I Think Of Molly Ivins 🎩

Does anyone remember that episode of Star Trek: TOS where some evil incorporeal space being draws energy from the Enterprise’s crew members by creating conflicts among them? They defeat the being when Kirk figures out that they should all stop fighting and start laughing at the…

— George Concord (@gtconway3 on threads.net) (@gtconway3d) January 20, 2024

While tout le internet trades in who can marshal the gloomiest predictions of doom and despair, the late, great Ms. Ivins would be laughing gleefully.

She hung George W. with the nickname “Shrub,” and proceeded to decorate him like a Xmas tree through the even more dangerous days of that eight year administration (Cheney and Rumsfeld knew how to work the government. Trump never did figure out what the light switches were for). If Molly were still with us, she’d be giving master classes in turning Trump’s life into one continuous Washington Correspondents Dinner with her replacing Obama at the microphone, and Trump the guest of honor; being mockingly dishonored.

We will not see her like again, but she taught us how to deal with little men who think they bestride the world. Laughter is a much better response than handwringing and despair. And it’s the fundamental gift of American democracy. E. B. White called democracy a snowball aimed at a top hat. 🎩 

Molly showed us how to throw them, and who to throw them at.