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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsEight women say George HW Bush groped them.
George H.W. Bush died at his home in Houston on Friday night, launching a blizzard of long-held obituaries praising his legacy and successful stewardship of the country as a one-term president. But it is not too soon to talk about the accusations by eight women that Bush Sr. touched them inappropriately. Sexual harassment or assault cant be bracketed off as part of a politicians private life. Its an important part of the story of their leadership, their use of power, and their policy. The same is true for Bush.
Relatively little has been made of the accusations against Bush since they emerged last year. A woman initially accused Bush of groping her and telling her a dirty joke as she stood beside Bush, seated in a wheelchair, in a photo opp. The family responded suggesting the aging former president might be slipping a bit. President Bush has been confined to a wheelchair for roughly five years, so his arm falls on the lower waist of people with whom he takes pictures, a spokesman, Jim McGrath, said on Bushs behalf.
But then the story changed. More women came forward describing incidents that took place before Bush was in a wheelchair and even while he was in office. One woman described a credible story dating back to 1992, when she says that Bush, then the president, put his hand on her rear-end while taking a photograph at a re-election fundraiser. Another woman described an incident from 2003, when she was 16 years old and Bush was still spry, zipping around Kennebunkport on a Segway.
All the focus has been on Hes old. OK, but he wasnt old when it happened to me, the woman, now 55 told CNN. Ive been debating what to do about it. The same spokesman offered up a new version of the behavior, admitting, yes, Bush has done what hes accused of, but it was innocent he has patted womens rears in what he intended to be a good-natured manner.
The women who spoke out feel differently. In each case, the accuser was excited to meet a political figure, someone whos supposed to represent them, then they said, he groped them. In that moment, they became second-class citizens. While their brothers or husbands or male friends might have gotten a handshake and a thumbs-up from this powerful man, and walked away feeling good about themselves and their relationship with their government, these women were put in their place.
https://www.vox.com/2018/12/1/17274466/eight-women-george-hw-bush-touching-inappropriately-metoo-legacy
Coventina
(27,121 posts)Good luck with yours!
K&R
milestogo
(16,829 posts)Cary
(11,746 posts)With all due respect, state your belief, especially if you are passionate about it. Don't worry what other people tell you.
Bradshaw3
(7,522 posts)Cary
(11,746 posts)Bradshaw3
(7,522 posts)Cary
(11,746 posts)You got some facts to back that up?
I will "self-answer" since I know, for a fact, that you have nothing to back up your gratuitous insult. So tell me, how does a "self-unaware" person react when a stranger on an anonomous internet board flings gratuitous insults at them? Should I commit seppuku or what?
I await your enlightenment, and I have sharpened my wakizashi.
no_hypocrisy
(46,117 posts)Al Franken was forced to resign from The Senate.
GHW got a free pass b/c he was elderly, a former President, and in a wheelchair.
Coventina
(27,121 posts)was a symptom of Parkinson's.
on edit: dump typo
bigtree
(85,998 posts)...and no more of that ice cream he reportedly liked.
milestogo
(16,829 posts)He groped teenagers. He cheated on his wife. If that's a family man, I'm a tomato.
And you can bet if Al Franken was being remembered this week, the accusations against him would be front and center.
erpowers
(9,350 posts)If it was Bill Clinton we would be hearing about the accusations and bad behavior. I know the stories concerning Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush were at least slightly different, but the news media is not mentioning the stories like Bush's groping. I am fairly certain that the news media would be mentioning Clinton's bad behavior.
milestogo
(16,829 posts)When its a Republican they are willing to totally overlook, justify, or excuse it.
lilactime
(657 posts)"good natured." I would consider it assault.
Horse with no Name
(33,956 posts)He had Parkinsons. What I know is that people
with PD can have poor impulse control or participate in risky behavior when they were younger due to the disease process and will sometimes have an increase in those traits as the disease progresses.
Risky behavior emanates from the subthalamic nucleus which is a common target that is used in deep brain stimulation but is to be avoided if the patient already has these traits present.
While I believe that there is a responsibility for these actions, the disease process could have really been at fault.
Its an awful disease.
virgogal
(10,178 posts)PDittie
(8,322 posts)We all circled around him and Barbara for a photo, and I was right next to him, she says. He reached his right hand around to my behind, and as we smiled for the photo he asked the group, Do you want to know who my favorite magician is? As I felt his hand dig into my flesh, he said, David Cop-a-Feel!
https://deadspin.com/second-woman-george-h-w-bush-groped-me-1819855977
He did this right in front of Barbara, who just laughed it off.
Grolnick says others in the room laughed politely and out of discomfort. Former first lady Barbara Bush was among those nearby. [She] said something along the lines of, Hes going to get himself put into jail! to which we laughed harder, Grolnick says.
There's a picture at the link. GHWB's late wife Barbara is is standing directly behind him as he grabs Ms. Grolnick's ass.
https://deadspin.com/second-woman-george-h-w-bush-groped-me-1819855977
I wouldn't be so quick to excuse this sort of behavior as Parkinson's.
milestogo
(16,829 posts)in an adult.
erpowers
(9,350 posts)I thought he admitted to a few and apologized. I think he said it was his version of a joke. It is very interesting to think about this subject considering how the media is promoting him as a family man. No one seem to be mentioning the groping on the television news coverage of his life. I think I saw another story, or post about this issue. People are pointing out that he was not a perfect man, but they are not examining the groping allegations, possible admissions, and how we all should think about him as a result of those allegations and admissions.