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| Syd |
 Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2018 7:25 am |
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Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12889
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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| RIP George H. W. Bush. I voted against him twice but figured the country was in good hands if he won. |
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I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2018 1:54 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9005
Location: Shanghai
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Really?
I thought the last thing we needed was a 3rd Reagan term.
With polluters and deregulators and other insidious corporate insiders running the gov't.
I watched the returns at the University of Chicago Law School Green Room -- a place Obama would soon be familair with. And it was discouraging as hell. Worried about losing, Bush 41 turned to dirty tricks and racism with the infamous Willie Horton ad. It didn't help that the Dems thought it was smart to go technocratic with the little known Dukakis. The only positive was that 1st year me managed to pick up a good-looking 3rd year law student during the election return nightmare.
Heading home, I dropped by a friend's apartment, and he had a smoking bong and PBS on. They were interviewing Noam Chomsky who called it a nightmare for the planet, predicting more wars and pollution, corruption and further plutocratic impoverishment of the masses. He put it in near apocalyptic terms.
Basically Bush 41 was a losing candidate. He was an out of touch elite, a Washington insider with a whiny voice, had difficulty making coherent sentences, with no constituency outside of the party diehards. He had only been elected to Congress twice in the late 60's.
The Iran-Contra scandal was capping off Reagan fatigue. Remember Bush's "ice tea defense" -- he claimed to have sucked down lots of tea and so hit the toilet frequently and well could have been out of the room when various key criminal conspiracies were hatched.
That was the kind of guy he was. That's his integrity level. He wanted to succeed because it was his birthright. He was dead set against Reagan's trickle-down approach ("voodoo economics"), yet teamed up to be Veep and shut up and got on board. Did Bush do anything notable or useful as VP? And don't tell me it's a useless position. Gore was involved. Cheney basically called the shots. Even Pence helps smooth out Trump and connect him with Congress.
I will admit that his early bio is impressive. Yale: Phi Beta Kappa while captaining the baseball team. Youngest fighter pilot in WWII. While his gov't resume is impressive, mostly it was short-term positions: in Congress 4 just years, ambassador to China for 2 or 3, CIA director for 1 or 2.
The takedowns inflicted on him stuck:
- born on 3rd base and thought he hit a triple
- reminds every women of her 1st husband
- wimp
So he wasn't a telegenic politician. But he also had self-confessed trouble with "the vision thing." He had no real principles or belief. He claimed to want to make ruthless capitalism a little gentler, and less brutal.
Basically a wasted 4 years for America.
And of course he made the Bush name into a brand that helped propel his son -- aka the worst president ever -- to the White House. If it weren't for W. Bush, likely people would forget all abotu Bush 41, and he'd be remembered as much as Ford. Basically Bush 41's only achievement was the 1st Iraq War. Though there is plenty of evidence that botched diplomacy and wrong signals is why Saddam Hussein felt he had a free hand to take over Kuwait in the first place. |
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2018 10:55 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6944
Location: Black Hills
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Quote: ...propel his son -- aka the worst president ever --
Not any more. 45 has left the other competition (Buchanan, Harding, Fillmore, Johnson (Andrew), Bush Jr, ) so far behind they've vanished over the horizon. Of course, none of them had access to twitter... |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2018 12:55 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9005
Location: Shanghai
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bartist wrote: Quote: ...propel his son -- aka the worst president ever --
Not any more. 45 has left the other competition (Buchanan, Harding, Fillmore, Johnson (Andrew), Bush Jr, ) so far behind they've vanished over the horizon. Of course, none of them had access to twitter...
Trump probably qualifies as the worst person to be president.
And least presidential.
And while I think his tax cuts and most policies along with most of his words and deeds are horrible, Trump is nowhere near the twin disasters of wrecking the economy and getting us mired in dual unending wars, one completely unnecessary, and really a 3rd if you want to count the War on Terror.
