Molly Ivins died. This from John Nichols column memorializing her today…
When Washington pundits started counseling bipartisanship after voters routed the Republicans in the 2024 elections, Molly wrote, “The sheer pleasure of getting lessons in etiquette from Karl Rove and the right-wing media passeth all understanding. Ever since 1994, the Republican Party has gone after Democrats with the frenzy of a foaming mad dog. There was the impeachment of Bill Clinton, not to mention the trashing of both Clinton and his wife - accused of everything from selling drugs to murder - all orchestrated by that paragon of manners, Tom DeLay. … So after 12 years of tolerating lying, cheating and corruption, the press is prepared to lecture Democrats on how to behave with bipartisan manners.
“Given Bush’s record with the truth, this bipartisanship sounds like a bad idea on its face,” Ivins continued, in a column that warned any Democrat who might think to make nice with President Bush and his team that “These people are not only dishonest - they’re not even smart.”
…and this…
“I know that sludge-for-brains like Bill O’Reilly attack the ACLU for being ‘un-American,’ but when Bill O’Reilly’s constitutional rights are violated, the ACLU will stand up for him just like they did for Oliver North, Communists, the KKK, atheists, movement conservatives and everyone else they’ve defended over the years,” she told them. “The premise is easily understood: If the government can take away one person’s rights, it can take away everyone’s.”
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Winston 02.01.07 at 4:17
I sat in stunned silence when I heard this yesterday. Molly had such a strong voice for sanity and such a strong wit against anything Bush. She knew even before he got selected for Prez because she covered him in TX as Guv. She’ll be missed. Guess our banner carrier now is … who? Olbermann? I like his stuff, but he does not show the sharp down-home wit that Molly had… Of course, Keith might play better in some parts of the country than did Molly. Or maybe there’s someone else that will now step to the fore. Frank, maybe?