Oprah For President? Nope-rah.
January 9, 2018

I blame "Dave."

You remember, the movie where Kevin Kline is hired to impersonate the president of the United States and straightens out all the country's problems in 90 minutes?

I hate that movie. Not because I hate Kevin Kline (I love Kevin Kline!) but because this movie plays to the worst instincts of the American voter. Just bring in your accountant Murray Blum to straighten out the budget, and it's all good!

Governing is an actual skill set. It's a combination of intellect, imagination, and experience, and starting at the top job is a recipe for disaster (even when you're not in the early stages of dementia). If Oprah Winfrey decided to run for the Senate, I'd be good with that. It's nothing like being a CEO, where people have to do what you tell them to do, but senators have staffers to show them the ropes.

But president? Oh, puhleeze.

For 20 years, I've been hammering the point that you can't run government like a business -- because it's not a business. It's a massive regulatory and policy-driven apparatus that has to balance the needs of so many constituencies, domestic and foreign. If you have no track record in dealing with those complexities, you shouldn't be at the wheel.

And Democrats need to get over this savior syndrome, where they believe some charismatic someone will sweep us to victory. Look, I could see considering a Hail Mary pass if the Democrats were behind the eight-ball -- but we're not. We're well-positioned to take control in this year's mid-terms.

Stop fantasizing. Get out and register voters.

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