George H.W. Bush: Underrated?

[DevotedDemocrat]

I believe George H.W. Bush, our 41st President, was the last decent Republican President. He was neither a ideologue nor a reactionary; a smart, measured man who took moderate courses of action. He was more less Conservative than Reagan and more Liberal than Clinton. He handled very well the ending of the Cold War, the fall of the USSR and it's impact on the world, and adeptly handled the first Gulf War without turning it into a second Vietnam. He was not dogmatic on taxes (albeit to his own detriment) and he seems to have been the last "middle of the road" Republican in the vein of Eisenhower and Gerald Ford.

He probably would not have amped up the process of deregulation as much as Clinton did, nor would we have probably gotten DOMA or as ruthless welfare reform as we did under Clinton, and he certainly would not have let the Community Reinvestment Act run wild, nor probably would he have gotten rid of Glass-Steagal.

I feel he's very underrated. What about you?

[H. Ross Peron]

He was the last Republican nominee for President who was an actual fiscal conservative.

[TNF]

Overrated. First president to veto civil rights legislation and have that veto upheld. Stupidly tried to balance the budget as the economy tanked, making the situation far worse. Won his only term in office by racebaiting Michael Dukakis.

[H. Ross Peron]

Overrated. First president to veto civil rights legislation and have that veto upheld. Stupidly tried to balance the budget as the economy tanked, making the situation far worse. Won his only term in office by racebaiting Michael Dukakis.

Considering by the margin Bush won by in '88 and the relative satisfaction of the country with Reagan, its doubtful one or two ads changed anything.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

We've only had one Republican president since H.W., so it'd be damn easy for him to be the "last X Republican president".

[Maxwell]

Overrated.

[Lurker]

If anything, he seems overrated. I don't know how he suddenly got so much respect from left-wingers afters his presidency - guess it's mainly nostalgia and the comparison with his son.

He probably would not have amped up the process of deregulation as much as Clinton did, nor would we have probably gotten DOMA or as ruthless welfare reform as we did under Clinton, and he certainly would not have let the Community Reinvestment Act run wild, nor probably would he have gotten rid of Glass-Steagal.

What exactly makes you think that Bush would have opposed these things?

[Oldiesfreak1854]

I think it depends.  In some ways, I think he's underrated, but in others, I think he may be overrated.  He's definitely underrated in the GOP.  He was a decent, pragmatic voice who could work across the aisle to do what was good for America.  Of course, I wouldn't say he was one of our best presidents, though, because there were definitely some things (e.g. breaking the "no new taxes" pledge) that weren't so great.  That being said, I definitely wish that he had been reelected in 1992.

Overrated. First president to veto civil rights legislation and have that veto upheld. Stupidly tried to balance the budget as the economy tanked, making the situation far worse. Won his only term in office by racebaiting Michael Dukakis.

Considering by the margin Bush won by in '88 and the relative satisfaction of the country with Reagan, its doubtful one or two ads changed anything.

Exactly.  And people didn't respond to the Willie Horton ads because he was black, they responded because he was a kidnapper, a rapist, and a murderer.  If Willie Horton has been white, it would have worked just as well.  And Bush actually had a pretty respectable civil rights record.  What exactly was this civil rights legislation he supposedly vetoed anyway?

[Pheurton Skeurto]

Considering I wasn't alive for his Presidency, I still feel as though it never really existed.

[Lurker]

Considering I wasn't alive for his Presidency, I still feel as though it never really existed.

So history started in 2010 (or whenever you were old enough to follow politics)?

[WalterMitty]

a very good president.

i much prefer him to our current president who is weak, indecisive, and unlike bush who strongly supported emerging democracies in eastern europe in the early 90s, obama wont do the same in the middle east. 

[Mechaman]

Overrated. First president to veto civil rights legislation and have that veto upheld. Stupidly tried to balance the budget as the economy tanked, making the situation far worse. Won his only term in office by racebaiting Michael Dukakis.

This.

He made Reagan look liberal, unlike the protestations of many of the moderate hero brigade on here that he was "middle of the road".

[All Along The Watchtower]

Overrated war criminal who should have never made it to the Presidency (see:Iran-Contra).

[barfbag]

Severely underrated as a president. He worked with both sides of the aisle as a non-partisan president, knew when it was time to leave Iraq but still took care of business, had great experience, and served our country as a war hero. Out of the five presidents in my lifetime, his views match mine the closest. He's also a very nice gentleman. His resume is another positive.

successful oil businessman
U.S. congressman
Chairman of the Republican National Committee
U.S. Diplomat to China
Ambassador to the UN
Director of the CIA
Vice-President
President

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Massively overrated by some on this forum.

[greenforest32]

If anything, he seems overrated. I don't know how he suddenly got so much respect from left-wingers afters his presidency - guess it's mainly nostalgia and the comparison with his son.

Agree with this. I mean just look at his veto of the 1992 National Voter Registration Act: http://beck.library.emory.edu/southernchanges/article.php?id=sc14-3_002

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Underrated.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

His conduct in the closing days of the Cold War was exeptional and people seems to forget how great deal it was. He is most certainly underrated when it comes to that.

Speaking of the domestic affairs, Bush obviously didn't fit well into this part of the Presidency, though the 1990s boom started in significant part with the deal he made with Congress, although Bush was too soon out of office to get a proper credit, which went to Clinton. His support for the Americans with Disabilities Act should be noted as well.

The thing is, Bush had really no vision for the rest of his Presidency and it's a good thing he was retired by voters. But there are major things he didn't get a proper credit.

[Maxwell]

Severely underrated as a president. He worked with both sides of the aisle as a non-partisan president, knew when it was time to leave Iraq but still took care of business, had great experience, and served our country as a war hero. Out of the five presidents in my lifetime, his views match mine the closest. He's also a very nice gentleman. His resume is another positive.

successful oil businessman
U.S. congressman
Chairman of the Republican National Committee
U.S. Diplomat to China
Ambassador to the UN
Director of the CIA
Vice-President
President

Yawn.

[MATTROSE94]

Severely underrated as a president. He worked with both sides of the aisle as a non-partisan president, knew when it was time to leave Iraq but still took care of business, had great experience, and served our country as a war hero. Out of the five presidents in my lifetime, his views match mine the closest. He's also a very nice gentleman. His resume is another positive.

successful oil businessman
U.S. congressman
Chairman of the Republican National Committee
U.S. Diplomat to China
Ambassador to the UN
Director of the CIA
Vice-President
President

This. I feel that if George H.W. Bush won a second term, the budget would have been balanced by 1995 and some of the misguided policies that characterized Clinton's first term would have been avoided.