There's still time for Trump to put the country in crisis or nuke Iran/North Korea, etc. But for now he's just a complete jerk running a standard Republican horror show. True the corruption, incompetence and scandals could easily place Trump as 2nd worst. But Bush had the reverse Midas touch, and his failures are still resonating over a decade after he left office. |
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 10:36 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| gromit--I get what you're saying, but W was not the horror Rump is by a long long long shot. W knew the workings of government, and had a sense of decency that Rump knows nothing of. Bush was a terrible president, but Rump is a terrible president who also happens to be a terrible horrible almost unprecedentedly nauseating creature and a disgrace to our country. That makes all the difference. You call Rump a "jerk"??? Think again. Johnny Depp is a jerk. Donald Rump is a cretin. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 5:31 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9005
Location: Shanghai
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Policy and results-wise, W Bush was much much worse than Trump.
The disastrous Bush incompetence was just cloaked under a bunch of Ford Administration retreads who looked like the GOP idea of leaders and played the Washington insider game. And a more palatable front man.
Trump is a uniquely awful human and a clear and present danger to the nation. But in terms of lives wrecked and people killed, W is way ahead of Trump on the eternal scorecard.
Trump has brought the ugly underside of the GOP to the fore, and while it's greatly unpleasant and a genuine potential threat, Trump hasn't yet even hinted at a military coup. He reportedly does want to investigate and prosecute his opponents, but hasn't gone down that road yet.
Still time for Trump to do or attempt significant damage . . . |
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 1:50 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 14498
Location: Houston
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I voted for Bush the first time around. Reagan was elected when I was ten and he left office when I was nineteen. He's always been there. When I liked whoever the president was because they liked him. When I hated the president because I was 15 and just wanted the thrill of being rebellious. When I was 17 and basically indifferent from him. It was my first election and I didn't want the world to change too much, so I voted for Bush.
I almost instantly regretted that, and so I helped elect Bill Clinton. I almost instantly regretted that, too. I think they only president I have not had regret over voting for has been Obama. I don't think he's a great president, but I think he's the best I've ever had the opportunity to vote for. Wish we could have given him a third term. |
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You've got a great brain. You should keep it in your head.
-Topher |
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| whiskeypriest |
| Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2018 1:38 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 6916
Location: "It's a Dry Heat."
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Joe Vitus wrote: I think they only president I have not had regret over voting for has been Obama. I don't think he's a great president, but I think he's the best I've ever had the opportunity to vote for. Wish we could have given him a third term. |
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I ask you, Velvel, as a rational man, which of us is possessed? |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2018 12:39 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6944
Location: Black Hills
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| Whoa. Dude... |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| knox |
| Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2018 11:59 am |
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Joined: 18 Mar 2010
Posts: 1245
Location: St. Louis
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Quote: When I was 17 and basically indifferent from him. It was my first election and I didn't want the world to change too much, so I voted for Bush.
Who on earth is 17 and doesn't want the world to change??
I'm kidding. Sorta. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2018 12:42 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 14498
Location: Houston
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| Missing the point, Knox, but thanks to two people for putting me down. So glad I started visiting this site again...and I'm outta here. |
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You've got a great brain. You should keep it in your head.
-Topher |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2018 2:32 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 3784
Location: AZ
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| I’m beginning to see flaws in all Presidents. My favorite, Obama was featured in Michael Moore’s last movie. He totally misstepped the Flint water situation. As to W, take a look at his portraits of the injured Iraq war veterans. If that doesn’t represent guilt I don’t know what does. Of course he can’t make amends for that mistake. But I do respect those who can actually feel guilt and even attempt to apologize. |
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Lost in my own private I dunno. |
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| Marc |
| Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2018 7:08 pm |
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Joined: 19 May 2004
Posts: 8424
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Just dropped in to see what condition your condition was in.
Greetings to all.
Love, Marc |
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| whiskeypriest |
| Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2018 11:39 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 6916
Location: "It's a Dry Heat."
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Joe Vitus wrote: Missing the point, Knox, but thanks to two people for putting me down. So glad I started visiting this site again...and I'm outta here. |
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I ask you, Velvel, as a rational man, which of us is possessed? |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2018 1:16 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 3784
Location: AZ
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| Marc!!!! How are you? Still loving Facebook? |
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Lost in my own private I dunno. |
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