# Just on CNN: Oprah Winfrey seriously thinking about running for POTUS in 2020 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 8, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148 "2018-01-08T16:24:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148/41 "2018-01-08T22:41:04Z")
Yeah, I just poked around on CNN and other than a lot of folks liking her GG speech, and some funny comments she made in a recent interview, there is no evidence that she is “seriously” considering a run. I call BS on the OP’s thread title. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148/42 "2018-01-08T22:41:59Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > One step closer to President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho. I think, unless she’s also suffering from dementia, this would be a (small) step away from that. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148/43 "2018-01-08T23:23:28Z")
The prescience of Douglas Adams continues … before Zaphod Beeblebrox was galactic president he was POTUS Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148/44 "2018-01-08T23:24:18Z")
I think Oprah’s way too smart to put herself through the hell of running for President. If we had a parliamentary system where the Presidency was a ceremonial head of state I’d be all for President Winfrey, but that isn’t the case. Whoever follows President Pence is going to be a conventional politician, not another celebrity candidate. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148/45 "2018-01-09T00:06:59Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Whoever follows President Pence is going to be a conventional politician, not another celebrity candidate. There is no reason to think there will be a President Pence. I fully expect Trump to finish out his term and quite possibly serve another one. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148/46 "2018-01-09T00:08:37Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > There is no reason to think there will be a President Pence. I fully expect Trump to finish out his term and quite possibly serve another one. If he does, there’s not much democracy left to save, and we may as well have President Oprah. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148/47 "2018-01-09T00:09:12Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > Please. . .plenty of Presidents had no political experience (Taylor, Grant, Eisenhower) including George Washington. And one of the most qualified (in terms of political experience) James Buchanan’s Presidency was a leading factor in the run up to the Civil War. And W H Harrison, Tyler, and Polk were all career politicians and what do we remember from their terms? > > Trump is not a bad President because of his lack of experience. > Oprah would be a bad President not because of her lack of experience but because, as **running coach** put it, “[she] is so fond of promoting charlatans.” > > mc The presidency now is much different than it was when many of the names you included were in office. Eisenhower might not have been a politician but he knew something at public administration and the government. I don’t think it’s a prerequisite to hold elective office per se, but you want people who know a thing or two about how to manage bureaucracy and how governments actually function. You can’t be a military general and not know about politics. As Trump has proven, though, you can be filthy rich and not know a thing other than how to become rich and famous. Being rich and famous isn’t much of a skill set, regardless of whether you’re a seemingly decent person like Oprah Winfrey or a narcissistic man-baby sociopath like Trump. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148/48 "2018-01-09T00:20:16Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > I am astonished that smart people like Josh Barro are taking her seriously as a Presidential contender. As was said many times in 2016, President isn’t an entry-level position and we have had a whole year’s worth of demonstration of that proposition. What I keep coming back to, is — well, like you just said, we’ve had a year’s worth of demonstration, right? So what happens if we get _four_ years of that, at which point America is — for the sake of argument — still pretty much where we are now, or better: maybe unemployment is a little lower, and maybe the Dow is a little higher; and maybe the US military won a quick victory somewhere along the way; and maybe another spot opened up on the Supreme Court, and maybe Trump again passed up the chance to nominate a horse to instead okay a guy his advisors picked. I mean, sure, we could wind up with smoking ruins under Trump; I get that. But I’m not the one who needs convincing; what happens if, before long, the consensus is that (a) _yeah, we stuck an easily-caricatured entertainer in that entry-level job_; and (b) _hey, since we’re watching Team USA clean up at the Olympics, I guess we’re fast coming up on the four-year mark? Huh. Yeah, time sure flies, doesn’t it?_ ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148/49 "2018-01-09T00:33:30Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > There is no reason to think there will be a President Pence. I fully expect Trump to finish out his term and quite possibly serve another one. I could see Trump quitting, but not until he finds a solution to his Robert Mueller and Eric Schneiderman problem. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148/50 "2018-01-09T00:48:34Z")
Please, please god no. No more celebrities with no qualifications other than “they aren’t politicians!” > [@BobLibDem](#): > > Someone who could unite the racists and misogynists among us. Someone with no political experience. Not exactly a recipe for success. Give me good old boring Joe Biden. Boring? Are you kidding me – the _Onion_ articles alone would be worth it! ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148/51 "2018-01-09T00:58:08Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > What exactly has Biden done other than stay in Washington for over 40 years? What did he run or manage? > > At least Oprah started and ran a successful business empire during those 40 years. So we currently have a business emperor in the White House, and it doesn’t look like it’s turning out so well. It’s time to discard the idea that the government ought to be run like a business. Hell, many businesses aren’t even run like a business. The presidency is a civic, political job that involves understanding the operation of civics and politics. Biden has long, deep experience and connections in that area. I’d rather see Kamala Harris, but I’d have no trouble voting for Biden if duty arose. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148/52 "2018-01-09T01:01:50Z")
