The many roles

The many roles

of George Bush

He entered into the 1988 election burdened with the “wimp” factor, a reluctant convert to Ronald Reagan’s Republicanism, but, nevertheless, his loyal lackey.

Suddenly, this well-bred, well-mannered patrician unleashed one of the most vicious campaigns in presidential history stunning both Republicans and Democrats alike. The wimp factor began to fade, but the bad taste in your mouth did not.

This now “tough” presidential candidate told us, “Read my lips, no new taxes.” Given his new persona, many chose to believe he meant it.

He didn’t. The 1990 budget deal, granted, a move to deal with the deficit, raised taxes at a time when Americans were struggling with one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression.

But it appeared Wat George Bush didn’t know about the recession, or at least, seemed to think it was any big deal. By his own admission, raising taxes has proven to be one of his greatest tactical errors, but, at the time, he was preparing himself for yet another role — the Clint Eastwood persona.

The cool customer who took on Saddam Hussein scored the highest approval rating of any president since World War II. He was a hero, America was number one again and everything was peachy with the president.

But, despite the momentary euphoria and a slight uptick in the economy after the end of the war, it soon became apparent that things weren’t getting any better for the American people. The real estate and construction industries were dead in the water, blue and white collar workers were being laid off with regularity, our biggest investments, our homes, shrunk in value and our banks closed before our very eyes.

Where was Clint Eastwood now? After tl)e fact and deep into the recession, a new role was played out — a president who said he cared about the hardships Americans were suffering, but what could he do with a stubbpm Democratic Congress who refused to go along with any of his programs?