Barbara Bush: The Mother of the Republican Party

By Cole Trower

Loyal, sharp, and compassionate describe the woman many consider the mother of the Republican Party. With her upright manners and classic white pearl necklaces, Barbara Bush was the picture perfect lady of her time. She was beloved by not only her friends, family, and Republican supporters, but also her husband’s political opponents as well. The matriarch of one of the world’s most politically influential families had the mastery of being the glue that held her family together.

Barbara Pierce Bush born in 1925 and met her future husband George Bush when she was only 16. The two kept in touch during George’s time as a fighter pilot during World War II with countless letters professing their affection for each other. After the war the two love birds married and started a family in Odessa, Texas, where George adventured into the oil business.

Barbara was a stay-at-home mother for her children and ran the household which was very common at that time. Countless days were spent enjoying friends and children who visited to play and celebrate life. However, the days became tougher when her young daughter Robin was diagnosed with leukemia and passed away, bringing deep sadness to the Bush family, especially Barbara.

As the years passed, the children grew and time healed some wounds. Life continued and more challenges were on the horizon. A George Bush run for the United States Senate brought her into the campaign fold where she spent time shaking hands and attending events. She was a natural, and the voters instantly loved her personality. Her trademark look from George’s unsuccessful Senate run was the handcrafted bags that she made reading Bush For Senate!

A few years later George ran, this time successfully, for the United States House of Representatives and the family moved to Washington. Barbara was enamoured by the history and monuments of the nation’s capital where she dragged her kids around to all the sites, teaching them the importance of each display. She was known for her famous Sunday barbecues that made everyone feel like they were a part of the Texas family.

George’s political career would lead him to various other positions of service including running for the U.S. Senate, Ambassador to the United Nations, Chief of the United States Liaison to China, and head of the Central Intelligence Agency. Barbara didn’t mind campaigning for Senate, and loved the time spent sightseeing together in China, but loathed when George was running the CIA because they could not spend genuine time together. During that time she went into a severe depression and even contemplated suicide, something she later discussed on national television, bringing to light her battles to encourage others to get help if they fell into a similar situation.

When George ran for President in 1980, she was fierce on the campaign trail where she won over voters everywhere she went. It was simple. People just genuinely liked Barbara Bush. This continued through her years as Second Lady during her husband’s Vice Presidency and into the tough 1988 presidential campaign against Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis.

George Bush won the Presidency. Barbara worked to ensure that her family and husband came first while downplaying her few political opinions that were not exactly in line with his, such as abortion and gun violence. She believed in doing what was best for the family.

Philanthropy was a cornerstone of their lives as she worked to raise funds for charities. Barbara was a staunch proponent of championing the cause of childhood literacy, and of the belief that it was only through ensuring a literate society that many of the days’ political issues would be solved. To raise money for the literacy foundation, she wrote a children’s book from the viewpoint of the Bush family dog. It raised over $1 million, outpacing the $100,000 she raised previously when serving as the Second Lady. Even today the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy installs the value of ensuring literacy in every home in America.

Barbara Bush was a trend setter as she pushed her husband to more vigorously address the homeless issue plaguing America, as well as helping to shed the stigma that AIDS and HIV could be transferred through touch. She was a strong supporter of our troops and spent Thanksgiving during the first Gulf War with military members thanking them for their service in Saudi Arabia.

Following her husband’s defeat to Bill Clinton in 1992, Mrs. Bush was excited to leave public life where she could spend more time with her beloved George. They spent many days with their family and dogs while enjoying charity work and attending Texas sporting events. You would never guess how tough Barbara looked wearing eye black and shoulder pads next to NFL great JJ Watt! The two became friends during an effort to raise money for Houston charities.

As every child knows, when in trouble, CALL MOM! That’s exactly what her son George W. Bush did when he ran for President. George frequently called his mother for sage advice, and she came to the rescue on the campaign trail when times were tough, bringing a sense of excitement and nostalgia to crowds across the nation during the successful campaign.

Years later when her son Jeb ran for President, the former First Lady who was by then in her 90s pushed her walker through the snow of New Hampshire to whip up votes for her beloved son. She even gave the Republican frontrunner, Donald J. Trump, a few stern words on decorum while on national news. There is no doubt that in true motherly fashion Barbara did not back down to anyone attacking her family.

Some may not realize the impact that Barbara Bush had on the world. Whether it was cultivating relationships with foreign dignitaries, working to promote literacy, or giving her son motherly advice on running the nation, Barbara Bush was setting the trend. She did all of these things as she wore those trademark white pearls, smiled, and held the hand of the man she shared her heart and soul with for over 70 years.

May God bless Barbara Bush — the loyal, sharp, and compassionate lady who will forever be known as the mother of the Republican Party.