BuzzFeed: What Happens When a New Age Spiritual Guru Becomes a Congressional Candidate

by Hunter Schwarz

[Marianne] Williamson is the author of four New York Times No. 1 bestsellers, including 1993’s A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles, which Oprah Winfrey has said is her favorite book. Williamson is running for Congress in one of the country’s wealthiest districts, which represents towns like Bel-Air, Beverly Hills, Calabasas and Malibu. But first she needs to unseat Rep. Henry Waxman, a 38-year House veteran who’s never won an election by less than 61%. In 2008, Waxman didn’t even have an opponent.

Williamson has promised an idealistic campaign that focuses on ideas. She even refuses to call Waxman her “opponent,” saying they’re just two people applying for the same job. Her campaign literature features an American flag with doves instead of stars, with the small type below crediting the artist and noting, “Used by Permission.” It’s exactly how you’d imagine a spiritual guru would run a campaign.

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Williamson has a list of issues she rattles off when asked what she’s focused on, including NSA surveillance, the use of drones in the United States and the incarceration rate, but her top priority is ending the influence of money in politics.

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Thanks to Free & Equal for the link.