Last night MSNBC hosted a DNC Leadership Forum at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Part of this forum involved a discussion featuring the candidates for DNC Chair.
Among those vying to be the next chair of the DNC is author, activist, and former presidential candidate Marianne Williamson (pictured at right with supporters at last night’s forum).
If you’re a regular visitor to The Wild Reed, you would know that I supported Marianne’s 2020 presidential run as well as her 2024 bid. It should come as no surprise then that I’m supporting her campaign to be the next DNC chair.
Indeed, out of all of the candidates, I believe Marianne has the passion, grit, and progressive vision to best help transform the Democratic Party into a winning political party. She’ll do this by facilitating much needed truth-telling and a return to the party’s modern roots – that of being an unequivocal advocate for the working people of the United States.
The DNC membership will be voting on its new leadership tomorrow in National Harbor, Maryland.
Following is a short video of Marianne at last night’s DNC Leadership Forum.
Anthony Pelletier is a young supporter of Marianne. He recently shared the following on social media.
One year ago today, I was campaigning with the Marianne Williamson for President campaign in the New Hampshire primaries [as was I!]. I was out knocking on doors, making phone calls, and attending events. At that time, nobody knew where this election would lead. The Republican Party was pushing Donald Trump to be their nominee, and the Democratic Party was pushing Joe Biden to be their nominee.
I have always admired Joe Biden’s work as president and respected him for beating Trump in 2020, but I also knew it was time for him to step down. That’s why I supported Marianne for president. Her campaign gave me hope for the future, with its focus on climate action, healthcare, education, and so much more.
I’ve had the privilege of speaking with Marianne on many occasions, including tonight, when I participated in an inclusive interview with her and a few other supporters. During this meeting, I had about five minutes to talk with Marianne about where the DNC went wrong in [the 2024] election and how she would change the party if she were elected DNC chair.
Marianne Williamson is someone who truly cares about people and listens to what they have to say. I felt that during my interview with her and while watching the other supporters’ interviews. I am deeply disappointed with how the DNC handled this election – from their funding strategies to their failure to connect with voters. The Democratic Party let us down, and now we will all face Trump 2.0.
After weeks of considering who I want to support for DNC chair, I’ve chosen Marianne Williamson. She will ensure that Democrats are elected up and down the ballot in 2026 and beyond. I truly hope that the 447 voting members agree with me. I know Marianne is the underdog in this race, but I would rather support someone I fully agree with than a frontrunner I only partially agree with.
– Anthony Pelletier via social media
January 18, 2025
I continue this evening with my series of posts celebrating what many consider one of the best TV shows ever made; and one that given recent events here in the U.S., powerfully highlights the need for resistance to the rise of auhoritarianism.
The show I’m referring to is Andor, the second season of which returns to Disney+ on Tuesday, April 22.
Andor stars Diego Luna (left), reprising his role as Cassian Andor in Rogue One. Like Rogue One, Andor has a much grittier look and feel, and far more complex characters than any other movie or TV series in the Star Wars franchise. This definitely goes a long way in accounting for my interest in – and appreciation for – both Rogue One and Andor.
I also appreciate the show’s contemporary political resonance. Andor actress Fiona Shaw (right) highlights this resonance when she notes that the show’s writer Tony Gilroy has written “a great, scurrilous [take] on the Trumpian world.”
Shaw goes on to say: “Our world is exploding in different places right now, people’s rights are disappearing, and Andor reflects that. [In the show] the Empire is taking over, and it feels like the same thing is happening in reality, too. . . . I was impressed by Tony’s social-realist intentions. He’s created a whole new morality. It’s very deep and humane – there is grief, mourning, hope, fear. It’s not just primary colours here.”
The first season of Andor was released on the Disney+ streaming platform in 2022, and as I note above, the second (and final) season is scheduled for release three months from now, on April 22.
In the lead-up to season two I’m sharing a series of posts celebrating Andor. Tonight’s installment features an insightful video commentary, the conclusion of which I don’t completely agree with. (Perhops more on this in a later post.) Still, the video as a whole is definitely worth viewing. It’s put together by “Kapil” of the Show Me the Meaning YouTube channel, and in introducing his commentary, Kapil says the following.
