Okay for those who have not already been traumatized by this picture, it was taken during Nancy Reagan's funeral and has been bandied about as a sweet moment of bipartisanship during a turbulent election cycle.This may be the best photo from Mrs. Reagan's funeral. pic.twitter.com/kX1WZP9mwi— David Chalian (@DavidChalian) March 14, 2016
But that is certainly NOT how liberals see it.
What we see is our potential Democrat candidate, already dealing with very high negatives in the polls, embracing our version of the devil himself.
Now I understand that since Bill and George H. started hanging out together to do humanitarian missions around the world, that the Clinton and Bush families became quite cozy.
I guess in some ways that is rather sweet, in that good for humanity kind of way.
However in NO way does that forgive Hillary allowing a picture like this to be taken.
No, no, no, fucking no!
Remember how I talked about unforced errors in a previous post?
Yeah, well this is what I was talking about.
Do you want a Donald Trump presidency? Because this is how you get a Donald Trump presidency.
Update: Okay after reading through some of your responses there is a chance I might have, you know slightly overreacted to this picture.
Maybe.
However I am still of the opinion that Hillary should keep a certain distance between herself and George W. Bush. Remember there are a lot of people still trying to decide between her and Bernie Sanders, and this certainly does her no favors in that regard.
I think I would have been okay if this had been a hug between Hillary and George H. Bush, Barbara Bush, or even Jeb Bush.
But in my mind the only person worse for her to be associated with is Dick Cheney, who by the way praised her as Secretary of State back in 2011.
Hillary is already being called neocon and a warmonger. Her detractors should be denied any more weapons for their arsenal if she intends to win.
Why is this a big deal? Look at Congress, then watch them after the day is over. Best of buds. To me this was a moment of calm.
ReplyDeleteThis photo actually made me happy. Happy that people can put aside their differences and act like human beings.
DeleteOr lawyers.
DeleteAnd and I like the photo.
I agree with 2:33, totally. There are PEOPLE behind the politics.
DeleteAs I've said forever, like professional wrestling and I used to live next door to one!
DeleteI don't see anything wrong with it either. This is how ADULTS in the room act when there is crisis!
DeleteIf Bernie bros make a BFD out of it, well it shows their teabagginess if you ask me!
I think many Bernie supporters are young and impulsive. They are passionate and maybe a little desperate. I am an older Bernie supporter, but unlike the youth, if Trump destroys the world, I had a good life.
DeleteIn all fairness... His arm is over her, her arm is not around HIM. He has a tendency to do this. Remember when he rubbed Angela Merkel's shoulders? I can imagine that the picture doesn't convey the whole situation.
DeletePersonally, I like the photo of Bush and Clinton!
ReplyDeleteDonald Trump will not be elected POTUS! Betcha!
Build bridges not walls.
Delete"in NO way does that forgive Hillary allowing a picture like this to be taken.?
ReplyDeleteSeriously!? She's standing there, George puts his arm around her, and someone takes a photo. We don't know if George approached her or whether she was in conversation with him.
Hillary was supposed to do what to stop this?
Why? Michael Corleone had an answer:
ReplyDeleteKeep your friends close and your enemies closer.
Spot on! You are very wise, my friend.
DeleteMore like this is personal, not professional.
DeletePoliticians are able to compartmentalize. They have to.
You can't be rude and obnoxious to someone you meet on a social level.
It is possible to be political enemies but cordial on a personal level.
And think how it would make the headlines if Hillary "snubbed" anyone. Or if she didn't even go to the funeral.
There will always be people looking for something, anything to nitpick.
That's a nice photo. It's a funeral. Lighten up, Francis.
ReplyDeleteIf this is not how liberals do it then they do it wrong.
ReplyDeleteI think you are wrong on this one Gryphon
This shows humanity personality and all the other emotions people say Hillary lacks.
Also this is a "American family" funeral and it is appropriate to be chummy with you "unlinked" family members at such a time.
Also it shows that Hillary is willing and able to set aside partisan politics when the event or situation calls for or allows it.
