Barbara Bush says poor better off now

[solvs]

Now we know where GW gets it. An innocent comment, sure, but just goes to show how insensitive and out of touch they really are:

http://atrios.blogspot.com/2005_09_04_atrios_archive.html#112596381619694000

In a segment at the top of the show on the surge of evacuees to the Texas city, Barbara Bush said: "Almost everyone I’ve talked to wants to move to Houston."

Then she added: "What I’m hearing is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed with the hospitality.

"And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway so this (she chuckled)--this is working very well for them."
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001054719

Audio here (http://movies.crooksandliars.com/bb.mp3).

[IJ Reilly]

Oh, those nutty Bushes! Where would we be without them?

[Savage Henry]

For the sake of the umanity of it all, I do so hope she is being misquoted.

Sadly, I suspect not. :(

[solvs]

For the sake of the umanity of it all, I do so hope she is being misquoted.

Sadly, I suspect not. :(
That's why I posted the audio. Even if it's a joke, it's a bad one, but it's her saying it. I just saw them on TV defending their son too. Can't blame them for being parents, but when she tries to act like she cares so much about the people who are suffering after saying something like that, it's hard to take her seriously.

[Thomas Veil]

Not so surprising. There's a chapter in Al Franken's book "Lying Liars" about Barbara Bush which suggests that, contrary to the "grandma reading to the kids" image she tries to project, she's a real bitch.

[IJ Reilly]

Not so surprising. There's a chapter in Al Franken's book "Lying Liars" about Barbara Bush which suggests that, contrary to the "grandma reading to the kids" image she tries to project, she's a real bitch.

She does earn a rather unflattering portrait in Franken's book, but mainly as a result of one personal encounter on an airplane.

Fact is, they are a family of patricians, with a patrician outlook on life. The historically privileged (meaning, they inherited it) tend to hold inferior views of people in the lower social and economic classes than themselves (which is just about everybody). They can pretend to care about ordinary people, but they have a hard time doing it in ways that actually matter because they know so little about the struggles ordinary people face, let alone, poor ones. It's just such a complete abstraction to them.

I might be dumping on Barbara Bush more than I ought to, but I think this little incident points out some of the issues which crop up when the running of the nation is handed over to its most privileged people. It's just a marker on the road, one we'd do well to remember next time we have an opportunity to vote.

[Thomas Veil]

She does earn a rather unflattering portrait in Franken's book, but mainly as a result of one personal encounter on an airplane.Yeah, except regarding Bush's attitude, Franken continues:

"I must have told the story twenty times...(but) I had kept thinking that she had been kidding. I kept hearing things like: 'Oh no, she's a horrible bitch.' 'Omigod, she's the worst bitch on earth.' 'She can be very charming, but Barbara Bush is the Queen Bitch.'"

[feakbeak]

I read this on another news site yesterday. This makes my stomach turn - to hear those words from the family who runs our country. Nice to know what they really think about many of this country's citizens.

IJ Reilly, I hear your argument about how it may be difficult for them to understand these people's struggles because they've been born into wealth. Your argument is well-thought out and rational. Still, I don't give a damn what the reasoning may be. The Bush family is in the best position to help underprivledged and ordinary people in this country and most of the time they choose not to help.

To claim that a huge natural disaster that destroyed these people's homes, community, possibly taking the lives of some of their loved ones and Barbara says "this is working very well for them"... ********, cold-hearted b*tch! :mad: I can't believe this hasn't gotten more press.

[skunk]

I read this on another news site yesterday. This makes my stomach turn - to hear those words from the family who runs our country. Nice to know what they really think about many of this country's citizens.You react as if you didn't know.
IJ Reilly, I hear your argument about how it may be difficult for them to understand these people's struggles because they've been born into wealth. Your argument is well-thought out and rational. Still, I don't give a damn what the reasoning may be. The Bush family is in the best position to help underprivledged and ordinary people in this country and most of the time they choose not to help.Puhleeze. Get real. They are not lusters after power and privilege out of love for the common man.
To claim that a huge natural disaster that destroyed these people's homes, community, possibly taking the lives of some of their loved ones and Barbara says "this is working very well for them"... ********, cold-hearted b*tch! :mad: I can't believe this hasn't gotten more press.Many people probably agree.

