Is She QUALIFIED To Be President?

A few years ago, when Marianne Williamson decided to run for an open congressional seat in Los Angeles-- a seat eventually won by Ted Lieu-- I asked my neighbors if they had ever heard of her. They both broke down crying. She, they told me, had saved their lives. Neither was remotely "political," although both were aware that their lives were being impacted by bad decisions coming out of Washington. They had been taking solace in Marianne Williamson's books rather than in The Nation or The Jacobin or even just Rachel Maddow's very entertaining show on MSNBC.

In her announcement speech last week she addressed the non-political nature of many of the people who have gotten the most from her writing and lectures. "The problems of America are like opportunistic infections. They could not have happened if we had a stronger immune system. Each and every one of is is an immune system. You can't complain that the thieves of democracy are at the door when we left the windows open and we left the doors open. Too many of us were too cool to care; too many of us thought 'well I'm not really political'; too many of us actually use an ersatz version of spirituality to justify political disengagement. Too many of us thought, 'well other people will be political and other people will take care of it.' Well, let me tell you, they're taking care of it plenty! ... Our democracy has stage 4 cancer and all that the traditional politicians are offering is a topical ointment."

And in the video above, she addresses the political experts who scoff that someone who has never held office or been part of the sausage-making machinery would dare run for president. The "qualified political experts" she reminded the viewers "took us into Viet Nam. The 'qualified political experts' are those who took us into Iraq. The 'qualified political experts' created the greatest income inequality since 1929. These 'qualified political experts' have taken us to a point where the environmental peril in our experience today actually threatens the survivability of the human race 50 years from now. There are different sets of qualifications. I think we need more than someone who's just qualified because they understand how Washington works. We need someone today who understands how we work."

I agree. She should be evaluated next to the other candidates qualified by the terms set out by non-lawyer James Madison in the Constitution-- Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Merkley in the progressive lane and then all the careerists in the lanes to the right of where they are. I suggest that you take a look at her platform before you dismiss her-- and then listen to what she has to say. There's no doubt in my mind that I'd rather see her leading the country than "qualified political experts: like Kirsten Gillibrand, Joe Biden or Terry McAuliffe, to name just three contenders whose qualifications are never questioned by anyone but who would make catastrophic presidents likely to set in motion chains of events that could bring us even worse presidents than Trump.

Sunday, in fair warning about the superficial nature of the campaign coverage the Washington Postis planning for its readers, we met the Ranking Committee and "The Post 2020 Power Ranking." That an unaccomplished identity politics dream candidate, Kamala Harris, ranks numero union in the first installment, is all you need to know about what will be unfolding on those pages for the next year and three-quarters.



Karen Tumulty is, alas, what they've picked to be the moderator

I generally subscribe to the David Axelrod axiom that voters don’t look for a replica; they look for a remedy.

So forget the celebrities and billionaires with no governing experience. After four years of Donald Trump, voters will be looking for a solid record-- though not necessarily one inside the Beltway-- and an even temperament. Boring may be beautiful in 2020. Yes, the base is fired up. But mostly, Democrats want someone who can win.

...I also think Senate experience can be as much an impediment as an asset. If politicians marinate there too long, they end up sounding alike. It’s no mere coincidence Barack Obama was the first person in nearly a half a century to go directly from the Senate chamber to the White House. Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) has had the most dazzling launch so far, though Cory Booker’s (D-NJ) announcement video this morning tugged hardest at the heartstrings. What I saw of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in Iowa suggests she has upped her game on the stump. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) is a star inquisitor in Senate hearings, and that might translate well when it comes to pressing the case against Trump.

1- Kamala Harris
2- Joe Biden
3- Elizabeth Warren
4- Sherrod Brown
5- Beto O'Rourke
6- Bernie
7- Amy Klobuchar
8- Cory Booker
9- Kristen Gillibrand
10- Michael Bloomberg
11- Howard Schultz
12- John Hickenlooper
13- Julián Castro
14- Pete Buttligeg
15- Oprah Winfrey

One of the smartest political strategists I know just told me that the Post ranking is "just the corporate media trying to suppress Bernie." Hey! What about Marianne? And Jeff Merkley? This was from the Monmouth Poll released today. Notice who they very conspicuously ignore (even though she would vastly put-poll more than half of them):