A good time to recall: Molly Ivins on Hillary Clinton.

[Faygo Kid]

Molly Ivins: Not. backing. Hillary.

Friday, January 20, 2006

AUSTIN, Texas (Creators Syndicate) -- I'd like to make it clear to the people who run the Democratic Party that I will not support Hillary Clinton for president.

Enough. Enough triangulation, calculation and equivocation. Enough clever straddling, enough not offending anyone This is not a Dick Morris election. Sen. Clinton is apparently incapable of taking a clear stand on the war in Iraq, and that alone is enough to disqualify her. Her failure to speak out on Terri Schiavo, not to mention that gross pandering on flag-burning, are just contemptible little dodges.

The recent death of Gene McCarthy reminded me of a lesson I spent a long, long time unlearning, so now I have to re-learn it. It's about political courage and heroes, and when a country is desperate for leadership. There are times when regular politics will not do, and this is one of those times. There are times a country is so tired of bull that only the truth can provide relief. . .

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/20/ivins.hillary/index.html

I miss Molly. She saw right through Hillary Clinton, and as this comes to an end, it's a nice time to remember and respect her wisdom.

[kid a]

1. I'll rec those Molly posts until the cows come home!

[kdmorris]

2. Man, I really miss her, too.

It's wonderful that her words live on.

[WillyT]

3. Big K & R !!!

:bounce::kick::bounce:

:woohoo:

[billyoc]

4. Love for Molly.

:hi:

[LakeSamish706]

5. No wiser words were ever said, and I to miss Molly... She was a great lady.. n/t

[TomInTib]

8. She almost killed me, a couple of times.

Should you somehow encounter her in the Hereafter, let me give you some hard-earned words of advice...

Never, ever, go out drinking with that woman.

[LakeSamish706]

10. Lol... I will keep that in mind... and hey, I love to drink so I am doomed.. n/t

[TomInTib]

12. Well, at least you'll go out with a smile on your face.

But be careful not to laugh so hard that you wet your pants.

[Skidmore]

18. Tom, my friend, you knew Molly?

I met her once at a book signing when she came to our neck of the woods after her first round of treatment for cancer. Wish I could hAve sat and talked to her. Her soul just glowed. Some people are like that--incandescent and bursting out of their body.

[TomInTib]

19. I first met her in the mid-80s.

If I had time, today, I would tell you a great story or two.

Maybe you could PM a reminder to me.

Some things are difficult to share in a public forum.

But for you, Skidmore....

Tom

[FlaGranny]

28. TomInTib, I would also

like to read your story/stories about Molly. She is one of my heroines. I would love to know her a little.

[Carolina]

6. K&R K&R K&R K&R K&R!!!

Simply the best of Texas: Molly Ivins and Ann Richards!

[guyton]

43. Ivins & Richards

I'd vote for the ghosts of Ivins and Richards over any of the current batch of clueless wonders.

Wonder if the constitution requires that office holders have to be among the living?

[BornBlue]

64. You have got to check out the Lewis Black's bit

about how we should elect a dead president. It is priceless!

[panader0]

7. Rec'd for Molly!!

Here at DU we have Molly's heir apparent: Nance Greggs.

[pnorman]

9. Here's my all-time favorite about Molly:

"She explained her philosophy in a stinging 1995 article in Mother Jones magazine about Rush Limbaugh. “Satire ... has historically been the weapon of powerless people aimed at the powerful,” she wrote. “When you use satire against powerless people ... it is like kicking a cripple."

http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0202-21.htm

pnorman

[bvar22]

11. K&R for a great lady.

:patriot:

She sure had Hillary's number!


"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans. I want us to compete for that great mass of voters that want a party that will stand up for working Americans, family farmers, and people who haven't felt the benefits of the economic upturn."---Paul Wellstone

[Ravy]

13. Yes, it is a great time for a rehash of a Hillary bashing thread, when Obama is

calling for unity.

Great idea.

/kick

[Faygo Kid]

16. Excuse me. but no apologies will be forthcoming here.

Only truth.

