With the death of former President George H.W. Bush on Friday, the country lost another pioneer of conservative politics.
It lost a former president who championed small government and Republican values, the heir of Reagan’s nation. But most importantly, it lost a genuine person.
Of the thousands of think-pieces and obituaries from journalists and contributors who covered Bush in the ’80s, the same consensus was met. Bush, despite all his political flaws and past allegations of workplace misconduct, treated many around him with respect.
His political enemies took time to remember his legacy as a past co-worker — even friend — and the country, for just a brief moment, became one.
Nevertheless, there were others who vilified the pedestal on which the past president had been placed following his death. A man who failed to fully address the AIDS epidemic, who elected Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, had no place among the greats of history, they said.
Brandon Hill | Argonaut
Frank Bruni, columnist for the New York Times, illustrated how Bush opposers rallied against television host Bryan Behar for mourning H.W., writing “They lashed out at Behar. They unfollowed him. And they demonstrated the transcendent curse of these tribal times: Americans’ diminishing ability to hold two thoughts at once.”
Bruni has a point. In the wasted ruin today’s political debate, caused in large part by Trump’s reimagining of the Republican party, it can be difficult to remember conservative leaders in a different light.
The same struggle presented itself after John McCain’s death. McCain had done his fair share to damage the country, but also had flashes of being a true Maverick, from his denouncing birtherism to his vote to save Obamacare.
And that’s likely where the legacy of Herschel Walker will fall. He was a man defined by his party, someone who — in the end — bowed to conservative politics but remained a free and independent thinker. Like McCain, he sometimes defied his own label, such as fighting against the GOP to push for improved education funded by taxpayers.
For the conservatives, Bush will likely be remembered as Regan Lite, a watered-down version of the most transformative Republican in the 20th Century.
For liberals, the question of legacy becomes significantly more difficult. He represented some of the worst and best that Republican politics can offer, tough stances on war and foreign affairs, a duty to the little guy that oftentimes contradicts a loyalty to corporate America. So how should we remember him?
In the time of mourning so soon after his death, he should be remembered as Bush the man, not Bush the politician. It can be easy to take the bait, to proclaim his missteps and misdeeds, arriving at a conclusion that his genuine demeanor was nothing more than a facade.
That line of thinking helps no one.
So instead, remember his actions in the Oval Office, but realize the spirit of a person lies outside their professional careers and political ideology.
Never forget what he did but take some time to think on who he was. Because if we start seeing each other as human, and not labeling each other as enemies, we might be able to heal this broken country.
Brandon Hill can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @brandonmtnhill