December 27 - Where Are They Now? Wednesday - GW Bush
This week’s Where Are They Now? Wednesday is George W. Bush.
Actually it is where would GW Bush be had Gerald Ford had been Ronald Reagan’s Vice President?
Let me step back.
Gerald Ford the 38th President from 1974-1977 died on Tuesday. He was 93. Tragically, news organizations are trying to determine the cause of death, was it pneumonia or congestive heart failure or doctor error? Let me solve this mystery. He WAS 93! He died of old age. We should all be so lucky.
In 1980, when I was just coming into my political awareness, the Republican Convention was held in Detroit, MI. Ronald Reagan had won the Republican nomination and was set to square off against the incumbent President Jimmy Carter in the national election. The only mystery was who would be Reagan’s running mate?
One rumor was that former President Gerald Ford would be on the ticket. The only point of contention was an obscure term that was coined, “Co-Presidency.” Ford wanted more powers than the ceremonial duties of attending the state funerals. Reagan was a shoo-in for election and did not need Ford. Under Carter, there was double-digit inflation, 19% interest rates, and the Iranian hostage crisis was lingering. Reagan said, “Thanks, but No Thanks” and took George Bush, Sr. as his VP.
The rest is history.
But I wonder, what would history have been like had Reagan and Ford come to terms.
George Bush would NOT have been the incumbent VP in 1988 when he ran against Michael Dukakis. Ford would have been 75 in 1988 and maybe would not have run. Or maybe he would have pulled a Glover Cleveland. Another probable and possible successor to Reagan would have been Bob Dole. At any rate, ANYONE could have beaten Dukakis.
But most importantly if George Bush Sr. does not win in 1988, George W. Bush does not become Governor of Texas and certainly does not win the presidency in 2000. He would still be operating a mid-sized, money losing, Oil Company in Midland TX.
When you watch the Ford funeral this week, pay close attention to Al Gore. He will be weeping the loudest and longest.
Ironically, Jeb Bush will pay the largest price. He is obviously the smarter brother. He will be forever tainted by his brother’s legacy.
The phrase “Co-Presidency” will become part of the vernacular in 2008. Hillary Clinton and her ilk will infuse the term into her Presidential run. She will try to conjure up her own memories of a Camelot in the 1990s. She will be a revisionist historian as she tells us how great Bill was, and how we will be getting him in the package when voting for her.
Bill Clinton tried to use a similar refrain when he stated in 1992, “that you get 2 for 1, if you vote for me.” Bill continued this talk until his wife’s numbers started to bring him down.
Speaking of going down, I expect if Bill Clinton hits the campaign trail, we will see archived news footage of Monica Lewinsky in 2008 as well. I guess her 15 minutes will never end.
Actually it is where would GW Bush be had Gerald Ford had been Ronald Reagan’s Vice President?
Let me step back.
Gerald Ford the 38th President from 1974-1977 died on Tuesday. He was 93. Tragically, news organizations are trying to determine the cause of death, was it pneumonia or congestive heart failure or doctor error? Let me solve this mystery. He WAS 93! He died of old age. We should all be so lucky.
In 1980, when I was just coming into my political awareness, the Republican Convention was held in Detroit, MI. Ronald Reagan had won the Republican nomination and was set to square off against the incumbent President Jimmy Carter in the national election. The only mystery was who would be Reagan’s running mate?
One rumor was that former President Gerald Ford would be on the ticket. The only point of contention was an obscure term that was coined, “Co-Presidency.” Ford wanted more powers than the ceremonial duties of attending the state funerals. Reagan was a shoo-in for election and did not need Ford. Under Carter, there was double-digit inflation, 19% interest rates, and the Iranian hostage crisis was lingering. Reagan said, “Thanks, but No Thanks” and took George Bush, Sr. as his VP.
The rest is history.
But I wonder, what would history have been like had Reagan and Ford come to terms.
George Bush would NOT have been the incumbent VP in 1988 when he ran against Michael Dukakis. Ford would have been 75 in 1988 and maybe would not have run. Or maybe he would have pulled a Glover Cleveland. Another probable and possible successor to Reagan would have been Bob Dole. At any rate, ANYONE could have beaten Dukakis.
But most importantly if George Bush Sr. does not win in 1988, George W. Bush does not become Governor of Texas and certainly does not win the presidency in 2000. He would still be operating a mid-sized, money losing, Oil Company in Midland TX.
When you watch the Ford funeral this week, pay close attention to Al Gore. He will be weeping the loudest and longest.
Ironically, Jeb Bush will pay the largest price. He is obviously the smarter brother. He will be forever tainted by his brother’s legacy.
The phrase “Co-Presidency” will become part of the vernacular in 2008. Hillary Clinton and her ilk will infuse the term into her Presidential run. She will try to conjure up her own memories of a Camelot in the 1990s. She will be a revisionist historian as she tells us how great Bill was, and how we will be getting him in the package when voting for her.
Bill Clinton tried to use a similar refrain when he stated in 1992, “that you get 2 for 1, if you vote for me.” Bill continued this talk until his wife’s numbers started to bring him down.
Speaking of going down, I expect if Bill Clinton hits the campaign trail, we will see archived news footage of Monica Lewinsky in 2008 as well. I guess her 15 minutes will never end.
Labels: WATN
posted by J. Jay @ 8:42 PM
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1 Comments:
If Ifs and buts were candy and nuts .....
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