I find the demands of Hillary supporters that those of us who support Barack should grovel, bow and scrape extraordinary.

Oh, by the way: Never.

[The Doctor.]

33. Can you even IMAGINE what Molly would be saying about her NOW?!?

"Scathing" wouldn't even begin to describe it.

God I miss her.

[NatBurner]

32. freakydeakydeaky

© IWAD

[oregonjen]

14. In re-reading it, what happened yesterday makes a lot of sense

This quote: "Do not sit there cowering and pretending the only way to win is as Republican-lite. If the Washington-based party can't get up and fight, we'll find someone who can."

When Chuck Todd said yesterday that we were witnessing the Clintons losing power in the DNC and now it's Obama's, we are seeing the changing of the guard. Time for a change.

[Faygo Kid]

20. Time for change, indeed. We sure could use her "take" on Hillary now.

I suspect she would be tough.

Very tough.

[cliffordu]

15. K AND R

[Skidmore]

17. Molly was the best of the best....a great progressive and

a damn smart woman. Hillary would have to stand on a very tall ladder to touch the sole of Molly's shoe.

I miss Molly! Greater Americans are hard to come by.

[HootieMcBoob]

21. If I could rec this 100 times I would

but I can't so :kick: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Faygo Kid]

22. Why, thanks. Coming from someone named HootieMcBoob, that's high praise indeed.

Thanks for a good chuckle on Sunday night, and thanks especially for the recommendation.

From another proud avatar, the faygokid.

[Lugnut]

23. K&R for Molly n/t

[mod mom]

24. Molly must have been a sexist along with the rest of us women who do not support

Hillary Clinton. :eyes:

I guess we're not smart enough to grasp how choosing a candidate based on sex should supersede which candidate we believe is most qualified to this nation lead.

[BlooInBloo]

25. She's obviously a naive self-hater.

[tomp]

26. i agree with her about clinton, but frankly...

...there is NO time when regular politics will do. that is the problem.

[BigDDem]

27. Great! This is only the 217th time this has been posted!

Hats off to Molly for endorsing Nader over Al Gore,
great judgment! How'd that work out?

[FlaGranny]

29. No one is perfect, as evidenced

by your support of Clinton. ;-)

[BigDDem]

30. Yeah Molly!

Vote Nader over Gore, what's the worst that could happen??!!
How'd that work out in FL Granny? ;-)

[FlaGranny]

31. How'd that Hillary war vote thing turn out?

Clintons, Kennedys, Roosevelts, and a whole lot of other people did things I didn't agree with, but I still respect them - the Clintons somewhat less now than before.

[BigDDem]

34. Nader 2000!!!

[ExPatLeftist]

57. If you post the same posthumous ad hominem often enough...

...does it somehow become more than a logical fallacy?

[Raster]

55. And again you repeat the disingenuous meme that Nader was the cause of Gore losing.

What rubbish! Gore did not lose. It is proven fact. Had all votes been counted in Florida, Gore WON. And when you factor in the electoral fraud perpetrated by jeb bush* and Cruella de Harris, it is apparent Gore won handily. The real culprits were the rethuglican electoral fraud machine and viciously biased and partisan SCOTUS.

[Chulanowa]

63. You shouldn't insult Republicans in front of these Clinton supporters

They take it personally.

[Raster]

72. I don't care whose supporters they are, the truth is the truth. And for ANYONE on this

Democratic board to perpetuate the falsehood that President Gore lost is inexcusable. Gore did not lose. Gore won Florida. It has been proved over and over again. Gore was not allowed to rightfully take the oath of office because of a right-wing conspiracy that was determined to put cheney*/bush* into power, no matter the cost or subversive tactic. To wrongfully perpetuate this falsehood is to enable and even collaborate with those that subverted the lawful and legal will of the people. And hopefully as more rats desert the sinking ship that is cheney*/bush*, we will learn even more about their nefarious tactics and rethuglican electoral fraud.

