Monday, December 24, 2012

George HW Bush: Underrated? (End of Year Re-Run)


In the wake of this:



I thought the first post I'd like to re-run in our 2-week break is this one (from May 24th), asking the question...





Was President George H. W. Bush underrated?  

It's a question that has been kicking around my head for awhile.  In the wake of the Legacy of Reagan becoming all-encompassing for Rs, in the wake of Newt and DeLay turning Congress into their own personal playground, and you know... W, is what we really need a return to Republicans who are more like George H. W. Bush?

I'm going to talk about him in the past tense because he hasn't espoused many of these views for quite some time, and because he publicly supported his son's very conservative, Reaganesque presidency.  Bush the Elder may still privately be a moderate-to-liberal Republican in today's context, but it's hard to know.


A Few Pros of Poppy's:












Some Cons:




I'm still bitter.




...Still, in an era of The Great Republican Sprint to the Right (which has been aided by the Tea Party and folks like Grover Norquist), when hard-liner Club for Growth types are drumming conservatives like Dick Lugar out of office for daring to do anything constructive, it's hard not to be nostalgic for a more moderate, less partisan, more governance-oriented Republican.  One like Poppy Bush.




Update:  Poppy is in the hospital and has been since November.  Here's hoping he has a Merry Christmas and gets well soon!


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