Monday, July 29, 2024

Marianne Williamson: “My Gratitude Is as Deep as the Sea”

Progressive presidential candidate Marianne Williamson, who I've come to recognize as the Cassandra of U.S. politics, announced earlier today that she is exiting the Democratic presidential race.

Following (with added links) is Marianne’s statement about this decision that she shared this morning across her various social media platforms.

Saturday was the deadline for filing as a Democrat running against Kamala Harris for the nomination for President. We did everything possible to stand for a blitz primary, an open convention and so forth. Yet the way the rules were made there truly was no way, Kamala’s momentum was in full swing, and all we could have done is create noise.

As I’ve made clear from the beginning, I was in the race to create fundamental change, yes – but not as a chaos agent or metaphorical bomb thrower. Things being what they are – including the fact that defeating Donald Trump has always been and continues to be the goal that most matters – it was time to let go.

To those of you who have contributed to my campaign – as a voter, volunteer, or donor – I salute you and I thank you.

For years I’ve been intrigued by Gandhi’s message that “politics should be sacred.” On both my campaigns for President, I saw things that convinced me it could be that way: people entering the political conversation not only with their heads but with their hearts, not with anger but with love, willing to look beyond artificial divides, honoring the truths of our history, bringing the fullness of themselves to the process, and harnessing all those things for political purposes.

I saw it. I felt it. I know it’s possible.

Ultimately, of course, I did not build the campaign that could achieve it. Some of the responsibility for this lay with others; I never encountered the corruption and lack of ethics I saw lobbed against our campaign. But I take 100 percent responsibility for what we did and did not achieve; if I’d done this or not done that, been smarter here or savvier there, our ship still might have made it to harbor.

What matters most to me now, however, is not what we didn’t achieve but what we did achieve; and we achieved a lot. There were moments too numerous for me to describe where I know without a shadow of a doubt that we shed light in the darkness of confused minds, inspired hope in the spirit of hopeless citizens, and motivated people to get involved and stay involved until justice shall be done.

Staying involved is what I will do, and I’m sure you will as well. Anything we experience can be grist for the mill, and as we transition away from campaigning I will do everything possible to contribute as best I can to the emergence of a better world.

I believe most Americans feel as I do: that America can do better. And one day we will. We’re a nation in process, as we have always been. And while these are very turbulent times they are not without the seeds of a new beginning. Those seeds lay in our hearts, and they will bear fruit if we water and nourish them.

For those of you who are asking, “What should we do now?” the answer is to do whatever is in our hearts. What lies there is not mere symbolic victory. For myself, the more I read about former President Trump’s proposed policies, the more I hear his words and ponder them in my heart, the more I believe our most urgent task now is to make sure he does not return to the White House. That conviction is what will determine my vote on election day.

That which brings likeminded people together in service to a more beautiful world is a significant bond of affection. For the honor shown me this last year by voters, volunteers and donors, my gratitude is as deep as the sea.

Marianne Williamson
My Gratitude Is as Deep as the Sea
Transform
July 29, 2024



I want to take this opportunity to extend my “deep as the sea” gratitude to Marianne. She and her presidential campaign inspired me in powerful ways – both politically and spiritually. It’s an inspiration that lives on.

Right: With Marianne and my friend Kate in New Hampshire – January 20, 2024. For more images and commentary on our time in the Granite State for the “First in the Nation” presidential primary, click here.


Left: With my friend Deandre in the summer of 2023. He also supported Marianne’s 2024 presidential campaign.


I also want to to take this opportunity to reiterate my previous message of appreciation to Marianne.

Thank you, Marianne! . . . Thank you for all you’ve done in running for president. I trust you made a difference . . . and will continue to make a difference; it’s just who you are. You certainly continue to inform and inspire me.

Through your presence, words, and actions on the campaign trail, you not only advanced a much-needed progressive agenda but also embodied the shift in consciousness that I believe the Sacred is calling all of humanity to manifest in and through our individual and communal actions.

It’s a shift that invites all to consciously choose love over and above fear. You remind us, Marianne, that when such a choice is realized in our politics as well as in our individual lives, we will bring to birth in our world an era of justice, peace and healing.

So, again, thank you!



Right: My friend Adnan snapped this picture of me beside my “Marianne 2024” bumper sticker in the summer of 2023. It’s a bumper sticker that remains on my car to this day.



Above: With my friend Kate in New Hampshire, campaigning for Marianne – January 23, 2024. For more images and commentary on our time in the Granite State for the “First in the Nation” presidential primary, click here.

Above and below: More images of Marianne campaigning in New Hampshire in January of this year.


Above: Summer 2023.





Above and right: Bannering for Marianne over Interstate-94 in Saint Paul – January 25, 2024. And, yes, it was bitterly cold out! This was the second bannering I attended organized by Minnesota for Marianne Williamson 2024. For images and commentary on our inaugural bannering, click here.


