![]() Let me try to be sensitive and respectful, because I have nothing against Oprah. I stand in awe of her success, her self awareness and willingness to invite people into her personal space. She has endured more life changing weight loss plans than anyone should even contemplate. Her speech at the Golden Globes ceremony was a nice attempt to focus attention on the plight of women in the workplace. But that is where my pleasantries ends. Because it is the height of temerity to suggest that Hollywood can or will be the force that ends the very thing they made a common term in American lexicon. To suggest that Hollywood can ban the 'casting couch' is absurd. Especially with regard to women in any workplace situation where they must be evaluated by men for advancement. And even more far fetched is the idea that Oprah will be the next Democratic candidate for President. I don't see her attracting the numbers required. She will not get the die hard Trump populists. She would have serious problems overcoming some of her past racial epithets and marginalization of conservatives. As nice as she can be, she harbors serious anger about her blackness. Like Michelle Obama, her unwillingness to embrace Americanism will become a major issue should she decide to run for President. Oprah is Hillary on popularity steroids. She is the most successful black female to have ever lived. She is a media mogul, a television icon, a talk show Liberal who can reach moderates from both sides of the isle. She is much more self effacing and willing to listen to people than Hillary, and she has enormous cache with a broad range of women. That said, she is not a policy wonk like Hillary. And what about men? Hillary at least had years of policy experience as Secretary of State. Oprah has reported on, or interviewed experts on many domestic and international issues, but she has no historical record of being engaged in policy discussions or decisions. While Trump ventured into many political subjects (taxes, trade, war and nation building) for decades., Oprah has been mostly quiet on national policy. Many of the pressing issues of the 2016 campaign may no longer exist: We are approaching full employment; the threat from ISIS is shrinking: our terrible trade agreements are being renegotiated: by 2020 the immigration issue could well be solved. So that leaves the only issue that Progressives want to deal with anyway, and that is social justice. I believe that is the main reason Hillary lost: she never understood how narrow the appeal of politically correct social justice issue is and why the majority of Americans think it is low on the priority list. The Democrats need someone with a near hypnotic allure, because their past policies have proven to be so ineffective. From Carter to Obama, when Democrats start increasing regulations, taxes and political correctness, the economy tanks, every time! So they need to influence people with a collectivist religious fervor, an emotional and spiritual assault that supersedes reason and accountability. They need to build an alternate universe that followers fall in love with. They will only be successful if they can field a motivational speaker. Making emotional appeals to Hollywood worked for Obama, but that recipe may be less effective if Trump has four years of economic success under his belt by 2020. I have often characterized Conservatives and Liberals as Father and Mother figures. Conservatives are the Critical Father of the family, pragmatic and sometimes insensitive, looking for results and disinterested in excuses. Liberals are the Mother figures, nurturing and encouraging, but seldom willing to make tough decisions and exact discipline. Trump has demonstrated his willingness to be hated but still make difficult calls. Oprah would have problems with that. Being the leader of the Free World requires a certain level of insolence and certitude, attributes she may well have but will be difficult to demonstrate to the electorate. Watching a gracious, intelligent, and enduring woman engage with a wide variety of interesting people on a daytime talk show is extremely appealing television. For her demographic, females who watch midday TV, she is the best. But to extrapolate that into a role on the world stage, making enormous decisions on domestic and international economic and government affairs, on military operations, on the wars between Islam and everyone else, between men, women and others, and dealing with the everyday situations that Presidents have to mitigate, would not sit well with Oprah's well documented fragile psychological profile. She long ago admitted her weight problems stem from insecurities and fear. Plus, she would suffer an enormous attack on her personal and professional history should she decide to run. And I don't think she really wants to get into such detail. Insiders know how ruthless and ambitious young Oprah was, and she never hesitated to step over other women to get to the top of her profession. She has on more than one occasion suggested the world would be better off if it didn't have so many white people. I can definitely see Oprah becoming a major power broker in future Progressive Party politics, but she is not going to give up what she has attained for political reasons. And although it may have looked like that when she spoke to the fawning Golden Globes audience, she is not the 'Drink the Kool Aid' candidate Progressives will need to challenge Trump in 2020. The search for the new Jim Jones-style Democratic candidate will have to continue. |
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