Andor is so captivating because it reflects the 2020s in the same way the original Star Wars trilogy reflected the 1970s and ’80s. It’s a product of its age, and not trying to be something from the past. Showrunner Tony Gilroy – famously not a huge Star Wars fan – knew exactly what he was doing in telling a deeply human story that just happened to be set in the Star Wars universe. And in doing so, he explored how a rebellion rooted in hope is created through darkness – and how a tyrannical Empire is actually built by ordinary people. So today, I want to explore the journeys of Cassian Andor, Luthen, Mon Mothma, Dedra and Syril, and what it means to bring Star Wars into the 2020s. I hope you enjoy.
Last night my friend and downstairs neighbor Joseph and I visited the inaugural “Northside Luminary Light Up!” at the Old Highland Peace Garden at 18th and Emerson Avenues North in Minneapolis.
It was a one night only event, and my friend Brian (pictured below) who lives on the northside was instrumental in making it a reality. And what a beautiful and magical reality it was!
I should also say that taking in the magical beauty of the many ice luminaries last night was just what I needed to revive my spirits after the first week of the second Trump presidency and all it’s ushering in. Perhaps you feel the same way about what’s unfolding in the U.S. If so, I hope my photos from last night will, well, light up and lift your spirits as they did mine.
Democrats are still reeling from President Donald Trump’s return to the White House. With his flurry of executive orders and pardons, the 45th-turned-47th commander-in-chief’s new administration is taking shape at lightning speed, leaving the left scrambling for a cohesive response.
Kamala Harris’s 2024 defeat has triggered a wave of finger-pointing within Democratic ranks. Senator Bernie Sanders accused the party of abandoning working-class people and depending too heavily on affluent donors. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on the other hand, blamed the party’s latest electoral loss on former President Joe Biden’s delayed decision to exit the presidential race.
Amid the internal discord, author and two-time presidential candidate Marianne Williamson is calling for bold action. As a candidate for Democratic National Committee chair, she has pledged to “reinvent the party from the inside out.”
Williamson joins a crowded race to succeed outgoing chair Jaime Harrison, including former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chair Ken Martin, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler, and New York State Senator James Skoufis.
On February 1, DNC members will meet for their winter session to vote on a new chair and other leadership positions. In the days leading up to the election, candidates for DNC chair will take part in four forums, where they will present their visions for the future of the Democratic Party to members.
As she prepares to make her pitch to fellow Democrats, we sat down with Williamson to discuss her vision for the DNC, why she believes she’s the leader Democrats need right now, and how the party can rise to match Trump’s “audacity.” Watch the conversation in the video below, and read transcript highlights here.
If you’ve been ignoring or defending Biden’s genocidal criminality these past 15 months, then I don’t really care what you have to say about Trump or Musk or any of their cohorts. Your criticisms might be 100% accurate, but they’re not coming from a place of truth.
If you moved seamlessly from aggressively attacking Biden’s abuses to aggressively attacking Trump, then you have my attention because I know your criticisms are coming from actual principles and not blind opposition to an opposing political faction. You are standing against tyranny instead of standing with one of America’s two tyrannical parties.
At the end of her sermon during today’s inaugural interfaith prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, Episcopal Bishop, The Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde made a direct appeal to President Donald Trump.
Recalling Trump’s claim during his inauguration yesterday that he was “saved by God” after a bullet hit his ear in an assassination attempt in July, Budde asked Trump, who was seated in the church with members of his family, “to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.”
Following is the full text of that part of Bishop Budde’s sermon which she directed to Trump.
Let me make one final plea, Mr. President. Millions have put their trust in you, and as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families, some who fear for their lives. The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meatpacking plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals, they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurdwara, and temples.
I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear their parents will be taken away, and that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here. Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land. May God grant us the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, to speak the truth to one another in love, and walk humbly with each other and our God, for the good of all people, the good of all people in this nation and the world. Amen.
Later in the day Democratic strategist Keith Edwards applauded Bishop Budde’s decision to speak directly to the president, calling her “incredibly brave.”
Bishop Budde “confronted Trump’s fascism to his face,” he said on the social media platform Bluesky.
