Bush Family Acted On Mean-Spirited Grudges

Newsmax ^ | 9 Nov 2015 | By Craig Shirley

[US Navy Vet]

The Kennedy family has been famously known over the years as the family of long memories, but the Bushes may have an even sharper recollection over past slights.

Stories are legendary of George H.W. Bush bearing grudges over offenses, even against his father years after he was in the Senate.

Robert F. Kennedy was often the chief inquisitor against those who spoke out against the family, including Ronald Reagan, who lost his General Electric career because, as son Mike Reagan believes, The Gipper had criticized the Tennessee Valley Authority, a favorite liberal boondoggle left over from the New Deal, as well as the Kennedy administration itself.

Stories are thick of Barbara Bush bearing grudges against Nancy Reagan. In Jon Meacham’s new book, "Destiny and Power," she complains often over real or imagined slights. Until this book came out, many had no idea Barbara Bush had such thin skin.

[elcid1970]

After Clinton assumed office, Perot was giving a speech in his usual lecturing the masses style. Then he said,

“Now I know a lot of you people think that I elected Bill Clinton...”

The crowd erupted in a hostile roar. Perot blanched with fright and his flunkies quickly hustled him off the podium.

Like Ceaucescu the day of his last speech.

[stylin19a]

If 41 didn’t like Cheney back in the day, why was Cheney 41’s Sec. of Defense ?

[fieldmarshaldj]

Cheney was not the first choice (he was on trajectory to become GOP House Leader, if not Speaker. His leaving Minority Whip gave Gingrich his opportunity to get into leadership). DefSec was supposed to go to John Tower, who was borked by the Democrats.

[SunkenCiv]

Robert F. Kennedy was often the chief inquisitor against those who spoke out against the family, including Ronald Reagan, who lost his General Electric career because, as son Mike Reagan believes, The Gipper had criticized the Tennessee Valley Authority, a favorite liberal boondoggle left over from the New Deal, as well as the Kennedy administration itself.

That as-told-to book "Tell This After I'm Gone" (years of one-on-ones with Gerald Ford) spent a lot of time pissing and moaning about Reagan. Some of that was Ford, most of it was the author.

[ladyjane]

I don’t know about Barbara Bush being mean but I would never ever ever want to be an enemy of Nancy Reagan. She had it down to a science.

[Wingy]

Yeah, and Hillery and Michelle are sweetness and light. Mrs Nixon seemed to stay out of the limelight, and W's wife was low key as well.

When W stood proudly by Bill Clinton, bragging that he was a "Brother from a different mother", that was enough for me to stay out of the Bushes.

[Albion Wilde]

I agree Perot did not run a campaign effectively. But in those earlier days, I don’t think he or most other outside-the-Beltway types understood the depths of dirty tricks that originated from inside the Beltway. The threats against his daughter must have been very unsettling. It’s easy to blame him personally for being the tipping point when the system we cherished up until that time — schoolchildren were taught that everyone had a shot at rising up in life and even running for president (at least if you were a male) — was no longer going to be viable. I think Perot still believed that the Nixon dirty tricks were an aberration, and that he could be a reformer. The Roosevelts and Kennedys started the involvement of union and foreign money, but Poppy Bush made dirty tricks into an art form and the Clintons were only too happy to institutionalize both types of corruption into a permanent cynical contempt for the entire concept of “the consent of the governed.”