During the Republican drive to impeach and convict Bill Clinton of high crimes and misdemeanors in 1998 and early 1999, there was one day when the noise and fury got to be too much for me. Clinton had lied to me: he'd gotten on NPR and lied to my face, and I couldn't forgive him for that betrayal. That kind of lie, however, just wasn't an impeachable offense, and impeachment is the most divisive thing that can possibly be done to this country: this just wasn't right. What burst from me was a cri de coeur: "I want Barbara to tell me what's right!"
Barbara Jordan had long since come to embody the constitution for me:
My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total. And I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction, of the Constitution.
and I wanted her to be anything but an idle spectator, to set me and everyone else straight on the proper path Right Now...but she was gone. She'd died nearly three years before. If she'd been there and said Clinton had to go and why, I'd have backed her. But what I expect she'd have done was explain in undeniable words why this was wrong: wrong of the Republicans, and a wrong done to America and the American people.
I also think of Barbara Jordan's extraordinary Keynote speech at the 1976 Democratic National Convention where she explained by the Democratic Party was the party for the common good:
As a first step, we must restore our belief in ourselves. We are a generous people, so why can't we be generous with each other? We need to take to heart the words spoken by Thomas Jefferson:
Let us restore to social intercourse that harmony and that affection without which liberty and even life are but dreary things.
A nation is formed by the willingness of each of us to share in the responsibility for upholding the common good. A government is invigorated when each one of us is willing to participate in shaping the future of this nation. In this election year, we must define the "common good" and begin again to shape a common future. Let each person do his or her part. If one citizen is unwilling to participate, all of us are going to suffer. For the American idea, though it is shared by all of us, is realized in each one of us.
She then went on to explain what public servants, including herself, were supposed to do (and which she always did so well):
And now, what are those of us who are elected public officials supposed to do? We call ourselves "public servants" but I'll tell you this: We as public servants must set an example for the rest of the nation. It is hypocritical for the public official to admonish and exhort the people to uphold the common good if we are derelict in upholding the common good. More is required— More is required of public officials than slogans and handshakes and press releases. More is required. We must hold ourselves strictly accountable. We must provide the people with a vision of the future.
If we promise as public officials, we must deliver. If we as public officials propose, we must produce. If we say to the American people, "It is time for you to be sacrificial" — sacrifice. If the public official says that, we must be the first to give. We must be. And again, if we make mistakes, we must be willing to admit them. We have to do that. What we have to do is strike a balance between the idea that government should do everything and the idea, the belief, that government ought to do nothing. Strike a balance.
When you read and feel these words in your heart and in your soul, there is rebellion at the very notion that people like Grover Norquist are allowed to pollute the public discourse, that people like George W. Bush are elected, that people like Richard Perle are given influence, that people like Frank Luntz are let free to twist the English language.
I'm reminded of Barbara tonight because I took Molly Ivins's books for bedtime reading last night. I've bought them all—though Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She? is hiding, as is Bushwhacked, and also a biography of Barbara by Mary Beth Rogers, Barbara Jordan: American Hero. Molly's column on Barbara—"She Sounded Like God"—is a loving appreciation, and I was charmed by her columns on Ann Richards from when Ann was running for Governor and during her four years in the Texas state house.
Everyone knows the Ann Richards quote about George H. W. Bush: "he was born with a silver foot in his mouth", but one of my favorites is this one, from an article Molly wrote for The Progressive that was reprinted in her book You Got to Dance with Them What Brung Ya:
[Ann] says the real reason she vetoed the concealed-handgun bill—a lot of people said it would make women feel safer if they could carry a handgun in their purse—is:
You know I am not a sexist, but I don't know a woman in this world who could find a gun in her handbag.
Another article sums up the Ann Richards gubernatorial legacy in Texas thusly:
My political memory of Texas governors goes back to Allan Shivers, and I know that in that time we have not had a governor who worked nearly as hard as Ann Richards. Who was nearly as gracious as Richards. Who made more good appointments than Richards. Who set a higher standard of honesty than Richards.
What our notoriously weak governors actually do is set a tone for the state. So let it be recorded that for four brief shining years, Ann Richards gave the joint some class.
