Economics
1/9/18
Sunday night at the famous Golden Globes, actor and entertainment executive, Oprah Winfrey gives a #MeTooo speech and there is possible speculation that she could be running for President in 2020. Since saying this it has had an effect on her brand and net worth. In Winfrey’s once and a lifetime speech, she speaks up about sexual harassment and abuse because this tends to have become a major topic in her endorsements and investments. Weight Watchers has increased after Oprah bought %10 of the company back in October 2015. The companies shares went up to 12.2% in trading Monday to end at $52.62 up $5.71.
A lot of people are questioning the political view if she ran for president. Her fame would be the number one reason she would be a presidential front-runner. There is a lot of talk how people would just vote for her for being famous, and not for her political views. Back in the 2017 Election, a lot of people voted for Hillary just because she was a women. Not many people looked at her political views nor Donald Trump's, they just wanted to see a women in office. Although, Winfrey meets all three constitutional tests to be eligible for president. Oprah is over 35 years old, she’s a U.S citizen born in the United States and she lived here for more than 14 years. Oprah’s wealth would be an enormous assets just as Trump. Money can be very handy when running for president and giving you that extra bit of “power”. Winfrey’s net worth is $2.8 billion, according to Forbes. Many people who run know what comes with it. Trump more than some have found this out while running for President. When running for president everyone will try to find things out about you that you thought you never even knew or remembered. With knowledge on her past, there is a high risk of embarrassing leaks to inflict maximum damage on her election. We don’t know her views on the economy or her plans for her first 90 days in office but the real question we should all ask is can she do it?
Works Cited:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/01/08/oprahs-golden-globes-speech-weight-watchers/1012668001/
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-2020-oprah-president-20180108-story.html
This brings up good points. Her fame has brought economic success to companies in the past, so she should receive a number of campaign donations should she run. However, I don't think she necessarily would have much political success after that. We've seen what a political outsider as president looks like (granted some might view this as an extreme case), and approval ratings are down. Oprah might have different success, and might have a better political view, but I think America might not be ready for another outsider as president.
ReplyDeleteOprah has so many connections and has been known and respected for years, which she has going for her if she ran for president. However, like Alex mentioned, she has no political or even that much of a business background, which would come in handy. Oprah would be one who would stand up for all rights and would be a great person to mentally support our country, however we as Americans need more than just a gentle and to hold and a shoulder of support to rely on.
ReplyDeleteI think Oprah should run for president in 2020, in my opinion. She has enough money, resources, and supporters to make a successful candidate for our presidency. Oprah has her own television show where she brings people together, so I think she would be good at unifying our country. I agree with Chloe and Alex with the fact that she would lack skills that our current president has in Business, and political skills that other presidents have had in the past. All together, good article on a very interesting and current topic.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Oprah would make a great candidate for president in the 2020 election. There is a reason why she became famous, and that is because people like her and her views. Maybe she isn't the best when it comes to business decisions and politics, but she will still have people advising her on what to do. Also, although the president's business may make business decisions, nothing really changes unless they make a drastic one, and if she happens to make a drastic business decision, she will hopefully be well informed about the possible ramifications. She is a smart woman, she can make her own decisions and push through the tough times.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like more and more non politicians are running for president than ever before. I would like to see if she is a democrat or a republican, or supporting some other political party. It's very interesting to see celebrities be more popular in running for president than the actual politicians, but sometimes that doesn't matter. But like you said, it seems like people are voting for the better known runner up just because people like their personality, rather than what they can bring to the table for the country. - Vinny
ReplyDeleteIt's a really interesting comparison to tie how Oprah's fame and wealth would put her at the same advantage Trump had, as well as recognize a huge motivation for voters would be that she is a women and a minority. The economics behind running is very interesting as well since the candidates with a large amount of wealth funding their campaign tend to drift to the front of voters attention. It was also a great point to bring up that most people don't know her political views, just her charismatic personality.
ReplyDeleteOprah might have a shot at the presidency 2020, as she and Trump are similar in the way that they both have large, successful companies backing them up. I think if she does become president, her brand would likely do even better, since so many more people are reached by politics versus talk shows. Just as Trump’s brand to support his campaign has become popular with his position, I think this would happen to Oprah as well.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting and relevant topic and I really enjoyed reading this. I found it interesting how wealth can play such a crucial role when running for president. It would be interesting to consider if Oprah was not as wealthy as she is now and then decided to run for president would she be as successful as a person who has a lot of money to their name. I believe that no matter if Oprah wealthy or not, I believe that she could make a difference in the United States and her campaign could be very effective.
