Liberal filmmaker and general progressive gadfly Michael Moore has a message for his party. Don’t run a politician against Trump in 2020 or you’re just going to lose again. He’s particularly down on the idea of nominating Kamala Harris or Cory Booker. (Washington Times)

Liberal filmmaker Michael Moore said Wednesday that Democrats need to put forth a “beloved American” like Michelle Obama to run against President Trump in 2020, and that potential candidates such as Sens. Kamala Harris and Cory Booker would undoubtedly result in an election defeat.

Mr. Moore, who correctly predicted Mr. Trump’s shocking 2016 presidential victory, said he didn’t see a viable contender for Mr. Trump in the current lineup of Democrats who have signaled an interest in running.

He pushed back against “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski, who suggested Ms. Harris could beat the president in 2020.

Moore made sure to point out that he “loves” both Harris and Booker, but they’re just not the right sort of person to take on Trump. With that in mind, you should probably get the cameras and microphones ready and be sure to record this because I’m about to say something which may have never been said at Hot Air before and might never be said again. Michael Moore may actually be right. (With some caveats.)

While everyone has their own take on the 2016 election, one aspect of it which rings particularly true for me is that Trump was able to win precisely because he’s not a politician. (Well, technically he is now, but you get my meaning.) He came from an entirely different mold. And whether it was the Republican primary or the general election, he was up against career politicians who were predictable in their reactions and all tried to fight him as if he was just another politician. That’s what Hillary Clinton did and you all saw how that turned out.

So who does Moore think they should nominate instead? A “beloved American” like Michelle Obama or Sully’ Sullenberger. First of all, Michelle Obama has turned into quite the political figure herself after eight years in the White House and many speaking tours. But I’ll agree that both her name recognition and approval rating among the Democratic base are well up on the scale. Sullenberger is an American hero to be sure and he turned out to be a Democrat. He’s similarly beloved.

But there’s still something missing. Trump hit the scene as a non-politician but he brought something else to the table. He’s a businessman who could claim a lengthy background of running things and making important, large deals. (You can debate his actual level of success all you like.) The point is, he had some crossover skills to point to which people obviously saw as being applicable to running the government. What would Michelle Obama or Sully Sullenberger point to as their crossover skill or experience? Nothing comes to mind.

Maybe the Democrats could use a celebrity candidate of their own, but I’m not entirely convinced. Donald Trump is definitely beatable in 2020 with the right candidate, assuming his popularity, particularly with independents, doesn’t start soaring in the next two years. Candidates like Harris, Booker and some of the other newer faces are risky. They’ve run so hard to the left and are embedded in socialism and social justice warrior themes to the point that the middle of the electorate may reject them. But a known, centrist character like Joe Biden would probably fare better than running Oprah.