Michael Dukakis on Bush: "it's all my fault"

[liberalpragmatist]

Poor Mike..

"Look, I owe the American people an apology. If I had beaten the old man you'd of never heard of the kid and you wouldn't be in this mess. So it's all my fault and I feel that very, very strongly. So this is an important election for us. Let me tell 'ya."

-- Former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, in an interview with CBS News.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4386669n

[Wetzelbill]

1. while true when it comes to beating Poppy Bush

I don't think his son being a jackass who could fuck up a cup of coffee is exactly Mike's fault.

[Hugabear]

3. If not for Pappy Bush being president, what are the chances his two fuck-up sons would be governors?

I doubt that either Jeb or Dubya would have ever been able to get elected governor of Florida and Texas if it hadn't been for their daddy's coattails.

[Wetzelbill]

5. I doubt Dubya would be allowed

out in public if it wasn't for daddy's coattails.

[CreekDog]

12. if his dad wasn't president, Dubya would be in jail somewhere

this is not a guy that stays out of trouble for very long.

[noonwitch]

19. Jeb is not a fuck-up, compared to his brother

I'm not a fan or anything, but the people of Florida seem to think he was a decent governor. He may have been successful whether his dad had been elected president or not.

[Prefer]

2. That was cool

I was wondering if he was the guy in the orange shirt dancing.

[Mojambo]

4. Talk about taking one for the team!

Dukakis is good people.

[silverweb]

6. Poor guy.

That's a lot of self blame to carry around and it's not his fault.

The American people owe most of their problems to their own political apathy, ignorance, and gullibility, and that's the real truth.

[Selatius]

7. Sometimes the truth can be rather harsh.

The fall has been long and hard.

This nation once elected people like FDR and Truman for president, but that was a long time ago.

[silverweb]

11. Yup.

I've tried to understand the logical disconnect in members of my own family, but there's no sense to it.

ALL of these people were primary beneficiaries of FDR's New Deal, the GI Bill, excellent free public education, and very nearly "socialist" benefits during the late 1940's through the early 1960s.

Now, however, all they do is repeat "small government" and "low taxes" like a bloody mantra -- even when I tried to show how the GOP has been increasing government power and raising middle-class taxes with backdoor methods. They got theirs and by God they intend to keep it!

I just don't get it and they can't be challenged on the issues. Their default position is nearly robotic and trumps any discussion. They love O'Reilly and hate Olbermann ("because he lies"), but no one can or will give me a specific case to elucidate with verifiable information.

It's so frustrating I can't stand it and they're oblivious to how it will affect their children, who are now just entering their teens. They think nothing will change for them and everything will continue as it has.

:banghead:

[Adsos Letter]

8. He doesn't owe America any apologies....

just because he lost to Bush senior doesn't make him responsible for Bushco's behavior...

[Captain Hilts]

9. LOVE Dukakis. The PRESS portrayed him as an elitist and GHWB as a 'regular' guy. nt

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

10. If Dukakis had won, we'd have never had Bill Clinton

....and in reality, Dumbya never DID win. He stole it.

[Wetzelbill]

18. I think we would have had BC eventually

You don't hold back a political talent like that. Might have taken a few more years, but he'd have gotten in.

[CreekDog]

13. to be fair, what is the strategy for running against the pledge of allegiance and ALCU-hating?

:shrug:

that was a rough year. i volunteered for Bush's campaign :puke: :hide:

perhaps i should apologize. thankfully i was not old enough to vote and my county was a blue county so my volunteering didn't do too much damage.

[Alexander]

14. Nah. Bush's CIA connections were covering up his crimes long before Dukakis.

Dukakis was just the right guy at the wrong time, unprepared for the onslaught of the then-new Lee Atwater slime machine.

He probably would've won 4 years later.

Tsongas almost beat Clinton for the nomination and he was pretty much exactly like Dukakis.

[Norrin Radd]

15. I concur.

The bush cabal had been bullying it's way to the top long before Dukakis.

[no_hypocrisy]

16. I'm giving Dukakis a free pass on this one. Bush won b/c of Lee Atwater's

scurilous antics with Willy Horton. Atwater was to 41 what Rove is to * and McCain.

[magellan]

17. He's not responsible for the actions of the BFEE

They are. They could just as easily have been good for the country. They chose not to be.

[supernova]

20. Aww,

I wish Dukakis wouldn't put all that on himself. He's such a sweetheart.

[DFW]

21. He said the exact same thing in Wellfleet on May 17

I posted about it at the time. It was a great line.

[cobalt1999]

22. It's not his fault. The Democrats nominated him.

He was just the wrong candidate. Nothing he could have done was going to win that election. Same with Mondale in 84. He was not the candidate to beat Reagan.

It's not his fault for trying though.