Prescott rose to power and held many positions today considered socially moderate. He was involved with the American Birth Control League as early as 1942, and served as the treasurer of the first national capital campaign of Planned Parenthood in 1947. Bush was also an early supporter of the United Negro College Fund, serving as chairman of the Connecticut branch in 1951.
He was a key ally for the passage of Eisenhower’s Interstate Highway System, and during his tenure as U.S. Senator from Connecticut he supported the Polaris submarine project , civil rights legislation, and the establishment of the Peace Corps.
Dwight D. Eisenhower later included Bush’s name on an undated handwritten list of prospective candidates he favored for the 1960 GOP presidential nomination.
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Prescott Bush’s supporting American Birth Control League Planned Parenthood, and United Negro College Fund in the 1940’s is subversion how?
Even if we assume Prescott Bush was evil, the three-generation conspiracy theory kind of melts when you get to George H. Bush, who surely cannot be blamed for a conspiracy in 1934, and whose Presidency was mediocre, uneventful and not marked by any particularly interesting attempts to “subvery” democracy.
Behind the ostensible government sits an enthroned and invisible government owing no allegiances and acknowledging no responsibility to the people.
Teddy Roosevelt
This is another example of conspiracy theory in normal politics invented by one candidate to best the opposition.
Theodore Roosevelt was President 1901- 1909 During this term he was the trust buster and evened the playing field between producers and consumers in the US while installing tariffs to protect the US from lower cost imported goods helping both US producers and consumers.
Roosevelt certified William Howard Taft to be his successor to carry on principals of the progressive party but Roosevelt felt that Taft was not doing a good job because Taft had raised tariffs to high favoring producers and began a campaign to run against Taft in the 1914 elections.
Roosevelt considered Taft to be inept or a weeny in dealing with big business and fearing a Republican party rift Theodore Roosevelt recorded campaign speech of 1912 in which he states his (not Tafts) progressive political views.
This speech is more bluster and ego than it is truth of the time! Roosevelt successfully “trust busted” while negotiating and litigating the three legged stool of Tariffs, business interests, and the consumer during his administration without resorting to screeching rhetoric as in his speech of 1912.
Roosevelt put forth the idea that Taft and businesses were conspiring where in reality Taft just left more money on the negotiating table than Roosevelt felt was appropriate.
The balance of the progressive party didn’t buy into the conspiracy and Roosevelt lost the nomination, created the 'Bull moose Party” splitting the vote with Taft. Wilson won the election of 1914
Roosevelt died 4 years later in 1919.
Rather than remember Roosevelt for an untruth inapplicable to our time.
Lets remember Roosevelt’s more characterizing quote of America in the 20 century.
"Speak softly and carry a big stick, and you will go far."
To call George HW Bush incompetent is one of the greatest stretches of the imagination I can imagine. This is a guy who invaded a nation and prosecuted a war in 100 days. They rolled over Iraq. His Presidency wasn’t incompetent at all. He lost because of Ross Perot, not because of incompetence. George HW Bush was one of the most well connected to men for his entire life. But he ended up being the head of the CIA appointed by Ford. Then when Carter took him out and worked to gut the agency, he ended up being the Vice President of the very next administration. Yeah, sounds like the actions of an incompetent to me. When he started his career in the oil business it was a contract to build oil platforms in the Persian Gulf for the Kuwaiti royal family, the same people he saved from Saddam Hussein 40 years later. He was neck deep in the behind the scenes machinations going on regarding the Iran/Iraq war in the Reagan administration, involved in Iran-Contra, and yet still managed to get elected in 88. Yeah, sounds like a total incompetent to me.
As FriarTed has pointed out. P. Bush was involved in funneling money both to Thyssen and helping the Bolsheviks build up the Soviet Union, even though it was against American law to do so. Much of this happened while he was on the board of Brown Brothers Harriman. Now that Carlyle has taken the role of the Harriman Group, Bush has been heavily involved with them.
George W. Bush held companies that were always defunct that would just be rolled over and bought out by another company that he would then be an executive of. From Arbusto to Harken energy. For some reason Saudi investors couldn’t wait to buy stock in his worthless company. I wonder why that is.
As President, W, has increased the power of the executive. Had an administration rocked by scandal after scandal. When the entire nation was behind him, he pushed through the USA Patriot Act, one of the greatest assaults on American Democracy ever devised.
As for the citation in ‘America’s Secret Establishment’, such a book is difficult to cite well and relies on anonymous sources. Journalists often rely on anonymous sources. If one actually read the book and not just the wikipedia article about it, they would see that Sutton actually recognizes the difficulties in putting the book together, and is pretty honest about them.
