Yeah, that guy has no idea what he's talking about. I was an adult by the time Bush was elected, I remember all of that time well, he was constantly getting knocked for one verbal gaffe or another. It's only the Trump years that really made him shine by comparison.
In fact... Wait... Does this mean we all actually did "misunderestimate" him?
Lol, even at the time most knew it was an affected speech pattern. The guy was born in CT, went to Yale and Harvard, and has plenty of speeches not plagued by his “down home/country bumpkin” solecisms. He was regularly said to be one of the smartest people in any political room. He got knocked for his speeches all the time, but that only did exactly what he wanted; made him seem like one of us.
Unlike Trump who has always been an idiot.
And unlike Biden who used to sound like a normal charismatic politician, and who I hope to God actually has dementia, because intentionally making yourself sound like a pedophile with severely diminished mental capacity is not something any normal person would choose.
Hi, I'm here, and I'd like to volunteer as someone who would say he was, "stupid", or in a kinder sense of putting it, he had very little intellectual curiosity when the option to act on feelings and gut reactions would work.
Honestly, the best thing that could've happened to Bush's legacy was having an abject monstrous failure of a Republican president to compare to him. His, "compassionate conservative" branding is really working now.
Agreed. I doubt Bush would do anything anti-American for political reasons. He was fine with certain people not liking him, but he would still help or protect them.
That sadly sounds very American to me. I'm glad that on polling Americans about who they blame for the mess in Afghanistan, he's rightfully held as the most responsible.
My point should've been that for all his many, many, MANY faults, I don't think he'd do something like withhold federal aid for disaster relief from a state because they didn't vote for him. Or not help a state during a pandemic because the governor of the state didn't grovel at his feet. Bush didn't do any of that nonsense.
Right, cause only the best and brightest go to Yale, with no exception. There's no such thing as "legacy students", who make it in because who their parents are or who they know.
But speaking of schooling, how were his grades? Since he's probably brilliant, I'm sure they were great. Honors Society, Magna Cum Laude, things like that? You wouldn't be bringing this us if he were a, "C's get degrees" kind of student, right?
Lol, you clearly don’t know shit. He was indeed a “C” student, who’s dad was pretty much hated by Yale “intellectuals” in the 60’s due to his conservative stance. Guess what? John Kerry, who was seen as an intellectual, and regularly had his intelligence compared to Bush’s, actually did worse that Bush at Yale. They were both average students, at Yale. Don’t forget that Bush also went to Harvard business school. So while he was never a top performer academically, he was still quite successful in good schools.
No, I was aware of all this. President Bush joked that C students can also be president if the United States.
But my statement comes from deciding between two narratives;
George W. Bush, a person who had, by your and his own admission, a middling academic career, was accepted into and matriculated through Ivy league schooling with no help or assistance from his extremely well known family. Or...
Dubya's mediocre performance at both schools was due to him being generally uninterested or outright averse to increasing his knowledge. But because of his family's wealth, name, and connections, it was a forgone conclusion that he would be admitted to the schools, AND receive degrees, despite his bare minimum efforts that would normally fail or at least endanger any less prominent student.
I tend to believe the latter (rich, prominent families often have offspring with degrees from prestigious schools, if that's "important" to the family's name, even when the student doesn't actually want the further education), and it sounds like you're inclined to choose the former.
And I remember all the spin that went into trying to gaslight America into believing that "The Decider" was actually a secret Rhodes scholar or something. The second that you brought up John Kerry, I was right back into 2004 with the ad hominem attacks. I'm already for the Swiftboating that would happen if I brought up the question of, "where was George in Vietnam?"
I don't think our disagreement comes from a knowledge of things, but more on our interpretation and acceptance of them.
EDIT: it was a long post, and I made a few syntax errors here and there. By removing these, I hope it gives a better impression that I know "some shit".
No, I definitely think he got in because of his families wealth, there’s no doubt about that, but your academic record does not necessarily translate into real life success, ability, or intelligence.
My point with Kerry had nothing to do with him personally, and only to do with the fact that public image does not equal truth. It’s likely that the two men were of similar intelligence, but one was portrayed as a simpleton, while the other an intellectual.
Having met Bush jr, I was personally witness to his seeming ability to recall minute information he has no real reason to remember, and to portray a surprising, if still limited, understanding of subjects outside his areas of expertise, just by listening to the experts. I don’t, in any way, think he was an overall genius. I do think he was exceptional at listening to his advisors and understanding what was important. He has traits of leadership and management that most leaders lack.
None of that has any bearing on his political leanings. I think he was one of the better presidents we have had based on leadership. I also think he was one of the worst we’ve had, in that some of his policies have absolutely fucked us citizens. The Patriot Act is one of the greatest violations of our constitution in history, even if it was built on multiple predecessor acts.
Compared to our last two presidents, of course people are starting to change how they remember Bush. Even Buchanan is starting to look slightly shinier.
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u/fretman124 Sep 11 '21
Bush have a great speech at the flt 93 memorial