Oprah may not run for president, but she would have a shot at it

More times than not, Hollywood award shows are a no-go.

Heck, with kids in elementary school, there’s a real good chance the animated category is the only one that has multiple nominees I recognize.

Plus, if I want to hear a lecture, there’s likely an insurance seminar somewhere I can catch.

Sunday night’s Golden Globes show, however, was a bit different.

Sure, it was the first awards show of the season.

It’s people — beautiful people, mind you — wearing clothes that cost roughly what most of us make in a year and telling everyone what they believe to be important.

This year, and with Hollywood famously and courageously taking the lead, that issue has been about the #MeToo movement. The voices of the victims of sexual harassment and assault have resonated from Hollywood across the globe and toppled some of the biggest stars and biggest names in the business.

The Globes, deftly anchored by Seth Meyers, did not shy away from the controversy. In fact, with Meyers out front, it embraced it and attacked it.

While Meyers was the leader, he was not the star.

Nope, that was honoree Oprah Winfrey, the recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille award Sunday night.

Even Meyers joked beforehand that Winfrey and Tom Hanks would make a great presidential ticket.

There was a time when that joke was made in jest.

Because who in a million years would ever take a supremely successful, billionaire entertainer with zero political experience as a serious presidential candidate? Oh, wait.

The momentum from Sunday night had “Oprah 2020” trending on Twitter, and despite her backstage denials she was not interested in making a run at the Oval Office, the speculation has grown.

It has been fueled by at least two of Oprah’s friends who told CNN on Monday the 63-year-old billionaire was interested. After the award show Sunday her longtime beau Stedman Graham told the L.A. Times that “It’s up to the people. She would absolutely do it.”

Whether she could or would be willing to remains to be seen.

What should not be doubted is that if she does decide to run, she certainly has a chance to win, especially if she is running against Donald Trump in 2020.

Think of what Trump offered a lot of Americans looking for someone — anyone — to defy and challenge the Washington status quo. He also offered a lifetime of business success and a familiar name.

And one of the main reasons he won is that he ran against one of the most divisive career politicians of the last half century. Oprah has all of the broad-brush strengths Trump presented two years ago, with less of the baggage and a higher popularity rate.

Just how popular is Oprah? With the buzz of a possible 2020 presidential run only making social media chatter, the real ripples hit Wall Street, where the stock of Weight Watchers — the diet giant that counts Winfrey as a stockholder, board member and active endorser — rose by 11 percent.

Brad Anderson, the Iowa state director for President Barack Obama’s re-election, tweeted, “Call me Oprah. I’ve got some Iowa county chairs who would love to hear from you.”

Would she run, and take a massive cut in pay and popularity? That’s anyone’s guess.

But there is no more guessing to the fact that every name in the hat has a chance in this political climate.