Michelle Obama's Oprah-like cult of personality has long brought speculation that she could run for president. Behind closed doors, some Democrats think her moment has come.

Democrats who are privately skeptical of Joe Biden's viability have floated Obama as a 2024 "Hail Mary," candidate, according to former White House writer Douglas MacKinnon.

"Many Democrats (and more than a few Republicans) say she has that all-elusive 'it' factor which would place her head-and-shoulders above Biden, Harris, and any potential Democratic challenger to Biden," MacKinnon wrote in The Hill. 

Unfortunately for Democrats, Michelle Obama sounds pretty happy being a rich podcaster and author.

Michelle Obama 2024

She said in November that she doesn't want to run for president and, in fact, hates the endless rumor that she is waiting to throw her hat in the ring.

"I detest it," she said. "No, I am not going to run."

It's likely that the Obama rumors will continue, with most voters, including many Democrats, saying they don't want Biden running again in 2024.

But the Democratic party machine has been lining up behind the 80-year-old ever since the "red wave" fizzled out last November, quieting -- at least publicly -- doubts within the party about his age.

MacKinnon acknowledged that Michelle Obama becoming the nominee looks like a "pipe-dream," but it's a fantasy that is apparently shared by many Democrats in secret.

Shadows of Trump

Democrats have also mentioned Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, and Al Gore as potential saviors, according to MacKinnon. They're apparently that desperate for an alternative.

It's hard to blame them: Biden's own vice president, Kamala Harris, has nothing of Michelle Obama's star power and is widely seen as a liability. The left's abiding fear of Donald Trump has many Democrats looking to play it safe, to Biden's advantage.

Trump's stunning 2016 election victory was such a traumatizing shock for Democrats that many, including Michelle Obama, have not recovered.

Obama has said that Trump's win "still hurts," and she recently confessed that she started sobbing uncontrollably when it came time for the Obamas to hand over power to Trump in 2017.

"When those [Air Force One] doors shut, I cried for 30 minutes. Straight, uncontrollable sobbing, because that's how much we were holding it together for eight years," she said of Trump's inauguration day.