The Republicans have been re writing history for years. They have managed to turn Ronald Reagan into Saint Ronnie. But the latest twist on this is they are trying to convince us that George W Bush never existed. Now of course this is understandable – the Bush presidency was one of the most disastrous in recent history.
George W. Bush will not be giving speeches on behalf of his brother anytime soon. In fact, if the Republican establishment has its way, Dubya won’t be anywhere near a camera for the 2016 election. (Who could forget his five-minute boilerplate video, shown in lieu of his attendance at the 2012 Republican National Convention?) His disappearance from the national spotlight is a strange phenomenon in contemporary American politics. Under normal circumstances, Bush would take his place along other ex-presidents as a national figurehead of some influence, especially with his brother as a presidential candidate. Yet, his deafening silence is indicative of not only his disastrous administration, but the GOP’s attempt to erase him from the country’s memory.
I’m sure that the Republican establishment cringed when Jeb Bush said his brother would be his mid east foreign policy adviser.
This upcoming election marks the latest great GOP purge of history. The disappearing Dubya isn’t a coincidence. It’s part of a larger trend of former Republican presidential candidates being faded to black by the party whose mascot, ironically, is the elephant, an animal known for memory and longevity. In contrast to this systematic erasure, the Democrats trots out its winners and losers every four years. We still hear from Jesse Jackson, Al Gore and Bill Clinton—and John Kerry, of course, is a key part of the Obama administration. It’s presumed that when President Obama finishes his last day in office, he will also be a public figure working both internationally and within the party.
The Republicans will try to convince the American people that all of the problems in the Middle East are the fault of Obama but:
Unfortunately for the Republicans, Democrats and independents do have functioning memory cells. They can recall two disastrous wars, mismanagement of Hurricane Katrina, the war profiteering of Vice President Dick Cheney, rampant Wall Street deregulation, and huge tax cuts for the rich that helped the national debt to balloon out of control in tandem with defense spending. Unlike Reagan, there is no health reason for Dubya’s lack of public appearances. In fact, he is still around and healthy as a horse, perhaps due to all his vacation time as president. (Bush holds the title of all-time great presidential vacationer, clocking in at more than 400 days of R&R.)
This problem is exacerbated by the fact they may nominate another Bush.