Everyone made fun of George H.W. Bush when he said he wanted “a kinder, gentler nation,” but I wouldn’t mind that right now at all

r/

To be clear, I’m a fan of the sentiment, not the politician

Comments

  1. TedW Avatar

    I never thought I’d miss George H.W. Bush.

  2. adamosity1 Avatar

    I used to work on a cruise ship where he was a fairly frequent guest on. Every single crew member who interacted with him used the same word to describe him: “gentleman.”

    Regardless of your political leanings, we need a gentleman (or gentlewoman) in power who treats everyone with kindness, decency, and respect.

  3. ODCreature98 Avatar

    The thing is, America was a successful nation because other countries were able to rely on it and it builds networks. Trump burning bridges is not helpful for a country that heavily relies on its relationship with the rest of the world

  4. Marquis_de_Dustbin Avatar

    Literally everything (EVERYTHING) that’s happening right now is down to Obama and the Democrats choosing not to prosecute the Bush Admin for their myriad of crimes against humanity as well as economic fraud. 

    The sending of people to death camps was created under bush but it happened to Pakistanis rather than Americans (mostly) so no one gave a shit. 

  5. natetheloner Avatar

    I’m telling you there’s an enemy that would like to attack America, Americans, again. There just is. That’s the reality of the world. And I wish him all the very best.”

    “Families is where nations find hope, where wings take dream.”

  6. siclo99 Avatar

    I get the general sentiment for a “normal” person in office, but the nostalgia for one of the world’s war criminals with the blood of millions on his hands is disturbing to say the least.

  7. Count_Hogula Avatar

    >Everyone made fun of George H.W. Bush when he said he wanted “a kinder, gentler nation,” but I wouldn’t mind that right now at all

    Leftists called him a Nazi, too.

  8. Trick-March-grrl Avatar

    A kinder, gentler machine gun hand. If you think Bush had your interests in mind, well, Keep on Rockin in the Free World. He’s a big reason we’re in this mess.

  9. ToDieRegretfully Avatar

    That’s a write-off. Gee Dub is a fucking idiot. People tried “gentle”, non-violently protesting by the hundreds of thousands and then there was Luigi and he had a bigger impact in a moment than all of them had for years.

  10. rawkguitar Avatar

    We’ve got the kinder, gentler machine gun hand.

  11. 36chandelles Avatar

    it’s because he’s a lying piece of shit, just like all politicians.

  12. beach_2_beach Avatar

    And he was a competent one too. CIA director.

  13. Meat_Frame Avatar

    What a dog shit stupid OP. Reagan and Bush dismantled the US manufacturing base and sent it to developing nations, and used their reserve currency status of the US dollar to buy those goods for fractions. A brutal class war against the workers of the world, trapping low and middle income nations, making sure domestic workers had fewer and more tenuous employment with fewer rights. But no he was polite… while his brain was still functioning. After he was in the depths of his alzheimers he was groping every woman within arms reach. 

    Also he deliberately allowed tens of thousands of AIDS victims to die. 

  14. Agile-Entry-5603 Avatar

    Same here. I’ve had my fill of the psycho crowd.

  15. ircsmith Avatar

    Everyone here waxing over HW really need to understand how evil the Bush family is. They financed concentration camps in Nazi Germany! They were part of Eugenics, the little plan to sterilize 14 million Americas! HW and W are evil people from a horrible family.

    Forgot the link. https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/08/275635.html

  16. Fun_in_Space Avatar

    They were making fun of him because he was lying. Look up his role in the Iran Contra scandal.

  17. Real_Sir_3655 Avatar

    Pretty sure HW played a role in overthrowing the leaders of Nicaragua, Grenada, Panama, and Chile.

    He was neither kind, nor gentle.

  18. saul2015 Avatar

    so if Trump said he wanted a kinder gentler nation you would just forget about about everything bad he did? because thats how foolish you sound right now

  19. Significant_King7453 Avatar

    Iraq, and the guys we sent, wouldn’t have minded a kindler, gentler nation either, probably.

  20. SatisfactionLow508 Avatar

    How far we fallen when a literal war criminal responsible for countless deaths and terror seemed like a “nice guy.”

  21. ShaperLord777 Avatar

    Yea, meanwhile he started the largest domestic surveillance operation this country has ever seen and hostly invaded a foreign country under false pretenses.

  22. pillage Avatar

    You literally could have had that with Mitt Romney and instead Biden said he was coming to reinstitute slavery for black people.

  23. Latter_War_4008 Avatar

    Made fun of him because he murdered a quarter million people in the middle east 

  24. lazlo871 Avatar

    Yeah, he said that. His actions both in terms of domestic and foreign policy kinda didn’t ever see that borne out.

