There are so few women in high political office. It is amazing sometimes to watch and hear those who made it. They must be strong, intelligent, hard working, with extra thick hides to take the criticism. These women are truly to be admired as they work in that male-dominated world of politics only to be called dominering bitches, feminazi, and worse, just because the want to further this country to be a better place.
Thanks, Ann Richards, for your contribution to our society.
Molly Ivens, in Working for Change: ... The 1990 race for governor was one of the craziest I ever saw, with Ann representing "New Texas."
.
Ann got handed a stinking mess: Damn near every state function was under court order. The prisons were so crowded, dangerous convicts were being let loose. She had a long, grinding four years and wound up fixing all of it. She always said you could get a lot done in politics if you didn't need to take credit.
But she disappointed many of her fans because she was so busy fixing what was broken, she never got to change much. The '94 election was a God, gays and guns deal. Annie had told the legislature that if they passed a right-to-carry law, she would veto it. They did, and she did. At the last minute, the NRA launched a big campaign to convince the governor that we Texas women would feel ever so much safer if we could just carry guns in our purses.
Said Annie, "Well, you know that I am not a sexist, but there is not a woman in this state who could find a gun in her handbag."
Hat tip to Sharon Cobb.
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Said Annie, "Well, you know
Said Annie, "Well, you know that I am not a sexist, but there is not a woman in this state who could find a gun in her handbag."
...and if they did happen to find it, there would be a lot of men running around filled full of holes.
Classic Ivins on Ann Richards
From the book “Molly Ivins Can’t Say That, Can She?”
Several years ago there was a big political do at Scholz Beer Garten in Austin and everybody who was anybody in political Texas was there, meetin’ and greetin’ at a furious pace. About halfway through the evening, a little group of us got the tired feet and went to lean our butts against a table by the back wall of the Garten. Like birds in a row were perched Bob Bullock, the stat comptroller; me; Charlie Miles, a black man who was then head of Bullock’s personnel department (and the reason Bullock had such a good record in minority hiring); and Ms. Ann Richards. Bullock, having been in Texas politics for thirty some-odd years, consequently knows every sorry, no-account sumbitch who ever held office. A dreadful old racist judge from East Texas came up to him, “Bob, my boy, how are yew?” The two of them commenced to clap one another on the back and have a big greetin’.
“Judge,” said Bullock. “I want you to meet my friends. This is Molly Ivins with the Texas Observer.”
The judge peered up at me and said, “How yew. Little lady?”
“This is Charles Miles, who heads up my personnel department.” Charlie stuck out his hand and the judge got an expression on his face as though he had just stepped into a fresh cowpie. It took him a long minute before he reached out, barely touched Charlie’s hand and said, “How yew, boy?” Then he turned with great relief to pretty, blue-eyed Ann Richards and said, “And who is this lovely lady?”
Ann beamed and said, “I am Mrs. Miles.”
Ann Richards
I wiss Ann Richards too. She had a great sense of humor and a lot of courage. Anyone who watched Richards speech at the 1988 Democratic National Convention will never forget it.
Richards big political mistake was her veto of concealed carry bill passed by the Texas Legislature. There is little question that the veto cost Richards the 1994 Governor's race. If only Ann Richards had signed the bill, she would won a second term as Governor and maybe the country would have been spared George W. Bush as President.