Feministing: The asshole gene runs in the Bush family

[BurtWorm]

http://www.feministing.com/archives/013408.html

Here's a charming little story from George Bush, Sr.:

One time we thought we'd outsmarted the crowd. We sent a decoy limosine off in one direction while I snuck out the back entrance. And we rounded the corner -- I'll never forget it -- and I saw one of the ugliest and angriest women I have ever seen in my entire life. Boy, she was really bad. And she charged my car with a sign... and came up right next to the window: "Stay out of my womb!" No problem, buddy.

Yes, anti-choicers and conservatives are STILL making the played-out "argument" that feminists are ugly. Sorry, my feelings still aren't hurt.

Disappointingly, Bill Clinton -- a pretty reliable pro-choice ally -- wishes he could tell jokes about ugly, threatening pro-choicers, too: "You know, he tells jokes that I just couldn't get away with telling. Can you imagine what they would do to me if I told that joke he told?" Um, yes. Yes, I can. We'd call you a sexist asshole.

[Blue Dog Dominion]

1. I think Bill was referring to making a "womb referrence".

Though it WOULD be funny if he did.

[Captain Hilts]

2. We ALL tell bad taste jokes. Clinton knows there's a time and place for that. GHWB does not.

If true, the quotation from GHWB is disgusting.

[BurtWorm]

3. It's true. Here's the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXuRlcUjoAE

[Captain Hilts]

4. Ouch! Ugh!!!

[MajorChode]

6. Sometimes ugly doesn't mean unattractive physically

I never really thought of H.W. Bush as misogynistic. He even supported abortion rights before Raygun and the neo-con era.

I'd like to think he meant unpleasant if for no other reason than to give him the benefit of the doubt although clearly it was a bad choice of words.

[BurtWorm]

8. Context is everything.

I think he meant literally "ugly." See joke for context.

[MajorChode]

10. I saw the video

It's hard to get a feeling for what he meant because he was just reading off a piece of paper.

For some people, ugly in regards to describing other people always means unpleasant. This is particularly true of his generation. I always thought of H.W. as relatively gentlemanly and would rarely openly insult others. He was quite the opposite of his son in that regard.

[BurtWorm]

11. His gentlemanliness is an act.

A shallow act. He was allows ready to go vulgar when expedience called for it.

[MajorChode]

15. I never really got that impression about him

I didn't agree with his politics and I don't think he ever had any business being VP, much less president. However, as a person I never thought he was all that bad. I think that's why he and Clinton have done a lot together since Clinton left office. It says a lot about a person to become friends with the man who defeated you in a presidential election.

[Captain Hilts]

16. I generally agree with you.

I think he played to the red meat audience when he felt he had to. He wasn't too good at it.

[MajorChode]

17. Exactly, but he never was that good at it.

So no real surprises there.

[Book Lover]

12. Adn sometimes we break our own arms twisting around to explain away misogyny

Why are you trying to defuse what he said? The "ugly feminist" stereotype is so clearly what 41 was talking about.

[MajorChode]

19. Do all feminists hold up signs and yell at the president?

I got the impression it was more of a knock on protesters in general.

DC is a magnet for fruits and nuts of all varieties. The area around the White House is practically a 24/7 protest zone no matter who is in the oval office. Even if you agree with the issue of these people you have to question their methods sometimes, and I do believe ugly is a pretty good descriptor. On any given day you will see some nut job with a bullhorn on Pennsylvania avenue speaking nonstop about some mindless bullshit. Clinton made a lot of cracks about them also, and I don't think you can really read any bigotry into it.

[ellenfl]

20. i think 'angriest' covered the unpleasant part. i took his use of

'ugly' was literal.

btw, ghwb WAS pro-choice until he moved to texas and figured he'd get farther as a republican. i just had a hard time finding him credible when he corrupted his values for gain. for that reason alone, i have never trusted the man. that, and using his hotel room as his permanent address when he moved to houston from connecticut. seems like the 'residence' was convenient and that he could just move on if things didn't work out for him in texas. i guess i just don't like opportunists. they are in it for themselves and not for any good they can do the country. that ethic runs in that family.

ellen fl

[MajorChode]

21. I think most politicians are opportunists to one degree or another

Bush moved to Texas a full decade before he got into politics seriously. I don't know that he figured he could get farther as a Republican because Democrats generally dominated Texas politics at the time and Bush lost at least 2 elections to Democrats in Texas. He also deferred his college and volunteered to go into the military in WWII, so it doesn't seem as if he was entirely all in it for himself. He would also surprise you every now and then and let you know he actually did have a backbone. I particularly thought it showed a little courage when he told the NRA to go fuck themselves (metaphorically).

[Book Lover]

5. Just saw that on Twisty's blog

Such a loathsome man...

[GCP]

7. Was it Barbara?

:evilgrin:

[Captain Hilts]

18. If you send me a private message I'll admit that I laughed....

but not here!

[tilsammans]

9. I saw that last night

Both men looked like assholes for saying that in public. :grr:

[aikoaiko]

13. Instead, "no problem, buddy", Bill would have said...

...no thank you, but have a cigar.


Two snare drum rimshots followed by muted cymbal crash. I'll be here all day folks.

[Catherine Vincent]

14. Bill is correct.

If he made that comment about faux pro-lifers, they'd want to harm him.

[Kitty Herder]

22. This from the man who impregnated Barbara?

Edited to add: Somehow I don't get the feeling that it was this woman's ugliness that he had a problem with. More likely, she was a beautiful woman who made him feel insecure by disagreeing with him refusing to be awed by his presence.