Why Not Me? 2028
What if a regular person ran for President?
Why Not Me? is a smart, thoughtful, sometimes funny podcast about one woman’s journey to ask that question — out loud. Shana is not a celebrity, not a billionaire, and not backed by a political machine. She’s a former nonprofit worker and PTA fundraiser, and current higher ed employee who’s spent her life working, parenting, and trying to make things better from the ground up.
In each episode, she explores what it would actually take for someone like her to run for the highest office in the land — from policy ideas to campaign hurdles, from civic curiosity to systemic barriers. Along the way, she asks bigger questions about leadership, representation, and what democracy really means in 21st-century America.
This isn’t a show about bashing politicians or pushing an agenda. It’s about making space for new voices, honest conversations, and people who’ve never seen themselves in power. If you've ever looked at a ballot and thought, “Seriously? These are my choices?” — this podcast is for you.
Why Not Me? 2028
Why Not Me? Okay…But Why Me?
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Summary
“Why do you want to be President?”
It sounds like a question anyone running for President should be able to answer. But when Ted Kennedy was asked in 1979, his famously rambling response helped derail his campaign. And when The West Wing borrowed the moment decades later, even President Bartlet discovered the question wasn't quite as easy as it sounded.
So what is a good answer?
In this episode, I look at how presidential candidates from George Washington to Ronald Reagan have explained why they wanted the job.
Along the way, I try to figure out what we should actually want to hear when someone asks us to give them that much power.
And since I've spent all this time asking “Why Not Me?” there's another question I probably can't avoid forever.
Links
- The interview that blindsided the Ted Kennedy Presidential campaign - The Boston Globe
- George Washington, letters to Henry Knox and others, 1789 — Founders Online, National Archives
- When Duty Calls, the Good Soldier Answers, Townsend Hoopes, The Washington Post, May 17, 1981
- Adlai Stevenson, 1952 Democratic presidential nomination acceptance speech
- Elizabeth Drew, “1980: Bush,” The New Yorker, 1980
- Abraham Lincoln, letter to Lyman Trumbull, April 29, 1860
- Richard Nixon, “The Nature of the Presidency,” September 19, 1968
- John F. Kennedy, remarks at the New York Coliseum, November 5, 1960
- Jimmy Carter, presidential candidacy announcement, December 12, 1974
- Ronald Reagan 1976 Campaign Ad
Use this link to send us a text, or email us at the address in show notes.
shana@whynotme2028.com
Credits
Graphics and editing by Rory Lawson
Music by Universfield from Pixabay