ReplyDeleteIn all honesty, having her run for president just sounds like she's trying to create a trend, celebrity presidents. It's unnecessary and people who have actual political and economic experience should be the people running the country. The economic standing (how wealthy they are) of Trump and Oprah and any other person who is running for president should NOT matter, and at this point the president and our elections are basically memes.
ReplyDeleteArguably though, Oprah came from a poor family and worked her way to become rich, so at least she's got that going for her.
It is true that people are just voting not based upon political aspects, and if Oprah was to run, I feel as if some would vote because she's famous, but she actually has done a lot for people all over the world-- much more than Trump has done. In general she's a people person and what she says is not offensive, and instead it's pretty enlightening. Although the criticism will be high because she is a double minority, I think that what she does as a person and her intelligence could win many people over who doubted her.
ReplyDeleteOprah is dope but she is a television icon, not a politician. She could do a better job than other presidents currently in the White House, not naming names, but just because she is famous and well-liked does not mean she is fit for running a country. Luckily, she has stated multiple times that she does not plan on running. We have to start asking who is qualified for the job instead of who we find cool.
ReplyDeleteI haven't yet heard about Oprah possibly running for president, but I think it's an interesting topic- just as any previously famous person running for office would be. Aside from their political stances, well known Hollywood stars would have a huge disadvantage simply from die hard fans who would be voting for their personality, not their views.
ReplyDeleteI think that all presidents have strengths and weaknesses. Like Trump, I know that he was brought in to help our economy, but isn't as great at being anything other than rich. I believe it's the opposite for Oprah, whilst she has good opinions/views on social issues, obviously she would need more experience in politics to be capable of running the country. I think she has a long ways to go.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the recent speculations will increase Oprah’s popularity. More people will want to watch Oprah’s show, increasing revenue for the show and Oprah. Additionally, more people may want to buy her merchandise. As more people want to see her, this will help increase revenue in the surrounding areas where she talks or does her show. If she does become president, more stores would sell merchandise such as costumes, pins, signs, etc to endorse her, increasing revenue for these businesses. One negative externality of running for president would be if she did something the public did not like, decreasing the number of people that watch her show and come to hear her speak. However, companies like Weight Watchers or other famous people like Lady Gaga that endorse Oprah may increase the number of people using their products or buying their music, movies, etc due to her popularity. Companies that Oprah endorses on her show can also see a huge increase in revenue as a lot of people look up to Oprah.
ReplyDeleteOprah seems to have made a very large impact on American society, but how could she contribute to the nation? There is no telling if she actually would run, but if she did, I don’t believe she would have the right attitude to be elected. She is more of a philanthropist, and less of a politician. She doesn’t seem to have the killer attitude of politicians that get elected. However, this may not be important as she is very well known and loved by many. I don’t know that much about Oprah, but I don’t think she is much of an economist or politician. Perhaps she has helped the economic strength of some companies, but economics isn’t all of it. As we are seeing now, Trump, who was considered excellent with economics, hasn’t done much, if anything, to better our nation. In my opinion, we shouldn't have famous people running for president, like you said, many simply elect them because it is someone they know, or a women.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good topic to bring up. I feel like if Oprah were to run for president she would be elected even though i don't think she will. Oprah for sure has the loves and respect need to be elected. But why are so many celebrities running to become president? Celebrities should stay celebrities and let the politicians do what they know.
ReplyDeleteSeeing how Oprah has evolved as women is this society over the years is really inspiring. If people voted for Oprah in 2020 they would just be voting for her money and her fame. When you run for president you need to have experience she does not have any. She has never worked in the government or any government programs she has only been a talk show host. Started her own TV network and other things which does not prove how she can help us. Nowadays it just seems that anyone can run for president with no issues or experience at all as the years progress.
ReplyDeletePutting a well-loved and admired long time celebrity into an election for presidency would be very noteworthy. I think she would definitely obtain a wide number of votes and of course influence millions of women with independent roles. Fundraising too would spike revenue sky high, with her show already hitting millions with inspirations everyday and her impact over such a large number of people. She might even have some really good ideas, a chance she deserves.
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