Image: The Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde speaks at the inaugural interfaith prayer service on January 21, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: C-Span)
It’s Inauguration Day, and like a lot of people I’m feeling heartsick at the prospect of a second Trump presidency.
In an effort to be and stay hopeful and proactive moving forward, I shared throughout the day on Facebook today positive and hopeful words and images.
As it’s also Martin Luther King Jr. Day today, I couldn’t think of a better way to start my sharing then with his words!
My second sharing was a meme featuring a quote by writer Madeleine L’Engle.
L’Engle’s words prompted one friend to share the following:
Thanks for what you have posted, Michael. I am sitting here listening to what Trump is saying, and I just want to cry. Much of what is being said is appalling to me. Very uncomfortable. What was I expecting? I should have known better. Has any past President EVER spoken this way at his inauguration?! I make it a practice to never make political commentary, but I just feel sick. I re-read your post multiple times already.
I supported Marianne’s 2020 and 2024 presidential campaigns. In fact, on this day exactly one year ago, my friend Kate and I travelled to New Hampshire to campaign for Marianne in the Granite State’s “First in the Nation” presidential primary. . . . What a very different president she would have made to the one being inaugurated today.
In honor of Marianne today, the day I would have loved to have seen her sworn in as president, I wore as my undershirt my “Marianne Williamson for President 2024” t-shirt.
Next, another motivating quote. This one by storyteller, author and scholar Michael Meade . . .
My fifth sharing today was Maarva’s posthumous speech from the Star Wars TV series Andor. Her words never fail to move and inspire me. . . . “Fight the empire!”
It’s the same empire that poet Mary Oliver identifies – one that needs to be named, resisted, and transformed.
My next sharing, which by now was in the late afternoon, was a call to action! It grew out of my becoming today a monthly contributor to (and a “Guardian of Liberty” member of) the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). This sharing consisted of my inviting of my Facebook friends to consider joining me in becoming ACLU members. And I extend this same invitation to you who are reading this!
Click here to make either a one-time or monthly financial contribution to the important work of the ACLU.
I concluded today’s Facebook sharing of hopeful and proactive thoughts by returning to where it all began – the challenging wisdom of Martin Luther King, Jr.
I can’t tell you how much crap I get from some of my liberal Democrat friends for pointing out exactly what David Moscrop points out in his recent piece in Jacobin entitled, “The Democrats Helped Bring About Trump’s Return.”
Of course, the writing has been on the wall about this for years. In a nutshell, this “writing” says: the neoliberal policies of both the two corporate-backed major parties create the economic conditions that give rise to the widespread appeal of authoritarian populism and demagogues like Trump.
As I’ve said many times before, Trump isn’t the problem but a terrible symptom, the worst resulting symptom, of a much deeper problem: an economic system that puts short term maximization of corporate profits over and above the well-being of individuals, communities, democratic norms and ideals, and the environment.
Recently on Facebook, Aaron Vandetook offered the following historical perspective on the rise of the acceptance and advocation of this system within the Democratic Party.
It all started with Bill Clinton, and Democrats in general, thinking he was being very clever in co-opting Republican economics and abandoning the working class in favor of trade deals and Wall Street influence. The far-right has nothing of substance to offer to improve the lives of working families – quite the opposite. But the Democrats turn towards their own version of trickle-down lite left a political vacuum just waiting for a rightwing demagogue to fill by exploiting the mounting grievances of a struggling working class. As inequality continued to climb to untenable, resentment-stoking heights, under both Republican and Democratic administrations, the bill did indeed finally come due.
For the last 20+ years, voters have consistently opted for whichever candidate they thought most likely to present a change from the broken status quo relative to their opponent. They would vote for a black man named Barack Hussein Obama, and turn around and vote for a race-baiting plutocrat the very next cycle. In both cases they were voting for change from a status quo that they know is not working. They might not follow politics that closely or have well-formed ideological positions – but they know the economy is unfairly rigged against them, and they want someone, anyone, who might break down that system that has resulted in unimaginable wealth for a few and declining living standards for the rest. Hell, even their life expectancies are moving backwards, for the first time in our history.