Finally, I have three paragraphs from Molly's article "The Fun's in the Fight", written for Mother Jones and reprinted as the last column in her second book, Nothing But Good Times Ahead:
That's when Boots Cooper made his semi-immortal observation. "Yes ma'am," he said, "but there's some things'll scare you so bad, you hurt yourself."
And isn't that what we keep doing in this country, over and over again? We get scared so bad—about the communist menace or illegal immigration or AIDS or pornography or violent crime, some damn scary thing—that we hurt ourselves. We take the odd notion that the only way to protect ourselves is to give up some of our freedom—just trim a little, hedge a bit, and we'll all be safe after all.
Just add terrorism to the list, and its 2007, not 1993. She concludes, five paragraphs later:
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.
I think we have our marching orders.
~~~~~
Continuing the Molly Ivins theme from above and from yesterday's TC diary's final top comments, trashablanca says "I hope you like it as much as I did" while submitting a comment with rhp's favorite Molly story about a post-speech Q & A with Molly, from calebfaux's diary My favorite Molly Ivins bit - that chicken is a stinkin, which also repeats a good Molly story.
marykk submits this grand monument to Texas women posted by coffeeinamrica in the MollyIvins update diary started and mined yesterday, but with more good comments today. It fits this diary quite well, too.
A late addition to the diary (about 75 minutes post-publication)—jmonch's submission from BiPM's front-page diary announcing Molly's death—arrived at 9:51, while I was in final-format mode, and I didn't notice it in the TopComments gmail account until now:
dspiewak2634 with For what it's worth.
thereisnospoon says:
Give this a look; I about died laughing...
shpilk is the person responsible, and it's in the Funny: MS Vista Exploit Allows Myspace Sites to Control Your Computer diary by Tocquedeville. One day old and already been hacked. Mac aficionados are ecstatic. :)
terrypinder sends in this comment by shanikka from kos's front page diary on Joe Biden's foot-in-mouth disease.
OrangeClouds115 sends in MLDB's very observant comment from Land of Enchantment's diary Another GOP Congressman, Another Criminal Probe on Republican Congressman (and potential future felon) Gary Miller.
A Siegel sends in a late comment from his diary yesterday Kossacks -- WHAT HAVE YOU PUBLISHED LATELY wherein AlisonInSeattle tells how she got past a stupid first sentence that was keeping her from writing an important piece of work, and also gives a number of good (if beeswax-free) suggestions in her reply to an earlier comment.
carolita sends in a bunch of comment nominations:
ActivistGuy brings the world's greatest graph and Bill White has a very interesting propposal in The Termite's Hell freezes over diary.
cosmic debris has Cheney's number in a comment to Carnacki's excellent Imperial Vice Presidency diary.
bustacap's wonderful artwork and comment are a great tribute to Molly Ivins in suskind's don't-dare-miss diary, Molly Ivins Tribute Project at Berkeley Daily Planet.
RandomGuyfromGermany makes an important point and an interesting suggestion in Lobstermeyer's debut diary How the USA forced the Munich arrest warrants.
homerun sends in a trifecta comment that could be Al Franken's campaign slogan in lapin's diary, Al Franken to Run for Senate.
Elise mailed in the following:
mem from somerville starts off a hilarious thread in Trapper John's diary, Aqua Teens Terrorize Boston. MrSqueaky has more. [Editor's note: Trapper John declared MrSqueaky's to be "Top Comment of 2007". While this is lamentably premature of him, I think it's worth noting that he's used up his choice for the year.]
ActivistGuy brings us a good graph.
Cronesense sends these gems:
Diary: The Banality of the Unitary Executive
By: emptywheel
Dallasdoc explains some important differences.
inclusiveheart has some interesting impressions of Addington's rationalizations.
And finally, a few frantic last-minute finds with the ever-assisting Search function:
Turkana was impressed by Cassiodorus's comment on Ralph Nader's true influence on the 2000 election results in coolobserver's diary, Nader still in the crosshairs.