  25. chocolatepop Avatar

    Everyone made fun of him because of the irony. He is a war criminal.

  26. WeathermanOnTheTown Avatar

    I’m a fan of his foreign policy. Bush Sr was our last great foreign policy president.

  27. GoofyKitty4UUU Avatar

    Well at least he wasn’t a narcissist. Fuck war tho.

  28. MalkaviousM Avatar

    I feel dirty saying this, but honestly, i miss W.
    I’d take him over whatever fuckery has infected us a nation now any fucking day of the week.

  29. Matt01123 Avatar

    It was more laughable because of who said it. A former CIA director doesn’t get to tell anyone else to be kind and gentle.

  30. Freak-Wency Avatar

    We laughed because we knew he didn’t mean it.

    HW was the CIA handler of Lee Harvey Oswald, the originator of Air America (look it up), among other things.

  31. Patralgan Avatar

    I don’t understand why one would make fun of him about that

  32. Szarvaslovas Avatar

    People made fun of him because he said that and did the opposite. If you want a kinder world, start acting kinder.

  33. Extra_Smoke5788 Avatar

    Ironic that the imperial Predidency had its roots in Dubya and the Patriot Act

  34. TechnicianUpstairs53 Avatar

    That’s like trump saying, “be nice”. Go away bush family PR bot.

  35. ArpyFlow Avatar

    Get over it, toughen up, life is hard!

  36. Inspector_Spherical6 Avatar

    fr we could use a little more kindness and a lil less rage these days 😮‍💨 not tryna start a group hug or anything but damn people out here ready to fight over parking spots and cereal brands.

  37. LackingLack Avatar

    Huh

    I don’t think people made fun of him for saying that

    They pointed out the insane contradictions of him saying it most likely, given his policies and track record

  38. Agitated-Ad5206 Avatar

    I remember studying in the US while the Iraq War was mongered. We all thought his son, G.W Bush, was the least intelligent and least compassionate president you could imagine.

    In hindsight, the man wanted to ‘leave no child behind’. He halved the number of HIV transmissions in Africa.

    How we would all thank God for his ‘compassionate conservatism’ today.

  39. Beginning_Book_751 Avatar

    Bush fucking opposed the Civil Rights act and pardoned the people who carried out Iran-Contra, he was a fucking monster and this was a lie. Stop. Fucking. Believing. Conservatives.

  40. AdamSMessinger Avatar

    Even if this was said, it very likely came from a place of “I wish people would stop criticizing me and let me do whatever I want.”

  41. SilverAgeSurfer Avatar

    Trump is the only sentiment that matters right now!!!!

    .Ang. Ah  Lahh!!!

    U Have 2 Pay!!!!😂

  42. Unfair_Scar_2110 Avatar

    He meant “I’m a Christian, vote for me!”

  43. Gouwenaar2084 Avatar

    It’s a shame he didn’t practice what he preached. This is the same Bush who once declared that atheists weren’t patriots nor good people, but sure, he wanted a ‘kinder’ America. As long as you fit into his limited view of what America was.

  44. Cronus6 Avatar

    Honestly, he was the most qualified President of my lifetime (and I go back to Carter, well technically Ford was my first President I guess) :

    • 1942-1945: Lieutenant Junior Grade in the U.S. Navy †
    • 1948: Graduated from Yale University
    • 1963: Chair of the Harris County Republican Party
    • 1967-1971: U.S. representative for Texas’ 7th Congressional District
    • 1971-1972: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
    • 1973-1974: Chair of the Republican National Committee
    • 1974-1975: Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office in the People’s Republic of China
    • 1976-1977: Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
    • 1981-1989: Vice president of the United States under Ronald Reagan

    † While in the Navy he was a pilot and was shot down over the Pacific and was rescued by a fucking submarine!

    So active US military who saw real service, well educated, long history of political offices, Ambassador to the UN and Liasion to China, Head of the fucking CIA, and Vice President.

    Like him or not, agree with him or not everyone can see that’s an impressive list of qualifications for the job.

  45. nouskeys Avatar

    It’s good nostalgia, but the Heritage Foundation has been shaping policy since early 80’s.

  46. SPLooooosh Avatar

    Fuck bush America was not kind nor gentle under that rat fucker you know worthless eaters.

  47. nouskeys Avatar

    Give me him everyday. He didn’t start an insurrection and wasn’t totally attached to power. He had his ups and downs, though.

  48. Careful-Release-2723 Avatar

    He wanted a world where he could have his wealth, power, and privilege built on the backs of others without having to feel bad. That’s why wealthy people tone police so much; when confronted with the reality of their lifestyles, they misinterpret their own discomfort when confronted as aggression.

  49. Pee-Pee-TP Avatar

    Nah, when you make everyone out to be the devil, something worse comes up. Stop with the superlatives and things would get better.

