Monday, August 14, 2023

Marianne Williamson: “Repairing Our Hearts Is Essential to Repairing Our Country”


Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson was in Iowa this past Saturday, pitching her candidacy and platform to attendees at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines.

“It’s time for America to turn the page. It’s time for America to begin again,” said Marianne at the Fair’s Political Soapbox.

She said that as president she would declare a climate emergency, repair the damage done by corporations, implement universal healthcare and cancel student loans.

“Problem solvers” will help make these goals real, she said. “We have everything we need in this country. We have the people and the best practices. We have people who know how to reclaim the earth, who know how to reclaim our food, who know how to reclaim our land.”


Although one of Marianne’s Democratic opponents, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, also attended the Iowa State Fair, the other, President Joe Biden, did not. Also a no-show was Green Party candidate Cornel West. Numerous Republican presidential candidates, however, did make an appearance, including former president Donald Trump, former vice president Mike Pence, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, North Dakota governor Doug Burgum, South Carolina senator Tim Scott, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

To see and listen to Marianne Williamson at the Iowa State Fair, click here.

After speaking at the Fair’s Political Soapbox, Marianne answered questions from reporters representing a number of media outlets, including Forbes which posted the following video.






Earlier today, Marianne shared the following via e-mail to her supporters (myself included). It’s a powerful piece; one that in exploring how the “repair of our hearts is essential if we’re to find a way to repair our country,” exemplifies Marianne Williamson’s deep wisdom and compassion. She’ll definitely make a great president!

____________________


One of America’s First Principles is E Pluribus Unum, which means “Out of many, one.” We are different cultures, ethnicities, religions, races, sexual and gender orientations and more – yet we are united by our fealty to certain common principles. And when we adhere to those principles, they unite us.

Today too many Americans have retreated into silos – my race, my religion, my sex or sexuality, my political party or views, and so forth. That is the source of our disunity; it’s a perspective that focuses a lot on my or our rights, but too little on my or our responsibilities.

Stuck in our individual silos, we do not see the whole picture in America. We forget that our country belongs to all of us, both people who agree with you as well as people who do not. We forget that no one has a monopoly on the truth, and that there are high minded conservative as well as high minded liberal principles. We become fractured in our vision, and from there we cannot truly see one another or even the country itself.

One of my favorite poems is by Rumi: “Out beyond all ideas of good and bad, right and wrong, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”

One of the worst problems in America is the almost unbelievable amount of judgment, even mean-spiritedness, that dominates our public discourse today. And it’s evident in little ways as well as big. At worst, we assume the worst about someone’s morals or values for no other reason than that they do not agree with us about a political issue. We must evolve beyond all that, to find Rumi’s “field” where people can actually meet. Only there will we be able to problem-solve in a more enlightened way.

I experience a lot running for President; I see the best in people and I see the worst. I see a lack of respect and honor in our national debate that is a poison in our body politic. It keeps the best and the brightest among us wanting nothing to do with politics, and for good reason. People who our Founders would have referred to as “scoundrels” now wield power to obstruct a most essential ingredient of democracy: our capacity to hear one another.

Running for President puts you right in the middle of all that, and it makes for an emotional roller coaster on a personal level. The experience is as mean and as corrupt as they say it is. But it leaves me with ever greater motivation to pierce the wall of obfuscation, to speak with my fellow citizens from the field that lies beyond. I know I’m not the only one who yearns for this. I see it in people who are liberal and conservative and progressive and politically agnostic, who long for a day when we are all just Americans again – when not every aspect of our identity as Americans has to be preceded by a separate subgroup, political or otherwise.

We can join in that place, where policy is debated but people are honored. Where systems are criticized but people are respected. And it is the only place where we can join. This repair of our hearts is essential if we’re to find a way to repair our country.

All of us are keepers of a flame, stewards of our democracy and responsible for its well-being and furtherance. Let’s think not only of ourselves, but of the state of our country. We are needed at this time, challenged by history to show up at this time as nothing less than our better selves.

I hope that this campaign inspires you to try.







