Bush’s people did more than “go along” with the loans-for-unqualified homebuyers schemes. They actively promoted the policy. Rove saw it as a way to expand the Republican base. Bush SIGNED a law that had the federal government paying the down-payments for people who couldn’t afford to buy homes on their own. And he BRAGGED about that law:
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/12/20031216-9.html
One thing Trump is willing to say that other GOP candidates won’t admit publicly: Bush was not a good president. Most Americans believe that, so the GOP will have a hard time until it stops evading that fact.
THANKS! I had forgotten that. There was some sick theory that if a person (or family) “owned” their home, they would instantly become MUCH MORE RESPONSIBLE citizens.
Like you, I remember saying “huh” and cringing at that theory. It made NO SENSE, in part because they were never going to “own” their home anyway - they’d just replace rent with mortgage payments.
I agree, Bush was a DISASTER in many, many, areas (although he was a very nice guy in person) and it’s good to see Trump making that point.