Editor’s note: This article is a part of a head-to-head. Read the other article here. 
Oprah Winfrey delivered an incredible speech at the 75th Golden Globe Awards. It shed light on the powerful #MeToo movement that is rightfully gaining momentum as we head into 2018 because of the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund. That fund has now raised north of $16 million toward providing “legal support to women and men who have experienced sexual harassment, assault, or abuse in the workplace and while in pursuit of their careers.”
Of course, an incredible speech could not be left as that. Americans currently living under the political turmoil of President Donald Trump’s administration immediately began calling for Winfrey’s 2020 bid. According to the website electionbettingodds.com, since the awards show aired on Jan. 7, Winfrey has climbed the rankings to become the second most likely candidate to be elected president in 2020, falling only behind Trump.
I hold no opposition to the idea of an Oprah Winfrey presidential campaign. Winfrey, the most successful African-American businesswoman and one of the most powerful women in the world, is an actual self-made billionaire, unlike Trump. To discredit the idea of Winfrey running is insulting to women in a nation that has previously had no problem with male public figures running for office.
However, I find it mightily strange that those who have a strong dislike for Trump also use him as a justification for lowering the bar on who should become the next president. Trump became president with an absolute lack of political experience, and although that is now the least concerning thought of his presidency, it was a central argument for why he should not have been elected in the first place.
Yes, the U.S. is in a rough patch right now with Trump, who carries a 38 percent approval rating, sitting in the Oval Office. Many people have grown tired of waking up each morning to discover a new political scandal has developed. But we cannot allow that feeling of hopelessness to create an environment where we view every inspiring public figure as America’s lone hope to defeat Trump in 2020.
Ezra Klein, founder and editor-at-large of Vox.com, nearly tweeted my exact thoughts the morning after the Golden Globe Awards: “Donald Trump will be vulnerable in 2020 in part because people will be — hell, they already are — tired of having a celebrity with no political experience fumbling around as president. Not sure Winfrey (or Tom Hanks, or Mark Cuban, etc) will be a compelling answer to that.”
Winfrey’s words offered inspiration and a sign of hope many Americans have been longing for since former President Barack Obama left the office in January 2017. Let us not forget, even though it may have not been amongst a progressive base, Trump had a way of inspiring millions, as well.
We must place a higher value on actual governing experience rather than the ability to inspire. Democratic candidates planning to run in midterm elections or against Trump in 2020 have something to learn from Winfrey’s speech. Tell your story, be inspiring and give voters a reason to believe they can relate to you. It is evident this strategy creates a personal effect.
America does not want to become a society where the pursuit of a career in public service becomes useless and inferior to the pursuit of celebrity and fame. There is a place for celebrities in our society, but I am not convinced it is in the White House.
Seth Nieman is a 21-year-old mass communication senior from McComb, Mississippi.