Related Off-site Links:
Marianne Williamson Wants to Debate Joe Biden So Democrats Can See Options for President – Addison Lathers (Des Moines Register, August 12, 2023).
Marianne Williamson Polling at 10% Among DemocratsOn Balance (August 12, 2023).
Seeking Small-Dollar Support, Marianne Williamson Campaigns in Vegas, Aims for Presidency – Naoka Foreman (The Nevada Independent, August 12, 2023).
Marianne Williamson on Winning Over Undecided Democrats – Liz Jassin (News Nation, August 11, 2023).
Why Marianne Williamson Is Running for President Again in 2024 – Lee DeVito (Detroit Metro Times, July 10, 2023).
Marianne Williamson Answers Voter Questions in “Conversation with the Candidate” – WMUR-TV (June 30, 2023).
Marianne Williamson Is Wowing Gen Z on TikTok. But Could She Beat Biden in the Polls? – Brendan Rascius (McClatchy DC, June 13, 2023).
Marianne Williamson: United States Needs a Fundamental “Economic U-turn”Sky News (June 17, 2023).
Debate Us, Mr. President – Marianne Williamson (Newsweek, May 31, 2023).
Marianne Williamson Blasts DNC for Doing Everything to “Make It Easier” for Biden – Ryan King (Washington Examiner, May 29, 2023).
For Marianne Williamson, the Bernie Sanders Lane Looks Wide Open – Mini Racker (TIME, May 25, 2023).
Marianne Williamson Wants to Introduce a New Politics to DC – Maximillian Alvarez (The Real News Network, May 18, 2023).
How Marianne Williamson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Compare to Biden on 6 Key Issues – Andrew Stanton (Newsweek, May 15, 2023).
Marianne Williamson: From Third Way to Third Eye – Chris Lehmann (The Nation, May 15, 2023).
Marianne Williamson: Democrats Need a “Genuine Economic Alternative” to Beat the GOP in 2024 – David Sirota (Jacobin, May 5, 2023).
Marianne Williamson on Her 2024 Presidential Bid – C-SPAN (May 4, 2023).
Why Biden May Have to Forfeit the First Contest in His Re-election Bid to Marianne Williamson or RFK Jr. – Alex Seitz-Wald (NBC News, April 27, 2023).
Marianne Williamson Is Serious About Running a Progressive Campaign for President – Liza Featherstone (Jacobin, April 27, 2023).
DNC Shields Biden, Refuses to Hold Primary Debates, Silences RFK Jr and Marianne WilliamsonRising (April 24, 2023).
Marianne Williamson Made a Campaign Stop in Detroit Where She Railed Against the 1%. The Media Didn’t Cover It – Michael Betzold (Metro Times, April 25, 2023).
The Case for Marianne Williamson – Zach Courtney (The Minnesota Daily, April 20, 2023).
Democratic Presidential Longshot Marianne Williamson on Challenging Biden: “We Should Have as Many People Running in an Election as Feel Moved” – Victor Reklaitis (Market Watch, April 15, 2023).
Marianne Williamson, Fusing Bernie Sanders and (Early) Jordan Peterson, Is Taking Over TikTok – Ryan Grim (The Intercept, April 14, 2023).
Meet Eris, the Goddess Behind the Force That Is Marianne Williamson – Rayner Jae Liu (Medium, April 8, 2023).
Marianne Williamson Making Gains Against Joe Biden, New Poll Suggests – Jason Lemon (Newsweek, April 1, 2023).
Marianne Williamson Says Democrats Need to Fix “Unjust” Economy to Win – Andrew Stanton (Newsweek, March 12, 2023).

UPDATES: Democratic Candidate Marianne Williamson Says Network TV Won’t Cover Her CampaignTMZ (August 18, 2023).
Who Is 2024 Presidential Candidate Marianne Williamson? – Catherine Garcia (The Week, August 22, 2023).
Presidential Candidate Marianne Williamson Visits Vermont – Lucy Caile (WCAX-3 News, August 23, 2023).
Democrat Presidential Candidate Marianne Williamson Begins South Carolina Swing in Rock Hill – Lamaur Stancil (Post and Courier, August 25, 2023).



See also: Marianne 2024 Official Site | About | Issues | News | Events | Blog | Donate


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Marianne 2024
Marianne Williamson Launches 2024 Presidential Campaign
Progressive Perspectives on Marianne Williamson’s Presidential Run
More Progressive Perspectives on Marianne Williamson’s Presidential Run
Ben Burgis: Quote of the Day – March 10, 2023
Despite the Undemocratic Antics of the DNC, Marianne Williamson Plans on “Winning the Nomination”
Marianne Williamson in New Hampshire
Voters, Not the DNC, Should Choose the Nominee
The Biblical Roots of “From Each According to Ability; To Each According to Need”
Marianne Williamson on The Next Revolution with Steve Hilton – 05/30/23
Marianne Williamson’s Economic Bill of Rights
Three Progressive Voices on the War in Ukraine
Marianne Williamson: Quote of the Day – June 27, 2023
Marianne Williamson: “We Must Challenge the Entire System”
Progressive Perspectives on the U.S. Midterm Election Results
Marianne Williamson on the Current Condition of the U.S.
An Essential Read Ahead of the Midterms
Marianne Williamson’s Politics of Love: The Rich Roll Interview
Celebrating Tuesday’s Progressive Wins in the Midst of the Ongoing “War for the Future of the Democratic Party”
Now Here’s a Voice I’d Like to Hear Regularly on the Sunday Morning Talk Shows
A Deeper Perspective on What’s Really Attacking American Democracy


No comments:

Post a Comment