Why on Earth Are We Talking About 'Oprah 2020'?: Podcast

What the Golden Globes #MeToo protests and Dave Chappelle's latest specials tell us about the current political moment.

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Why on Earth Are We Talking About 'Oprah 2020'?: Podcast

FMB/Regina Wagner/Future Image/WENN/Newscom

Today's Reason Podcast, featuring Nick Gillespie, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Peter Suderman, and Matt Welch, kicks off with the media's biggest takeaway from last night's Golden Globes awards in Hollywood—whether Oprah Winfrey should run for president in 2020, or whether she should just be declared commander in chief preemptively. Along the way we discuss why speechmaking is overrated by political junkies, the reasons there are so few female directors, and the artistic heights reached in comedian Dave Chappelle's latest two Netflix specials.

Also under discussion: the fallout from Michael Wolff's White House bestseller Fire and Fury, the potential backlash against Attorney General Jeff Sessions' new directives on marijuana-related enforcement, and some possible good policy outcomes from the Trump administration in 2018.

Audio production by Ian Keyser.

Relevant links from the show:

"Trump Didn't Demand to Watch the Gorilla Channel, but He Did Fast-Forward Through the Exposition in Bloodsport"

"Jeff Sessions Can't Stop Pot Legalization: Podcast"

Reason on Dave Chappelle.

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Comments

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

So now I gotta worry about Chappelle spoilers?

[Hugh Akston]

More to the point, do we have to watch the Chappelle specials as pre-class readings? Because his first two Netflix specials were godawful, and I don't think I could stand any more.

[Zeb]

I thought the recent ones were very good. But I liked the other ones too.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Chappelle is... unwoke.

[Zeb]

Which is why he can still succeed as a comedian.

[Citizen X - #6]

Hugh is so white, he clutches his purse tighter and crosses the street when he sees Bryant Gumbel coming.

[Hugh Akston]

The only black person I feel comfortable with is Wayne Brady.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

that's not his purse he's clutching.

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

I watched his first special a few weeks ago. Some very funny moments, but it did feel rather bloated.

[Zeb]

He tightened it up quite a bit in the more recent ones, I thought.

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[Quo Usque Tandem]

Golden Globes? What's that? Was there some stupid award show last night?

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

What a cool guy.

[Hugh Akston]

He doesn't even own a TV.

[hello.]

"Me? I'm an independent. BOTH parties are the problem!"

You two bum chums would be funny if you weren't so motherfucking sad.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

NOW who's getting billions in free press?

[Zeb]

Because we are stupid, that's why.

[EscherEnigma]

Why are we talking about Oprah? To put it simply, because of Trump.

He was hardly the first non-political celebrity to make the transition, but he's the first that went from "never held office" directly to "president". And now that he's established that it can be done, people that would never have considered it are going to consider it.

And whether you like her or not, Oprah has the name recognition that she could probably make a decent attempt at it.

So why are we talking about Oprah? Because of Trump.

[Kevin47]

And because the Democrats aren't suicidal enough to run a white person again, and the bench on their side is pretty much Cory Booker.

[MoreFreedom]

True, the Democrats have practically no one on the bench (there's also Kamala Harris or a bunch of really old people), and then, it's typically more of the same big government policies. And their rhetoric is deceitful, promising prosperity. But their socialist policies deliver the opposite except for the politicians and their rich donors buying favors for their businesses. Kind of like the way the GOP RINO establishment promise limited government, then vote otherwise while making excuses.

But it's hard to see how empathy and giving away cars applies to using government force to deal with criminals and foreign enemies. She may not have the stomach to handle sending soldiers to battle, or prosecuting criminals.

[janon]

Actually kind of like how *all* "conservatives" continue to pretend "trickle down" is a thing, and "entitlements" (like social security) are for "commies", in order to bilk uneducated morons into supporting tax cuts to corporations *already flush with cash*, and people who make $1M+ per year.

But yeah... With *4 decades* of stagnant wages for *anyone* who works (even at the high end), barely pacing inflation, despite *soaring* productivity and *exponential* growth in wealth at the top end, *and* salaries in the C suite, the *real problem* is "socialist libruhls"

But of course to white male dinosaurs like yourself, nothing screams "stomach to handle sending soliders to battle" and "prosecuting criminals" like a draft dodging career con-artist with fraud allegations a mile long.

[Migrant Log Chipper]

Fuck off, troll, DU is>>>>>>thataway.

[I'm Here, for MOAR Hihn]

Reason is hardly the place to find the pro-Trump crowd. We know you are a troll, you don't even try to hide it very well

[Joe Emenaker]

Exactly. Some Dems are thinking that the winning ticket is to "out-Trump" Trump. "Hey... *we* have a universally recognized TV celebrity who also lets us score huge identity-politics points with her gender *and* ethnicity!", but I think that's a lousy idea. Trump is already making clear what an error it is to elect some guy with over-simplified gut-based "solutions" (of course, I thought the first four years of Dubya would have taught everyone that lesson well enough... shows what *I* know). I think the Dems would do better to counter Donald with someone who's serious, well-read, and has a bit of an idea of how government actually works.

[dantheserene]

someone who's serious, well-read, and has a bit of an idea of how government actually works.

Please identify a democrat that matches your search criteria.

[C. S. P. Schofield]

Hell, please identify a PUBLIC FIGURE that matches his search criteria.

[What's that smell?]

Can we please get a reprieve from Oprah! She's got more money than God's crocked accountant yet I can't turn on my TV without seeing her fat fu* head. I'm sick of seeing her waving her arms and screaming about whatever she is shilling now. God I hate her, go off and spend all your money, have fun, but STFU and get off of my TV.......And my lawn...Bitch!

[ALWAYS RIGHT]

Don't forget that Oprah is the benchmark for WEIGHT WATCHERS.

[M Scott Eiland]

Mostly because the potential Democratic field is a dumpster fire right now--far worse than the Republican one was going into 2016, and there would be far less resistance to her candidacy in the primaries than there was to Trump's. It's to the point that the main thing she would probably have to worry about if she threw her hat in would be HRC and her minions trying to sabotage her--so that the "HRC was the only Democratic candidate who could possibly have lost to Trump" meme would be dead and buried.

[LHB]

What you mean "we" Kemosabe? (Originally spoken by The Lone Ranger to Tonto after being surrounded by a hostile band of native Americans; The Lone Ranger initiated the discourse by saying "It looks like we're done for Tonto")

[LHB]

I mean originally spoken by Tonto to The Lone Ranger.

[Tom Bombadil]

What most people don't know:

Tonto was actually a Spanish speaking Hawaiian named Jim.

When he said "Kimo sabe", he was just saying "I know".

[Rockabilly]

I/m not too keen on opera, not even Tommy or Jesus Christ Super Star.

[Robert]

What about a fusion ticket: a slate of electors in each state pledged to Trump-Winfrey? It'd blow any nominees put up by the GOP or Dems out of the water. Seriously, what would either party do if they said they wanted to run together? Roll over & play dead, probably. Put up token slates of their own in some states just to maintain ballot access.

[Brian Whittle]

Because people (on the whole) are idiots.

[Uncle John]

Why should I continue to provide financial support to an organization that criticizes and ridicules me solely because of my age? I will probably not continue my yearly donation to the Reason Foundation because of their ageist attitude.

[Ned Netterville]

Tua Tagovailoa for president.

[hello.]

It's not like the entire Reason staff votes in lockstep for whatever corpse the Democrats can dredge up every 4 years or fully embraces radical black identity politics or anything.