# Bush: Being Called a Racist was the Worst Moment of my Presidency **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 4, 2010, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441 "2010-11-04T12:13:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/21 "2010-11-04T15:11:35Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > Remember how Mike Myers was standing with Kanye during the Katrina telecast and had that “I have nothing to do with the crazy person next to me” look the whole time? That was awesome though, and should be included in any ‘Best of Mike Myers’ clips. Any comedian looking foolish unintentionally is great stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/22 "2010-11-04T15:12:19Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I don’t see what the big deal is. I’d be upset too. Upset, sure, but ‘worst moment’? But I do think **Mr. Excellent** ’s analysis is, well. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/23 "2010-11-04T15:14:25Z")
Kayne wasn’t the only one who accused Bush of being racist, a number of people did, Kanye just did it in the most obnoxious way possible, so it stuck. And the reason I’d think it hurts is, as others mention, he really tried hard to help fight Racism, not just with reaching out to the Hispanic community, and by doing more in Africa than any other president before him, but precisely by not making it an issue at all. It was never “look at all these non-whites I’m helping”. The reason I think it bothers him is two fold. Not only does he feel like his work in that regard is ignored, but it really just doesn’t have anything to support it. At least with Iraq, and tax cuts, and whatever there’s something to support people who call him a liar or a hater of the poor or whatever, they were obviously controversial issues and they would polarize people, but the racist comments really don’t have anything to support them and, as much of a failure as people may think many of his other policies were, I think he sees it as spitting on perhaps the one unequivocal success of his presidency. So, sure, say his response to Katrina was because he hated poor people or because of incompetence or because he appointed cronies into positions they weren’t qualified for, but calling his response racist is just utterly baseless. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/24 "2010-11-04T15:24:33Z")
So, that 9/11 thing - not a big deal then? ---
**Author:** ![Page\_Fault](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ad7895/32.png) [@Page\_Fault](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Page_Fault)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/25 "2010-11-04T15:38:28Z")
> [@Shirley\_Ujest](#): > > When has a President ever commented on what a rapper/singer’s I don’t know his music. But I know he’s a douche. comments have meant to them? Is this a whoosh? Kanye’s stunt at the video music awards got a comment from Obama that made a fair bit of news at the time. Back on topic, yeah. I’m not too fond of Bush, but calling him a racist is kind of silly. People can get uptight about odd things, I’m not surprised that Bush was hurt by that more than any of the other accusations. If you think about it, he may consider a lot of the things he did that most people hate to have been tough decisions, or mistakes, or whatever, so maybe he views that criticism as misguided but understandable and the racist comment is just sheer poo-flinging. On review, Mr. Excellent and Blaster Master’s posts cover what I’m saying. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/26 "2010-11-04T15:43:03Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > It’s Kanye, pronounced Kahn-yay. I thought it was pronounced “Gay fish”. [http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/224099/im-going-home](http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/224099/im-going-home) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/27 "2010-11-04T16:21:53Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > Upset, sure, but ‘worst moment’? > > But I do think **Mr. Excellent** ’s analysis is, well. He didn’t say “worst moment” as far as I can tell. He said “most disgusted”. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/28 "2010-11-04T16:31:29Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > He didn’t say “worst moment” as far as I can tell. He said “most disgusted”. So an egotistical loud-mouthed rapper saying you hate black people versus terrorists flying our planes into our buildings? Yeah, the racist thing still not the most disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/29 "2010-11-04T16:31:32Z")
It’s not a whoosh. I don’t pay attention to music awards or the music scene in general. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/30 "2010-11-04T16:44:51Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Really? Okay. It seemed pretty clear to me that Lauer quoted Kanye, and Bush basically said “when you cut to the chase, he’s calling me racist”…but ymmv. Yes, he quoted Kanye in his interview. But the quote from the book probably wasn’t specifically referencing Kanye. There were a lot of people, including some on this board, calling Bush a racist during the Katrina fiasco. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/31 "2010-11-04T16:49:55Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > So an egotistical loud-mouthed rapper saying you hate black people versus terrorists flying our planes into our buildings? Yeah, the racist thing still not the most disgusting. I highly doubt Bush had any idea who Kanye West is, and while 9/11 may have been disgusting in _a sense_, it’s not exactly among the first fifty terms most people would have applied to it. Look, there are tons of things to pillory GWB for. This really isn’t one of them. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/32 "2010-11-04T16:58:57Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Look, there are tons of things to pillory GWB for. This really isn’t one of them. The point to my OP is that Bush, in pointing out that attack as the most disgusting to him, without addressing the larger context within which it was made, comes across as…well, tone-deaf. Righteously upset - since he doesn’t believe he is racist - but missing the whole “you were President when a bunch of folks were treated - by your government - in a way that fits with what they see as systemic racism” part of it. Let alone singling it out vs. all of the other things thrown at him. So - don’t pillory him for racism, no; but do you think this is an example of tone-deafness that illustrates the frustration with which much of his country and the world has regarded Bush? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/33 "2010-11-04T17:03:26Z")
No. I think it’s an example of hyperbole. I also think, based on the context, that he means it was the most disgusting thing _said about him_ during his Presidency. I mean, nobody seriously thinks that if you said, “you can make one thing from the past not happen. 9/11 or the Kanye West comment?” Bush would pick the latter. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/34 "2010-11-04T17:08:26Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > No. I think it’s an example of hyperbole. I also think, based on the context, that he means it was the most disgusting thing _said about him_ during his Presidency. > > I mean, nobody seriously thinks that if you said, “you can make one thing from the past not happen. 9/11 or the Kanye West comment?” Bush would pick the latter. I would rather he said “I had to deal personal attacks on my character, my honesty, my execution of office, and what concerned me most was…” and then say something like “that people might think I wasn’t staying true to my vision for the country” or something. Singling out a personal attack - even the accusation of racism - should be trivial within the context of him functioning as President. The only things that should matter at that point are questions of his vision, ability to execute and results achieved. I don’t care if he was personally disgusted by Kanye’s remarks. But it pisses me off that it’s what he cited. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/35 "2010-11-04T17:09:17Z")
I’m not going to argue that Bush is or was racist, but I am curious how so many people can confidently aver that he was not. Did you know him or something? Maybe it’s impossible to function in society without revealing that you are a racist? Now, functionally, what Bush did, or failed to do, hurt a whole bunch of African Americans. Kanye offered a theory as to why. I suspect that Bush’s lack of action was associated more with his callousness towards poor people than about racial differences, but I’m not sure why it’s so much more taboo to express the former belief than the latter. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/36 "2010-11-04T17:12:45Z")
It should be noted that _Bush_ is the one arguing that Kanye thinks he’s a racist. All Kanye said was that Bush doesn’t care about black people. On a professional level, Bush probably _didn’t_ care about black people. They weren’t going to vote for him, after all. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/37 "2010-11-04T17:20:04Z")
You people are fucking retarded. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/38 "2010-11-04T17:20:46Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > You people are fucking retarded. Shut up, he explained. Thank you for that elucidation. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/39 "2010-11-04T17:39:46Z")
Bush went on to say that Kanye’s interrupting of Taylor Swift was the worst crime against humanity since the Holocaust. News for Bush: Kanye never called him a racist to begin with; Mike Myers is a ventriloquist. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/40 "2010-11-04T17:59:00Z")
So being called a torturer is less disgusting than being called a racist? So sitting down in White House meetings and discussing how much you can beat prisoners and how close you can come to drowning them by waterboarding were not disgusting moments? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441.md?page=3)