Any links about the Crawford "Ranch" being purchased for the 2000 race?

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

Links to news articles?

Thanks in advance.

[xray s]

1. here's a source

http://www.democrats.com/view.cfm?id=6687

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

2. Thanks. n/t

[xray s]

5. Lots of mainstream media reports on Google about buying it in '99

Definite implication it was to stage the run in '00 as a macho Texas rancher to counter the wimp factor linked to the Bush name in the voters minds left over from '92.

[Maple]

3. Phoney To The Core

http://www.democrats.com/view.cfm?id=6687

"Until Bush and handlers decided that a rural ranch would be a slick bit of PR for the presidential campaign, Bush had no interest in a "home on the range." Instead, his preferred weekend retreat was to the Rainbo Club, an exclusive lakeside hunting club in Henderson County, about an hour south of Dallas, much closer to the comforts of Austin. When a Bush run for president began to look like a pretty good bet, the 1,600 acres were bought and the Bushes started making weekend trips to a 60-year-old ranch house that existed on the property - not of course, before refurbishing it! - so they could build the "lore" that would take in the American public, hook, line and sinker."

[Jane Austin]

4. I think they actually didn't own a house at that time.

They lived in the Governor's Mansion in Austin for 6 years, and were going to need a "Western White House."

That's what the Crawford place was meant for. I remember it very well at the time they bought it.

And by the way . . . in Texas, 1600 acres isn't a ranch. It's a farm.

[anarchy1999]

8. Thank you so much for saying that. "It's a farm" . Period,

An old used up pig farm at that. Cheney you, Bush!!!!!!!!!!

Let the truth be told, someday.

[mrbill]

18. excuse me but 1577.22 acres can be a ranch in texas

Not meant to cut farmer/rancher chimpy any slack but the main difference between a farm and a ranch is it's land usage, not the size of the property.

For an example the property tax office in McClennan Counnty shows Rancho de Chimpy with 80 acres of dryland cropland, 450 acres of improved pasture and 1047.22 acres of native pasture.

Dryland cropland would be farming. Wonder what "crop" farmer chimpy is raising on his 80 acres?

Improved pasture and native pasture applies to the raising of livestock or the cutting of hay. Where's the beef? This would be ranching.

So according to the McClennan County Appraisal District, the Lone Star Trust (aka rancho de chimpy) is more of a ranching than a farming operation.

What's a farm in texas? According to my theory, anything over 2 acres. A ranch? 80 acres, 160 is better.

Figures based on north central texas, adjust for west texas.

Fun fact: the cemetery in Najif is larger than chimpy's "ranch".

[Longhorn]

9. You got that right!

How can it be a ranch without horses and cattle? And since * is reportedly afraid of horses, I doubt there are any making their home on his "range!"

[lanparty]

15. They got themselves some cow ...

But I suspect they're largely for decoration. Bush certainly doesn't work them. They pay the previous owner to keep up the "farm" for them.

[Stephanie]

7. What was the property Bush owned that had a racist covenant?

Anyone remember that?

[Longhorn]

11. That was in Dallas.

But it's been debunked by snopes.com.

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/bush.htm

[Stephanie]

12. Not exactly debunked - story is true but snopes dismisses it anyway

thanks for the link!

George W. Bush purchased a house in a Dallas subdivision for $320,000 on 16 November 1988 and sold it for $348,000 in January 1995, just after he was elected governor. That house was one of the 52 homes in the subdivision whose deeds included a 1939 covenant stating that "Said premises shall be used for private dwelling purposes only and by white persons only, not excluding bona fide servants of any race." Such convenants were not unusual in that era, in Dallas, in Texas, or elsewhere in the U.S.A. Similar language was used to prevent the sales of homes to groups such as Blacks, Jews, Chinese, and Japanese all over the country. In this case, however, Bush's purchase of a home with a racially exclusive clause in its deed is a non-issue because:

* The covenant was already legally void by the time Bush bought the house -- the Supreme Court outlawed racially exclusive covenants in 1948, and Texas law had specifically banned them in 1984.

* Bush said he was unaware of the covenant when he bought the home, a not implausible claim. The covenant is not part of the deed that the buyer and seller see, but an addendum (part of the mapping or platting documents) filed with the county.

* Even had Bush known about the covenant, he couldn't have done much about it. Removing the exclusivity wording would have required collecting the signatures of 75% of the neighborhood's residents and undertaking a "lengthy, cumbersome and potentially expensive process" to get rid of something that no longer had any legal force in the first place.

I mean, what is "in that era"? 1988?

[Longhorn]

14. I believe they mean in 1939 such a covenant was not unusual.

And it was moot by 1988.

[anarchy1999]

16. Just call it what it is.....HIGHLAND PARK/UNIVERSITY PARK

It was One of Dallas's first suburbs, long before Plano, Richardson, and Northpark Mall. Think Turtle Creek and The Mansion.

[anarchy1999]

6. Just put this up in another thread.

http://eyeball-series.org/prez-eyeball.htm

Nothing but phony to the core. Not his ranch, not his homestead, nothing but a faux set for the media, period.

Check out the rainbo ranch = true home on the weekends. I know someone personally that goes there all the time, knew bushie well and still supports the SOB. It's caused a major rift in our friendship. So sad, maybe he'll get well when it's all over.

[RobertSeattle]

10. This ought to be a public record

Crawford is in McLennan County, TX, but I suspect GW bought the property through a corporation or somehow avoided putting his name directly on the property records. Does anyone know the exact address of the crawford ranch?

http://64.123.138.51/

[mrbill]

17. yep, it's on the public record

The property tax bill goes to the Lone Star Trust, po box 3362, Midland, Texas.

http://65.107.178.35/clientdb/propertydetails.asp?prop=119019

[OnionPatch]

13. Where did he live when he was governor?

He must have lived in Texas somewhere.

[anarchy1999]

19. When he was Gov he lived in the State Mansion, prior to that

while he was playing ball and he and his buds were screwing Arlington royally, he lived in North Dallas. My ex-boss had several friends that lived on his street. He was just a "real, nice guy, likeable, someone to drink a beer with and watch the kids play on a very toney street.

My ex-best friend says the same.

I believe Dubya never wanted to do what he is doing, he is just doing it because Dad made him do it. Jeb fell down in Florida, and as MoDowd said on Bill Maher, "he talks like Al Gore", Georgie was all they had left. Neil and the other one are losers, certainly not sellable as candidates simply because of their collective scandals. Scandals aside, they still are making money, as are the whole bunch of criminals.

Cheney, are you listening? Come out of your hole. And you too Daddy Bush, let us all own up, shall we?