My fellow Dems, I think we have got ourselves a winner (Molly Ivins loves Howard Dean)

FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM ^ | 12/8/2003 | Molly Ivins

[microgood]

Can someone tell me why the liberals get so upset when someone says they aren't going to take public financing?

They want control of the political process itself, I guess. I think that when Nixon was president they started that Presidential Fund checkbox on the tax form. My sixties brother told me to always check it until about 5 years later when he told me to quit checking. I never check that box.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

Since he IS the candidate, the adulation will be absolutely sickening for the next 11 months- in every media outlet.

[DesertDreamer]

ROFL!!!

Christmas has come early for conservatives. Dean is leading and Molly is endorsing. Is that the fat lady I hear warming up???

[Steel Wolf]

I know, he's even less of a liberal than Bill Clinton was, but I don't think Dean is a moderate centrist. I think he's a fighting centrist. And folks, I think we have got ourselves a winner here.

Wha? I'm trying to see things from her point of view, but this is too much. I'm not that flexible, and my head wouldn't fit up there anyways.

[GeronL]

Molly is not a real Texan, I think she's is Carville's twin sister or something

[RightOnline]

"I'm for Howard Dean -- because he's going to win."

Why gee golly gosh, Molly.........of course he is. Yep yep yep........gonna thump Bush like a drum.

What a supremely ignorant bitch.

[Consort]

bounden: it sounds kind of S&M to me. Molly and Howard are probably into the bondage thing.

[squidly]

When Dubya gets re-elected, I'll take more pleasure from the agony of folks like Ivins and Dowd than I will from the actual re-election. I'm pretty certain about this.

[WackyKat]

bounden: it sounds kind of S&M to me. Molly and Howard are probably into the bondage thing.

Nah, it's just a Southernism. Though whenever I hear Molly, I do wish someone would stuff a gag in her mouth.

[Steve_Seattle]

"Tim Russert, who was hell-bent on gotcha questions"

I didn't see it, but from Ivins' reaction it sounds like Russert didn't lob Dean a bunch of softballs as Ivins expects the media to do for Dems. "Gotcha" questions should only be directed at Republicans.

[GeronL]

Of course, the real Prez Al Gore has endorsed Dean too... I wonder why Al doesn't want to be re-elected?? /sarcasm

[Steve_Seattle]

"The concept of actually winning a political race does not, traditionally, influence the bleeding heart liberal one iota -- certainly not in the primaries."

Possibly Ivins is deluding herself about this, but she's not fooling anyone here. Liberals are obsessed with winning.

[Steve_Seattle]

"Anger makes liberals uncomfortable: We prefer peace, reason and gentle persuasion."

This woman's lack of self-understanding is frightening. In Florida the other day, one Dem after another expressed little but rage, contempt, and paranoia.

[Steve_Seattle]

"The depth of self-delusion in this article is simply staggering."

A bit frightening, actually, that she can be that out of touch with her real self.

[murdoog]

Chris Ruddy's take on Howard Dean.

Not sure I agree with everything Ruddy says here, but I am beginning to think we should be careful what we wish for.

[concerned about politics]

This woman's lack of self-understanding is frightening. In Florida the other day, one Dem after another expressed little but rage, contempt, and paranoia.

Yes. The liberals are going totally insane. Next thing we'll hear about is them eating their own flesh.
Ever checked out a left wing website? They're nuts! They're living in some kind of Twilight Zone.

[Steve_Seattle]

"Ivins must be insane if she thinks Dean handled himself well in that interview with Chris Matthews. He mentioned the Soviet Union for crying out loud! More than once!"

We're going to have to get used to the fact that most gaffes by Dean and the other Democrats will be smoothed over by the press; Republican gaffes will be trumpeted and will become part of the national lore. Just ask Dan Quayle.

[leprechaun9]

"...bated breath ..."

She can cast her vote in the proctology booth where they both would fit confortably.

Molly, your spelling is almost as bad as your logic!

[Lancey Howard]

But of course I'm noticing this interesting thing: Dean has so much money he actually turned down public campaign financing (since I'm a card-carrying liberal, I was naturally deeply unhappy over this.

There was an interesting thread about this on Free Republic a couple of weeks ago. When you "turn down" public campaign financing, it enables you to better manage your money in states where you wish to concentrate more spending.

See, if you accept public funds, you are limited on how much you can spend in individual state primary races. So if you believe you really need to win, say, New Hampshire and you want to go bananas on TV ads, etc., without any constraints, then you ditch the public funds thereby freeing you up to go hog wild. No limit. This also forces your primary opponents to change their own strategeries.

It has absolutely nothing to do with having "so much money he actually turned down public campaign financing".

But then, who expects a lazy liberal cow like Ivins to actually do any homework.

[ladyinred]

I'm sorry, but of all of the 9 dims running, he seems to be the sleaziest one of all. He looks like a shyster lawyer or something to me. Figures Molly would like him. More knee pads coming up?