Thursday, June 07, 2001
The Bush girls
Who can blame Jenna and Barbara Bush for going off the rail? After all if you are destiny’s children, with your future defined by four generations of strivers and achievers, it is hard to accept the dictates placed on your life when all you want to be is living as privileged teenagers having fun.
The privileged status was wished upon them by the three generations preceding, a Senator from Connecticut, a President of the US, and a Governor of the State of Texas now turned President. That’s a heavy load to shape behavior if you’re genetically rambunctious and a rebel. And with the parents occupied in striving for political success, parental neglect combined with edicts and commands - the kids had to show their independence. If the form it took was drinking and dating - well, there was some parental precedent to point back it. You never know what the kids will pick up.
Politicians’ progeny have always had trouble adjusting, and their political success un elected offices is exception rather than the rule. The Bushes are a notably spectacular, in three generations. Although the three Kennedys, children of Joe, were exceptional; their progeny have shown a full range of accomplishment and failure, from self-destruction to midrange success. The F.D.R. Roosevelts failed; the T.R. Roosevelts are solid citizens, with non=political accomplishments.. Randolph Churchill, son of Sir Vinston, went down in flames.
What made the Bushes so exceptional? Maybe it was the original W, the great-grandfather, whose name survives with both George Herbert Walker Bush, and George Walker Bush.
George Herbert. Walker was a young stockbroker with excellent British connections in St. Louis, not a major financial center. He was so good that the Harriman brothers asked him to come to NYC to form W. A Harriman Company, a private bank. W Averell was the son of E.H. . Harriman, who gained control of the Union Pacific RR in 1898. E. Roland the builder of So Pacific Railroad and xxx. He became the managerr of their Wall Street firm, and tied in with Brown Brothers, a Londotn banking family, merging the businesses in 1921. The resulting firm, Brown Brothers harriman, became an international force. They were well establisher wth Soviet Union and Germany, gained control of the Hamburg-Amerika Line, and had major dealings with Fritz Thyssen, with access to the Nazi government. Walker had truly world-wide connections,
As an aside, the Harrimans apparently lost their acuity in subsequient generations, and Walker kept the family business going. Averell Harrima, son of xx was elected the Governor of New York State. Well in his advanced years, he married the ambitious Pamela Churchill, the former wife of Randolph and the intimate friend of many important men, whose political skills earned her the appointment as Ambassador to France during the Clinton administration.
Prescott Bush son of a Columbus OH rail car manufacturer, was a classmate of W. Averell Harriman’s at Yale.He met and married Walker’s daughter and joined the family firm. A booster of Eisenhower’s presidential candidacy, the wealthy young banker ran for the US Senate from Connecticut with Ike and was elected for for a part term in 1952, reelected in 1956 and retired in 1963, returning to Brown Brothers Harriman.
His son, George Herbert Walker Bush, who gets criticised as a product of the influential cabal at Yale called the Skull and Bones, actually earned his advancement in politics through service in the government. The list is extensive -Born 1924, youngest Navy pilot who earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and tree Air Medals, he graduated from Yale after 2 ½ years of studies, in 1948 and settled in Texas with family-owned Dresser Indistries, to be an oilman. He founded Zapata Off-Shore, an international drilling company. A supporter of zero population growth, in 1964 he later he ran for Senate (against liberal Ralph yarborough), lost, but won House seats in 1966 and 1968. He blew another Senate race in 1970 (against Lloyd Bentsen), won appointment to as Ambassador to the UN 1971-73, became a liaison head in Beijing, 1974-74 (after President Nixon’s trip in 1972), and Director of the CIA, 1976-77.. He tried to run for President in 1980, lost and accepted the Vice Presidency under Ronald Reagan, 1981-89. He was elected President, 1989, beating Michael Dukakis and inheriting and continuing the huge Reagan national debt. Although procclaiming a "kinder, gentler nation"he ended up fighting two wars, in 1988 overthrowing Manuel Noriega in Panama and in 1991 driving Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait, after the dictator’s 1990 invasion. But he helped Mikhail Gorbachev in 1989 and 1990 in dissolving the Soviet Union.
The Bsh sons have been problems for George H.W. and the formidable Barbara. Jeb, Governor of Florida, xxxGeorge w. an unsccessful oil man and uccessful president of the Texas Rangers (he got the team a new ballfield space and stadium by using his influence in government, and sold out his share at as huge profit), when he ran for Gov in 19. Re-elected in 1998//he leveraged tis office into thr Presidency of the US in 20hs0u0Brixxu.By and large, the Bushes have been the most successful American political family, over four generations, to date. Whether this will hold is a questin. George w’s daughters are rebelling against the imposed regime, by not attending the Inaugural, an drinking and rebelling on campus, the drinking inherited from Dad, a happy alcohol user until wife Laura too matters in her hand. Ther may also have been more problems 27 years ago).
For perspective, note that the great TR’s daughter Alica was a problem. "I can run the country, and I can control Alice, but I cannot do both," he explained to his friend Owen Wister. She eventually bgrew up and became the grande dame of Washington, ruling the city’s social life for many decades.
These kids will grow up, too.I hate to see political capital being made out of kids. This column was prompted by a particularly repulsive radio interview show by Joan Rivers on WOR, in which she yucked up a comparison: ‘Clinton had his Monica Lewinsky, and Bush has Jenna and Barbara." Rivers, a bad move..