Above: Super Tuesday in Minnesota – March 5, 2024. For more on Marianne Williamson as the ceasefire candidate in relation to the conflict in Gaza, click here, here, and here.



UPDATE: Some tweets of note in the days and weeks following Marianne’s exiting from the 2024 presidential race . . .



NEXT:
Progressive Perspectives
on an American Coronation


Related Off-site Link:
Marianne Williamson Ends 2024 Presidential Bid – Hadriana Lowenkron (Bloomberg via Yahoo News, July 29, 2024).


For artictles about the DNC’s and Biden administration’s unfair manipulation of the 2024 Democratic primaries, see:
Looking Back, the Democratic Party Rigged the Primary Process for Biden – Dennis Kucinich (The Kucinich Report, July 23, 2024).
DNC Sabotage: The Silencing of Marianne Williamson and the Fight for a Fair Democratic Process – ElleBeah LB (ElleBeah’s Substack, July 21, 2024).
Partisan Primaries Failed to Vet President Biden – Jeremy Gruber and John Opdycke (The Fulcrum, July 19, 2024).
Biden is Lying About the Sham Democratic Primaries – Jeff Alson (The Hill, July 9, 2024).
Marianne Williamson Accuses DNC of “Rigging” the Primary System for Biden – Steven Shepard (The Hill, March 5, 2024).
Are the Presidential Primaries Rigged? – Nate Plautz (Represent Us, February 15, 2024).
Biden and Trump Both Tilted the Playing Field – Steven Shepard (Politico, February 3, 2024).
Biden Is Wielding the DNC’s Power to Crush a Potential Primary Challenge in 2024 – Norman Solomon (Salon, February 3, 2023).


For The Wild Reed’s coverage of Marianne Williamson’s 2024 presidential campaign, see the following chronologically-ordered 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”
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 on The Issue Is with Elex Michaelson – 07/20/23
Voters, Not the DNC, Should Choose the Nominee
Marianne Williamson in New Hampshire
Marianne Williamson: “Repairing Our Hearts Is Essential to Repairing Our Country”
Marianne Williamson on Trump’s Day in Court
Marianne Williamson on NewsNation – 08/25/23
Presidential Candidate Marianne Williamson Joins NYC’s March to End Fossil Fuels
Marianne Williamson on Your World – 10/6/23
Marianne Williamson’s “Radical Idea” of Putting People First
Marianne Williamson: “We Need to Disrupt the Corrupt”
“We Are Surging”
“Let the People Decide”: Marianne Williamson on the DNC’s Efforts to Deny and Suppress the Democratic Process
Democratic Presidential Debate: Marianne Williamson and Dean Phillips – 1/8/24
The Democrats Challenging Biden
Bannering for Marianne
Campaigning for Marianne Williamson in New Hampshire – Day 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Marianne Williamson: “I Have Decided to Continue”
Marianne Williamson in Nevada – 2/4/24
Forever Grateful
What Marianne Williamson Learned from Running for President
Marianne Williamson: Playing It Big
Minnesotans Launch Super Tuesday Push for “Suspended But Not Ended” Candidate Marianne Williamson
A Welcome Return
This Super Tuesday, Don’t Be “Uncommitted” . . .
Super Tuesday in Minnesota
Marianne Williamson, the Cassandra of U.S. Politics, on the “True State of the Union”
Marianne Williamson in Arizona – 3/17/24
“This Is the Moment”
Marianne Williamson on Washington Journal (4/2/24) and The Letterhack (4/4/24)
For Marianne Williamson, One Season Passes and Another Begins
Cylvia Hayes: “Why I’m Voting for Marianne Williamson”
Marianne Williamson on NewsNation – 5/19/24
“What I Want to Remember Are the Moments of Love”
A New Beginning
Marianne Williamson on What Democrats Need to Do to Inspire Voters and Counter the “Hotbed of Grievances That Donald Trump is Offering”
Marianne Williamson on NewsNation – 7/7/24
Progressive Perspectives on the Crisis in U.S. Electoral Politics
Yes, Just Imagine
Marianne Williamson on The Free Press – 7/19/24
On This Momentous Day in U.S. Politics, a Visit to the Prayer Tree
Marianne Williamson: “‘Vote Blue No Matter Who’ Is Not Enough to Win in November”
Memes of the Times

See also:
Marianne Williamson: “We Must Challenge the Entire System”
Marianne Williamson on the Current Condition of the U.S.
Marianne Williamson’s Politics of Love: The Rich Roll Interview
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
Marianne Williamson on the Tenth Anniversary of Occupy Wall Street
Marianne Williamson on How Centrist Democrats Abuse Voters with False Promises
“Two of the Most Dedicated and Enlightened Heroes of Present Day America”
Deep Gratitude
“A Beautiful Message, So Full of Greatness”
Marianne Williamson: “Anything That Will Help People Thrive, I’m Interested In”
Caitlin Johnstone: “Status Quo Politicians Are Infinitely ‘Weirder’ Than Marianne Williamson”

Opening image: Photographer unknown.
New Hampshire images: Michael J. Bayly.
Super Tuesday image: Kate F. Kulas.
Summer 2023 and bannering 2024 images: Michael J. Bayly and friends.


