Would Oprah be a good candidate for president?

By Dorothy Inman-Johnson
Special to the Outlook

After Oprah’s inspiring speech at the Golden Globe Awards ceremony, almost everyone was speculating on whether that was the kickoff to her listening tour to run for President in 2020. And almost everyone had an opinion on whether she should run or could win. A poll done last week indicated 54 percent felt she should not, 35 percent felt she should, and 11 percent were undecided. Oprah is the best person to decide if she should run. However, if she does, it is my opinion she would be an excellent candidate_ making her chance of winning very good. And this is why:

 
Oprah is not just a celebrity. She’s smart, articulate, talented, an excellent business leader, widely adored and respected, recognized internationally, among the wealthiest Americans, relatable to average people, and a success at almost everything she’s ever tried. Some have said because of the disastrous experience of electing a celebrity like Donald Trump, it would be a big mistake to seriously consider Oprah as a candidate for President. I say, there is no comparison between Oprah and Trump; and it is an insult to her to even mention him in the same breath. Trump’s father handed him millions of dollars to get his business in real estate, the family business, started. Even so, he had numerous failures and had to file for bankruptcy more than once; making it so unbelievable that people claimed to vote for him because he was a successful businessman. As president, in addition to being a racist, the gene for empathy, understanding, respect and charitable behavior towards others is completely missing from his DNA; replaced by erratic, boorish behavior, and dishonesty.

 
Oprah is almost universally admired, and would start a campaign with the most positive name identification of any candidate in recent history. She would even start with a bigger advantage than Barack Obama when he first decided to run. He was a relatively unknown one-term U.S. Senator from Illinois, remembered for a stirring speech he gave years earlier at the Democratic National Convention. It was getting to know the strength of his character, intelligence, commitment to making life better for those on the margins as a community organizer, natural political and oratory skills that propelled him to victory. We already know Oprah has all of those skills, positive character traits, and more. So she would hit the ground running, as they say.

 
Oprah, born into poverty to a single mother in Kosciusko, Mississippi, was raised by her grandmother until moving to Nashville to live with her father after being victimized by male relatives as a young girl. She overcame her humble beginning and the trauma of her youth to become a billionaire, and one of the best known and most highly respected women in the world. Between that traumatizing childhood and today’s success, she has demonstrated her humanity and understanding for the plight of real people through her ability to bring people together and her philanthropy.  It was her strong will, intelligence, determination, humility, and faith that guided her on her path from poverty to becoming a wealthy woman admired worldwide, but who never forgot from whence she came.

 
Still, others claim Oprah’s lack of political experience should disqualify her in favor of better known politicians like former Vice President Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, or Kamala Harris.  I disagree. Though he has served the country well and with distinction in Congress and as our Vice President in President Obama’s administration, Joe Biden’s time to run for President has passed. And though Senators Warren and Sanders are on the correct side of issues affecting minorities and most Americans, neither generates the excitement needed to ensure there will not be a second Trump term in the White House. Junior U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, though showing signs of being an up and coming star in the Democratic Party, is only well known by political junkies who regularly watch cable news shows on CNN and MSNBC. It would be a heavy lift for her to build the kind of national name identification and following to match Oprah’s immediate credible standing as a presidential candidate. Further, it was Oprah’s endorsement that helped then candidate Barack Obama gain credibility on a national stage on his way to becoming the first African-American President of the U.S. So far, there is not a single person short of Barack Obama running, again, who generates the kind of excitement and instant respect that Oprah would bring to a campaign for President. And if she chooses to take on the challenge, I believe she would win.

 
So, just in case it is not clear where I stand by now, I say “Run Oprah, Run”.

 
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