The privileged status was wished upon them by the three generations preceding, a Senator from Connecticut, a President of the US, and a Governor of the State of Texas now turned President. That’s a heavy load to shape behavior if you’re genetically rambunctious and a rebel. And with the parents occupied in striving for political success, parental neglect combined with edicts and commands - the kids had to show their independence. If the form it took was drinking and dating - well, there was some parental precedent to point back it. You never know what the kids will pick up.
Politicians’ progeny have always had trouble adjusting, and their political success un elected offices is exception rather than the rule. The Bushes are a notably spectacular, in three generations. Although the three Kennedys, children of Joe, were exceptional; their progeny have shown a full range of accomplishment and failure, from self-destruction to midrange success. The F.D.R. Roosevelts failed; the T.R. Roosevelts are solid citizens, with non=political accomplishments.. Randolph Churchill, son of Sir Vinston, went down in flames.
What made the Bushes so exceptional? Maybe it was the original W, the great-grandfather, whose name survives with both George Herbert Walker Bush, and George Walker Bush.
George Herbert. Walker was a young stockbroker with excellent British connections in St. Louis, not a major financial center. He was so good that the Harriman brothers asked him to come to NYC to form W. A Harriman Company, a private bank. W Averell was the son of E.H. . Harriman, who gained control of the Union Pacific RR in 1898. E. Roland the builder of So Pacific Railroad and xxx. He became the managerr of their Wall Street firm, and tied in with Brown Brothers, a Londotn banking family, merging the businesses in 1921. The resulting firm, Brown Brothers harriman, became an international force. They were well establisher wth Soviet Union and Germany, gained control of the Hamburg-Amerika Line, and had major dealings with Fritz Thyssen, with access to the Nazi government. Walker had truly world-wide connections,
As an aside, the Harrimans apparently lost their acuity in subsequient generations, and Walker kept the family business going. Averell Harrima, son of xx was elected the Governor of New York State. Well in his advanced years, he married the ambitious Pamela Churchill, the former wife of Randolph and the intimate friend of many important men, whose political skills earned her the appointment as Ambassador to France during the Clinton administration.
Prescott Bush son of a Columbus OH rail car manufacturer, was a classmate of W. Averell Harriman’s at Yale.He met and married Walker’s daughter and joined the family firm. A booster of Eisenhower’s presidential candidacy, the wealthy young banker ran for the US Senate from Connecticut with Ike and was elected for for a part term in 1952, reelected in 1956 and retired in 1963, returning to Brown Brothers Harriman.
His son, George Herbert Walker Bush, who gets criticised as a product of the influential cabal at Yale called the Skull and Bones, actually earned his advancement in politics through service in the government. The list is extensive -Born 1924, youngest Navy pilot who earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and tree Air Medals, he graduated from Yale after 2 ½ years of studies, in 1948 and settled in Texas with family-owned Dresser Indistries, to be an oilman. He founded Zapata Off-Shore, an international drilling company. A supporter of zero population growth, in 1964 he later he ran for Senate (against liberal Ralph yarborough), lost, but won House seats in 1966 and 1968. He blew another Senate race in 1970 (against Lloyd Bentsen), won appointment to as Ambassador to the UN 1971-73, became a liaison head in Beijing, 1974-74 (after President Nixon’s trip in 1972), and Director of the CIA, 1976-77.. He tried to run for President in 1980, lost and accepted the Vice Presidency under Ronald Reagan, 1981-89. He was elected President, 1989, beating Michael Dukakis and inheriting and continuing the huge Reagan national debt. Although procclaiming a "kinder, gentler nation"he ended up fighting two wars, in 1988 overthrowing Manuel Noriega in Panama and in 1991 driving Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait, after the dictator’s 1990 invasion. But he helped Mikhail Gorbachev in 1989 and 1990 in dissolving the Soviet Union.
The Bsh sons have been problems for George H.W. and the formidable Barbara. Jeb, Governor of Florida, xxxGeorge w. an unsccessful oil man and uccessful president of the Texas Rangers (he got the team a new ballfield space and stadium by using his influence in government, and sold out his share at as huge profit), when he ran for Gov in 19. Re-elected in 1998//he leveraged tis office into thr Presidency of the US in 20hs0u0Brixxu.By and large, the Bushes have been the most successful American political family, over four generations, to date. Whether this will hold is a questin. George w’s daughters are rebelling against the imposed regime, by not attending the Inaugural, an drinking and rebelling on campus, the drinking inherited from Dad, a happy alcohol user until wife Laura too matters in her hand. Ther may also have been more problems 27 years ago).
For perspective, note that the great TR’s daughter Alica was a problem. "I can run the country, and I can control Alice, but I cannot do both," he explained to his friend Owen Wister. She eventually bgrew up and became the grande dame of Washington, ruling the city’s social life for many decades.
These kids will grow up, too.I hate to see political capital being made out of kids. This column was prompted by a particularly repulsive radio interview show by Joan Rivers on WOR, in which she yucked up a comparison: ‘Clinton had his Monica Lewinsky, and Bush has Jenna and Barbara." Rivers, a bad move..
# posted by Wally Dobelis @ 4:06 AM 
