Who should challenge Trump in 2020?

[KRYPTON INC.]

This is exactly the issue with electing Trump in the first place. It's going to open the floodgates to those with only a high media profile and nothing else to get the itch to run. The bar has now been set VERY low, given Trump's history and character.

There are perfectly fine business leaders from across the political spectrum that could run but instead we got Trump and he was made acceptable by his supporters.

There are even perfectly fine people from across entertainment, with progressive and conservative beliefs that could run.

Instead we got a person with no belief in anything but what can benefit him personally.


The Rock, Oprah, whomever... These people have no real idea about how to make good, policy nor do I trust them to be able to make the tough calls on everything from domestic issues to questions of use of military force. I just don't. What ever their accomplishments they have no idea of the weight of responsibility of running government. Yeah, sorry conservatives but there is something to actually having government experience. Ronald Reagan was not elected because he had been a B-Movie actor. He had experience running the largest and most populous state in the Union. He had been vetted through multiple campaigns.

But that is all out the window now. Just another thing to blame on the poor, misunderstood Trump voter.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Being popular is just one minor element of being president.

As inexperienced as Obama was in running the government he was an Ivy league lawyer, a grassroots community organizer; and a senator.

Oprah basically made some brilliant business moves early in her career and took ownership of a her popular talkshow.

No experience organizing on the ground, limited booksmarts about government, and zero experience how k street works.

And what are her political stances. She has no voting record so we have no clue how counter intuitive she we will be on various issues.

Maybe she's one of the more pragmatic liberals, maybe she's not.

 

[Aximili86]

Yeah. And can anyone actually see Oprah on foreign policy stuff, dealing with the North Korea threat or ISIS/whatever Al Qaeda spin-off pops up next?

Not that Donald's great on that either, but we should be wanting someone better than Donald if our whole aim is to not fall into the trap of him again.

She's probably fine on the "consoling a nation after an attack" type of stuff, she'd be fine on the broad business stuff, she's a good speaker, she'd be good for charity and foreign aid.

But on the actual scary, both-choices-are-bad-but-you've-gotta-make-one, "the world's a way more horrible place than I depict it on TV" side of things, I just don't know that she's going to want to get down in the mud with all of that. It's one thing campaigning and supporting for a Hillary or whoever the next candidate is going to be, but she just...doesn't seem like the type to want to get into all the nitty-gritty herself, other than the economic and social stuff domestically.

 

[moviedoors]

I'll do what I have to to defeat Trump, but man do I not want to vote for someone that gave a platform to charlatans like Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Deepak Chopra, and who thinks "The Secret" is real.

 

[Aximili86]

Right. "Aah'm Doctah Phil, and aah'm a huuuuge frauuudddd." Says Conan.

I dunno, I just suspect a potential Oprah campaign would fall apart the second people start asking her about foreign conflicts and stuff, and she starts quoting ****ing Bono with cliches about "we all just need to hug each other" and other generalities.

Someone asks her about drone strikes in Pakistan or who to back in Syria or whatever and she just crumbles.

Not that that's any different to Donald, but we don't know if she's going to be teflon like Donald with gaffes & screw-ups just rolling right off of her with the public. She might be, but it's a bit of a risk. I sort of think we might hold her to a higher standard than Trump for obvious reasons, and she won't be able to "fake it til she makes it" with that nastier side of things, and unlike Trump people not just letting that go.

 

[terry78]

After Trump, sadly you can't say someone isn't qualified anymore. A ****ing rock is now qualified. And yes, I mean in both common and proper name.

 

[mclay18]

I think Oprah would be a great endorser for Kamala Harris, Kristin Gillibrand, or Corey Booker. She could probably even be their speech writer if she wanted to.

But I don't think Oprah is aware of the crushing responsibility and grueling day-to-day decisions that come with being President... look at the Orange Dotard (she could easily crumble under a national crisis). It's one thing to run as the anti-thesis of Trump (and she is), but you need the experience and reliability of a politician to make people trust you.

But... if Oprah does run for President, I will vote for her.

 

[moviedoors]

I’d never vote for Oprah... unless she was running against Trump.

 

[RetrogradeOrbit]

There should be a change to the American Constitution so that Arnold Schwarzenegger can run for President... t:

 

[Aximili86]

As middling & troublesome as his California tenure was, hell, among potential celebrities (Trump, Oprah, The Rock, whoever the hell else has been rumored), I'd take Ahnuld anyday.

It'll never happen though, even if the birth thing gets altered. Dude's a scandal machine.

Still, governance-wise he has a more or less level head on his shoulders even if he wasn't all that great a governor. And he's a ****load more moderate than anyone we've got now who's a contender, on either the right or the left, maybe Biden and Romney aside. Not that Romney's ever gonna run again.

