The Father Begins a Dynasty

Abstract

George W. Bush had to live under the shadow of a prominent and politically powerful father. At the end of his political career in 1992, George H. W. Bush would leave his sons with two important legacies that would shape their political careers. The first legacy was the unresolved ideological battle in American politics among liberals, moderates, and conservatives. In 1964, George H. W. Bush was called too conservative. In 1970, he was called too moderate and not a real Texan. When he ran for president in 1980, conservatives in his party abandoned him for Ronald Reagan. After serving eight loyal years as Reagan’s vice president, he won the presidency on his own, but then was constantly attacked from the Right and lost his reelection. His sons learned from his political defeats. The Bush sons would never be called moderate or liberal.

“For George (W), everywhere he went, his father was there: Andover, Yale, Texas … George Bush the father was like the Tiger Woods in a golfing community … As a young man how do you compete with that?.”

—John Ellis Bush, cousin of George W.¹