The Big O

Did you see Oprah Winfrey announce last night that she was running for President in 2020? No? Neither did I, because she didn't. She was at the Golden Globe Awards to receive the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award. She delivered a stirring and thought provoking speech about the empowerment of women and putting an end to the reign of powerful men who have abused women. We can all applaud that.

Today the media devoted a huge amount of time to talking about Oprah running for President. Is there no starvation to cover? Is there no genocide in the world? Is there no healthcare crisis in the United States? Is there no poverty? Is there nothing more important than idle speculation about Oprah Winfrey?

There have been more than a few times over the past twenty years when people have suggested Oprah should run for President. In 1999 when Donald Trump was considering a Presidential run he was asked if he would consider selecting a woman as his running mate and he said "yes" and went on to say he would like his friend Oprah Winfrey to run with him because she's "terrific".

Oprah has always said she wouldn't seek public office, but that was before Trump became President. Oprah is certainly the quintessential American success story but there is absolutely no reason to believe she will run for President. Anyone can run for President. I can do it but if I won I'd have to give up poverty and obscurity, who'd want that?

I've written about this before and it merits repeating, analysts estimate that Donald Trump received four billion dollars in free advertising during his Presidential Campaign from the U.S. media. They covered his every word and flatulent expression as though he were already President. They did this for ratings and displayed a reckless disregard for the importance of democracy. The exact same thing will happen if Oprah runs, she will suck all the air out of the room and other candidates will be left begging to be asked a question.

I have no idea if Oprah will run. I'll start paying attention if she comes out with a book outlining the path forward for American governance and she starts crisscrossing the country delivering speeches and fundraising. Until then it's a non-story and ridiculous if the media keeps talking about it.