[ohcrap]

**** that bitch :D

[feakbeak]

You react as if you didn't know.
Puhleeze. Get real. They are not lusters after power and privilege out of love for the common man.It is not that I didn't know and I know the Bush's don't care for the common man. I am just surprised that they don't even seem to try to hide it any longer.

Isn't the deal with wealthy public leaders? They don't have to care but they at least have to pretend they give a *****. The Bush's can't even hold up that end of the deal. :eek:

[dornoforpyros]

"and your wrong, about trickled down economics!"

anyone who can name that song get's +20 punk rawk points

[broken_keyboard]

It's not that bad of a comment, but it's still surprising to hear. It's surprising because you would have thought she would have had some kind of public speaking training not to say those kind of things when Bush I was prez.

Maybe the Republicans weren't so sophisticated in their methods back then...

[skunk]

Isn't the deal with wealthy public leaders? They don't have to care but they at least have to pretend they give a *****. The Bush's can't even hold up that end of the deal. :eek:Newsflash: THERE IS NO DEAL. You and most of your compatriots may think there is a deal. I believe you have been hoodwinked.

[feakbeak]

Newsflash: THERE IS NO DEAL. You and most of your compatriots may think there is a deal. I believe you have been hoodwinked.I was being sarcastic. Not all Americans are as ignorant as you might believe.

[skunk]

I was being sarcastic. Not all Americans are as ignorant as you might believe.51% is all it takes.

[IJ Reilly]

51% is all it takes.

The same is true in any democracy -- 50% plus one.

"You can fool too many of the people too much of the time."
-- James Thurber

[Xtremehkr]

That quote keeps changing, the media are floating quite a few different variations. Some are not as bad as others.

Link. (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/07/national/nationalspecial/07barbara.html)

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 - As President Bush battled criticism over the response to Hurricane Katrina, his mother declared it a success for evacuees who "were underprivileged anyway," saying on Monday that many of the poor people she had seen while touring a Houston relocation site were faring better than before the storm hit.

"What I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas," Barbara Bush said in an interview on Monday with the radio program "Marketplace." "Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality."

"And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway," she said, "so this is working very well for them."

What would one week of Barbara be like if she were able to escape her handlers.

[crdean1]

The Bush family is in the best position to help underprivledged and ordinary people in this country and most of the time they choose not to help.



I guess I missed where you had access to their history of philanthropic efforts.

Being from Texas (and reading much local news about them the last 15 years), I can assure they have done quite a bit to help the underpriveledged folks inside and outside of the white house.

I guess when all of you have done so much more than she has, you have the right to critize her.

[Xtremehkr]

I guess I missed where you had access to their history of philanthropic efforts.

Being from Texas (and reading much local news about them the last 15 years), I can assure they have done quite a bit to help the underpriveledged folks inside and outside of the white house.

I guess when all of you have done so much more than she has, you have the right to critize her.

Do you have any examples?

[ham_man]

Well hell, some of these people did not even have a roof over their heads, a shirt on their back, and a hot meal. Now, with some assistance from the Red Cross and the government, some of these people are in a better off than they were before. It is like homeless people committing crimes because they know that they will be better off in jail than they would on the street...

[Don't panic]

"and your wrong, about trickled down economics!"

anyone who can name that song get's +20 punk rawk points



You're wrong and will probably never know

[skunk]

Well hell, some of these people did not even have a roof over their heads, a shirt on their back, and a hot meal. Now, with some assistance from the Red Cross and the government, some of these people are in a better off than they were before. It is like homeless people committing crimes because they know that they will be better off in jail than they would on the street...I trust you're kidding.

[latergator116]

Well hell, some of these people did not even have a roof over their heads, a shirt on their back, and a hot meal. Now, with some assistance from the Red Cross and the government, some of these people are in a better off than they were before. It is like homeless people committing crimes because they know that they will be better off in jail than they would on the street...

Yes, but most people did have a roof over their heads, a shirt on their back, hot meals, etc.

[rdowns]

Sadly, Mrs. Bush doesn't have a monopoly on stupid quotes that came from this disaster.