It’s interesting to me that this sort of thing when framed as a longer term conspiracy is ludicrous, even though people are generally willing to accept the notion that Bush stole the 2000 election in the state where his Brother was Governor.
Also, Samuel Bush, Prescott’s Father amassed the family fortune, so if we followed the standard sociological familial wealth model it would’ve petered out by George HW Bush’s generation, when in reality the family fortune is greater than ever with two living President George Bush’s alive at the same time, and Governor Jeb Bush. George HW Bush was a member of Congress. Prescott was a Senator, and two of HW’s sons were Governor’s. They have been heavily involved with the oil industry since Standard Oil, and yet, of course, there is no Dynasty here.
What do people think of Kevin Phillips? Is his book ‘American Dynasty’, a bunch of Hogwash too? What about ‘House of Bush, House of Saud’? Is that one nonsense as well?
When the current Bush was elected president his mother supposedly said, “I thought Jeb would be president first.” Sorry if that quote is mentioned in the links above, I haven’t read all that material. And, I don’t know if Mrs. Bush really said that.
Still, I like a good conspiracy theory myself and since I cordially loathe Bush the Younger, I am throwing fuel on the fire.
Well it is very highly improbable because when grandpa Bush was in his latter years Lovya Dubya admitted of having an “irresponsible youth” and admitted to drinking “too much” . Basically there is just **not enough conservatism **in 20th century rebellious US society to perpetuate a multi generational dynasty.
It is not interesting to me because I know this conspiracy theory is all propaganda.
What people? Oh those people who can’t accept the fact they are not all that well liked by nominally 50% of the population.
Except that he actually managed to become President. I think you’re making an error here. There is CLEARLY a Dynasty. That’s indisputable, it’s a fact. They have managed their familial wealth and increased it from generation to generation, that’s a Dynasty. They have managed to maintain and increase their political influence. No on is disputing that. The debate isn’t whether or not there is a Dynasty, there is. The debate is about whether or not it’s pernicious.
Well, a lot of people believe that. You just started a whole thread about exactly what you are doing here. Do you want to get negative and devolve into ad hominems or do you want to debate the topic?
I am glad you have such faith in Democracy to work unchecked.
Perhaps we don’t have an appropriate word for what the Bush family is. Dynasty seems the closest that we have. The reality is they have been at the highest levels of power for an entire century. Two Presidents, two Congressmen, Two Governors, and family dispersed throughout big business.
No I don’t want to devolve.
As preface we are obviously in disagreement in our perceptions of the Bush family.
Its the bolded that set us off.
You said ‘stole’ and stealing is a criminal and punishable offense,
you said ‘people’ and ‘people’ is all inclusive.
I said what people? Oh those people who can’t accept the fact they are not all that well liked by nominally 50% of the population. - so as to not include myself as being one of those that consort with thieves. Now I do apologize for trying to psychoanalyze. Would it have been OK if I had said “Oh those people on the liberal side.”
Now had you said that you think the conspiracy between the Bush family even extended to stealing of the vote in Florida . I would have responded very differently.
Pardon me I am a stickler for word definitions.
A dynasty is a succession of rulers who belong to the same family for generations
one that rules; specifically : sovereign
Now if you were to concede that The Bush’s are a powerful family of Public Servants that would be acceptable.
pernicious - causing insidious harm or ruin; ruinous; injurious; hurtful
insidious -stealthily treacherous or deceitful
So the question is.
Do the Bush activities in the last 100 years exhibit any characteristics of pernicious public service?
I will have to research that and get back with you.
Dynasty can be used to describe families in industry as they rule over their companies.
I offer for consideration
The David Koch family owned business in oil and timber – 2 generations $4B
The Anne Cox Chambers family owned business in radio, TV, and newspapers – 2 generations $11B
The Hurst family owned business in radio, TV, and newspapers – 3 generations $1.2B
The Sulzberger family owned New York Times and Washington post and Boston Globe – 4 generations
I will not concede that they are public servants; They are people who have insinuated themselves into public positions of trust and who have used those positions to fatten at the public trough at the expense of the very public they are presumed to serve.
When he started his career in the oil business it was a contract to build oil platforms in the Persian Gulf for the Kuwaiti royal family, the same people he saved from Saddam Hussein 40 years later. He was neck deep in the behind the scenes machinations going on regarding the Iran/Iraq war in the Reagan administration, involved in Iran-Contra, and yet still managed to get elected in 88. Yeah, sounds like a total incompetent to me.