There's a nice series of Biden witticisms from kos's second Biden diary, Giving Biden the benefit of the doubt?, starting with hazzcon's invocation of a certain Biden literary ancestor, with Sansouci below expounding on the advantages of plagiarism.
kingubu nicely summarizes the typical media coverage of most breaking events while taking specific aim at MSNBC in another comment from the Aqua Teens diary mentioned above by Elise.
Please remember to mail your Top Comment nominations to TopComments AT gmail DOT com, and include your DKos user name so we know who sent it. Please try to send your email no later than 9:30pm EST (we publish at 10...or try to), and preferably earlier. Much earlier. Many thanks.
Last but not least is the top mojo from the past 24 hours—those comments which have received the most recommendations by Kossacks like you, supplied by mojomaster supreme BeninSC. First, Top Mojo excluding search-identifiable tip jars, first diary comments, and C&J comments:
1 Investigate, Indict, then IMPEACH by MD patriot — 124
2 Odd provenance for this story by Land of Enchantment — 123
3 Man, oh, man. Now I'm really crying. by Melody Townsel — 102
4 Texas women by SadTexan — 97
5 Fox needs to suffer consequences by EZ writer — 88
6 This was her final column... by Bill in Portland Maine — 82
7 I am by bluestateonian — 77
8 I like Obama by myrealname — 75
9 I'm glad that she lived long enough by LeftHandedMan — 74
10 You could always count on Molly to cut to the by lorelynn — 72
11 May your next stop be... by mem from somerville — 67
12 A meta comment about DailyKos by Jerome a Paris — 66
13 Isn't this how Eichmann was described by Arendt, by Halcyon — 65
14 Thank you Rep. Conyers by Tracker — 61
15 I have wondered by nolalily — 59
16 You are correct. by Splicer — 58
17 No shit by Big Tent Democrat — 58
18 Fine New York Dining by Eddie C — 57
19 yeah--but real conservatism would be preferable by thereisnospoon — 54
20 a little snowy on the South Shore by sobermom — 54
21 Heaven welcomes... by Caldonia — 54
22 You can manipulate CNN. Faux New is by Geekesque — 53
23 Disco Humpage by teeb — 53
24 It's biopsy day here. :-/ by rserven — 53
25 My local station at first... by mem from somerville — 53
26 How the fuck is this caving? by Delaware Dem — 52
27 All Democrats should denounce Fox and refuse to by linnie — 52
28 Molly by eugene — 51
29 This is what happens when... by wmtriallawyer — 50
30 this isn't a duckie execution... by condoleaser — 50
Finally, Top Mojo with all comments included:
1 Tip jar by BrooklynRaider — 421
2 Tip Jar by dengre — 266
3 tips by thereisnospoon — 234
4 Please recommend this up by emptywheel — 187
5 Whoops! You forgot to do our job, WaPo! by Jeffrey Feldman — 175
6 Bwwaaaahhaaaaaahaaaaaaa! by Geekesque — 164
7 Investigate, Indict, then IMPEACH by MD patriot — 124
8 Odd provenance for this story by Land of Enchantment — 123
9 R.I.P. by The Nazz — 120
10 Tip Jar - January 31 by Jerome a Paris — 108
11 Man, oh, man. Now I'm really crying. by Melody Townsel — 102
12 Texas women by SadTexan — 97
13 Your Pootie Pic Du Jour ... by PhillyGal — 88
14 Fox needs to suffer consequences by EZ writer — 88
15 Two disclaimers by Adam B — 83
16 Two words by jamfan — 82
17 This was her final column... by Bill in Portland Maine — 82
18 I am by bluestateonian — 77
19 mojo recovery tip jar by NewDealer — 76
20 I like Obama by myrealname — 75
21 I'm glad that she lived long enough by LeftHandedMan — 74
22 You could always count on Molly to cut to the by lorelynn — 72
23 May your next stop be... by mem from somerville — 67
24 A meta comment about DailyKos by Jerome a Paris — 66
25 Isn't this how Eichmann was described by Arendt, by Halcyon — 65
26 Hump-a-Day, Hump Away! by khereva — 64
27 C&J, Bluffs of Alton edition by AAbshier — 63
28 Thank you Rep. Conyers by Tracker — 61
29 cheers to walking to work by condoleaser — 59
30 I have wondered by nolalily — 59
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