 

[Frodo]

I wouldn't underestimate her . She's had 30 odd years for people to form a judgement , and its very hard to convince people who aren't super diehard partisans, that , "She's a threat", " She'd be bad for the country".

She's not Hillary Clinton who was always a polarizing to negative figure. People don't get mad when they think about Oprah, they just don't. I doubt you're gonna convince most voters to dislike her enough to vote against her. That's what makes her a threat to the democratic field in addition to a general election.

Even if its not her , the democratic's need someone who's as great a communicator as her, and has at least half of her charisma and gravitas.

 

[terry78]

Well, there are some people who hate her just for being Oprah. I already saw some online decrying her because of her weight, saying she has no discipline. Grasping at straws already.

 

[Aximili86]

I wouldn't underestimate her . She's had 30 odd years for people to form a judgement , and its very hard to convince people who aren't super diehard partisans, that , "She's a threat", " She'd be bad for the country".

Now. Because she's not a politician. The second she steps into a political arena, people are going to stake out their camps like they always do. She runs on a Democratic platform, all those Republican housewives who love her now suddenly think she's the next Obama/Clinton.

Which lasts after an election. Say, hypothetically she lost the election, she goes back to her TV channel. Her audience is suddenly smaller, in conjunction with all the brutal, personal election crap she's gone through. All for someone who just a while back said she thought it was "crazy" to run.

Unless you're really, really wanting this, you hunger for it, you need to pull it off, it's just a hell of a lot to put on the line. Like, yeah, she hates Trump, and more power to her. Actually running is a big honkin' deal though, just in terms of what you're putting out there. It's not just the election, if it doesn't work out her actual "90% of everyone loves me, I'm Oprah!" stuff is likely to take a pretty major gut-kick. Not that her career will be over or anything, of course not, but she's suddenly not "America's mom" type of thing, she's "half the country thinks she's awesome, half the country thinks she's Satan", like any other politician.

 

[Chance Jackson]

I expect him to be reelected.

Why? He is more unpopular now then he was then and he only "won" because the media establishment propped him up so that the Dem establishment could beat him with their deeply unpopular pro Nafta/TPP coronated candidate(who then went on to lose the Rust Belt and even then just barely)

 

[Sithborg]

It is far better to ignore that posters deep, deep pesssism.

 

[Chance Jackson]

^I don't think it's impossible but I do see it as potentially unlikey, the dem establishment would have to force in a candidate weak enough that trump could keep the rust belt but they certainly have done so before(2015-2016)

And what are her political stances. She has no voting record so we have no clue how counter intuitive she we will be on various issues.

This

Even is she came out as medicare for all, fight for 15, and anti-regime change she doesn't have the history to back up any such stances and infact her pro-iraq war stance will hamper any claims to the later

 

[Aximili86]

It all depends who the Democrats run. A Biden, or probably a Harris, would kick his a$$ six ways to Sunday.

But a Warren or someone equivalent? Yeah, he'd probably win.

 

[Chance Jackson]

I see Warren doing better than Biden or Harris what am I missing here?

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

The only baggage Warren has is the "Native American" nonsense which is a whole lotta nothing imo.

But overall she has the best elements of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders which would make her the perfect candidate to solidify the party.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

America is now almost on the cusp of being an oligarchy, so let's elect another billonaire.

If Oprah ever wins, then this country is telegraphing to the world that they are finished.

Americans are content to slide ever deeper into the Neo liberal dystopia the oligarchy wants.

 

[Sithborg]

Not every billionaire is equal.

Also, pretty much every national elected official is a millionaire.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

I see Warren doing better than Biden or Harris what am I missing here?

You are correct. Center left policies excite Americans more than Joe "billionaires are Patriots too" Biden and center right dems.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

Not every billionaire is equal.

Also, pretty much every national elected official is a millionaire.

You think Oprah will upend the Neo liberal order that maintains her wealth?

She will be a Wallstreet president. Expect more poverty, tinier middle class, and richer Billionaires.

And yeah. Most politicians are pretty much bought by lobbies. Why do you think America is in the state it is today.

 

[Chance Jackson]

You think Oprah will upend the Neo liberal order that maintains her wealth?

She will be a Wallstreet president. Expect more poverty, tinier middle class, and richer Billionaires.

And yeah. Most politicians are pretty much bought by lobbies. Why do you think America is in the state it is today.

Opera hates the estate tax so that isn't coming back, I doubt Goldman sachs won't be all over her administration like with Trump and Obama

I need something better than a kinder oligarch.

 

[Doug_Moore]

Why? He is more unpopular now then he was then and he only "won" because the media establishment propped him up so that the Dem establishment could beat him with their deeply unpopular pro Nafta/TPP coronated candidate(who then went on to lose the Rust Belt and even then just barely)

1.) The economy

2.) Bush Jr. won re-election.