[nichomachus]

37. And someone should keep posting it until the failure-dems understand it

[wyldwolf]

38. those would be the ones who followed Molly's advice and voted Nader.

[Prophet 451]

42. No, she didn't

I recently happened to re-read that column (it's in one of the books) and she doesn't endorse Nader over Gore at all. What she says is that she is personally voting for Nader on the grounds that her state (Texas) is going to Bush if she stands on her head and does the Tarentella (which I think are her actual words or very closely) and since her vote won't matter, she might as well try building a third party. She then goes on to say that if you live in a swing state (and Molly predicted it would be a close election), you should vote for Gore.

Granted, it's more nuanced than the average but you can only read that as an endorsement of Nader if you live in a solidly Republican state.

[wyldwolf]

45. ...from a nationally syndicated newspaper column

[Prophet 451]

46. Huh? n/t

[wyldwolf]

47. Hundreds of papers all over the country (even in blue states) carried the column

[KSinTX]

56. Funny, I did too that year

also from Texas I had very similar thought process. I get really ticked at Dems who tell me they only vote in the GE. That, in most cases, is a wasted vote for us. Where we really get to be heard here is in the primaries and I take that pretty damn seriously.

[WA98296]

35. K&R

[mitchum]

36. Yes I said Yes!

[swimmernsecretsea]

39. God, how I miss you, Molly. It just isn't the same without you. nt.

[Irishonly]

40. K&R for Molly and her wisdom

[literacyadvocate]

41. And to say that Hillary is the right woman to be our first woman president...

is so overrated; when we will have more geniuses like Molly who will rise up to that pedestal.

[Swamp Rat]

44. k&r

[TexasObserver]

48. I miss Molly.

[Blue_Roses]

49. omg...

and she was a ...white, woman, over fifty!

And most importantly--educated. That seems to be the key here...

[JNelson6563]

50. Hey! Are you in TC? Love your sig-line pic.

:toast:

[butterfly77]

51. That somebody who can says:

YES WE CAN!

[speedoo]

52. K&R. Thanks for posting this.

Always ready to read Molly's words again. I do believe she will approve very much of President Obama next January.

[DrZeeLit]

53. Molly's column on HRC confirmed my decision and kept me steady this year. I miss her SOOO much!

[Raster]

54. Kicked and HIGHLY Recommended!!!

Molly was a gem and a true treasure. She was also one of my personal heroes. Bless her heart. And as ususal, SHE NAILED THIS ONE!

Wake up America!:kick:

[ExPatLeftist]

58. It's almost like she could see the future... n/t

[beac]

59. Molly had Hill's number two years ahead of time!

And she's SPOT ON as usual. Oh Molly, we miss you!!

[Zosima]

60. Cheers to Molly!

I remember reading this piece when it was first published. Molly really put her finger on my reservations about stupidity of the triangulation strategy. I have long felt that if the Democrats would put forward progressive candidates, then progressive voters would come out in droves to support such candidates. That's why I've been happy to support Obama. But progressives will have to keep the heat on Obama once he wins the White House. There's far too much work ahead for us to sit back and rest on our laurels. Yes WE can!

[janet118]

61. Molly was a gift to us, especially during the last, long, hard years . . .

I wish she could have lived long enough to see Obama beat the beejeesus out of McCain. She'd be whoopin' it up old school.

If more Americans had listened to Molly's warnings about her fellow Texan, Dubya (did she coin that name?), we would not have to dig ourselves out of the gigantic manure hole he's going to leave behind.

[The_Casual_Observer]

62. A bag of hot air.Nader indeed.

[AtomicKitten]

65. I wish Molly had lived long enough to know Democrats have heeded her sage words.

[Douglas Carpenter]

66. Kick and recommended

[rambler_american]

67. Kicked and recommended

:kick:

I miss Molly too. :cry:

[Phred42]

68. K & R

[cloud75]

69. Molly would never support the right winged bashing of Hillary on DU.

[alteredstate]

70. K & R

[cynthia]

71. I miss Molly Ivins

It would be interesting to hear what she has to say about this insane primary season. RIP