In an economy that features staggering levels of inequality not seen since the Gilded Age, the old macro-economic indicators do not measure shared prosperity anymore. Democrats have ignored all of this since the Clinton era, and now a lying malignant narcissist has taken advantage of this deep pool of resentment.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I get a lot of push-back from liberal friends for voicing this kind of analysis. One friend, for instance, recently shared the following with me via a Facebook comment.
Michael, clearly we disagree. The man about to be inaugurated is being feted and bolstered by the three richest men in America and the Democrats are the problem? Sorry, but I don’t intend to waste time and energy talking about this further.
Aside from the fact that I’m not saying that the Democrats are the problem, what’s disappointing and disturbing about my friend’s response is a conveyed inability or unwillingness to acknowledge that corporatist/centrist Democrats and their neoliberal agenda are a big part of the problem. And yet my friend insists that he’s “the first to criticize the glaring faults of neoliberal Democrats.” He goes on to say the following.
I think the both-sidesism of [your] analysis is woefully inadequate and opens the door to validating the very real threat of fascism we see in the current iteration of the Republican party. And I hope as the horrors unfold that those who were too good to vote for the radically flawed option in a two-party system that should be more inclusive will own their responsibility for setting the horrors in motion. Many of us on the margins of society who will be immediate targets of what’s now coming do not have the luxury of self-righteous purism and have to work with less-than-optimal choices.
To which I responded:
It’s the centrist/neoliberal Democrats – all those who were involved with the Harris campaign, along with Biden, the Clintons, Obama, the current DNC, et al – who should be the ones “owning their responsibility for setting the horrors in motion,” not those who in good conscience could not vote for genocide and/or the perpetuation of a status quo that simply does not have their backs, a status quo that is not about transformation of an unjust system but merely tweaking this system here and there so as to somewhat lessen people’s suffering. Seriously, how long do we expect people to endure this?
I vowed a long time ago never to condemn anyone voting their conscience; to do so goes against the very core of what democracy is about. And I do not assume people voting their conscience are engaging in “self-righteous purism.” I just don’t go there.
If the Democrats want votes, they need to earn them. That’s just Politics 101. And if they’re that concerned about independent parties then they would be pushing for ranked choice voting. That would instantly resolve the so-called “spoiler” effect of independent parties and candidates. And yet when was the last time a centrist Democrat advocated for such a basic democratic measure? They don’t because they know the current corporatist iteration of the Democratic Party would be toast if they had to compete in the court of public opinion with genuine leftist and progressive alternatives – alternatives that are out there but which are routinely suppressed by the Democratic establishment in all kinds of underhanded and unfair ways. Again, they bring disaster upon themselves and, because of this, they need to, in your words, “own their responsibility.” There'll be no healing and moving forward into any kind of successful political future without this taking of responsibility.
Another friend then chimed in:
I [am also troubled by] the false equivalency practiced by too many Democrats, but the one exception is when the leader of the party is aiding and supporting a genocide. I have no problems, on the other hand, criticizing those who failed to vote for Clinton because she didn’t meet their unrealistic litmus test. But while I may disagree with those who chose to stay home this past November, I can understand the dilemma they faced because I faced the same moral quandary. I can’t fault those who had to make the same decision and couldn’t support Harris because in most cases it was not an arbitrary or capricious decision.
Wow! It must be quite something to be able to get into people’s hearts and minds so as to determine whether or not their voting choices are “arbitrary or capricious” or something “moral”-based and therefore understandable, if not acceptable. But seriously, what is named and shamed as an “unrealistic litmus test” by one person is another’s moral red line. For some, this line might be genocide in Gaza, for others it might also be an unapologetic neoliberal agenda that devastates the social and political fabric of society and paves the way for the rise of authoritarianism. They just can’t morally go there.
Also, why is it always the supposedly “unrealistic litmus test” of voters that’s judged and found wanting but never the litmus test of neoliberal Democratic candidates and a party establishment that insists that to be a “good,” “loyal” and “responsible” Democrat one must vote for whom the party elites choose? This is especially odious given the way this same elite clearly manipulates the intra-party “democratic” process so as to favor its preferred corporatist/centrist candidates. Isn’t expecting rank-and-file Democrats to just unquestioningly fall in line with such undemocratic practices an even more egregious (and accurate) example of an “unrealistic litmus test”?
