Up until now I’ve found it difficult to imagine myself finding any common ground with the “woo-woo” Marianne Williamson stan from a stylistic standpoint. I don’t go in for meditation, miracles, or being a bitch for God … but I do relate to giving incredibly bleak answers in response to innocent questions. In this same vein, Williamson and I seem to share a knack for turning any polite exchange into a conversation about our former cats.
On the sidelines of the 2020 Democratic debate Tuesday night, a child reporter, identified as Jeffrey Kraft with KidScoop Media, asked Williamson if she has a pet. “I had a cat, and the cat died,” Williamson responded in the manner of a slightly tranquilized Lucille Bluth.
There’s an awkward pause before Kraft asks his follow-up: What kind of pet would Williamson have in the White House? The candidate responds, “I love cats but I had a dog when I was a child. The White House is very big. Theoretically, you can have a cat and a dog, because it’s a big house.”
These grim, unsuitably serious answers are becoming something of a pattern for Williamson. The pet interview is reminiscent of a New York Times Q&A from June, where she responded to an inquiry into her favorite comfort food with the sobering “I have no comfort food.” It’s not just the doleful content of the responses that’s disconcerting, but the delivery, that transatlantic accent that’s rightfully been associated with the measured ravings of a Twin Peaks character.
In other words, I don’t think it makes any difference at all that a kid asked her these question other than that it caused her to slouch a little. She treats children and CNN moderators exactly the same, and I appreciate her for it.