RIP George H.W. Bush, my generation’s first president
Like a lot of people, I felt a loss when George H.W. Bush died late Friday. Not because I considered him to be an outstanding president — I’ll leave that call to others. But I will miss him because he was the first president elected by my generation.
Bush was the first president I voted for, just a few weeks after my 18th birthday. He was the face I saw and the voice I heard as the
Berlin Wall fell and American soldiers went to war in the Middle East while I was in college.
He was a national figure for my entire adult life.
When someone like that passes on, you can’t avoid reflecting a bit, and feeling maybe a small hit on your own mortality.
My first memory of Bush was after the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan in 1981. I was in fourth grade. We heard about it in school and when I came home I watched the news coverage. I still remember thinking, “Who would dare shoot the president of the United States?”
I also recall wondering who would take Reagan’s place if he died. At that age, I knew little and cared less about government or politics — boy, do I sometimes miss that innocence. The chain of succession to the Oval Office was not a concern. I was more interested in Legos, Matchbox cars and baseball cards.
That’s how I was introduced to Bush, the vice president, as the spotlight shined on him until it became clear that Reagan would pull through.
Through middle school and high school, my interest in politics grew but remained minimal. It was sports first with me. Bush always was in the picture, though, as vice president through Reagan’s term and then as a candidate to succeed him.
That was the first election I was old enough to vote.
He was the face I saw and the voice I heard as the Berlin Wall fell and American soldiers went to war in the Middle East while I was in college.
I can’t tell you why I picked Bush over Michael Dukakis, his Democratic challenger, in November 1988. I don’t recall being enamored with, or hating, any of Bush’s political positions. I don’t recall thinking that America needed to keep a Republican in office.
It probably came down to the fact that I knew more about Bush than Dukakis, knew he had been in the White House and trusted that meant he could do the job. I know now that’s not the the best way to cast your vote, but I was 18.
In college, my interests broadened and I paid more attention to what was going on politically. Bush was a focus of an interesting course, Election 1992, that I took during my senior year at Elizabethtown College. It analyzed his run against Bill Clinton.
I watched Bush squirm when his “Read my lips: no new taxes” campaign pledge backfired, when he signed legislation to raise taxes a few years later. That rightfully dogged him during his failed re-election campaign and opened my eyes about how politics work.
It’s easy to tell people what you think they want to hear in the hope they will vote for you, I learned, but it’s not so easy to keep your promise when faced with reality. And your opponents will never forget what you said, using it against you until the end of time.
Bush’s “thousand points of light” and his call for a “kinder, gentler” nation stuck with me as I’m sure they stuck with many of you. His encouragement that we help each other and be civil with each other will remain relevant forever.
As for his performance as president, I was too young and naive during his term to offer a meaningful evaluation. I will leave that to others who are better informed.
The few points I will offer are that while Operation Desert Storm seemed to be a big victory at the time and increased his popularity, the Middle East still is in turmoil nearly three decades later. And while Bush took heat for a recession during his term, any president can do only so much about the economy.
You will hear a lot about Bush over the next few days, until his funeral Wednesday. The accolades are well deserved. Bush played a significant role in our country’s history. And he played a significant role for my generation.
paul.muschick@mcall.com 610-820-6582 Paul Muschick’s columns are published Monday through Friday at themorningcall.com and Sunday, Wednesday and Friday in The Morning Call. Follow me on Facebook at PaulMuschickColumns, Twitter @mcwatchdog and themorningcall.com/muschick.