I say anyone who finds the photo objectionable is entitled to their opinion but is wrong.
Also one more. And this is good strategy. If Trump is Rep nominee Hillary bring seen on good terms with Bush will make it more palatable for Rep to cross over and vote for her.
"This shows humanity personality and all the other emotions people say Hillary lacks."
Delete***
Exactly!
And it shows how WRONG trump and unqualified mental and emotionally trump and his ilk are.
This pic says it all.
I think the photo is great. In the real world (not gop) people actually get along and don't pretend they'll melt if they get next to someone from the other party.
ReplyDeleteI'm OK with it. He's out of power. -sjp
ReplyDeleteWas he ever really in power? I think Cheney was the man behind the curtain.
DeleteI'm not OK with it. He's out of prison. And while Hillary certainly isn't a "warmonger," anyone who doesn't recognize she is a full-on interventionist and is effectively a neo-con in foreign affairs is no more qualified to vote than any of Trump's "poorly educated." That said, it's not a disqualifier for her candidacy. It's just unfortunate.
DeleteHey, remember how Bush gave Angela a back rub in Germany? Good times.
ReplyDeleteHillary's Cribs Shock Young People
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L5hn5B8TYI
Lacking the critical thinking skills there aren't you? AS are those poor young saps n the video. Hillary HAS LIVED IN those homes. One is a home in the Hamptons where they vacationed while she was writing a book. Bet that was on the publisher's advance dime. Ditto for the second mansion.
DeleteBut many of us have vacationed in much nicer homes than we live in year round. Right?
One is their Chappaqua home. (THe white 1889 farmhouse.) Bill is a FORMER POTUS. They entertain many VIPS and dignitaries for his foundation and humanitarian work. Should they get a smaller place and put those guests and their security detail up at the local Motel Six?
Ditto for the Embassy Row home - $1.1 million? In Washington D.C.? in a safe neighborhood? That's a bargain! While she was in the Senate, and with input from their security detail. Soooooo?
SO what we have are two separate vacation homes that she stayed in in subsequent years -= she NEVER owned them, and two homes, both moderately priced in the circles the Clintons move in , he as former POTUS, she as Sec. of State and Senator.
Critical thinking skills, people!
So, a very accomplished couple, at end of their careers, owns two nice, large homes. Take a look, neither is ostentatious.
T.Rump on the other hand is into gawdy properties. Purported $100M Penthouse, and he did own Mar a Lago. (Ivana's now)
SO Hillary's two homes are worth 1/50th of ONE TRUMP residence. Kinda puts it in perspective, doesn't it?
Thanks, 4:08. Some people want a former President and First Lady to live in poverty, I guess. Sad.
DeleteAnonymous4:08 PM
DeleteGo peddle your snake oil somewhere else bub.
Anonymous4:08 PM
Deletewhy don't you tell us what kind of house/hovel bernie lives in?
Not 4:08, but here goes. Bernie has 2 or 3 homes. I just read about it last night. One in DC--a townhouse that cost a mint but has very small square footage. One in VT that is very big. (And maybe one more somewhere else?) There's a second mortgage on one of them.
DeleteFrom heavy.com - "Sanders may own two homes, but he also has a lot of debt. He has between $25,002 and $65,000 in credit card debt on Visa cards, Politico reported. These have interest rates of 8.5 and 10.25 percent, and they are from Congressional and Senate credit unions.
DeleteHe has two homes, a joint rental property in Burlington and a condo in Washington, D.C. The rental property earned him $5,001 to $15,000 in income in 2012. Meanwhile, he’s had the D.C. condo since 2000 and it has a 30-year mortgage of $50,001 to $100,000. "
Anonymous6:09 PM
DeleteHe also has $600k in his wife's name, form what I understand.
It was up to Hillary to allow or not allow someone walking around with a camera phone to take an UNposed photo??
ReplyDeleteI thought it was only the right wingers who got all upset over hugs.
The photo doesn't bother me at all. They are at a funeral and partisan politics should be on hold. I'm a staunch Hillary supporter and I think the photo shows her humanity.
