Bush’s death end of ‘culture of civility’

GOP laments divide that dominates US modern politics

WASHINGTON, Nov 4, (AP): Facing the nation for the first time as its president, George H.W. Bush vowed to lead with humility, moral principle and a spirit of unity.

Deep successes “are made not of gold and silk but of better hearts and finer souls,” Bush said in 1989, adding: “America is never wholly herself unless she is engaged in high moral principle. We as a people have such a purpose today. It is to make kinder the face of the nation and gentler the face of the world.”

Nearly three decades later, Bush’s inaugural address stands in sharp contrast with that of President Donald Trump, a fellow Republican whose brand is defined by material success, unrestrained aggression toward his rivals and disdain for traditional coalitions at home and abroad. Their presidencies separated by a single generation, the nation’s 41st and 45th presidents shared little in personality or worldview.

And beyond personality, the conflicting presidencies underscore just how little remains today of the Grand Old Party that Bush once led. Trump’s GOP has undercut long-cherished Republican pillars of free trade, federal spending and environmental protection.

One of Bush’s former senior aides, Ron Kaufman, now a Republican national committeeman from Massachusetts, said Bush’s death marked “the end of a culture - a culture of civility.”

Above all, Kaufman and other Republican leaders - many Trump supporters - lamented the partisan divide that dominates modern politics in America, made even starker when compared to the style and substance of Bush.

“The Bush family raised the level of public decency in American politics,” former South Carolina GOP Chairman Matt Moore said. “They’re just kind and generous. We need more of that, frankly, in American politics.”

Public service was the norm for Bush, who held diplomatic posts at the United Nations and in China - along with leading the Republican National Committee and the CIA - before taking office. Bush promoted the value of cooperation as commander in chief, leading the United States into the first

Corp, in 2008 had won a $35 billion contract to build its MRTT aerial refueling tankers for the US Air Force, only to see the deal overturned amid political pressure. (RTRS)

Frats, sororities sue Harvard:

Several national fraternities and sororities sued Harvard University on Monday over a 2016 rule that discourages students from joining single-gender social clubs, marking the first legal challenge to the school’s policy.

Two fraternities and two sororities filed a lawsuit in Boston’s federal court, while another sorority separately sued the school in Massachusetts state court. Both cases Persian Gulf War only after assembling a broad international coalition to help repeal Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

And at home, Bush was a master of smaller gestures that highlighted his belief in the value of personal relationships. He wrote personal notes, sent

argue that the school’s policy discriminates against students based on their sex and spreads negative stereotypes about students who join all-male or all-female organizations.

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gifts and stayed in touch with political allies and adversaries alike.

Just two years ago, Bush sent Kaufman what he says may be his favorite Christmas gift of all time: a picture of the five living presidents signed by each of them.

Harvard officials did not immediately provide a comment about the lawsuits.

Similar legal challenges have been rare but not unheard of. Wesleyan University was sued by one of its two fraternities after the Connecticut school ordered them to go co-ed in 2014. A jury sided with the fraternity last year, but the school is appealing the decision.

At Harvard, single-gender groups aren’t banned, but students who join them are barred from leading campus groups or becoming captains of sports teams. The school also refuses to endorse the students for prestigious fellowships, including the Rhodes and Marshall scholarships. (AP)