While I do view my self as a liberal, or as time goes by more accurately, a progressive, I try to understand the points of view of those who call themselves conservatives. In fact I have some very close friends who are conservative whose opinions I deeply respect, and often they serve as compass so I don’t get caught too deep in the left’s own rhetoric. And I hope that sometimes I serve as their compass when the similar is true.
But no matter how sure and steady the compass, nothing could steer us around the comments made today by former first lady Barbara Bush when touring the hurricane relief centers in Houston. And no amount of sugar coating and cries of pulling quotes out of context can diminish their impact.
Barbara Bush said and I quote:
“And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway so this (chuckles) — this is working very well for them.”
An MP3 of the quote can be heard here.
Her words speak volumes, matched only by the deafening silence of our elected officials (on both sides of the aisle) where outrage is replaced with self-congratulation and gratuitous backslapping. The under current that runs beneath her words reflects a broader view I am both simultaneously reluctant and angered to acknowledge, and I refuse to allow her words to be easily excused by either age or station.
But this is only the latest in a string of embarrassing comments made by both sides over the last several days. And I am certain it won’t be the last. It is no way to honor those who have died and those who struggle even now. Only the great citizens of our country who are opening, the hearts, homes and pocketbooks honor them, with or without trotting out George Bush Sr. and Bill Clinton in the relief effort. Perhaps if our government had been better prepared it wouldn’t have been necessary to bring former presidents out of retirement.
—
With regards to my previous post….
I admit that my previous comments about the aftermath of Katrina may have been posted too soon, the disaster and the sense of loss more than most could cope with. But I posted it in the idea of those of us who could not directly contribute to the relief effort, could at least begin to analyze and perhaps question how it was handled. We owe nothing less to those who have passed on.
September 5th, 2005 at 10:18 pm
Very powerful words Elvis and I am glad you pointed it out. In keeping with the “loose lips” title, and using my own power term, Let me say it in a way that I more comfortable and without the sugar…WHAT A C**T! To be expected, no not of me, of her, she did give birth to our president right…
September 7th, 2005 at 7:48 am
In the interest of fairness and journalistic accuracy, let’s read the entire quote:
“What I’m hearing is that they want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. (insert the out-of-context quote here sans chuckle) They have a new home in Texas which they like.”
Considering the fact that it was Barbara Bush who said this, I doubt that reading the entire quote will change your opinion in any way, but I think it is only fair to read it in context.
Even more interesting is the first comment that was posted in reply to this column. What wonderfully appropriate language and such a thoughtful and insightful conclusion. (Just in case anyone reading this thinks I am being serious, please look up the word sarcasm in Webster’s)
September 7th, 2005 at 6:28 pm
From the Author:
Frankly, I wouldn’t care who said it. It is unconscionable regardless of the context, (unless of course she quoting Dickens). And I am a little tired of the suggestion that well since I don’t like them anyway because I’m a liberal, nothing is going to sway my opinion. If Nancy Pelosi had said it… Or Kennedy. Or Clinton… I would be equally outraged, and hope it is not being suggested otherwise.
And while we are at it… let’s address the full context of the quote… which I will do so in its “entirety
September 9th, 2005 at 9:50 pm
When I first heard this I was utterly dumbfounded by the fact that somebody had the nerve to say this. What made me furious was the fact that it was the former first lady Barbara Bush who said it. How dare this woman say those words to her citizens who just lost everything to the Hurricane Katrina. It is utterly insensitive and inappropriate for a woman of her stature to say “And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway so this (chuckles) — this is working very well for them.