Who would win in a Presidential election? Palin or Oprah?

[bshort31092]

I've been pondering this lately.

We all know that Oprah Winfrey and Sarah Palin both had significant impacts on this past years election.

So I began to wonder, who would win if they faced off in 2012?

I mean Oprah doesn't know much about politics, but then again neither does Palin. Also, Oprah has most Obama followers and the fact that skin color can gain you most minorities (If reference needed, see 2008 Election) .

Plus Oprah can give people free chicken.

So I pose the question:

Who would win, Oprah or Palin?

 

[FromTheSouth]

To say that a governor of a state doesn't know much about politics is ludicrous. To say that someone who has been through the grind of a Presidential campaign doesn't know about politics is also ludicrous.

Granted, she wasn't ready for the big stage she was thrust onto, but she is a very capable politician who has cut spending in a state that has been rife with corruption for years.

A Gallup poll from June 15 shows that 40% of Americans label themselves as Conservatives, and Palin is a hero to conservatives. She was called upon to rally conservatives because of John McCain's centrism.

Also, during the last campaign, Palin's contributions were narrowed down to tiny sound bites edited by liberal media channels. She said some stupid things, and was lost on some questions, but so was Obama. When a plumber from Ohio asked him why his taxes were going up, Obama said he needed to share the wealth. Never mind that the plumber claimed his income as personal, and paid his employees, bought equipment, advertised, and paid all business related expenses with this income. His take home pay was nowhere near the $250,000 threshold that is going to be taxed. However, Joe the plumber was bashed by PMSNBC repeatedly. Anything they could do to aid Obama.....

While Palin is no stranger to personal scandal, Oprah isn't as angelic as she is made out to be. First of all, her "relationship with Gayle will be under the microscope. If California is any indication, the rest of this country hasn't caught up with the idea of gay equality. In politics, perception is reality, and believe me, there are plenty of PACs that would love to give the perception that Oprah might be gay. Secondly, her schools in Africa have come under heat. Two sex scandals have rocked her South African Leadership Academy. Her inability to manage a high school will be used to show her inability to manage a country.

Blackinformant.com has determined that Oprah is not loyal to the race. Her absence at high profile funerals of African Americans, her eschewing the Ebony 50th Anniversary party because of the lack of celebrities, her decision to choose white Rachel Ray and Dr. Phil, and no black hosts, to host shows under her Harpo label have alienated her from many African Americans. Where was she during the Obama campaign? She was hidden like the embarrassing brother in law because she was determined to be a drag on the ticket. Also, the race factor will play less of a factor, in a been there, done that sort of way.

Sarah Palin would win 48 states in a Presidential election. California is generations away from voting Republican, and Illinois goes to the prodigal daughter. It would be a popular and electoral landslide, and not even close.

I know it's the new fun thing to do, bashing Palin. President Bush has conducted himself with dignity since leaving office, so he isn't much of a punching bag. The left has turned their fangs onto Palin, and I believe it will be to their detriment in this fake election.

 

[X]

To say that a governor of a state doesn't know much about politics is ludicrous. To say that someone who has been through the grind of a Presidential campaign doesn't know about politics is also ludicrous.

C'mon now FTS, being the governor of one of the least populated states in the country doesn't exactly scream presidential candiate to me. As a resident of Rhode Island, a state with a past of many corrupt politicians and insanely stupid ones, I can tell you that it doesn't take much political knowledge to become an elected official. Political campaigns are nothing but large marketing strategies usually.

That's not to say she doesn't have some political knowledge, of course she does, she's in politics after all isn't she?

Granted, she wasn't ready for the big stage she was thrust onto, but she is a very capable politician who has cut spending in a state that has been rife with corruption for years.

...Alaska's been corrupt for years? Well, that's news to me. Wouldn't of thought Alaska would be corrupt, is there an Alaskan Mafia? I hope so.

A Gallup poll from June 15 shows that 40% of Americans label themselves as Conservatives, and Palin is a hero to conservatives. She was called upon to rally conservatives because of John McCain's centrism.

I just don't understand why she's a hero to conservatives. She's done nothing but look like a complete and total idiot from day one of her campaign with McCain, like a bumbling clumbsy fool with no real ideas whatsoever. So can you explain why conservatives think of her as a hero? Is it simply because she's a woman? I can think of countless more qualified and more intelligent conservative poiticians who are much more deserving of the praise she recieves.

Also, during the last campaign, Palin's contributions were narrowed down to tiny sound bites edited by liberal media channels. She said some stupid things, and was lost on some questions, but so was Obama.

But Palin was lost pretty much all the time. I tried to give her a chance, but she did nothing but astound me with her total lack of understanding for both the American public and politics in general.

