House Seat for Marianne Williamson Opens Up With Waxman's Retirement
by Tabby Biddle
Marianne Williamson-LA-Yoga
Today Henry Waxman, the 20-term Democrat who currently holds the House of Representatives seat of my congressional district here in California, announced his retirement today.
This seat happens to be the one that Marianne Wiliamson is running for in Congress. (In case you’ve missed my earlier blogs and newsletters, I am a huge supporter of her campaign.)
Along with this news, I learned that more than 30 other House members have announced they will retire, resign or run for other offices this year. Some speculate it’s over the disappointment of partisanship and ineffectiveness of the current Congress.
So, guess what?
This opens up some great possibilities for new thinkers, new energy, and new priorities in our government. This is especially a good opportunity for women who have been thinking about running to make their move. Because our herstory/history shows us that when women run, they tend to win.
While I’m not ready to run for office today, last night at a Town Hall meeting in Santa Monica with Marianne Wiliiamson, I received a complimentary reflection from a woman I know that made me seriously consider this new territory.
This lovely woman looked me in the eye and said: “I could see you running for political office some day.”
And I have to tell you that in that moment, I could really feel that as a distinct possibility. My entire body took in those words and it began to tingle and buzz. From those feelings, I knew that she had touched onto something that was true for me.
And the exciting thing is that I think this will be more the norm as we step into our future. I believe that our political leadership will sooner than later be brought into equity between women and men – and this will be soooooooo good for our country.
I mean, how can men really speak to our experience as women, when that is simply not their experience? No fault to theirs. It’s just simply the way it is.
I always like to look at it the other way around. Imagine 82 percent of our Congress made up of women, a female U.S. president, a majority of women cabinet heads, lawmakers, court judges, and the majority of the Supreme Court. Do you think men’s experiences, men’s voices, and men’s needs would be truly represented?
Of course not!
That’s why we need balanced leadership. We are a country of 51 percent women and 49 percent men. And our government – of the people, by the people, for the people -- should reflect just that.
And so, I want to ask you three things:
1. Have you ever considered running for political office?
2. Why or why not?
3. Whether the political arena is of interest to you or not, where do you see your leadership being most effective?
I’d love to hear from you in the Comments section below. (You never know what the Universe will do to conspire to support you when you lay claim to your leadership.)
And if you’d like to learn more about Marianne’s campaign, I invite you to read this article I wrote for the Huffington Post when Marianne made her announcement.
If what Marianne Williamson stands for speaks to you, I encourage you to support her campaign. Political activism is how we can turn things around.
As Marianne said last night at the Town Hall meeting, "It's not just about me finding my political voice. It's about all of us finding our political voice."
Jai Ma!
To your leadership,
Tabby
Tabby Biddle is a women’s leadership coach, teacher and writer, reporting on women’s rights and the lives of women and girls. Learn more at tabbybiddle.com.