Saturday, July 27, 2024

Memes of the Times

Sunday (7/21/24) Was Earth’s Hottest Day on Record – Olivia Rosane (Common Dreams, July 24, 2024).

UPDATES:
Monday Breaks the Record for the Hottest Day Ever on Earth – Sibi Arasu and Seth Borenstein (AP News, July 24, 2024).

Fossil Fuel Industry Propaganda Blamed as Record Heat Scorches Planet – Jessica Corbett (Common Dreams, August 8, 2024).



Trump-Style Ear Bandages Are New Trend at Republican National Convention – Reuters (July 18, 2024).


Supreme Court’s Presidential Immunity Ruling and Project 2025 Pave Way for Trump’s Fascist State – Marjorie Cohn (TruthOut, July 18, 2024).

“It’ll Be Fixed!”: Trump Tells Supporters No Need to Vote in the Future – Edward Carver (Common Dreams, July 27, 2024).



Biden Drops Out of Presidential Race and Endorses Harris Who Vows to “Earn and Win” Party Nomination – Will Weissert and Aamer Madhani (AP News, July 22, 2024).

Looking Back, the Democratic Party Rigged the Primary Process for Biden – Dennis Kucinich (The Kucinich Report, July 23, 2024).

Biden’s Slow Exit Reveals the Flaws in the Democratic Party’s Culture – Norman Solomon (TomDispatch via Common Dreams, July 24, 2024).

Harris Campaign Enjoys Record-Breaking First Week – Joan McCarter (Daily Kos, July 26, 2024).



It’s Been Easy to Forget How Bad Kamala Harris Is – Elizabeth Nolan Brown (Reason, July 21, 2024).

Kamala Harris’ Record Will Haunt Her in NovemberRising (July 23, 2024).

Kamala Harris and the Maddening Siren of U.S. Electoral Politics – Paul Street (CounterPunch, July 26, 2024).



Want to Really Defend Democracy? Don’t Anoint Kamala – Open the Convention – Cenk Uygur (Newsweek, July 22, 2024).


Progressive Democratic Candidate Marianne Williamson Calls for Open Convention – Jackson Walker (Local 12, July 21, 2024).

DNC Sabotage: The Silencing of Marianne Williamson and the Fight for a Fair Democratic Process – ElleBeah LB (ElleBeah’s Substack, July 21, 2024).



JD Vance, Kamala Harris, and the Illusion of Inclusion – Peter Bloom (Common Dreams, July 27, 2024).


Sorry, JD Vance, But Being a “Childless Cat Lady” Is Actually Not a Bad Thing – Arwa Mahdawi (The Guardian, July 20, 2024).

Single, Childless Women Push Back Against Vance Claims They Don’t Care About America – Sarah D. Wire, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, and Phillip M. Bailey (USA Today, July 27, 2024).



“Guilty of Genocide”: Rep. Rashida Tlaib Protests Netanyahu’s Speech to Congress – Brett Wilkins (Common Dreams, July 24, 2024).


Why Israel Should Be Banned From the Paris Olympics – Sophia Brooks (Common Dreams, April 9, 2024).


Jesus Is Woke. And That’s Good News – Adam Ericksen (Pastor Adam, March 21, 2024).

Here’s What Happened to the Republican War on “Woke” – Jonah Goldberg (The Fulcrum, May 10, 2024).



See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
John Cusack: Quote of the Day – July 26, 2024
Something to Think About – July 25, 2024
A Day of Shame at the U.S. Capitol
Phyllis Bennis: “We Can Never Give Up Hope”
Nina Turner: Quote of the Day – July 24, 2024
Marianne Williamson: “‘Vote Blue No Matter Who’ Is Not Enough to Win in November”
On This Momentous Day in U.S. Politics, a Visit to the Prayer Tree
Something to Think About – June 28, 2024
Yes, Just Imagine
Progressive Perspectives on the Crisis in U.S. Electoral Politics
Kyle Kulinski: Quote of the Day – May 23, 2024
Judith Butler on the Ongoing Student Protests Against the Gaza Genocide
Naomi Klein’s Powerful Words on Israel’s and the West’s Ongoing Gaza Genocide
Outrage and Despair
“This Is a Genocidal Project”
“A Genocide Has Been Normalized”
Voices of Reason and Compassion on the Crisis in Israel and Gaza
More Voices of Reason and Compassion on the Crisis in Israel and Gaza
Josh Paul: Quote of the Day – March 28, 2024
Phyllis Bennis: Quote of the Day – March 28, 2024
Michael Fakhri: Quote of the Day – February 27, 2024
Sabrina Salvati: Quote of the Day – January 2, 2024

See also:
Memes of the Times – May 21, 2020
Signs of the Times – April 25, 2017
At the Minnesota Capitol, Signs of the Times (May 16, 2011)