When a plumber from Ohio asked him why his taxes were going up, Obama said he needed to share the wealth. Never mind that the plumber claimed his income as personal, and paid his employees, bought equipment, advertised, and paid all business related expenses with this income. His take home pay was nowhere near the $250,000 threshold that is going to be taxed. However, Joe the plumber was bashed by PMSNBC repeatedly. Anything they could do to aid Obama....

Correct me if I'm wrong (or have been misguided by the evil liberal media) but didn't it turn out that Joe the Plumber didn't actually have the license's required to be a plumber?

While Palin is no stranger to personal scandal, Oprah isn't as angelic as she is made out to be. First of all, her "relationship with Gayle will be under the microscope. If California is any indication, the rest of this country hasn't caught up with the idea of gay equality.

...Dude are you actually insinuating that Oprah is having a lesbian relationship with that Gayle woman? Seriously man, what evidence is there of that? That they hang out a lot?

In politics, perception is reality, and believe me, there are plenty of PACs that would love to give the perception that Oprah might be gay.

And they would be so quickly laughed at that the issue would become irrelevent within weeks. You think the media is going to support the idea that a gay woman can't be President? Forget about what the American public thinks, no media outlet or PAC is going to publicly label themselves as homophobic and prejudiced (aside from devout Fundamentalist ones I suppose)

Secondly, her schools in Africa have come under heat. Two sex scandals have rocked her South African Leadership Academy. Her inability to manage a high school will be used to show her inability to manage a country.

I don't think Oprah actually manages that school very much FTS. When you have that much money and own so many things I imagine it's extremely difficult to control everything that goes on in a school halfway across the world.

Blackinformant.com has determined that Oprah is not loyal to the race. Her absence at high profile funerals of African Americans, her eschewing the Ebony 50th Anniversary party because of the lack of celebrities, her decision to choose white Rachel Ray and Dr. Phil, and no black hosts, to host shows under her Harpo label have alienated her from many African Americans.

...What?! What the hell is "Blackinformant.com"? Sounds like a neo-Black Panther website . Still, I wasn't aware that you had to have an obligation to furthering your race. Isn't that something we criticize white people for and label "White Nationalism"? Yep, exactly the same.

I hate it when the race card is pulled out for any cause. Forget race, forget the NAACP, forget the KKK, forget all of that nonsense, because that's all it is. Why can't we just work for advancing people in general, and not our own race?

Sarah Palin would win 48 states in a Presidential election. California is generations away from voting Republican, and Illinois goes to the prodigal daughter. It would be a popular and electoral landslide, and not even close.

I'm assuming you're saying Palin would win 48 states if she was facing Oprah, right? Because if you mean just in a general election against real politicians, then I'd have to say you're severely overestimating her popularity. She's become a joke among the American public and media, especially after the Letterman fiasco.

If she faced off against Oprah, I really doubt she'd win FTS. Not because of any of her political agendas or experience, but because America simply loves Oprah. The woman's vote would nearly all go to Oprah, have you seen how much she is idolized by middle aged women in this country? That group scares the shit out of me, and they'd come out in droves to support their hero.

I know it's the new fun thing to do, bashing Palin. President Bush has conducted himself with dignity since leaving office, so he isn't much of a punching bag. The left has turned their fangs onto Palin, and I believe it will be to their detriment in this fake election.

Well, c'mon now FTS, the media wouldn't be bashing Palin if she wasn't consistently proving herself to be a total fucking moron.

Honestly, this thread idea is kind of ridiculious (no offense to the starter). Neither of them are qualified to be President, and neither ever will be.

 

[FromTheSouth]

C'mon now FTS, being the governor of one of the least populated states in the country doesn't exactly scream presidential candiate to me. As a resident of Rhode Island, a state with a past of many corrupt politicians and insanely stupid ones, I can tell you that it doesn't take much political knowledge to become an elected official. Political campaigns are nothing but large marketing strategies usually.

Alaska's senators always have a disproportionate amount of power (committee assignments, etc.) because of all the natural resources Alaska has to offer. Alaska is important strategically as well. Both machines pour more money into Alaska that they should to try and gain control. It's weird, and stupid, I know, but it is what it is.

That's not to say she doesn't have some political knowledge, of course she does, she's in politics after all isn't she?

I think she's more astute that you realize. Her bad answers were replayed time and again because, honestly, the networks liked Obama. He even joked about it at the correspondents dinner, saying they all voted for him. He got a laugh, but in all honesty, they did. Palin's answers and speeches about tax cuts, about run away spending, about the loss of values, these were all good answers and speeches. They just got left out, because it's funny to hear her say she can see Russia from her back yard. Talk all you want about Fox News, but at least I got news instead of a never ending loop of some edited video from a Katie Couric interview. Who the fuck is Katie Couric to be interviewing Presidential candidates anyway? Didn't she come from a cooking show?

