I feel the need to say something about Molly Ivins, one of the best known and most effective liberal newspaper columnists we've ever had, who finally lost her battle with cancer at 62.
I almost used the term "leftist" instead of "liberal," because I tend to think of liberals as wishy-washy, like most Democrats. And Ivins was, God knows, more commited than that, but I can't quite equate her with the likes of Noam Chomsky. She was a liberal, but her belief in the essential decency of people was perhaps her defining trait.
Her writing style tended to be a little too down home jus' folks for my taste, but that's okay; it appealed to the people it needed to reach. Her voice was friendly (if sardonic), and it sought to remind all who would read it that they were important, their opinions were important, and the terrible injustices in the world, they all mattered, and maybe together, we could make it better.
And unusual for a syndicated columnist, she remained a reporter at heart. She didn't work backwards to make the facts support a preexisting opinion (like, say, Davids Broder or Brooks), she made sure she knew what she was talking about, and could cite chapter and verse, to devastating effect. Her books Shrub and Bushwhacked, written with Lou Dubose, are probably the best starting places for anyone wanting to learn how Our Beloved President somehow came to power.
And though breast cancer had become a recurring, unwelcome presence in her life, she never let that get in the way of fighting the good fight. I'll close with this excerpt from her final column, eloquent words and a wonderful final raspberry blown at the powers that be:
We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to stop this war...We need people in the streets, banging pots and pans and demanding, "Stop it, now!"
