Both Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama have clearly stated that they have no interest in running for office of any kind, much less the presidency, but that hasn’t kept hopeful Democrats from speculating about what these two popular black women might be able to accomplish in a race against Donald Trump. On MSNBC’s Joy Reid show this weekend, the panel mused over the possibility of a Michelle/Oprah dream ticket…but Reid spoiled her guest’s fantasy by insisting that racism would prevent them from winning.

You know, like it blocked Barack.

Twice.

“Here’s the big thing,” said Tiffany Cross of The Beat DC. “My number one ticket who can beat Donald Trump by a landslide: Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey.”

“They’re not running!” replied Reid.

“That would never happen,” argued Jonathan Capehart.

But Cross said that she was sticking with her fantasy ticket. “I know they said they’re not running,” she said. “But Michelle Obama beat Trump by 13 points according to an Axios poll. Oprah beats him by 12 points. Black women have saved this country time and again. They saved Alabama from an accused pedophile.”

That’s when Reid got on top of her racial high horse and proclaimed Cross’s dream dead.

“But we know racially-polarized voting is a real thing,” she said. “People will say they’ll vote for Oprah until she’s actually on the ballot.”

Well, that much is true…in a way. It is much different to sit back and “be popular” than it is to actually throw your hat into the ring, go under the scrutiny of the political machine, and start talking policy with the American people. Much different to go around and hit the late-night talk show circuit to plug your book than it is to go toe-to-toe with the combative President Trump. And so forth. So yes, there are almost certainly people who say they would vote for Michelle and Oprah today that wouldn’t actually do it when the time came around.

But it has nothing to do with “racially-polarized voting.”

Like, things have gotten so bad that we’re now blaming racism for election results that haven’t even happened? For races that haven’t even materialized? It’s gotten completely ridiculous. We were rolling our eyes when we read Democrats blaming voter suppression and gerrymandering for their losses BEFORE the midterms, but this is a whole ‘nother level of whining. Two weeks out from their big blue wave, and TV liberals are already making excuses for 2020. Eternal pessimists, we guess.

Still don’t understand how Obama won twice, given the racist nature of our electorate, though…