Why we loved Barbara
Throughout most of her 92 years, Barbara Bush was known to America through those with whom she shared the stage. She was, after all, wife of 73 years to the 41st President of the United States and mother to the 43rd, as well as to the two-term governor of Florida. But the reason the nation felt deep fondness for her had nothing to do with the men she supported, inspired and raised. Rather, it was because we the people — often a cynical bunch — sized up her character and judged her to be an honest and decent and caring and strong woman who maintained an abiding humility throughout a life of proximity to power.
Since we’re homers, we’ll ascribe at least some of that to the place of her birth: Flushing, Queens.
Yes, she was raised in the suburbs, and went on to a hoity-toity boarding school in South Carolina, and then married into a wealthy and connected family. But she always carried with her a refreshing refusal to project herself as above anybody else.
She threw herself into public service as a champion of literacy; with her husband George, she raised more than $100 million for the cause, and over $1 billion for other charitable pursuits.
The first First Lady to literally embrace H.I.V.-afflicted babies, she urged others to embody the same spirit of generosity.
“Some people give time, some money, some their skills and connections, some literally give their life’s blood. But everyone has something to give,” she once said.
The parallel to that profound human decency was a refreshing refusal to suffer fools on the often insufferable political stage. Her no-nonsense bluntness could be seen in her prescient 2013 take on son Jeb’s anticipated White House run: “There are other people out there that are very qualified and we’ve had enough Bushes.”
Nonetheless, after Jeb took the plunge, fiercely loyal 90-year-old Barbara hit the campaign trail. In one televised interview, asked if she wanted to say something about Donald Trump, she answered: “No, I do not. I don’t even think about him. I’m sick of him.”
In mourning the passing of Barbara Bush, we also mourn a GOP that believed in building up rather than blowing up and elevated public service over petty self-dealing.