George H. W. Bush
Prudent internationalist
Steady hands at the Cold War's end.
Rooted ConservativeOne of 729 ideologies · enter the Conservative hall →- Role
- President
- Era
- 1924–2018
- Region
- United States
- Social band
- Rooted
- Placement
- +54 · +22 · −28
§ Where George H. W. Bush stands
3 axesBush was a pro-business Republican who backed free trade, negotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement signed in 1992. But he put fiscal order ahead of anti-tax purity: the 1990 budget agreement raised taxes to cut the deficit, breaking his 1988 'read my lips' pledge and enraging the Republican right, and in 1989 he signed a costly bailout of the savings-and-loan industry.
An institutionalist shaped by service as UN ambassador, CIA director and vice president, Bush prized alliances, diplomacy and executive competence. He built a UN-backed coalition to expel Iraq from Kuwait in 1991 and stopped short of marching on Baghdad, but he also ordered the 1989 invasion of Panama and in 1992 pardoned six officials involved in the Iran-Contra affair.
Bush was a moderate traditionalist of the patrician Republican establishment. Once a supporter of family planning in Congress, he governed as an opponent of abortion, backed a constitutional amendment against flag burning in 1989 and nominated Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court in 1991. Yet he signed the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Civil Rights Act of 1991.
How close are you to George H. W. Bush?
Three statements, one per axis. Answer them and we’ll drop you on the compass next to them.
§ The story
HistoricalGeorge Herbert Walker Bush (1924–2018) was the 41st president of the United States, serving from 1989 to 1993. The son of a Connecticut senator, he flew combat missions as a navy pilot in the Second World War and was shot down over the Pacific in 1944, then graduated from Yale and made money in the Texas oil business. After two terms in Congress he served as ambassador to the UN, Republican Party chairman, envoy to China and CIA director, and was Ronald Reagan's vice president from 1981 to 1989.
Bush presided over the end of the Cold War, managing the fall of the Berlin Wall, the reunification of Germany within NATO and the collapse of the Soviet Union without major conflict, and assembled a UN-backed coalition that expelled Iraq from Kuwait in 1991. At home he signed the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990. His 1990 tax increase, after promising no new taxes, and a recession cost him support, and he lost the 1992 election to Bill Clinton, with Ross Perot drawing nearly a fifth of the vote.
Notable for
- 01Managed the Cold War's peaceful end
- 02Gulf War coalition
- 03Americans with Disabilities Act
Key works & moments
- 1976Becomes Director of Central Intelligence under Gerald Ford.
- 1988Wins the presidency after pledging 'Read my lips: no new taxes'.
- 1989Orders the invasion of Panama to remove Manuel Noriega.
- 1990Signs the Americans with Disabilities Act and agrees a deficit deal that raises taxes.
- 1991Leads a UN-backed coalition that expels Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
- 1992Loses re-election to Bill Clinton; signs NAFTA in December.
In their own words
“Read my lips: no new taxes.”
“This will not stand, this aggression against Kuwait.”
§ Minds closest to George H. W. Bush
All minds →
§ Also in the Conservative hall
Enter the hall →§ Common questions
4 answersWhat was George H. W. Bush's political ideology?
George H. W. Bush was a moderate, establishment conservative: on the 99ideologies three-axis compass, a Rooted Conservative. Economically he sat firmly right of centre (+54), backing free trade and business while accepting a tax increase for fiscal order in 1990. On governance he was an institutionalist (+22) who prized alliances, diplomacy and the UN-backed coalition he built for the Gulf War, and socially he was a moderate traditionalist (−28), opposing abortion while signing the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Was George H. W. Bush left-wing or right-wing?
Right of centre, but from the moderate wing of the Republican Party. Bush came from the patrician, internationalist Republicanism of the north-east and was seen by the conservative movement as less committed than Ronald Reagan, especially after he raised taxes in 1990. His positions on trade, defence, abortion and judicial appointments were conservative, while his environmental and disability laws and his pragmatism made him a centre-right figure rather than a hardliner.
Why did George H. W. Bush lose the 1992 election?
Mainly because of the economy and a split conservative vote. A recession in 1990–91 and a slow recovery hurt him, and his 1990 budget deal broke his 'read my lips' pledge, angering conservatives; Pat Buchanan challenged him in the primaries. Bill Clinton's campaign focused relentlessly on economic anxiety, and the independent Ross Perot won almost 19 per cent of the popular vote. Bush's foreign-policy successes, including the Gulf War, faded as an issue once the Cold War was over.
Which minds are closest to George H. W. Bush?
On the 99ideologies three-axis compass, the minds closest to George H. W. Bush are Helmut Kohl (96% alike), José María Aznar (95% alike) and Nicolas Sarkozy (95% alike). The furthest is Emma Goldman (13% alike).