-- by Tom Phillips
I'm not an Oprah fan. I didn't see her speech to the Golden Globes, just a clip of her tearful peroration. She strikes me as a complex lady with a complicated life, who nonetheless is able to project a simple, powerful image through the media -- an image that speaks to the American value of self-reliance, and at the same time to the universal value of compassion, the virtue so conspicuously missing from today's White House.
So: What other Democrat could beat Donald Trump at his own game? Donald vs. Oprah! would be the ultimate talk show -- image vs. image, self-styled genius vs. self-made woman. Brashness and bullshit vs. tears and guts. Combover vs. hairstyle.
And what's wrong with having a celebrity president? Look at the present day -- a celebrity president tweets up a circus, entertaining the masses with imaginary battles against Black football players and a sinister Asian clown. Meanwhile a typical Republican administration goes about its business: taking from the poor to help the rich, giving business and the military free rein, handing out favors to wealthy donors.
Under President Oprah!, the chief could entertain us with stirring speeches, celebrity feuds and friendships, must-read books and crash diets, while a typical Democratic administration could go about its business: taxing the rich to help the poor, reining in business and the military, and of course, handing out favors to wealthy donors.
Don't get me wrong. I voted for Bernie, I love Elizabeth Warren. But in this age the President of the United States is willy-nilly the world's leading celebrity. Why not go for someone with experience, and let Chuck and Nancy handle the politics?
Make sense?
-- Copyright 2018 by Tom Phillips
So: What other Democrat could beat Donald Trump at his own game? Donald vs. Oprah! would be the ultimate talk show -- image vs. image, self-styled genius vs. self-made woman. Brashness and bullshit vs. tears and guts. Combover vs. hairstyle.
And what's wrong with having a celebrity president? Look at the present day -- a celebrity president tweets up a circus, entertaining the masses with imaginary battles against Black football players and a sinister Asian clown. Meanwhile a typical Republican administration goes about its business: taking from the poor to help the rich, giving business and the military free rein, handing out favors to wealthy donors.
Under President Oprah!, the chief could entertain us with stirring speeches, celebrity feuds and friendships, must-read books and crash diets, while a typical Democratic administration could go about its business: taxing the rich to help the poor, reining in business and the military, and of course, handing out favors to wealthy donors.
Don't get me wrong. I voted for Bernie, I love Elizabeth Warren. But in this age the President of the United States is willy-nilly the world's leading celebrity. Why not go for someone with experience, and let Chuck and Nancy handle the politics?
Make sense?
-- Copyright 2018 by Tom Phillips