1) "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." –President Bush, on "Good Morning America," Sept. 1, 2005, six days after repeated warnings from experts about the scope of damage expected from Hurricane Katrina (Source)

2) "What I'm hearing which is sort of scary is that they all want to stay in Texas. Everybody is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway so this (chuckle) – this is working very well for them." –Former First Lady Barbara Bush, on the Hurricane flood evacuees in the Houston Astrodome, Sept. 5, 2005 (Source)

3) "It makes no sense to spend billions of dollars to rebuild a city that's seven feet under sea level....It looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed." –House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), Aug. 31, 2005 (Source)

4) "We've got a lot of rebuilding to do ... The good news is — and it's hard for some to see it now — that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott's house — he's lost his entire house — there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch." (Laughter) —President Bush, touring hurricane damage, Mobile, Ala., Sept. 2, 2005 (Source)

5) "Considering the dire circumstances that we have in New Orleans, virtually a city that has been destroyed, things are going relatively well." –FEMA Director Michael Brown, Sept. 1, 2005 (Source)

6) "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job." –President Bush, to FEMA director Michael Brown, while touring Hurricane-ravaged Mississippi, Sept. 2, 2005 (Source)

more...

http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/currentevents/a/katrinaquotes.htm

[solvs]

I guess when all of you have done so much more than she has, you have the right to critize her.
For one, I have done charity. And not just writing a check or giving cash, though I've done that too. If I was as privileged as them, I'd more than likely do more. And it wouldn't have to be for publicity either. Even if I didn't, last I checked this was still America and I still get to criticize when someone in her position says something so stupid. The worst part is not even the words, it's the callousness of the meaning behind it. Just another in a long line.

I knew some people would still defend her, no matter what she said.

[pseudobrit]

I guess when all of you have done so much more than she has, you have the right to critize her.

I never gave birth to George W. Bush. I've done more for this country than she has. I win that right.

[skunk]

I never gave birth to George W. Bush. I've done more for this country than she has. I win that right.Oh, Bravo!
:D

[miloblithe]

I guess when all of you have done so much more than she has, you have the right to critize her.

This is a poor tactic for argument, and very much a strategy purely designed for defending the status quo.

We all have the right to criticize political figures, especially when they say (and do) things with which we disagree.

[IJ Reilly]

Moreover. When I think of all the people who give of their time and money to help their communities and others whom they may never even meet, without thought or consideration of reward or even recognition -- and I personally know so many of them -- I have to flinch at the very idea of their efforts being trumped in any way by any member of the Bush clan.

[crdean1]

Do you have any examples?

The Barbara Bush Foundation For Family Literacy
The Barbara Bush Foundation is dedicated to develop and expand family literacy efforts nationwide, and to support the development of literacy programs that build families of readers. It was established in 1989. Mrs. Barabara Bush is the honorary chairman.

Since its inception, The Barbara Bush Foundation has awarded nearly $12 million to 367 family literacy programs in 44 different states.

http://www.cfncr.org/page15758.cfm
http://www.barbarabushfoundation.com/

There's one.
..but she doesn't care about those people, how dare her. I'm sure you will find a way to tear this up.
_________________
You guys are so quick to jump on anyone remotely related to GWB. But I guess it's a free country like someone said above.

[crdean1]

Here is something you guys can rip apart about giving during the gov. years for GWB.

http://philanthropy.com/free/articles/v12/i12/12000101.htm

[Xtremehkr]

I don't really want to get into why Politicians and their wives establish charities. If you feel that what she has done makes her a wonderful person, than fine.

I think what she has said betrays who she really is and how she feels about people whom she seems to consider below her.

[solvs]

You guys are so quick to jump on anyone remotely related to GWB.
And you're so quick to defend. I wouldn't criticize if they didn't give me reasons. Were a Democrat in power making the same mistakes, my position would not change. Would yours?

Are you saying that what she said is excusable because she gives money to charity? :confused:

[zimv20]

The Barbara Bush Foundation For Family Literacy

would this organization exist w/ this name if, for example, she'd decided to marry a plumber all those years ago?

[ohcrap]

Good old Barabara... ;)

[feakbeak]

The Barbara Bush Foundation For Family LiteracyWell of course - she wants her son, W., to stop living as a functional illiterate. :D

Okay, that was a cheap-shot but I couldn't resist.

