If you’ve been hiding in a cave for the last 24 hours, it’s time to step out and listen to Oprah Winfrey’s speech at the Golden Globes last night. It is, without doubt, one of the greatest pieces of oration I’ve ever heard. It lit the twitterverse up so strongly last night that I chased it down right then, watched it, and then spent a good long time trying to pick my jaw up off the floor. Once you hear it, you’ll understand why people are pointing to Oprah in 2020.
And, you know what, I say YES.
For anyone who says she couldn’t do the job, I say screw that: if Donald Trump is the barometer, Oprah is a million times over-qualified.
To anyone who says “so what, by that barometer Hillary Clinton was a thousand times over-qualified and look where that got her,” I say this: if having an over-qualified woman lose to someone as inadequate as Donald Trump is the price it took to get someone who can lead the country like Oprah Winfrey just did, so the hell be it. In the internal culture war going on in this country, Oprah Winfrey just rode in like the Rohirrim at Helms Deep, horns blaring, spears set, hooves pounding. (Yes, I write fantasy, what of it?)
I admit fully that if my 25-year-old self was visited by my future self and was told that I might someday vote for Oprah Winfrey for president, I would have bust a gut. So, yeah, I get it. But screw my younger self, too. This woman was awesome. She’s been awesome for a long time. Get the hell over it.
Of course there will be push-back. Of course the hard right will belittle her position, her station, and likely her race and gender. I say screw that, too. This woman has run huge businesses. She’s interacted with the most powerful people in the world. She’s shown empathy, skill, wisdom, intelligence, kindness, respect, and grace. She’s used her own money to help people. Yes, there’s a long way to go. But sitting here in early 2018, I say yes to Oprah. I say that I see no one more qualified, no one I would trust more, and no one who would be better for the country.
Sure, read the speech. You should. But really, watch the video anyway. You need to hear it.