Spin Cycle - Molly Ivins Quotes

One of my favorite writers ever was Molly Ivins. She was an amazing political writer and critic. With a dry wit that I adored and a sharp tongue that I wish I had been blessed with.

Ask.com has this to say about her: You either loved or hated Molly Ivins. She was a political commentator with a sharp wit -- a take-no-prisoners critic of what she considered silly, outrageous, or unfair. Molly Ivins was based in Texas, and both loved and made fun of her state and its culture and politicians.

From Wikipedia: Writing from an unabashed populist perspective, Ivins repeatedly described herself as a populist and, on some occasions, as a left-libertarian.Ivins peppered her columns with colorful phrases to create the "feel" of Texas. Her writings often employ irony and satirical humor to make a very serious point. 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", calling it one of the most corrupt, incompetent, and funniest governing bodies in the nation

 Some of my favorite quotes by her are:

• There are two kinds of humor. One kind that makes us chuckle about our foibles and our shared humanity -- like what Garrison Keillor does. The other kind holds people up to public contempt and ridicule -- that's what I do. Satire is traditionally the weapon of the powerless against the powerful. I only aim at the powerful. When satire is aimed at the powerless, it is not only cruel -- it's vulgar. 
• What stuns me most about contemporary politics is not even that the system has been so badly corrupted by money. It is that so few people get the connection between their lives and what the bozos do in Washington and our state capitols. 
• I believe in practicing prudence at least once every two or three years.  
• I still believe in Hope - mostly because there's no such place as Fingers Crossed, Arkansas. 
• It's like, duh. Just when you thought there wasn't a dime's worth of difference between the two parties, the Republicans go and prove you're wrong.  
• Next time I tell you someone from Texas should not be president of the United States, please pay attention.
• I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag.
• The first rule of holes: When you're in one stop digging.

And last but not least:

• On Clinton’s sex scandal: “I do not believe the President’s sex life is any of our business. After thirty years of political reporting, I have been unable to establish a link between marital fidelity and high performance in public office. It really doesn’t matter who they screw in private, as long as they don’t screw the public.”

Sums up my thoughts on that issue perfectly!

The estimable Gretchen is running the Spin Cycle these days and while I'm a less than active participant I do like read everyone's posts. And, you should too. Go! Now!