ReplyDeleteWhat you see is what you get.
ReplyDeleteYep. People are in ignorance and denial, but if you see this photo, you vote for Hilary and live to see the "man behind the curtain" revealed, please don't say you weren't warned.
DeleteWould you like some cheese with that whine, Comrades?
DeleteVote for Trump, 2:47 PM, and kiss your @ss goodbye!
DeleteIf you believe in Hillary, then nothing in this photo makes her less Presidential, and it does make her eminently human, so I like it. Furthermore, we are not an us vs. them nation, no matter how bad the GOP and media wants us to be.
ReplyDeleteAmen. I think a lot of what you think you see or know about people's relationships is either a media-generated image or you can conclude that you probably know nothing about people's personal lives outside of politics. My brother whom I adore is a conservative ass who loves to yank my chain over Clinton, but I still hug him. You CAN hug people you disagree with. Even to a Bush-Clinton level of disagreement. :-)
DeleteEven Stephen Colbert has a brother who's a Republican. And they love each other!
DeleteI have a tea party sibling and I am saving up to buy her a snowmobile.
DeleteQ
Aw, c'mon, she's just schmoozing. She's being the anti-Drumpf, showing that she can get along with anyone. If she had snubbed him, then the Rethuglicans would have trumpeted that she was so partisan that she couldn't even be nice at a funeral.
ReplyDeleteDamn, you need to put the bottle down. It was a funeral for God's sake. You definitely are not the political genius you think you are.
ReplyDeleteYour comment made me grin immediately. Spot on.
DeleteYou win the internet today dgm!
DeletePolitical genius? This is Gryphen's blog, DGM, if you do not like his views then leave. It's not rocket science. If you think you're hurting his feelings, far from it.
DeleteIsn't it great that he allows free speech and doesn't ban people? Gosh darn, maybe he (GASP) believes in the First Amendment!
Let me go to any right wing site and see how fast I'm banned or blocked for being a progressive. Your way or the highway, right? Nice interpretation of the Constitution you claim to stand by.
DGM, like the cuz, like to high five himself. So sweet!
DeleteI know he does, I agree! (Not the same person as the previous comment...)
DeleteWhoa 4:33, you sure take a funny remark personally. Get over yourself. Pronto.
DeleteBecky @ 4:53, you must be new here. DGM is an instigator on IM. He like to take shots at Gryphen and IMers.
DeleteWhy should I, Rebecca R? I'm not about myself, I support Gryph. DGM is a rude asshole. Free speech, baby.
DeleteAnonymous 5:01, I'm not very new but have only begun commenting recently. I go by Rebecca, not Becky, BTW. Posts and comments like these are a perfect example of why this blog has a "controversial" reputation. I rest my case.
DeleteAnd yet you are here and commenting.
DeleteHeather (4:33) -
DeleteTake a deep breath & calm tf down ok. Imagine youre on a date with Angelina jolie or Amber heard though that might get you worked up again. Big Daddy should be able to defend himself.
Trust me, your hero Gryphen does block comments. I can tell you that for a fact. I've said it before, there are a number of posters on here that are just as bad as the C4pee. I've been banned from C4pee so I come over here for my entertainment and to get information on Silly Sarah. As far as being rude, no more so than most of you on here
DeleteI think you're cool, DGM.
DeleteHow dare you question or challenge Gryphen, DGM? Just who do you think you are? He is our hero and atheistic saviour and everybody loves him and all the women are dying to fuck him. You won't get away with this!
DeleteAnonymous4:33 PM,
DeleteThen why are you telling dissenting commenters to leave, if this a place that "welcomes free speech"?
Your are being a big drama queen again Gryphen. This isn't an "unforced error", she likely had no control over the photographer and it makes her look for human and relatable. Ultimately it may even help her, especially running against Trump. Simmer down for chrissakes.
ReplyDeleteThis photo doesn't bother me one bit. I am a Hillary supporter and to me it says the Republicans aren't the enemy. We are all Americans and I expect our President to act accordingly.
