Molly Ivins

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Molly Ivins

Born Mary Tyler Ivins
August 30, 1944(1944-08-30)
Monterey, California
Died January 31, 2007 (aged 62)
Austin, Texas
Cause of death Inflammatory breast cancer
Occupation Journalist

Mary Tyler "Molly" Ivins (August 30, 1944 – January 31, 2007) was a populist[1] American newspaper columnist, political commentator, humorist and bestselling author from Austin, Texas.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early Life and Education

Ivins was born in Monterey, California and raised in Houston, Texas.

She graduated from St. John's School. In high school, she was active in extracurricular activities, including the yearbook staff. She had her first pieces of journalism published in The Review, the official student newspaper of St. John's School, though she never wrote any political columns, as would become her specialty later in life. She later became co-editor of the arts and culture section. In addition, she frequently participated in theater productions and earned a lifetime membership to Johnnycake, the drama club.

She matriculated to Smith College, receiving her B.A. in 1966. She earned a master's degree at Columbia University's school of journalism. She then studied at the Institute of Political Science in Paris for a year.[2][3]

[edit] Professional Life

Her first newspaper job was in the complaint department of the Houston Chronicle, followed by the position of, as she put it, "sewer editor," responsible for reporting on the nuts-&-bolts of local city life.

She went on to the Minneapolis Tribune, where she was the first woman police reporter in that city and, later, the reporter who covered a beat called Movements for Social Change, where she notes that she wrote about "militant blacks, angry Indians, radical students, uppity women and a motley assortment of other misfits and troublemakers."

She left the Tribune to write for the Texas Observer from 1970 to 1976. The New York Times, concerned that its prevailing writing style was too staid and lifeless, hired her away from the Observer in 1976,[4] and she wrote for the Times until 1982. During her run at the Times, Ivins became Rocky Mountain bureau chief, covering nine western states, although the writer was known to say she was named chief because there was no one else in the bureau.[5] Her more colorful style clashed with the editors' expectations, and in 1982, after she wrote about a "community chicken-killing festival" and called it a "gang-pluck," she was dismissed.

She then wrote for the Dallas Times Herald from 1982 until the paper's demise in 1992, moving in that year to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which was her home paper until 2001, when she became an independent journalist. Her column, syndicated by Creators Syndicate at the end of her life, appeared in nearly 400 newspapers nationwide.

In 1995, humorist Florence King noted that Ivins had on several occasions plagiarized King's work, and on one occasion had mis-stated a quotation from a King column. Ivins apologized in a letter to King, but concluded the letter by writing "you sure are a mean b----, aren't you?". King published Ivins's letter and King's own reply.

She was also a board member of the Texas Democracy Foundation, which publishes the Texas Observer in Austin.[6]

[edit] Death

In 1999, Ivins was diagnosed with stage III inflammatory breast cancer. The cancer recurred in 2003 and again in late 2005. In January 2006 she reported that she was again undergoing chemotherapy.[7] In December 2006 she took leave from her column to again undergo treatment.[8] She wrote two columns in January 2007, but returned to the hospital on the 26th for further treatment.[9] Ivins died at her Austin, Texas home in hospice care on January 31, 2007, at age 62.

After her death, President George W. Bush, a frequent target of her barbs, said in a statement, "I respected her convictions, her passionate belief in the power of words. She fought her illness with that same passion. Her quick wit and commitment will be missed."[10]

[edit] Writing style

Written from an unabashed liberal perspective, Ivins' style consisted of contrived down-home homilies, peppered with colorful phrases to create the "feel" of Texas, despite her upscale upbringing and Northeastern education. When outraged by instances of what she considered malfeasance or stupidity on the part of public officials, she couched her argument in an air of stunned amusement. She enjoyed telling stories about the Texas Legislature, which she simply called "The Lege." She contended that it is one of the most corrupt, most incompetent, and funniest governing bodies in the nation—a well she dipped from on a regular basis. For example:

Practice, practice, practice, that's what Texas provides when it comes to sleaze and stink. Who can forget such great explanations as "Well, I'll just make a little bit of money, I won't make a whole lot"? And "There was never a Bible in the room"?[11]

In 2003, she coined the term "Great Liberal Backlash of 2003," and was a passionate critic of the 2003 Iraq War.[12] She is also credited with applying the nickname "Shrub" to George W. Bush.

[edit] Quotations

On the subject of Pat Buchanan's famously combative "culture war speech" at the 1992 Republican Convention, which attracted controversy over Buchanan's aggressive rhetoric against Bill Clinton, liberals, supporters of reproductive and gay rights, and for his comparison of American politics to religious warfare, Ivins famously quipped that the speech had "probably sounded better in the original German," implicitly comparing Buchanan to Adolf Hitler.[2]

"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 help stop this war...We need people in the streets, banging pots and pans and demanding, 'Stop it, now!'" (from her last column)[13]

"Having breast cancer is massive amounts of no fun. First they mutilate you; then they poison you; then they burn you. I have been on blind dates better than that."[14]

"So keep fightin' for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't you forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through kickin' ass and celebratin' the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was."—quoted by John Nichols for The Nation[15] Original source: "The Fun's in the Fight" column for Mother Jones, 1993.[16]

On Bill Clinton: "If left to my own devices, I'd spend all my time pointing out that he's weaker than bus-station chili. But the man is so constantly subjected to such hideous and unfair abuse that I wind up standing up for him on the general principle that some fairness should be applied. Besides, no one but a fool or a Republican ever took him for a liberal." (Introduction to You Got to Dance With Them What Brung You)[17]

On James M. Collins, US Representative, R-Dallas: "If his IQ slips any lower we'll have to water him twice a day."[18] This quotation engendered substantial controversy, with calls and letters pouring into her newspaper, The Dallas Times Herald. The newspaper turned the controversy into a publicity campaign, with billboards all over the city asking, "Molly Ivins can't say that…can she?"—which she employed as the title for her first book.[19]

On President George W. Bush, she likened him to a Post Turtle]][20].

