Oprah Winfrey, billionaire, TV personality and talk show host, never fails to wow the audience with her words, but would she be successful as President of The United States? I don’t think so.
Her politically charged Golden Globe acceptance speech was the center of attention when she was the first African American woman to win the Cecil B. DeMille awards at the Golden Globes on Jan. 7 and sparked rumors about a potential Winfrey presidential campaign in 2020.
“I want all the girls watching here now to know that a new day is on the horizon,” Winfrey said.
During her speech, Winfrey delved into the story of activist Recy Taylor. On her way home from church she was abducted, blindfolded and raped. The men were never prosecuted.
Taylor died just before her 98th birthday. Winfrey connected Taylor’s story to the current #MeToo campaign, and emphasized that Taylor lived in a culture similar to the one we are fighting today, one that is evolving but still has underlying racist and sexist themes from the past.
The #MeToo hashtag went viral after sexaul harrasment allegations against producer, Harvey Weinstein surfaced. Twitter reported that 1.7 million women and men have used the hashtag all over the world, according to CNN.
“She [Taylor] lived as we all have lived, too many years in a culture broken by brutally powerful men,” Winfrey said. “For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dared to speak their truth to the power of those men, but their time is up.”
The focus of the night pivoted to women’s rights triumphs. Instead of furthering that movement, Winfrey’s electrifying speech represented political and social empowerment and sparked anticipation about the presidential election in 2020.
Winfrey’s speech was nothing short of a campaign rally.
Will Winfrey Run?
Maybe.
Should Winfrey run?
No.
Two of Winfrey’s close friends told CNN’s Brian Stelter that she is “actively thinking” about launching a presidential bid in the 2020 election, according to a CNN article. Winfrey herself has not responded to those comments, however.
Throughout her life, Winfrey has played many roles including an actress, a talk show host, a philanthropist, an author and a powerful CEO.
Within those roles, Winfrey consistently proves her poise in front of an audience and passion for the media, social change and justice for humanity. She has political and societal sway in those roles and she has a strong voice.
Winfrey does not need to run for president. Winfrey is a powerful woman in her current role. People all over the world respect her and listen to what she has to say, including myself.
A person does not need to be president of the United States to foster change in society. Winfrey has proven that she has the ability to stimulate change through her talk show. She has a background in media and entertainment, not politics. Although she is a very smart and successful woman, she does not have enough knowledge on topics such as foreign affairs or homeland security to effectively run this country.
The Quinnipiac Polling Institute recently polled the public on a hypothetical presidential matchup. In that matchup, Winfrey, running as a Democrat beat Trump 52-39 percent.
However, American voters say that electing a celebrity to the office of president is a bad idea 66-14 percent. And in a question in which no opponent is named, voters say 65-24 percent that they would not be inclined to vote for Oprah for president.
The fact that celebrities are breaking stereotypes in the political world is notable and historical, but it may not be the best path to move our country forward.
Television personalities do not belong in office, they belong on TV.