DeleteThis is how it strikes me as well, human and relatable. I thought it made her look good, actually... It would have been weird if she'd somehow awkwardly held him at arm's length at the funeral of a fellow former First Lady, where partisanship has no place.
DeleteNow if she were hugging Cheney, I'd have had a totally different, visceral reaction. Dubya is done, while Cheney continues as evil incarnate.
I'm betting he only did it for the cameras anyway.
DeleteNow watch this....
Bush: Remember when you voted for my little war in Iraq?
ReplyDeleteHillary: Yeah, I told them I changed my mind!
And they laughed and laughed and laughed...
Like she was the only one.
DeleteHey thanks again for that Iraq authorization vote. The big bosses and globalists sure will be happy when you get into office and turn the war machine back on. Are you still coming over for Sunday brunch?
ReplyDeleteTrite generalities. Who exactly are the "big bosses"?
DeleteI can see your point, Gryphen, but like some here, I can appreciate that HRC didn't have a lot of control over the picture being taken and it was a funeral, not a private social event. That said, I'm still trying to come to grips with how Hillary could have been so damned clueless about the Reagans role with respect to officially ignoring HIV/AIDs as public policy, but rather falsely crediting with actually being proactive! As one who lived through that period and was NOT blind to the ugly and very intentional Republican NON-response to a public health emergency, my mouth is still hanging open that she was so ignorant of this as a major issue. Knowing that and the cozy relationship her husband has forged with the Bushes, DOES give me pause. And this is coming from someone who has supported Secretary Clinton, albeit with qualms. That said, I can only pray that if Sanders can't prevail, that we all come together behind Clinton to defeat a catastrophic Republican nominee in the WH.
ReplyDeleteHaha, when are you Sanders people going to get tired of posting your "that does it, I was voting for Hillary but now I'm not" BS?
DeleteQualms, indeed.
What's your issue, 3:32 PM? Everyone is entitled to their own POV. So he/she favors Bernie; read the last sentence.
DeleteHello! I'd say she was a bit busy then, in Arkansas. AIDS wasn't really on anyone's radar screen outside the LGBT community. Would you like to lame Noah's Flood on her too? Katrina? The Civil War?
DeleteGood point 4:14pm. I was in nursing school during the Reagan Administration. AIDS was still relatively new. We also had those old standbys like heart disease, diabetes and cancer than health care professionals were grappling with.
Deletehaha, we love you Gryph. Totally understandable first reaction. Nice update. -sjp
ReplyDeletethe cloaked figure behind them seems very interested in their bonding. I wonder how a Sith Lord or Satan was invited to her funeral?
ReplyDeleteThat's her astrologist.
DeleteThat's okay, Gryph, I don't remember what I was watching and all the living presidents were standing together for some kind of photo op, Presdent Obama and Dubya next to each other, shaking hands, and laughing over something. I went ballistic.
ReplyDelete"HOW could you shake his hand. my President, after how hard you've had to work to clean up the mess he made of this country?"
It happens to the best of us.....
I agree with Gryphen about Cheney though. I'm pretty sure he stole the heart he now has from some poor guy who accidentally cut in front of him at the BMV.
ReplyDeleteCheney is a different story for sure. I don't think he goes out much. - sjp
DeleteAnd she and Obama hate each other.
ReplyDeleteOf course they do. Eye roll.
DeleteRight. That's why he's going to campaign for her, and calls her one of his good friends. (eyeroll) It's Bernie who has tension with the President, not Hillary, who was his loyal Secretary of State.
DeleteIt's understandable at first blush, but notice there's only one drinking the cool aid in the china teacup none of us could afford? All kidding aside, what's a little pallin around between former first ladies at a funeral going to harm? I think it'll help her more than hurt, it shows she's willing to cross the aisle.
ReplyDelete"former first ladies"
DeleteGood one, Anita!