...Alaska's been corrupt for years? Well, that's news to me. Wouldn't of thought Alaska would be corrupt, is there an Alaskan Mafia? I hope so.

The old governor pretty much bought himself a plane with tax payer money, Ted Stevens is constantly in trouble......

I just don't understand why she's a hero to conservatives.

Because she stands for real values. She is against out of control spending. Because she singlehandedly took on the left in her state, and won. Like I said, if you would have seen anything other than a never ending loop of two bad interviews, you might like her.

She's done nothing but look like a complete and total idiot from day one of her campaign with McCain, like a bumbling clumbsy fool with no real ideas whatsoever.

That's what she looked like, but that's not what she was. She energizes the right because she's one of us. She's a middle class parents with real concerns about who is reaching children, who is spending her money and how, she has problems and deals with them with class instead of burdening the government.

So can you explain why conservatives think of her as a hero? Is it simply because she's a woman? I can think of countless more qualified and more intelligent conservative poiticians who are much more deserving of the praise she recieves.

She is just a regular woman who got tired of out of control spending and did something remarkable.

But Palin was lost pretty much all the time. I tried to give her a chance, but she did nothing but astound me with her total lack of understanding for both the American public and politics in general.

Her and McCain, reportedly, couldn't meet eye to eye on anything. The staffs were never coordinated. I blame John McCain more than Sarah Palin for that.

Correct me if I'm wrong (or have been misguided by the evil liberal media) but didn't it turn out that Joe the Plumber didn't actually have the license's required to be a plumber?

That still means nothing in the scope of this debate. Joe was a small business owner who followed the rules, and will wind up getting fucked by it because of the Obama administration.

...Dude are you actually insinuating that Oprah is having a lesbian relationship with that Gayle woman? Seriously man, what evidence is there of that? That they hang out a lot?

I never said there was evidence. I said politics is perception, and the PACs on the right will plant the seed.

And they would be so quickly laughed at that the issue would become irrelevent within weeks.

Really? I think our media prefers trash stories to hard news, and it would encompass the campaign. Constant questions, reporters digging, I see a terrible ugly campaign because writers aren't interested in getting the correct story, they're looking to break major news.

You think the media is going to support the idea that a gay woman can't be President? Forget about what the American public thinks, no media outlet or PAC is going to publicly label themselves as homophobic and prejudiced (aside from devout Fundamentalist ones I suppose)

They don't have to. Do you think the media supported voting against Prop 8 in California? When people are asked if they think everyone should have equal rights, they say yes, but this country has a history of voting no.

I don't think Oprah actually manages that school very much FTS. When you have that much money and own so many things I imagine it's extremely difficult to control everything that goes on in a school halfway across the world.

Then don't put your name on it. If your charity is unable to appoint people to work at that school who allow for this garbage, then you do a bad job of running your charity. The point is, the schools fail, they are run by Oprah's charity, which she claims she runs hand on, and she failed.

...What?! What the hell is "Blackinformant.com"? Sounds like a neo-Black Panther website . Still, I wasn't aware that you had to have an obligation to furthering your race. Isn't that something we criticize white people for and label "White Nationalism"? Yep, exactly the same.

That's not the only article. I found several that label Oprah as a race traitor. I don't necessarily think that it's true, but I don't think she would bring African Americans out to the polls in the numbers necessary to win.

I hate it when the race card is pulled out for any cause. Forget race, forget the NAACP, forget the KKK, forget all of that nonsense, because that's all it is. Why can't we just work for advancing people in general, and not our own race?

I agree, but unfortunately, the American public isn't that smart. The only way Oprah could win is to get blacks and women to vote in record numbers. If she wants this to happen, then she needs to form a platform the benefits, you got it, blacks and women. It's a vicious cycle, but to get votes you need to pander.

I'm assuming you're saying Palin would win 48 states if she was facing Oprah, right? Because if you mean just in a general election against real politicians, then I'd have to say you're severely overestimating her popularity. She's become a joke among the American public and media, especially after the Letterman fiasco.

Yeah, against Oprah only. ANd as far as the Letterman fiasco, I would say she handled it with class. She didn't comment on her own about it. She was asked a question, and her answer was basically, "I can't believe we live in a country, in 2009, where it is thought of as funny to call a woman a ****." And then she stood up for her child. I don't see how the Letterman fiasco reflects negatively on her at all. It only reflects negatively on a bitter old man who feels he got passed up for Carson's desk 15 years ago.

If she faced off against Oprah, I really doubt she'd win FTS. Not because of any of her political agendas or experience, but because America simply loves Oprah.

I don't think any of them would taker her seriously as a politician. America loves Charles Barkley, but no one is electing him President.

