mrlarry's Full Review: Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose - Shrub: The Short but ...
We’re now a little more than two years into the Bush administration with neither peace nor prosperity in our midst. We have seen a budget surplus transformed to a deficit with the President wanting to cut the taxes of the wealthy while spending on the war.
With all this in place, I found it a good time to read Shrub, the Short but Happy Political Life of George W. Bush by Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose, a book written during the campaign with the express purpose of detailing and interpreting Bush’s career in a way that would make a person want to vote for someone else.
As a person who shares Ivins’ and Dubose’s perspective, I was interested in seeing if her perspectives still made sense after two years of Bush in office. As one who has seen Molly Ivins in person, I knew that the tone would be irreverent and funny.
If you would be bothered by barbs being directed at the President, you would probably not want to read this book. For example, in the introduction, the authors say after explaining his lack of interest in policy, "In fact, given his record, it's kind of hard to figure out why he wants a job where he's expected to govern. It's not just that he has no ideas about what to do with government--if you think his daddy had trouble with 'the vision thing,' wait till you meet this one."
If you have doubts about Bush and want to understand more about him, this book may be for you.
Here are the chapter titles and a little summary of what each chapter covers:
Class Act: The Texas National Guard and Running for Congress
Here the authors detail Bush’s early years in Texas. You see ambition combined with a jocular macho type of personality and superior political skills that have allowed Bush to have his way throughout his career.
Here also the authors begin to show their two main theses. One is that Bush has no interest in policy. The other is that his only real constituency is big business.
Life in the Oil Patch: Bush’s Oil-Field Career
Here you see the way that Bush was adept at using his charm and connections to get money to finance his oil ventures. The authors portray a rather bumbling businessman who was able to make a living thanks to family and friends. He was able to get loans from the Eastern establishment.
Prestanombre: Bush and Baseball
Here the authors show how Bush, who later advocated property rights and a government policy that respected private property, was able to use eminent domain, special taxes, and other measures contrary to a conservative policy on property to get a new stadium for the Texas Rangers.
Campagin 㤂: Bush vs. Ann Richards
Here you will see, among other things, that part of the reason that Bush won was that Governor Richards was unwilling to sign a law that pleased the National Rifle Association. The authors suggest that Bush won more because Richards committed political suicide than anything else.
Dubya, Billy Graham, and Mel Gabler: Bush and Religious Belief
This chapter details Bush’s religious conversion and his relationship with the religious right. The authors suggest that Bush gives the religious right just enough of what it wants to keep them happy enough to support him so he can serve his pro-business constituency.
Compassionate Conservatism: Bush and the Religious Right
Remember compassionate conservatism from the campaign? This chapter tells a little about its development.
Capitol Crimes: Bush and the Lege
Here you will see how masterful, and sometimes unethical, Bush can be in dealing with the legislature. Here you learn that Carl Rove is often his brains and that Karen Hughes was with him in those early days.
Is the Air Cleaner? Bush and the Environment
Here you see how Bush’s policies have led to Texas becoming more polluted at a time when other states were actually making progress. The authors suggest that his refusal to consider anyone other that business’ needs was responsible for that phenomenon.
The Bright Spot: Bush and Education
Here the authors contend that most of what made Texas schools better under Bush was actually enacted before he became governor. They suggested that his opposition to school tax equalization and other measures actually retarded school reform.
Here they also talk about Texas’ regressive tax structure–a structure that Bush refused to reform.
We’re Number One: Bush and Criminal Justice
Here we see how Bush took a criminal justice that was said to be unfair to indigent defendants and refused to take any steps to correct it. They suggest that he had an agenda to make it even more draconian. He proposed extremely tough drug laws despite his own history of substance abuse in his early life.
Political Free Speech: Bush and Campaign Finance Reform
Here the authors show how opposition to campaign finance reform has served Bush well given his ability to raise money.
Juntos Podemos: Bush and the Rio Grande Valley
Here the authors show how Bush completely ignored the Rio Grande Valley, an area that was already poverty-stricken and got worse under NAFTA. They end by saying that Bush wants to do for the nation what he did for Texas.
Clearly this is a book with a bias. I see this even though it is a bias that I share. That bias, combined with the witty writing and explanation of Texas political culture, made the book extremely interesting to me.
Looking back, though, I can see many evidences of the two flaws the authors point out. His most recent economic and tax proposals were widely criticized for not causing the stiumlative effects that we need now. They are being widely criticized.
His appointment of Justice Pricilla Owen, a judge that the Texas Consumer Lawyers Association has criticized because she is so pro-business that anyone suing a corporation cannot get a fair trial before her.
These are but two examples of how his lack of interest in policy and his being pro-business to a fault are causing him to make bad decisions.
Shrub is a quick read. It does make you think. I would recommend that even people who like Bush read it if they can take the irrelevance because it is good to consider the critics even of leaders we like.
My own opinion is that Bush is a good man whose privileged background and lack of interest in policy make him unfit to be President of the United States. While it is important to allow business to succeed, there are other parts of the population to consider. While one can be an effective President without being as wonky as Bill Clinton or Al Gore, I want a President who works hard to understand the complexities of policy so he can make good decisions, especially in troubling times. Bush fails in this area.
Shrub explains quite a bit of Bush’s biases and habits. It can be an informative and amusing read.
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