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Oprah Winfrey urges voters to “choose common sense over nonsense” at DNC

And she got in a good swipe at JD Vance's "childless cat ladies" comment, too

Senior Culture Editor

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Oprah Winfrey arrives to speak on stage during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 21, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Oprah Winfrey arrives to speak on stage during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 21, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Ramping up to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's speech during night three of the Democratic National Convention, Oprah Winfrey took the stage to urge voters to "choose common sense over nonsense" by voting for Kamala Harris, maintaining a running theme that evening of Donald Trump — positioned as a depressing and chaotic cloud that's been looming over our country for years and years — being a crashing wave of oppression that Democrats and independents, such as herself, can steer their ships away from.

"Values and character matter most of all — in leadership and in life," she said. "Decency and respect are on the ballot in 2024. And just plain common sense, common sense tells you that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz can give us decency and respect . . . Let us choose optimism over cynicism, because that’s the best of America. And let us choose inclusion over retribution. Let us choose common sense over nonsense, because that’s the best of America. Let us choose the sweet promise of tomorrow over the bitter return to yesterday. We won’t go back. We won’t be set back, pushed back, bullied back, kicked back. We are not going back."

Prior to leading the crowd in a chant of "We’re not going back," Winfrey even managed to work in a reference to JD Vance's "childless cat ladies" comment, saying, "When a house is on fire, we don’t ask about the homeowner’s race or religion. We don’t wonder who their partner is or how they voted. No, we just try to do the best we can to save them. And if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady, well, we try to get that cat out, too."

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By Kelly McClure

Kelly McClure is Salon's Senior Culture Editor, where she helps further coverage of TV, film, music, books and culture trends from a unique and thoughtful angle. Her work has also appeared in Vulture, Vanity Fair, Vice and many other outlets that don't start with the letter V. She is the author of one sad book called "Something Is Always Happening Somewhere." Follow her on Bluesky: @WolfieVibes

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