I want a photo of Dubya's face when Patti Davis told the story about Nancy calling lawmakers over support for stem cell support and finding out that none other than Karl Rove (Bush's brain) was sabotaging her efforts. Priceless!
ReplyDeleteOur 2 party system. Big OIL and WALL St. She is the daughter of Goldman Sachs and he is the son of the Carlyle Group. They are related through Saudi $$$$.
ReplyDeleteOh, just stop it, Comrade! (eyeroll)
DeleteI just can't help myself. My momma told me that my daddy's name was Che'
DeleteI'm not seeing any embrace, I'm seeing Hillary Clinton's arms at her side. I'm seeing W doing what Republican men do to their little ladies.
ReplyDeleteLet's just remember that Secretary Clinton was America's Alpha Diplomat for four years- and frankly if she couldn't tolerate what's happening in that picture she ought not to have run for POTUS.
Altogether too much public kissing and hugging. Scares the horses. Scares me too. How can Hill be so cozy with someone who brought so much misery and waste into our lives. That,s what handshakes are for-- you don't have to give away so much of yourself. In order to be polite. It does make me trust her a tiny bit less.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he hugged her, the way he did to Angela Merkel in Germany. Why do you always blame the woman?
DeleteOh absolutely I blame him for grabbing her and I blame her for not recoiling like Merlkel did. A strong woman should not allow such sexist grabbing, esp not a leader.
Delete4:06 - If Merkel couldn't stop him, how could anyone? He has fast hands.
DeleteOh c'mon, I voted for Bernie this a.m. but notice, she isn't exactly hugging back. We know GWB is someone who doesn't respect personal space (Merkel) and it's a side shot, not a pose for the cam.
ReplyDeleteHills and W are basically the same people, but at this point in this crazy race I don't even care. I want to preserve my bottom line and not have a situation of national instability that would result from a short, but tumultuous Trump presidency.
ReplyDeleteI'm holding my nose and voting for female Bush light...it's really the only thing to do to maintain any semblance of normalcy in this country...but you can't make me listen to her shrill voice...I won't, but I'll give her my vote, in my own best interest only.
Well, one of them is female and has given birth. Let's start there with their differences. But thanks for voting with the Democrats in November.
DeleteI was a bit disconcerted to read an interview in which one of the Bush daughters said that her family was very close to the Clintons and that they hung out with each other and in fact she considered them FAMILY.
ReplyDeleteIt was quite off-putting considering that I think the whole Bush family legacy is one rooted in dark doings and also that the boys are idiots who will make a buck any-which way (thinking of banking scandal among others).
On the other-hand I think it understandable that there could be a kind of kinship among ex-presidents, even ones that were quite different politically. And, at least I don't think little Bush was evil, just stoopid and shallow.
Chelsea has also said that she was very good friends with Ivanka. I don't see how she still can support a friendship with a woman who does not denounce her dad since it becomes clearer by the day that he is a pathological and dangerous megalomaniac bent on destroying a nation if not the world.
They are friends in real life. Hillary was a New York Senator before she ever was SOS. To me, it's all political posturing and a bunch of hoohah (thinking of you, $arah, stay home and take care of your ailing HINO).
DeleteCall me rude, but it's true! It's all a game, folks, and we the citizens suffer for it.
TRUE. "It's a big club, and you ain't in it." George Carlin
DeleteThe relationship between the Bushes and the Clintons is fascinating.
DeleteGeorge H.W. and Barbara consider Bill their adoptive son. (Doro Koch, GHWB's daughter, speculates in her biography of her father that Bill was looking for a surrogate father since he didn't have a father in his life.) George W. and Jeb have said things about the relationship between George H.W. and Bill that suggest that their father prefers Bill as a son to them.
Bill Clinton's speech to the Thousand Points of Light Institute is pretty clear that he genuinely loves George H.W. Bush.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grCMZw8aPAQ
I am 100% behind you, Gryphen! Some things are just not OK! Unlike my GOP/Tea Party counterparts, I will not make excuses when someone I support does something that I find questionable. I still will vote for Hillary if she is the nominee (Go Bernie!).
