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Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Why I adore Laura Bush
Listening to her speak tonight at the Republican National Convention, I concluded that I adore Laura Bush because —
- She sounds like home to me. Midland is 60 miles from the much smaller town where I grew up, and I still hear it in her voice. She's a well-educated, stylish, poised woman who's worked hard to reach her personal potential, but she has never, ever tried to remanufacture herself to fit some elite concept. She's not trying to be Jackie Kennedy. She doesn't hate herself at all for being from Midland, Texas, and you know when you listen to her that she'd be equally accepting of you whether you were from from Bangor, Maine, or San Diego, California, or Roswell, New Mexico, or New York, New York, or Fargo, North Dakota.
- She has quiet, natural dignity. She is not timid, but she is entirely comfortable not being the star. She respects the grandeur of the position she's in but does not act at all like she thinks she's royalty.
- She realizes that she's the President's spouse and not an assistant President or a cabinet member.
- She also realizes that as the President's spouse, she can do something no assistant President or cabinet member can do — provide emotional stability and sustenance for the President 24/7/365, and thereby help him be a better man and a better President. And she takes that job seriously and does it well.
- She's the antithesis of Theresa Heinz Kerry. Whatever one thinks of Dubya, surely everyone can agree that Laura Bush won't be a hand grenade with a loose pin in the White House for the next four years.
Posted by Beldar at 10:05 PM in Politics (2006 & earlier) | Permalink
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Comments
(1) Polaris made the following comment | Aug 31, 2004 10:26:11 PM | Permalink
Beldar,
As usual, you've nailed it. Laura Bush comes across (probably because she is) honest, sincere, and very much in touch with what rank and file Americans of all political persuasions feel and fear. I found her to be very convincing.
Teresa Heinz-Kerry comes across (probably because she is) arrogant, elitist, and very much out of touch with middle America. That means that even otherwise Democratic supporters don't believe she is honest and sincere.
According to NPR, about 17% of the voters are more likely to vote for Bush because of his wife. For a first lady, that is a truly enormous political plus.
(2) OhMike made the following comment | Aug 31, 2004 10:27:21 PM | Permalink
Beldar,
Laura Bush is GRACIOUS. That's something that is mostly lost these days, so it is refreshing to see. I adore her too.
I don't doubt that she would make a Jersey boy like me feel welcome in Crawford, Texas. But you can bet I'll be doing what I can to make sure she and President Bush stay in Washingtom for four more years.
(3) ac halle made the following comment | Aug 31, 2004 10:43:58 PM | Permalink
Amen on all counts.
Mrs. Bush is a class act.
A phenomenal first class first lady.
AC Halle
(4) MeTooThen made the following comment | Aug 31, 2004 11:14:04 PM | Permalink
Beldar,
Sorry to add to the echo chamber, but boy did you get it right.
But I will add this descriptor, authentic.
Laura Bush is authentic, as wife, mother, Texan, First Lady, you name it. She comes across as being honest with herself, having self-awareness as to who she is and what matters to her, and is able to bring that to her relationships with others.
What is so striking to me, is that in a country that creates and exports so much Celebrity Worship and Cult of Personality, someone like Laura Bush isn't more idolized or fetishized.
Yet there remains within this nation a yearning for what authentic in people.
See the divide between those who believed in Reagan, and those who can only support John Forbes Kerry.
The same, I think, goes for the President. It was the meme tonight. No better friend, no worse enemy. He has strong beliefs, and he acts on them. Period.
Laura Bush is a rarity these days. I would add that she's a real treasure. The President is fortunate indeed, and by extension, so are we.
(5) PeterBoston made the following comment | Sep 1, 2004 7:25:07 AM | Permalink
Laura Bush is a genuine person, a class act, and above all else - an adult. A strange appraisal? Yes, until you notice that there is very little difference in juvenile rhetoric between the most vitriolic left wing blogs and the Kerry-Edwards official campaign sound bytes.
Most presidential elections are tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee but the contrasts in 2004 are startling.
(6) dennisw made the following comment | Sep 1, 2004 9:29:07 AM | Permalink
Laura Bush looks radiant and happy with herself. Not one bit neurotic. Teresa Heinz Ketchup exudes frustrated, unhappy vibes. Lots of churning going on there
(7) Glen made the following comment | Sep 1, 2004 10:44:07 AM | Permalink
King Solomon wrote: "Better to live on a corner of the roof than in a house with a contentious woman." And he didn't even have to worry about a prenup.
If (when) Kerry loses, I predict some major dislocations in the Heinz-Kerry household. BTW, when was the last time you saw a man marry a woman who wanted to keep her first husband's name? I guess it was worth it, since he got access to John Heinz's checkbook, but doesn't that take a little bloom off the romance?
(8) Tom Maguire made the following comment | Sep 1, 2004 12:27:37 PM | Permalink
Even the NY Times glowed about her. There just doesn't seem to be anything bad to say about Laura.
When do the "Best Loved Laura since Laura Petrie" comparisons start?
(9) Todd made the following comment | Sep 1, 2004 12:58:13 PM | Permalink
Laura Bush is, in a word, genuine. There are very few people like that in politics.
I believe she is the ideal of what a first lady should be. That doesn't mean one should vote for Bush because of his wife, but it does mean that those who vote for him get an extra bonus in having a woman like Laura by his side.
(10) DocC made the following comment | Sep 1, 2004 6:14:37 PM | Permalink
Dittos re: Laura.
Initially I felt uncomfortable with the Twins and, I suppose, after the fact, the convention planners would do things differently. Having said that, I believe the gestalt of the family presentation was positive: the Twins attractive and wholesome; Laura gracious and dignified; President Bush down-to-earth in shirt sleeves at a softball game. A terrific all-American family we can all relate to. Contrast: an image of a Kerry daughter with breasts exposed; Teresa arrogant and self-centered; Kerry unable to connect with middle America. Each night, so far, has been a nail in Kerry's election coffin.
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