  50. ChickinSammich Avatar

    I cannot think of a single Republican president or presidential runner-up in my entire lifetime who was worse than Trump.

    Yes, including Reagan. I’d rather have Reagan as president than Trump.

  51. Dino_P0rn Avatar

    If only he had done something to advance that sentiment. Instead of starting wars and killing a whole bunch if innocent people.

  52. badman44 Avatar

    The war criminal? Yeah, that tracks.

  53. Remote-Patient-1214 Avatar

    I guess at least he was willing to give us some beautiful bullshit to hang onto.

  54. Longjumping-Wish2432 Avatar

    I thought the bush Jr was going to go down in history as the dumbest president ever but Trump took the cake

  55. Otherwise-Juice-3528 Avatar

    HW Bush was a great President, last great Republican. Was willing to raise taxes. Kept international order in place during collapse of Soviet Union. It could have gone differently.

    Also didn’t escalate Gulf War 1 into a fiasco.

  56. yourFavoriteCrayon Avatar

    people made fun of him because of the president he was

    he was not nice, he was not “gentle”. He was a war mongering piece of shit and a hypocrite.

    I know he’s trying to buy back his soul now, but it aint happening. He may fool some, but not all

  57. pricklypineappledick Avatar

    George H.W. Bush was a mass murderer responsible for countless atrocities to humanity domestically and across the globe

  58. randijackson949 Avatar

    He said that while faking dead babies in incubators in the middle east, you ignorant fuck wit. Two people want kinder and gentler behavior: kindergarten teachers and people who commit war crimes that don’t want to be punished for it.

  59. onioning Avatar

    I still believe that of the many people who ran for the Republican ticket in 2016, Bush v3 was the best option. His policies are of course horrible, but his rhetoric was uniting and empowering, and that matters so very much. As we’re seeing, the tone the president takes has real world impacts. It’s among the most powerful tools they have.

    One of the more obnoxious things of this whole fascism thing is that while I used to want an anti-establishment president, now I’d be oh so thankful to just have Bushes and Clintons forever. And that’s a powerfully awful thing.

  60. hear_to_read Avatar

    Wrong

    The mainstream media and anyone on the left made fun.

    Ironic isn’t it?

  61. Global_Walrus1672 Avatar

    Interesting – someone posts that they wish people were kinder to each other, and basically more tolerant and the responses are just a bunch of attacks and rants.

    There used to be a day (back in the 60s, 70s) when people could talk about issues and politicians they did not like or agree with and yet still remain civil to each other and continue to attend family events and enjoy each other. I know I lived it and was on the radical side, but still loved other people and respected their opinions. If I felt they were uninformed, I informed them of things I knew about without labelling or calling them names in anger. They discussed back what they felt they knew, or questions. I changed many adult’s minds on key issues and even if not, usually found common ground where I could see some of their point at least and they could see mine.

  62. m_xer6 Avatar

    Shut the fuck up, we’re not rehabilitating Bush

  63. Synonymous11 Avatar

    That’s because he was lying.

  64. JustabikeguyinROA Avatar

    I’d take either of the Bush’s back at this point

  65. greyhat98 Avatar

    Politicians say lots of nice things and very rarely ever mean it. Bush said that, and then killed a million innocent Iraqis, so fuck him and his sentiment.

  66. IMnotaRobot55555 Avatar

    Well maybe he, his son, and those he put in power like Cheney and Rumsfeld shouldn’t have contributed to making it the hateful cesspool it is.

    Tho to be fair, he spoke about immigrants with far greater respect than his party did later

  67. Mind_Mischief_xx Avatar

    Fuck W, he did 9/11. Daddy likely shot JFK. That family is a stain on America

  68. Nimue_- Avatar

    If every country strifed to be a kinder gentler nation, we would have a much nicer world to live in.

  69. Low-Commercial-5364 Avatar

    Lmao God forbid you praise something a Republican said without making sure all the other cultists know that you didn’t violate your vows.

    Hey reddit, you guys ever honestly consider whether you’re the other half of the problem?

  70. Lori424242 Avatar

    People have to work at that, and they are just not up for it presently. It’d be a lot healthier for people.

  71. Ilovemiia1 Avatar

    Then let’s make this nation that ourselves! We have more power than you all believe!

  72. A_band_of_pandas Avatar

    True strength is building bridges, not burning them.

  73. HourAd6756 Avatar

    he was literally the director of the CIA and then the president and oversaw horrific violence like the destruction of Iraq, he was not kind or gentle he was a monster.

    That being said he actually was more moderate than republicans nowadays, he did try to restrain the real maniacs like Cheney and rumsfeld, now cheney is a democrat so that shows you how fascist american politics has become