ReplyDeleteWhat do you suppose would have been the political fallout if Hill had frowned in this photo? I sure would have liked it more. Plus no praising of Nancy's non program for drug abuse. Unfortunately I will vote for her if bernie does not make it.
ReplyDeleteAgreed!
DeleteOh STOP it!!! there is nothing wrong here! We're better than us vs them, and there are times when it's appropriate to leave politics aside.
ReplyDeleteExactly. As the poster below says, they're a tiny circle that have a shared experience.
DeleteThere's a tiny little circle of people in this country who share the experience of having lived in the White House and served their country as presidents and first ladies. They gather every once in awhile for the funeral of one of that small cadre. Of course their is a bond that goes beyond politics. This picture doesn't bother me in the least. Let's all remember our common humanity. That's the point, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteSure, but by that reasoning Hitler should have been embraced by those who served Germany before and after him.
DeleteBush is a war criminal and his wars will affect America for generations.
I hope Hillary ran the hot water heater dry after that embrace.
My thoughts exactly. At gatherings like funerals, we usually put aside our differences and interact with people we may not otherwise agree with or get along with. As you said, they are part of a very small, select group that has experienced life in the White House and can understand each other like none of us ever can.
DeleteAnd haven't we all praised President Obama for reaching across the aisle to (attempt to) work with members of the opposing party? There are times when we must put our humanity ahead of our political ideals.
It's unreal how some people are overreacting to a photo. Who among us hasn't had to ply nice with someone we have strong differences with because weddings/funerals/whatever throws you together for a short time?
ReplyDeletePolitics brings out the worst in people.
DeleteKinda O/T. I know it is tradition that the president leaving the Oval Office leaves the new president a letter on the president's desk. Wouldn't you like to read what is said? I know I would!
ReplyDeleteHave you read "The Residence"? I just finished it, and read that Bill Clinton left George H Bush's letter to him, along with a letter of his own, for George W. I thought that was a nice sentiment.
DeleteThe thing about those damn funerals is that they lower our guard. Guess, we know on some deep level that all this bullshit is really not forever. Not in our time that is.
ReplyDeleteI think it is really weird to get upset about this photo. Frankly I see a woman who can work ANY crowd, and of course they are going to hug, they shared the very rare experience of a White House history. They all get along better than one would expect. Much like that coworker with opposite politics but who always brings really good treats in. Just get along.
ReplyDeleteThat picture is nothing compared to many that find the Clintons & Trumps going back a long way.
ReplyDelete"Trump and the Clintons had to get into a room together and Trump told them he would make a deal with them. He would go out and ruin any chance of a Republican presidency so that Hillary can walk into the Oval Office in 2017."
By JOE SOUCHERAY jsoucheray@pioneerpress.com
Listening to Brunch With Bernie on Thom Harmann's Friday Town Hall radio show gave us everything we needed to know about this man. Listeners called in questions and Bernie responded and conversed in layman's terms person to person.
He's been around a long time, but few know him because he has been doing his job as best he could without his ego leading him.
Too bad!
His ego is leading him now. He can't win but he's sure using the donor money on anti-Democrats ads.
DeleteShe was having an off day. That was the same day she credited the Rayguns with fighting the war on AIDS. You can take anybody on the other side you hate and shop them into the pic with her-it will be realistic, cuz that's who she agrees with in reality. Just wait-assuming she can beat Trump, and polls don't show that happening.
ReplyDeleteComrade, contain your disappointment. She will be Madame President. Mark it.
DeleteWow! I didn't even recognize Georgie Porgie! I was wondering who that was who had your undies in a snarl.
ReplyDeleteMaybe this photo will make you feel better.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/george-wallace/13/
All high level DC politicos are one in the same. The differences for the masses to chew on are all an illusion. The game hasn't changed since mankind decided to govern themselves with elected personas.
ReplyDeleteThe CEOs of Chrysler, Ford, GM, would all seem to be in direct competition, yet at the end of the day they all go home to the same replica mansions in securly gated communities amongst their own.