Oprah 2020?

A lot of people I know have been talking about Oprah after her speech at the Golden Globes, and what a great idea it might be for her to stand for election in 2020. I’m not convinced.

Yes, I can see that she did a speech that — especially in the context where she gave it — made an impact. It gladdened the hearts of liberals and for many smarting at Clinton’s defeat, the idea that the next president could be both a woman and black is certainly very appealing.

And yet, is that really what we want? She’s well known, like Trump, and could probably turn her celebrity into a campaign juggernaut. She might well win, if she were to stand, but what then?

What if it were chaos? Some of the people — quacks — that she promotes on her show have no great understanding of science, but she’s happy to help raise their profiles. And she has no political experience.

Talk of “draining the swamp” was very appealing to Trump’s supporters, and maybe there are those on the Democrat side who think that another “outsider” could win for them.

But, whatever you think of the Washington machine, you still need political savvy. You need to understand how laws are made, and how the constitution works, and what levers need to be pulled to get the results you want.

You need — whether you’re part of it or not — people around you who are part of that machine. A large part of Trump’s failure is because he didn’t recognise that. And unless she does, and finds herself some skilled political advisers, Oprah will suffer the same.

What will it really achieve if we cheer on an executive order she makes on immigration, or LGBT issues, if it falls apart under judicial scrutiny as easily as Trump’s muslim ban? Or an inability to understand the legislative process leaves ideas stuck in Congress, unable to pass a vote?

Whatever side someone’s on, these are real prospects if someone without political skills takes office.

Perhaps it might be far wiser for Oprah to use her platform and her oratory to inspire people to vote for someone who will get the job done, than to ride a second wave of populism and crash, like Trump, into the reality of actually doing the job.