Blog Post #1: John Maloney Comm 160-001

           In her work "Between Speech, and Silence: Reflections on Accountability," Ann Russo stated, “The cultures created within…groups often privilege those most able to demonstrate their powers of knowledge and expertise, and those who are able to command the authority called for in any given situation (35). Even though Mrs. Russo was speaking specifically about feminist, queer and/or social justice organizations, I believe the same principle applies to any group that relies on these power structures to give power to those that belong to the “in-group”.

In no culture is this more apparent than in politics. To be considered a strong candidate one must be fluent in “government language,” “government policies” and foreign relations. Historically, this is especially true of presidential candidates. One must be “in the know”, in order to be successful. As people look to the 2020 Presidential Race, and as the Democratic Party looks for a contender to challenge President Trump, many have turned to Oprah Winfrey as a possible candidate who has the public appeal to counter the reality-host turned president.

As early as it is in the 2020 campaign, people are weighing on the choice of Oprah. Sue Dvorsky, Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman, stated, when recently asked about Oprah Winfrey running, “I get the argument that (Trump) broke open the door for the inexperienced but well known, but I’m in the camp that we go back to someone who knows what the hell they’re doing” (Bradner & Krieg, 2018). Dvorsky implies that because Oprah is not a career politician, and is not a part of the political establishment, she will be an incapable president. Dvorsky’s comment assumes that, “to know what the hell they are doing,” a presidential candidate be ingrained in political culture and must be a part of the political establishment. They must walk and talk like a career politician.

I think people forget that this country was not formed by the political elite.  I don’t know if Oprah could be a great president, but shutting the door on her prospect just because she doesn’t fit the mold of qualified politicians seems elitist and narrow minded in the extreme. Oprah may not be political elite, but she has a voice that resonates with many Americans, and she cannot possibly be worse as a President than Trump. Oprah may not be the ideal candidate for the Democratic Party, but I think the people should decide who they want to represent us, whether that person belongs to political “in-group” or not.  

Russo, A., (2013). Between Speech and Silence: Reflections on Accountability, Silence, Feminism, Power, 34-49.

Bradner, E., & Krieg, G. (2018). #2020Vision: Oprah vs. Trump; CNN Politics. Retrieved from

https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/12/politics/2020-vision-oprah-joe-biden-trump/index.html