech for a lifetimeachievement award. A good speech, yes — “For too long, women have not been heard or believed, if they dare speak the truth to the power of those men” — but just a speech. Still, America seems starved for her brand of optimism after nearly a year of Trump’s dark moods and barbed insults.
“As I have always said, any women who is able to serve should think about how they want to do so — whether it’s women like Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, or, yes, Oprah,” said Stephanie Schriock, president of Emily’s List, the organisation dedicated to supporting prochoice female candidates.
GOP consultant Ana Navarro was more direct. “Are we really asking ourselves whether a political neophyte, billionaire, media-savvy TV star can become president? America answered that already,” she said. “I don’t know how much she knows about foreign policy or some domestic policy issues. But hell, it’s not like she’d be running against Churchill. She’d be running against Trump.”
Excitement about the idea rocketed ahead of prudence and circumspection. Two of Winfrey’s friends said she’s “actively thinking” about 2020, CNN reported on Monday morning, but asked backstage at the Golden Globes, Winfrey said she had no plans to run. Democratic Party officials in Iowa are “actively putting out feelers” for Winfrey, reported the National Journal’s Hanna Trudo.
Tweeted Democratic Rep Jackie Speier, California: “Run, Oprah, run! An army of women would fight for you.”
Republican strategist Fred Davis didn’t see Winfrey’s speech live, but his inbox and text messages started going haywire soon after: You have to see Oprah, you have to see Oprah. You think Obama was a good speaker? See Oprah.
“If she truly wanted to run for president, she’d have a major head start,” said Arnold Schwarzenegger, who leveraged film stardom to win the California governorship as a Republican, noting Winfrey’s inspirational qualities, name recognition and “unbelievable communication skills.”
“This Oprah boomlet is a pretty good window into how bereft of leadership the Democratic party is at this point,” tweeted Josh Holmes, former chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky. “They’re just dying for someone who doesn’t sound like a leftist schmuck.”
Since everyone’s frothing over her undeclared candidacy, let’s game it out. Winfrey emerges from her Montecito, California, mansion, declares she’s in the game — and what happens then?
“Running for president is a whole different thing,” said Cornell Belcher, a Democratic strategist and former Obama pollster. “It’s not Hollywood. It’s an ugly, nasty, grueling slog through all of these multiple states. It’s going to unglamorous places and showing up at fish fries. To successfully run, you need several things: money, infrastructure and a niche. That said, I think in this current environment — and I cannot believe I am saying this — but if Oprah would throw her hat in the ring, she would be the frontrunner.”
Eight years ago, John McCain’s most effective attack ad against Barack Obama was called “Celebrity,” which equated the then-senator with Paris Hilton: super-famous, but a cipher, and unqualified for the nation’s highest office.
But after Donald Trump’s candidacy squashed any notion of procedure, credentials or decorum? Sure. Sure, why not elect the woman who introduced the world to Suze Orman and Rachael Ray, who spoke confessionally about yo-yo dieting and the shape of her poop, who always operated from a place of positivity and empowerment?
Check under your chairs, America. The Democratic nominee for president is giving everyone a car!
Celebrity used to be a detriment. Celebrity is now a way to do an end run around a deficient primary season.
The typical state’s primary turnout is incredibly low, said Joe Trippi, who was chairman of former Vermont governor Howard Dean’s 2004 campaign. “Something like 7 per cent of the voting population made Barack Obama the nominee. When you only have 5, 6, 7 per cent of the population voting — we’re not even talking 10 per cent — that’s all you need.”
It’s difficult for, say, three governors and a senator to scrap for those percentage points. It’s less difficult, in the social-media age, for someone with established name recognition.
Belcher, the Obama pollster, theorises that Oprah would probably be a top contender for the fi rst Democratic contests in Iowa and New Hampshire. She would “defi nitely” win South Carolina. Which would lead to a sweep of Georgia, Mississippi and a string of Southern states.
Are we really asking ourselves whether a political neophyte, billionaire, media-savvy TV star can become president? America answered that already. I don’t know how much she knows about foreign policy or some domestic policy issues. But hell, it’s not like she’d be running against Churchill. She’d be running against Trump. Ana Navarro, GOP consultant