Meghan McCain vs. Joy Behar: Should George H.W. Bush be used as a cudgel against Trump?

All of the action is in the last few seconds of the clip below but it’s surprisingly sharp. I’m gonna take this as confirmation of my theory that McCain and Behar can’t stand each other, despite the public “we’re all buds!” proclamations to the contrary.

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As much as I’d like to be on Team McCain here against the evil liberal, there are two problems. One: She’s rude in cutting Behar off when she brings up the Bush/Trump comparison. However distasteful the subject may be, since when does Meg have veto power over what the rest of the panel wants to discuss?

Two: A Twitter pal reminds me that Meghan McCain isn’t ideally positioned to criticize others for commenting unfavorably on Trump by comparing him to the recently deceased. Remember her eulogy for her dad?

“We gather here to mourn the passing of American greatness — the real thing, not cheap rhetoric from men who will never come near the sacrifice he gave so willingly, nor the opportunistic appropriation of those who lived lives of comfort and privilege.”…

“The America of John McCain is generous and welcoming and bold… The America of John McCain has no need to be made great again, because America was always great.”

It’s okay to use a politician’s death to dunk on Trump at a funeral, in church, in front of world leaders, but not in the hallowed halls of the “View” set? What?

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She should apologize to Behar tomorrow at the top of the show. And while I take her point that it’s unfair to Bush to coopt his glorious life story for something as cheap as point-scoring on the current officeholder, it’s inevitable that people will contrast him and Trump. Trump made mincemeat of his political heir in the 2016 primaries, didn’t he? He’s had unhappy things to say about the Bushes and they’ve had unhappy things to say about him. Apart from the fact that both were born to rich fathers and succeeded in business, their careers, characters, and personal styles couldn’t be more different. The political contrast is unavoidable too: Reagan/Bush built the modern conservative movement and Trump finished it off. No doubt plenty of populists who remember Bush’s centrism unfavorably drew their own comparisons between him and Trump this past weekend. It does the old man a disservice to reduce him to a yardstick for Trump, but as one small part of a broader assessment of his personal and political legacy, why not?

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Just one thing. If you’re tempted to club Trump with a Bush comparison, bear in mind that Poppy himself wanted him included at this week’s funeral.

[M]any of the family’s confidants said Saturday former President George H.W. Bush wished to put [ill will] aside when it came to Trump attending his funeral.

“If anybody at anytime knew anything about the 41st president of the United States, they would completely and totally understand that he would welcome the current occupant 100 percent,” said an aide in the office of the former president. “This is the way the country says goodbye to presidents.”

Civic duty above all. Very 41.

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David Strom 8:00 AM | October 14, 2024
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