The woman's vote would nearly all go to Oprah, have you seen how much she is idolized by middle aged women in this country? That group scares the shit out of me, and they'd come out in droves to support their hero.

You can always win middle aged women over with security concerns. Maybe you won't get all of them, but you will put a dent in the numbers. With 40% of the nation viewing themselves as conservative, Oprah needs every vote in her demographic, and I don't think she would be able to look strong enough on security to pull all those middle aged women.

Well, c'mon now FTS, the media wouldn't be bashing Palin if she wasn't consistently proving herself to be a total fucking moron.

Because PMSNBC and CNN are known for their restraint? With one exception, the national media is just anti-Republican. They bash her because it might double their viewership, all the way to like 65 people.

Honestly, this thread idea is kind of ridiculious (no offense to the starter). Neither of them are qualified to be President, and neither ever will be.

I agree that neither is qualified, but I think it's a fun thread. We're not debating who would be the better President or anything, just who would win an election. I would love to try and devise a strategy for Palin to beat Oprah.

 

[jmt225]

I think I have to side with FTS on this one.

Take away the hunting nonsense and so much Bible thumping, I don't mind Sarah Palin. I think she's a good-hearted woman, who has done a lot of good for her state from what I read. I also think she's a good public speaker if not being forced fed what to say (her speech at the Republican National Convention was fantastic, but after she got so much support from it, McCain's people took over and it all went down hill from there).

And yes.. I do think the media's too hard on Palin. Just to prove it, look at how ape shit they went over Palin's wardrobe cost. Remember that shit? At that point it was just obvious that the media was looking for literally ANYTHING to bring this chick down. And even recently with the David Letterman situation. Let Letterman or a right-wing guy say the same thing about one of Obama's daughters... there would've been outrage. But since it was 'Dumb 'Ol Palin'... Palin was the one who overreacted according to the media. Now, I'm not one of those ******s who believe Letterman should be fired or anything like that... I'm just using this as a way to show the hypocrisy in the media and how they bash everything Sarah Palin. And it goes the other way, too. Letterman says something about Obama's daughter and I'm sure there would've been a lot of right-wing supporters in the media coming to his defense. But the fact is... the media's just filled with way more Liberals, and they all hate Sarah Palin.

And as far as Oprah goes... I don't think there's a celebrity out there I cannot stand more. She's just gotten everything she's gotten in such an undeserving fashion. Nothing about her stupid ass show is groundbreaking, and everything she spews out is pure bullshit. Her taste in literary is crap, her diet shows are a fucking joke considering the bitch can never stay skinny herself, she's just as bad as Maury when it comes to exploiting guest, she shoves her ridiculous religious beliefs down everyone's throats and goes on to start a fucking church of her own, and other things that just bug the living shit out of me.

With that said, the bitch is popular. Very popular. And the media does love her. She would definitely win an election between her and Palin. But let's take a moment and thank God that that day will never come.

 

[stebbinsd]

I'd have to say that Oprah would beat Paris Hilton... oops, I mean Sarah Palin, in a presidential election. Sure, Hilton... I mean Palin could get the Alaskan vote, but that only makes up 3 votes out of the 535 electoral college.

Besides, Oprah at least has some good people skills; when she's asked a question, she doesn't have to dodge it and tell a story about being a hockey mom and wink at the camera for sex appeal. That was Palin's (hey, I'm starting to get the name right!) trump card, and it failed miserably.

I think the only reason McCain took Palin is so he could rope in the women demographic, since the Democrats already had the African American demographic. He expected Palin to get votes just on the nature of her good looks, but I think the young guys were roped in by Obama Girl and "I've got a crush on Obama."

Sorry, Johnny, but if you want to win elections, choose a running mate that actually knows what the hell he or she is doing. After all, you would have been the oldest President ever, and could have easily died in office, and if Palin had to take over, then, you'd be in deep deep shit.

Oprah may not be a politician, but she still knows more about federal politics, due to her affiliations with federal politicians, that she'd have a better chance of making it, should the need arise, than Palin would. Besides, sure, she's a celebrity, but so was Ronald Reagen, and he arguably did a better job in the Oval Office than any other President of the 20th Century.

My vote is for Oprah.

 

[klunderbunker]

I'd take Oprah because she really doesn't step on people's toes. Palin was a national joke, literally. Some of the things she said were so moronic that I can't comprehend it. I think right now there's too much of a bad image of her based on this past year's election. She's a beauty queen, and that was her main appeal. She was the polar opposite of McCain which was her main qualification for being the VP nominee. the problem was she had next to no other qualifications. Alaska is in the middle of nowhere and has so few people it's smaller than a lot of small cities. Oprah wins this by default for me, if nothing else because she's got so much money she has no need for fund raisers, giving her a lot more time to campaign. I'll take her by default.