The Democrats are struggling with how to shift course following Hillary Clinton’s devastating loss to Donald Trump—and the New Republic has an interesting suggestion: run a celebrity.
While they have several suitable candidates in the queue for the 2020 midterms— among them Sens. Cory Booker and Kirsten Gillibrand, and even outgoing Vice President Joe Biden—they’re having a difficult time identifying someone with the “electricity” of Barack Obama or Bill Clinton.
So Jeet Heer suggested that, like Republicans, perhaps it’s time the Democrats turned their attention outside Washington and towards Hollywood, for their own short-fused, non-endearing policy amateur with an inexplicable hold on America’s hearts.
Heer theorized that Democrats could use someone like Michael Moore or Meryl Street to “fire up the countryside,” while a young, exciting leader emerges from the shadows. Heer suggests everyone from Leonardo DiCaprio to Beyonce to Rosie O’Donnell could neatly fill the need.
So, we’ve done the DNC a favor and handicapped their choices, along with the odds of those potential candidates actually jumping in the next presidential cycle.
Meryl Streep: The beloved Hollywood actress is nothing if not politically motivated. She’s given thousands to the Democratic Party and helped to bundle millions more —and better still, we know she can attract Trump’s attention. Bad news? There’s already a petition recruiting her to replace Trump, and it’s gotten a whopping 26 signatures. 50-1.
Leonardo DiCaprio: The celebrity eco-maniac has spent the last decade fighting like Captain Planet to preserve Earth’s resources. But a stint in the White House would require him to dramatically reduce his carbon footprint: He’d have to give up his gas guzzling private jet, his model girlfriend and probably his man-bun. 30-1.
Beyonce: Queen Bey would probably be the first person to address Congress with the aid of a crew of backup dancers. But she has expressed unqualified support for things that don’t resonate clearly with the American public, like crop tops. 25-1.
Matt Damon: No one wants President Matt Damon, but that’s not saying he wouldn’t try. After all, 26 Bourne movies later, the man has to have learned something about foreign policy. 10-3.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson: We’d love to see the WWE star-turned-actor at the Oval Office desk, but he’d rather “impact the world through entertainment,” he told The Hill last year. Under duress, those pecs could probably be pressed into public service, though. 3-2.
George Clooney: He’s cut down on his work hours and bagged himself a perfect first lady with a legal pedigree and foreign policy experience. He owns villas in at least three countries, he’s proven he can bundle more than a quarter-mil in a single fundraiser, and he once took credit for the civil rights movement. Seems like he’s just a few thousand signatures away. 2-1.
Roseanne Barr: She was outspoken on blue collar jobs, but also on #Pizzagate. She’s mastered Trump’s style of Twitter dialogue, and she’s even got a presidential campaign under her belt. Except, it was for the Green Party. 4-1.
Rosie O’Donnell: No. Just…no.