[edit] Awards

In addition to these formal awards, Ivins said that she was particularly proud of two distinct honors: having the Minneapolis police force's mascot pig named after her, and being banned from the Texas A&M campus.[28]

[edit] Bibliography

  • Bill of Wrongs: The Executive Branch's Assault on America's Fundamental Rights (Random House, 2007) ISBN 1-4000-6286-1
  • Who Let the Dogs In?: Incredible Political Animals I Have Known (Random House, 2004) ISBN 1-4000-6285-3
  • Bushwhacked: Life in George W. Bush's America with Lou Dubose (Random House, 2003) ISBN 0-375-50752-3
  • Pipe Dreams: Greed, Ego, and the Death of Enron by Robert Bryce, foreword by Molly Ivins (PublicAffairs, 2002) ISBN 1-58648-138-X
  • Sugar's Life in the Hood: The Story of a Former Welfare Mother by Sugar Turner and Tracy Bachrach Ehlers, foreword by Molly Ivins (University of Texas Press, 2002) ISBN 0-292-72102-1
  • The Betrayal of America: How the Supreme Court Undermined the Constitution and Chose Our President (2001) with Vincent Bugliosi (Thunder's Mouth Press, 2001) ISBN 1-56025-355-X
  • Shrub: The Short But Happy Political Life of George W. Bush with Lou Dubose (Random House, 2000) ISBN 0-375-50399-4
  • You Got to Dance With Them What Brung You: Politics in the Clinton Years (Random House, 1998) ISBN 0-679-40446-5
  • Nothin' But Good Times Ahead (Random House, 1995) ISBN 0-517-16429-9
  • Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She? (Random House, 1991) ISBN 0-679-40445-7
  • The Edge of the West and Other Texas Stories with Bryan Wooley (Texas Western Pr, 1987) ISBN 0-87404-214-3

[edit] References

  1. ^ Interview with Molly Ivins from the Creative Loafing website. Ivins repeatedly described herself as a populist and, on some occasions, as a libertarian - see quote from Ivins reproduced in William H. Seewald's editorial from the Amarillo Globe-News, "We'll remember Molly Ivins for disturbing the complacent"[1]-.
  2. ^ Syracuse U. Bio, retrieved 11/6/06.
  3. ^ NOW, Ivins' Bio, retrieved 11/6/06.
  4. ^ Salon.com, retrieved 11/6/06.
  5. ^ Hoppe, Christy.Columnist, author Molly Ivins dies, The Dallas Morning News, January 31, 2007 (retrieved January 31, 2007)
  6. ^ Joe Holley, the Columbia Journalism Review, A mid-life crisis in Texas, January/February 1995. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  7. ^ Houston Chronicle, expired link
  8. ^ Ivins Takes Leave for Cancer Treatment
  9. ^ Ivins hospitalized in ongoing cancer fight
  10. ^ Kelley Shannon, Associated Press, Syndicated columnist Molly Ivins dies, February 1, 2007.
  11. ^ January 6, 2006, More Texan sleaze and stink, retrieved 11/7/06.
  12. ^ Paul Krugman, The New York Times, Missing Molly Ivins, February 02, 2007. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  13. ^ alternet.com, "Stand Up Against the "Surge"", January 12, 2007. Retrieved April 3, 2007.
  14. ^ Time magazine, "Who Needs Breasts, Anyway?", Feb. 18, 2002. Retrieved February 1, 2007.
  15. ^ John Nichols, The Nation, Remembering Molly Ivins, January 31, 2007. Retrieved February 1, 2007.
  16. ^ Ivins, Molly. "The Fun's in the Fight." Mother Jones, May/June 1993.
  17. ^ Salon.com, "The Quotable Ivins", Dec. 12, 2000. Retrieved February 1, 2007.
  18. ^ Christy Hoppe, The Dallas Morning News, Columnist, author Molly Ivins dies, Thursday, February 1, 2007. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
  19. ^ Fresh Air, Remembering Columnist Molly Ivins, excerpts from interviews on Oct. 3, 1991 and Oct. 7, 2003, aired February 1, 2007.
  20. ^ Molly Ivins (2003). "Turtle on a Fence Post" (html). CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC. Retrieved on 2008-09-23.
  21. ^ William Allen White Award
  22. ^ Smith College
  23. ^ a b c d Ivins Bio, Creators Syndicate
  24. ^ "List of Active Members by Classes" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved on 2007-01-31.
  25. ^ Buzz Words (Georgia Tech Alumni Association), Columnist Ivins Wins Ivan Allen Prize
  26. ^ Harvard University, David Nyhan Prize for Political Journalism, November 16, 2006. Retrieved February 1, 2007.
  27. ^ [[Texas Observer] http://www.texasobserver.org/event_molly_award.php]] retrieved February 24, 2008.
  28. ^ Newcomb, Douglas (May 2001). ""The Long and Happy Life of a Political Columnist"". Information Outlook. Special Libraries Association. Retrieved on 2007-02-01.

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

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