I'll close with my response to another friend who earlier today was lamenting online about the return of Trump and wondering how such a thing came about.
I get it that many of us are heartsick at the prospect of a second Trump presidency. I know I am. But it’s not a mystery when it comes to understanding how we got to where we’re at. Decades of neoliberal (corporate profits over people) economic policies by both the two corporate-backed major parties created the economic conditions that gave rise to the appeal of authoritarian populism and a demagogue like Trump. It’s a pattern we’ve seen in other countries throughout modern history. And now we’re seeing it play out here and now.
A big part of this tragedy for me is that the leadership of the Democratic Party still don’t get it; they are still far too beholden to their corporate donors to espouse and enact genuine transformative policies, i.e., a progressive populism to match and better the appeal of the authoritarian populism of Trump and his billionaire donors. Instead, the so-called “centrist” Democrats who lead the party advocate for candidates and policies that seek incremental change, that commit only to a tweaking of the system so as to ameliorate people’s suffering rather than to a transformation of the system so as to end people’s suffering. Meanwhile, those within the party who push for just such a transformative agenda — folks like Bernie Sanders and Marianne Williamson, even Dean Phillips to a degree — are marginalized and treated in abysmally unfair ways. And so here we are. My hope is that we see a transformed Democratic Party, and soon; one that is capable of offering people real hope and genuine change in the face of the authoritarian threat before us.
For me, one good place to start with seeing a transformed Democratic Party become a reality is by the electing of Marianne Williamson as Chair of the Democratic National Committee. She’s in the running, and has been generating a lot of buzz these past few days, trending on X, for instance.
I believe she has the passion, grit, and progressive vision to help transform the Democratic Party and return it to its modern roots of being an unequivocal advocate for the working people of the United States.
Following are two short videos of Marianne speaking last Friday, January 17, at the DNC Chair Forum in Detroit, Michigan.
I established The Wild Reed in 2006 as a sign of solidarity with all who are dedicated to living lives of integrity – though, in particular, with gay people seeking to be true to both the gift of their sexuality and their Catholic faith. The Wild Reed's original by-line read, “Thoughts and reflections from a progressive, gay, Catholic perspective.” As you can see, it reads differently now. This is because my journey has, in many ways, taken me beyond, or perhaps better still, deeper into the realities that the words “progressive,” “gay,” and “Catholic” seek to describe.
Even though reeds can symbolize frailty, they may also represent the strength found in flexibility. Popular wisdom says that the green reed which bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak which breaks in a storm. Tall green reeds are associated with water, fertility, abundance, wealth, and rebirth. The sound of a reed pipe is often considered the voice of a soul pining for God or a lost love.
On September 24, 2012,Michael BaylyofCatholics for Marriage Equality MNwas interviewed by Suzanne Linton of Our World Today about same-sex relationships and why Catholics can vote 'no' on the proposed Minnesota anti-marriage equality amendment.
"I believe your blog to be of utmost importance for all people regardless of their orientation. . . . Thank you for your blog and the care and dedication that you give in bringing the TRUTH to everyone."– William
"Michael, if there is ever a moment in your day or in your life when you feel low and despondent and wonder whether what you are doing is anything worthwhile, think of this: thanks to your writing on the internet, a young man miles away is now willing to embrace life completely and use his talents and passions unashamedly to celebrate God and his creation. Any success I face in the future and any lives I touch would have been made possible thanks to you and your honesty and wisdom."– AB
"Since I discovered your blog I have felt so much more encouraged and inspired knowing that I'm not the only gay guy in the Catholic Church trying to balance my Faith and my sexuality. Continue being a beacon of hope and a guide to the future within our Church!"– Phillip
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"I grieve for the Roman institution’s betrayal of God’s invitation to change. I fear that somewhere in the midst of this denial is a great sin that rests on the shoulders of those who lead and those who passively follow. But knowing that there are voices, voices of the prophets out there gives me hope. Please keep up the good work."– Peter
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