This story appears to have fizzled out since it broke. Maybe I should have put a question mark on the end of the subject header? ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148/53 "2018-01-09T01:08:27Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > So we currently have a business emperor in the White House, and it doesn’t look like it’s turning out so well. It’s time to discard the idea that the government ought to be run like a business. Hell, many businesses aren’t even run like a business. > > The presidency is a civic, political job that involves understanding the operation of civics and politics. Biden has long, deep experience and connections in that area. I’d rather see Kamala Harris, but I’d have no trouble voting for Biden if duty arose. So wonderfully said. +1. Oprah Winfrey is a nice, smart, successful woman. She may have a place in government. It is not the presidency, certainly not now and not yet. Do the hard work first. One reason Trump was successful was because he looked like chorizo with anchovies – something new and untried for breakfast – in the last election. Oprah would be more of the same. I think the country would be thrilled right now with a tried and true bowl of oatmeal (Biden). Kamala Harris for Veep. Please, no Oprah. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148/54 "2018-01-09T01:15:09Z")
I like Biden and think he would have made a good president. But I’m afraid his time has come and gone, and he’s really getting on in years. Bernie can maybe fill the “cantankerous old guy” niche because that’s part of his charming schtick. But it would be a mistake for Biden to run. Enough with the geriatric crowd. If you’ve seen him lately, time is not being kind to him. And 2 more years aren’t going to make him look any better. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148/55 "2018-01-09T01:23:43Z")
I can think of half a dozen excellent, qualified, younger Democratic candidates than Biden. They wouldn’t have his gravitas, however, or name recognition. I don’t know what you mean by time not being kind to him. I’ve seen plenty of recent footage of him. He looks fine to me. ETA: 'Course, I’m old. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148/56 "2018-01-09T01:38:23Z")
If the Democrats nominate Biden, they’re really playing Russian Roulette. The GOP smear machine will have a field day with him. He has a history of awkwardly touching women, including young girls. “Creepy uncle Joe” is already a meme and has been for years. The context doesn’t matter, it’s the optics. He is a risky choice, and since he’s spent a lifetime in politics, he likely has a lot of baggage. He is also too old, IMO. I’m saying it now: if Biden runs in 2020 there is a high likelihood of Trump being a two-term president. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148/57 "2018-01-09T01:48:28Z")
They’re going to smear whoever runs. It’s what they do. But I hear what you’re saying **Jacquernagy**. There’s another thread for discussing all this and I’ve moved there to comment further. This one is for Oprah. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148/58 "2018-01-09T01:52:58Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > If the Democrats nominate Biden, they’re really playing Russian Roulette. The GOP smear machine will have a field day with him. He has a history of awkwardly touching women, including young girls. “Creepy uncle Joe” is already a meme and has been for years. The context doesn’t matter, it’s the optics. He is a risky choice, and since he’s spent a lifetime in politics, he likely has a lot of baggage. He is also too old, IMO. I’m saying it now: if Biden runs in 2020 there is a high likelihood of Trump being a two-term president. The GOP elected a remorseless sex criminal. I don’t understand why smears are supposed to work on democrats but not on republicans. Polls I read a few months ago showed Biden the strongest candidate against Trump in 2020. [http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/342521-poll-trump-trails-behind-high-profile-dems-in-hypothetical-matchups](http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/342521-poll-trump-trails-behind-high-profile-dems-in-hypothetical-matchups) ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148/59 "2018-01-09T02:00:33Z")
…they had a binder full of smears ready to go on Sanders if he had won the nomination, they will smear Biden, they will smear Booker, it doesn’t matter who runs. Just look at the attacks on Oprah: who hasn’t even put her name into the ring. #sheknew started today. Photos of her and Weinstein being friendly are circulating. Worrying about which candidate has the “most dirt” on them is just playing right into the Republicans hands. They have dirt on every body. You guys have a primary process for a reason. Get involved. Support the person that you best think will be the next best president of the United States. And if your person looses the primary then get in behind the winner. It isn’t a complicated process people. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148/60 "2018-01-09T02:28:17Z")
It’s extremely complicated. Social media is the game changer. Now every word, every innuendo, every potentially embarrassing thing, has the potential to become a meme, take on a life of its own, and be political napalm. Nothing is ever off the record; nothing is ever in a vacuum. And people want excitement, they want novelty, they want a dynamic and charismatic personality. There’s a middle ground between Oprah and Joe Biden. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-on-cnn-oprah-winfrey-seriously-thinking-about-running-for-potus-in-2020/806148.md?page=4)