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Economy Hurting Bush Legacy -- Literally
The lousy economy is now hurting George W. Bush in a pretty direct way: U.S. News reports that fundraising has slowed down for the Bush library, making it difficult to meet the $500 million goal.
The situation is so bad that Bush has had to personally make phone calls to raise money, along with his father and Karl Rove, in order to meet the deadline of a 2013 construction.
Bailout, anyone?
(Via Think Progress)
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Josh
Elana
Matt
Eric
Awwww! Too bad. I guess the stock market crashing kind of put a dent in the king's donors pockets.
By the way, why does he need $500 million? Ten page children's books don't take up that much space requiring $500 million. Seems kind of out of line.
February 16, 2009 12:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hmmm. A half-billion. That's almost real money. Howz 'bout a 50% tax on Prez Libs and reroute the money to healthcare?
Wonder if they're gonna have that famous copy of My Pet Goat on display? It's probably the most historically significant kids book in our country's history.
February 16, 2009 12:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm betting that they won't have a copy of Goodnight Bush in that library.
February 16, 2009 1:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
I will gladly donate a pair of old stinking shoes I have been trying to get rid of.
February 16, 2009 12:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
You just gonna throw his way,eh?
February 16, 2009 2:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am going to be donating (by mail) all my old footwear to the "Iraqi Public Opinion Room" AND I am going to ask for a receipt for tax purposes.
February 16, 2009 3:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Shouldn't really be much money needed since it's a Bush library, no? I mean how much is really required to move a few Curious George books from the Kennebunkport basement???
February 16, 2009 12:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed.
I was thinking a single-wide manufactured housing unit would be more than sufficient to house the stuff he and Dick haven't classified Super-Duper-We'll be Instantly Attacked by Evildoers if This Gets Out-Tippitty-Tip-Top Secret. It would also provide an appropriatly dignified setting and ample space for the many scholars flocking there to review them. All he'd need then is a dank unfinished cinder-block basement to house the rest of his papers. Ought to be able to do that for two or three hundred grand, max. What's the problem?
February 16, 2009 12:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Plus they've shredded everything of interest and import so there's not much left to archive.
February 16, 2009 4:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
They'd like to believe it's the economy; but it's his past 8 years in office people don't wish to donate to instead.
February 16, 2009 12:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
He has nothing to give them in return.
February 16, 2009 2:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's not the economy. If Republicans decided to build a second Reagan Library, donations would no doubt flood in.
No one wants to be publicly associated with Mr. 36th Best President Evah.
February 16, 2009 12:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe he could finance it by licensing his likeness to a new Wii game where the players throw virtual shoes at him.
February 16, 2009 1:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
I was thinking President Obama could offset the $780 plus stimulus package by taking all those official Bu$h and Cheney pictures laying about and using them as backgrounds for dart boards.
February 16, 2009 2:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
http://openletterstobushfromamerica.blogspot.com/2009/02/lets-get-started.html?showComment=1234806840000#c6823178892391265642
February 16, 2009 1:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm not sure how one needs $500 Million for the scant few documents the Bush Administration ever allowed to be seen. The "public" or scholars will have access to things that Congress was denied?
Or maybe they just need somewhere to store them until the 100 years moratorium runs out. (I don't know there's a 100 year moratorium, but how will history ever be able to vindicate Bush if history never gets to see anything?)
February 16, 2009 1:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
The money is for the huge, big vault to store them in. You can look but can't see - typical of his Presidency.
February 16, 2009 2:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't think it's just the economy. I think, just like the bad assets that got sold and are now junk, bush himself has proven to be "a bad asset" - no better than junk. bush-equity meltdown - it's finally forcing him to see the truth!
February 16, 2009 1:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's perhaps finally brought the truth more fully into view, but HE will never see it. So it is with sociopaths.
February 16, 2009 1:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
HA! Talk about a junk bond :-)
February 16, 2009 1:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
i will just forward my check to his new address.
does anybody have the address for the Hague?
February 16, 2009 1:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Heck I just want the address for the shoes I intend to mail!
February 16, 2009 2:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why so much money? Probably hiring the rent-a-thug outfit formerly known as Blackwater for security.
February 16, 2009 2:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
I just started reading Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine and my impression is those rent-a-thug outfits like Blackwater are eerily similar to those Storm troopers from Star Wars - the empire was nothing more than galactic capitalist with standing army hellbent on ravaging universes in search of profit; Ferengi mentality taken to an extreme.
February 16, 2009 2:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
1. As a money saving measure, the George W Bush library could be opened as the right wing of the George H W Bush Library. Then the people who voted for W because they thought he was his father would also be able to find W's library.
2. Perhaps there should be a mass shoe mailing to the address of the fundraising effort.
February 16, 2009 2:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Texas A&M had enough crosses to bear before the Bush I Library. Please don't make them add to it.
February 16, 2009 2:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Can somebody please post the address - for shoes?
February 16, 2009 4:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
I believe there is poetic justice in the Bush library being planned for the only institution of higher education to which the NCAA applied the
"Death Penalty." And, of course, Bush public acheivements are equal to those of SMU football since 1987.
February 16, 2009 2:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
I believe there is poetic justice in the Bush library being planned for the only institution of higher education to which the NCAA applied the
"Death Penalty." And, of course, Bush public acheivements are equal to those of SMU football since 1987.
February 16, 2009 2:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bushie must be counting on his speechifying event at an undisclosed location in Canada to finance his library as well as his statue in Firdos Square in Iraq.
http://www.deadbrain.co.uk/news/article_2004_04_25_1115.php
February 16, 2009 3:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
All the Canadians I've ever met seem to have a clear and level head on their shoulders. So who bribed the them to let him make a speech for cash in Canada?
February 16, 2009 3:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Who bribed them? Inquiring minds want to know.
The group isn't identified, the location is undisclosed, the public is barred and the fee is confidential.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/021209dnmetbush.3fc23c4.html
February 16, 2009 6:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
All too bad that Phillip Johnson isn't still around to handle the design. Using Phillip couldn't have been more appropriate, in that he wouldn't cease with his fulminating over the glories of Hitler's Third Reich, way back when.
February 16, 2009 5:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe Rush Limbaugh can run a fundraiser among his dittoheads.
February 16, 2009 5:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
If Rush could raise that kind of money, he'd use it for a Rush Limbaugh monument, not a Bush monument.
February 16, 2009 9:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bail-out? Is it shovel-ready?
Can't believe no one's posted that yet..
February 16, 2009 6:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gee, aren't there a few of those Katrina trailers available?
February 16, 2009 7:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
If Rove is really making "contribution calls", as this story says, then I don't believe Rove's testimony will give any useful information. He'll just lie or not show up. The story over at Raw makes you believe Rove might spill his guts. If Rove is still buddy buddy with Bush, Bush is not pissed at Rove for making him the stupidest President in U.S. history, then nothing will come of a Rove testimony. The only way Rove will testify truthfully is if he got thrown under the bus by Bush.
February 16, 2009 8:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
I never thought they'd get that library off the ground. 500 million bucks for something with Bush's name on it, now that he's not in a position to lower anyone's taxes any more? Never gonna happen.
February 16, 2009 9:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
George Bush is having a tough time raising money for his presidential records museum, and the apparent problem is the terrible economy he left us with. Can this be pointed out as an example of life for retirees if Social Security had been privatized as he attempted to do? Sure, things will likely trend upward at a nice rate over the long term, but as Bush seems to be learning, if the economy and market are down when you need it, long term trends are meaningless.
February 16, 2009 11:14 PM | Reply | Permalink