[mactastic]

Well of course - she wants her son, W., to stop living as a functional illiterate. :D

Okay, that was a cheap-shot but I couldn't resist.
Why do you think she wanted her son to marry a librarian with experience teaching elementary school kids?

Ok, ok, also a cheap shot but I couldn't resist either. :p

[crdean1]

Would yours?

Are you saying that what she said is excusable because she gives money to charity? :confused:

No, my opion would not change. I would not be quickto judge a democrat either (I was not quick to judge clinton, at first i gave him the benefit of the doubt). Believe it or not, I have voted for a democrat before because he was the best candidate for the job.

on your second question, if you were in public service and had a history of helping people (motives are arguable, but people still receive the help), and you spoke a phrase that made it into the press that may or may not be what you meant to get across, i would give you a chance to respond and look at your record as a whole before I hammered you in the MR forums.

[wrxguy]

Yea well I am in Texas now and they dont WANT to be here...lol...they HAVE too...the president and his family are such spoiled ****s...

[feakbeak]

No, my opion would not change. I would not be quickto judge a democrat either (I was not quick to judge clinton, at first i gave him the benefit of the doubt). Believe it or not, I have voted for a democrat before because he was the best candidate for the job.

on your second question, if you were in public service and had a history of helping people (motives are arguable, but people still receive the help), and you spoke a phrase that made it into the press that may or may not be what you meant to get across, i would give you a chance to respond and look at your record as a whole before I hammered you in the MR forums.There have been a few good points made in defense of Barbara Bush. The truth is there are probably a select few refugees staying in Houston who were without a home and sufficient food in New Orleans. For them this terrible disaster that has ended up with them being moved to Houston with tolerable shelter and some food and medial care if needed is probably a blessing in disguise as they are now (for the time being) receiving more resources and services than they would have had otherwise. Although, I don't have statistics I doubt the majority of of the people currently staying at the Astrodome in Houston were homeless and starving without proper clothing. I'm sure many of them lost homes (even if they were renting) they probably had most/all of their possessions destroyed, they may have been injured or lost loved ones due to the storm and they have been uprooted from their community, possibly losing any employment they had. In short, their lives were devestated.

Mrs. Bush's comments directly imply that the victims of this natural disaster are by and large better off, which is a load of *********. I'm generally a person who can see things from multiple perspectives, but I cannot understand how this comment is anything but condesending, thoughtless and out of touch with what these hurricane victims must be going through.

It is reasonable to harshly criticize her for these comments. Yes, I am sure Barbara Bush has done many charitable acts throughout her long, privledged life but some good actions do not nullify heartless acts and words. Criticize the bad, praise the good - both exist in all of us.

Your logic would imply that we can do whatever we want as long as our cummulative actions result in a net benefit to society. That is equivalent to saying if I save half a dozen lives, I'm a liberty to go kill a few people as long as I don't kill more than six. I know my example is the extreme case but it is not all about the net result of our actions. Each action should be evaluated on its own merit and criticized or praised accordingly.

[solvs]

i would give you a chance to respond and look at your record as a whole before I hammered you in the MR forums.
To follow up on feakbeak's comment as well, I think that's the problem. You can look at the good, but you have to understand the bad. In context, it was a very crass thing of her to say. It's the meaning behind it that really bothers me. Despite any money she has given, or anything else, for her to say such a thing proves the theory that though they can put on a show of pretending to care, deep down they really don't. Based on other things she has said and done, and things I have heard about her (such as with Franken's book, all comments verified BTW), this is the real her. Not the image you see in the magazines. The whole family seems to be like that, and you better believe I'm critical of them. At the moment, her Son runs the country, and based on his actions, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

I think it's good you gave Clinton the benefit of the doubt, as I did with Bush early on. But that doesn't mean you don't have to be critical. It's your right, and your responsibility to be critical, as I was with Clinton. And considering all I'm doing is bitching on a message board, I'd say that would be entirely appropriate, as I am just exercising my freedom of speech to bring light to what she said. Not that I'm saying she can't say it, she has every right to as well. But I have every right to find it disgusting.

You can't say, in context, this doesn't sicken you just a little.