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So, with the election of Donald Trump in 2016 and people wanting Oprah to run in 2020, I was thinking if we should start taking celebrity candidates more seriously now or if all these runs will be a fluke. We still got Kanye West and The Rock to think about, but will they make a real effort in their campaign and have a chance at winning or are they DOA in the first primaries?

I certainly hope not. And I think after having a taste of it with trump, im confident most voters have enough sense now to not vote in unqualified celebrities into major positions of office even if they like what they're saying.

Hopefully the 2016 election will have kicked some sense back into people.

Mine will be just a big fat no because they will cause a mess like Trump did since the celebrities mostly don't have any political experience.
Plus, isn't Trump a businessman (and celebrity), and not a politician?

But aren't unorthodox political positions the only problem with Trump? Why would there be any problem with a conventionally Democratic or Republican celebrity president?

Please, no.

Well technically Trump was a celebrity.

Regardless on my thoughts on his effectiveness as a leader, Trump is living proof that anyone with a loud enough personality and well established, non-political position is able to not only run for office but also win the election. Whether they're actually competent or not, we're likely going to see a bunch of celebrities trying to run for office in the 2020 election.

I mean, Reagan was an actor and most people born today don't even realize that.
Hell in California Arnold Schwarzenegger was the governor for a loooooong time. That guy was an actor/body builder

I think its entirely possible , which is fucking sad…

Does it say more about our shitty political system that people would rather vote for likable personalizes over slime ball career politicians

Or how ignorant and uneducated about current political issues the celebrity obsessed general public is that they think someone is qualified to lead and represent a country because they saw them in a movie or TV show?

I think anyone should be allowed to run for political offices not just the same crusty old people over and over, I want more outsiders but the presidency? Ok that would be like if I wanted to work at walmart but on my application I wrote CEO.

Celebrities will do as well in 2020 as the clintons and bushes did in 2016

What, exactly, about being a celebrity, would make them a bad President? Whether you like Trump or not, he ran, he won. That, in itself, is not small feat even if his opponent was not the most charismatic politician.

More to the point, perhaps, is the question of what you get when you elect a seasoned politician? You get a person convinced they are good for the country, able to talk in a way designed to offend as few as possible, able to play the "scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" and, in general, against any real change since they didn't need to change things and get to the top of the political heap in the first place. One does not make radical changes in the workplace unless one is certain one will keep ones job.

If you get an "outsider" you should expect turmoil for a bit as the outsider become an "insider" and adjusts to political realities. The father outside the person the more they will cause turmoil -- and maybe even get some things changed in the process.

So do we want change? That is the real question. You don't get change when you keep the same management team in place as has been running the company for 50 years. You only get change when you either scare the management into change (by the customers abandoning the product) or by throwing out the management team.

In the end, unless you throw out the whole management team changing the CEO for a few years is not really going to do much except cause some turmoil in the annual stock holders meetings and the budget.

AJ