Islands of Civility: 41's Note to 42
Losing the Presidential election in 1992 must have been very hard for President George H. W. Bush. Just a year previously, in the spring of 1991, Bush was enjoying an unprecedented 90% approval rating, fresh from a victory in the Gulf War and the rapid defeat of Iraq. But in the intervening months, Bush had alienated much of his conservative base by breaking his 1988 campaign pledge against raising taxes. The economy was in a recession, and Bush's perceived greatest strength, foreign policy, was regarded as much less important following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the relatively peaceful climate in the Middle East after the end of the Gulf War.
Bush faced modest opposition for his party's nomination in the form of Conservative journalist Pat Buchanan. The first real sign of trouble for Bush came on February 18, 1992, when Buchanan almost won the New Hampshire primary. Bush won by a 53–38% margin, but his support had eroded. Meanwhile, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton proved to be a political Lazarus, emerging from an early series of scandals to win his party's nomination, in part because some of the party's better known potential candidates, such as New York Governor Mario Cuomo, felt that Bush could not be defeated.
The independent candidacy of billionaire Texan Ross Perot added to Bush's woes. At one point Perot was leading the major party candidates in the polls. Perot crusaded against the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), internal and external national debt, tapping into voters' potential fear of the deficit. His volunteers succeeded in collecting enough signatures to get his name on the ballot in all 50 states. In June, Perot led the national public opinion polls with support from 39% of the voters (versus 31% for Bush and 25% for Clinton).
As the economy continued to grow sour, Democrats began to rally around their nominee. The Clinton campaign received the biggest convention "bounce" in history, going from 25 percent in the spring, behind Bush and Perot, to 55 percent versus Bush's 31 percent after the convention. Clinton and Gore began a bus tour around the United States, while the Bush/Quayle campaign adopted a strategy of attacks on Clinton's character, highlighting accusations of infidelity and draft dodging. Bush contrasted his military service to Clinton's lack thereof, and criticized Clinton's lack of foreign policy expertise. But the economy was the main issue of interest to voters and Bush's campaign floundered, even in strongly Republican areas. One of Clinton's slogans was "it's the economy, stupid", which intended to portray Bush as out of touch with the economic struggles of ordinary Americans. As Bush's economic edge had evaporated, his campaign looked to energize its socially conservative base at the 1992 Republican National Convention in Houston, Texas. Bush saw a small post-convention bounce in the polls, but this was short lived.
On November 3, Bill Clinton won the election by a wide margin in the Electoral College, receiving 43 percent of the popular vote against Bush's 37 percent and Perot's 19%. It was the first time since 1968 that a candidate won the White House with under 50 percent of the popular vote. Only Washington, D.C. and Clinton's home state of Arkansas gave the majority of their votes to a single candidate in the entire country. The rest were won by pluralities of the vote. The election was not without its share of dirty politics, including reporter Andrew Rosenthal's false report that Bush was "astonished" to see a demonstration of a supermarket scanner.
One might expect that such a defeat might have left the 41st President a bitter man. But Bush proved to have too strong a character to succumb to such a base emotion. Bush's Saturday Night Live impersonator Dana Carvey imitated the 41st President with the line "I'm not bitter" and that proved to be an accurate sentiment. In Bush's case, civility prevailed over resentment.
In recent years it has been a tradition for the outgoing President to leave his successor a note on the oval office desk. Ronald Reagan had left his successor (Bush) a note on some stationery bearing the legend: “Don’t let the turkeys get you down” which read:
“You’ll have moments when you want to use this particular stationery. Well, go to it. George, I treasure the memories we share and wish you all the very best. You’ll be in my prayers. God bless you and Barbara. I’ll miss our Thursday lunches. Ron.”
Bush took the tradition a step farther, making it clear that the prosperity of the country was what mattered most. Though his successor was a man from a different party, and a man who had taught him a lesson in electoral humility, Bush did not hold a grudge. He wrote the following note to the incoming president:
Dear Bill,
When I walked into this office just now I felt the same sense of wonder and respect that I felt four years ago. I know you will feel that, too.
I wish you great happiness here. I never felt the loneliness some Presidents have described.
There will be very tough times, made even more difficult by criticism you may not think is fair. I’m not a very good one to give advice; but just don’t let the critics discourage you or push you off course.
You will be our President when you read this note. I wish you well. I wish your family well.
Your success now is our country’s success. I am rooting hard for you.
Good luck – George
In their respective post-presidencies, the two men have maintained a friendship that ignores political differences. They worked together in 2005 in an unprecedented private fundraising drive for victims of the Indian ocean tsunami disaster to help address the widespread suffering caused by the earthquake-triggered tsunamis that struck the region on December 26, 2004. Just last month the two were photographed together and Bush, who is famous for his affinity for colorful socks, showed off a pair that had Clinton’s face on them. In a tweet, he remarked: “Special visit today with a great friend — and now, a best-selling author. Luckily I had a freshly laundered pair of @BillClinton socks to mark the occasion.”
