Some Basic Political History

A key assumption in the Bush/TANG/AWOL narratives is that George H. W. Bush had clout enough to pull a lot of strings in the state of Texas in 1968 or 1972. Overlooked in all the back and forth is the plain fact that Bush was a junior republican congressman at a time when Democrats held a large majority in the House. (248 D to 187 R in his first term).

The situation was even more lopsided in Texas. As late as 1978 Republicans had almost no power in Austin because they were practically invisible in elected office. In that year the Texas Congressional delegation split 22 D and 2 R. In the state Senate it was 28 D and 3 R. In the State House there were 132 Dems and only 18 Repubs.

In 1970 Bush the elder lost a Senate race to Lloyd Bentson and was effectively out of Texas politics. But he was somehow supposed to have the clout to intimidate and influence the TANG chain of command.

The whole idea is funny to those with long memories. The old media meme of GHWB in 1980 and 1988 was that he was a wimp, a lapdog. Hard to reconcile that with a the new meme that he wielded power to protect and advance his son.