In Memoriam: Molly Ivins

February 1, 2007

In Memoriam: Molly Ivins

Fans of political journalism and plain old common sense suffered a great loss with the passing of syndicated columnist Molly Ivins on Jan. 31. A true woman of the people, Ivins never missed an opportunity to question authority. Her wit was sharp, her way with words enviable, and her purpose sincere. In early January, Ivins promised that she would dedicate every one of her columns to the war in Iraq "until we find some way to end it." She had the opportunity to write only two such pieces before her death from breast cancer — but they were memorable pieces.

In her Jan. 4 column, Ivins stated: "This country is being torn apart by an evil and unnecessary war.... This war is being prosecuted in our names, with our money, with our blood, against our will." In her next, and final, piece, Ivins said: "...if Republicans want to continue to rubber-stamp this administration's idiotic 'plans' and go against the will of the people, they should be thrown out as soon as possible, to join their recent colleagues.... We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders."

Ivins was a keen observer of Texas politics, running into George W. Bush long before the rest of country met him. In fact, Ivins had the pleasure of attending high school with Bush in Houston. In a 1999 article in The Progressive, Ivins warned the nation: "If you think his daddy had trouble with 'the vision thing,' wait until you meet this one."

Of her six best-selling books, two of the most popular were 2003's "BUSHWACKED: Life in George W. Bush's America" and "Shrub: The Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush" in 2000 (both co-authored with Lou Dubose).

Ivins was a good friend of NOW, speaking at the 1994 National NOW Conference in San Antonio. She encouraged the crowd to enjoy themselves and "remember to laugh," so that when they looked back over their years as feminist activists, they could say with a smile, "It sure was fun."

Ivins also testified before NOW's Commission on responsive Democracy (in 1988) and spoke at NOW's "Boston *She* Party in 2004.

A graduate of Smith College, Ivins attended Columbia University's School of Journalism and studied for a year at the Institute of Political Sciences in Paris.

Her first newspaper job was at the Houston Chronicle, working in the complaint department. Ivins moved to the Minneapolis Tribune, where she was the city's first woman police reporter. In the late 1960s, Ivins worked a beat called "Movements for Social Change," covering, as her biography puts it, "angry blacks, radical students, uppity women and a motley assortment of other misfits and troublemakers."

Upon returning to Texas, Ivins became the co-editor of the Texas Observer, a publication devoted to Texas politics and social issues. In 1976, she joined The New York Times, then retuned again to Texas in 1982 where she began her extraordinary career as a columnist.

We lost a unique, uproarious and insightful voice yesterday, not to mention a sorely needed woman's voice on the op-ed pages of the more than 400 newspapers that subscribed to Ivins' column.

It's only fitting to end with Ivins' own words, from her Jan. 4 column: "...it's up to you and me, Bubba. We need to make sure that the new Congress curbs executive power, which has been so misused, and asserts its own power to make this situation change. Now."