Everyone who has so much as uttered the word "Democrat" in their life seems to currently have an opinion about what the Democratic Party needs to do after November's embarrassing loss to Donald Trump. My two cents? I have no fucking idea. There were definitely some obvious failures, but overall, I think it's hard to say exactly what they should do differently when the opposing political party simply lied and fearmongered their way to the White House.
So, on Thursday, when Marianne Williamson—the self-help guru and two-time Democratic presidential candidate who Oprah has previously described as her spiritual teacher—said she was running for Chair of the Democratic National Committee, I said to myself, Sureeeee. Why not.
"I feel that in order for the Democrats to rise like a phoenix from the ashes of our electoral defeat, we need to look at more than just the outer issues, such as data analysis and field organizing and fundraising," Williamson said in her announcement video posted on YouTube. "We need to transform, in a way we need to reinvent the Democratic Party, in order to counter what MAGA is bringing to the table. There's a collective adrenaline rush in all that and we have to create our own massive psychological and emotional appeal for the American people."
Democrats rising like a phoenix is a generous metaphor for a party that refuses to let anyone under the age of 70 do anything, but whatever. (For the record, Williamson is 72, so her candidacy aligns with the Dems' commitment to gerontocracy.)
Jaime Harrison, the DNC's current chair, announced in November that he wouldn't be seeking re-election. Williamson is like the 100th (OK, eighth) candidate to throw her hat in the ring, but the first woman to do so. She went on ABC News on Thursday to discuss her campaign, saying that everyone else currently running is "talking about a 20th-century political toolkit," and that the Dems have a very "frayed bond of affection with millions of Americans, particularly working people." She also said that people like Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. have suggested she join the Republican Party like they did, but insists she doesn't "have a Republican soul, I have a Democratic soul."
"I understand why we lost [the election]. I understand because I've traveled extensively throughout this country, and I’ve seen how much pain there is out there,” she continued in her announcement video. “I’ve been up close and personal with people who didn’t have health care, who couldn’t survive on just one job, who were so depressed about so many of the conditions in their lives that were, in fact, at least indirectly due to bad public policy, and too many of them didn’t feel like the Democratic Party had their back.” Fair.
"If I am elected, the first thing I will do is go on a listening tour," she said on ABC News. OK! Oprah once said that Williamson helped her experience 157 miracles. And I guess if there's anything the Democrats do need right now, it's a miracle. Then again, Williamson is reportedly a terrible boss, so maybe she needs to perform a few quick miracles on herself first.