In an era when civility is becoming a lost art, and those on both sides of the political spectrum feel justified in their disparagement of individuals rather than their policies, George H. W. Bush has left a legacy of civility that now seems to be needed more than ever.
Bush faced modest opposition for his party's nomination in the form of Conservative journalist Pat Buchanan. The first real sign of trouble for Bush came on February 18, 1992, when Buchanan almost won the New Hampshire primary. Bush won by a 53–38% margin, but his support had eroded. Meanwhile, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton proved to be a political Lazarus, emerging from an early series of scandals to win his party's nomination, in part because some of the party's better known potential candidates, such as New York Governor Mario Cuomo, felt that Bush could not be defeated.
The independent candidacy of billionaire Texan Ross Perot added to Bush's woes. At one point Perot was leading the major party candidates in the polls. Perot crusaded against the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), internal and external national debt, tapping into voters' potential fear of the deficit. His volunteers succeeded in collecting enough signatures to get his name on the ballot in all 50 states. In June, Perot led the national public opinion polls with support from 39% of the voters (versus 31% for Bush and 25% for Clinton).
As the economy continued to grow sour, Democrats began to rally around their nominee. The Clinton campaign received the biggest convention "bounce" in history, going from 25 percent in the spring, behind Bush and Perot, to 55 percent versus Bush's 31 percent after the convention. Clinton and Gore began a bus tour around the United States, while the Bush/Quayle campaign adopted a strategy of attacks on Clinton's character, highlighting accusations of infidelity and draft dodging. Bush contrasted his military service to Clinton's lack thereof, and criticized Clinton's lack of foreign policy expertise. But the economy was the main issue of interest to voters and Bush's campaign floundered, even in strongly Republican areas. One of Clinton's slogans was "it's the economy, stupid", which intended to portray Bush as out of touch with the economic struggles of ordinary Americans. As Bush's economic edge had evaporated, his campaign looked to energize its socially conservative base at the 1992 Republican National Convention in Houston, Texas. Bush saw a small post-convention bounce in the polls, but this was short lived.
On November 3, Bill Clinton won the election by a wide margin in the Electoral College, receiving 43 percent of the popular vote against Bush's 37 percent and Perot's 19%. It was the first time since 1968 that a candidate won the White House with under 50 percent of the popular vote. Only Washington, D.C. and Clinton's home state of Arkansas gave the majority of their votes to a single candidate in the entire country. The rest were won by pluralities of the vote. The election was not without its share of dirty politics, including reporter Andrew Rosenthal's false report that Bush was "astonished" to see a demonstration of a supermarket scanner.
One might expect that such a defeat might have left the 41st President a bitter man. But Bush proved to have too strong a character to succumb to such a base emotion. Bush's Saturday Night Live impersonator Dana Carvey imitated the 41st President with the line "I'm not bitter" and that proved to be an accurate sentiment. In Bush's case, civility prevailed over resentment.
In recent years it has been a tradition for the outgoing President to leave his successor a note on the oval office desk. Ronald Reagan had left his successor (Bush) a note on some stationery bearing the legend: “Don’t let the turkeys get you down” which read:
“You’ll have moments when you want to use this particular stationery. Well, go to it. George, I treasure the memories we share and wish you all the very best. You’ll be in my prayers. God bless you and Barbara. I’ll miss our Thursday lunches. Ron.”
Bush took the tradition a step farther, making it clear that the prosperity of the country was what mattered most. Though his successor was a man from a different party, and a man who had taught him a lesson in electoral humility, Bush did not hold a grudge. He wrote the following note to the incoming president:
Dear Bill,
When I walked into this office just now I felt the same sense of wonder and respect that I felt four years ago. I know you will feel that, too.
I wish you great happiness here. I never felt the loneliness some Presidents have described.
There will be very tough times, made even more difficult by criticism you may not think is fair. I’m not a very good one to give advice; but just don’t let the critics discourage you or push you off course.
You will be our President when you read this note. I wish you well. I wish your family well.
Your success now is our country’s success. I am rooting hard for you.
Good luck – George
In their respective post-presidencies, the two men have maintained a friendship that ignores political differences. They worked together in 2005 in an unprecedented private fundraising drive for victims of the Indian ocean tsunami disaster to help address the widespread suffering caused by the earthquake-triggered tsunamis that struck the region on December 26, 2004. Just last month the two were photographed together and Bush, who is famous for his affinity for colorful socks, showed off a pair that had Clinton’s face on them. In a tweet, he remarked: “Special visit today with a great friend — and now, a best-selling author. Luckily I had a freshly laundered pair of @BillClinton socks to mark the occasion.”
In an era when civility is becoming a lost art, and those on both sides of the political spectrum feel justified in their disparagement of individuals rather than their policies, George H. W. Bush has left a legacy of civility that now seems to be needed more than ever.