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Barbara Bush Dies at 92
- tabeth 8y agoIs Barbara the only person in history to have blood ties to more than one president and live through both of their tenures as president? I looked at Abigail Adams and co but it seems that she didn't live through both her husband's and son's presidencies like Barbara. Perhaps the most influential woman (literally) in American history edit: politically.
- smelendez 8y agoEleanor Roosevelt was distantly related to both presidents Roosevelt (closer to Theodore). She would be an obvious rival for most influential first lady, as well.
- protomyth 8y agoDepends a lot on who you believe about FDR and her. I think Barbara Bush probably raised a bit more money and had a bigger impact on more people even if some don’t realize it. The loss of her daughter at a very young age had a profound impact on her charity work.
- henryfjordan 8y agoJeb Bush lived through both his dad and his brother's presidency too (though his career might not have).
- harshgupta 8y ago> Perhaps the most influential woman (literally) in American history That's a little far fetched.
- brlewis 8y agoI'm not sure why this is downvoted. Even limited to politics, it would be tough to compete with Harriet Beecher Stowe or Rosa Parks.
- freedomben 8y agoI didn't downvote, but it does seem to violate this HN guideline: > Please don't post shallow dismissals, especially of other people's work. A good critical comment teaches us something. And potentially this one since she is clearly a political figure: > Please don't use Hacker News primarily for political or ideological battle... Again I don't agree with that, just speculating at reasons why.
- PostOnce 8y agoRosa Parks, I would argue, was limited to a particular sphere of influence (civil rights), whereas the president's wife may have his ear directly, every day of his entire career, in every field, from diplomacy to economic development to national infrastructure to military strategy to civil rights, theoretically. And then your son is also the president? Talk about power.
- loggedinmyphone 8y agoHow about Rachel Carson or Louisa May Alcott? Sorry if this is off topic, but I find it fascinating how American history is increasingly viewed through the lens of race relations.
- harshgupta 8y agoJust to be clear, this was a response to the comment. I do not have any opinion on Barbara Bush in particular other than knowing that she has a lifetime of experience in top American political circles and has been widely respected for that.
- geowwy 8y agoI don't think your spouse is considered a blood tie.
- megaman22 8y agoMany thanks to Mrs. Bush for all her contributions to the children's hospital in Portland, Maine that bears her name.
- vowelless 8y agoIn sorry, but, What's the point of this thread? Would there be a thread for the death of Klara Polzl?
- bendbro 8y agoThe death of a significant figure is a significant event. Perhaps there's an argument to be made for keeping this content off HN, in a similar vein to the treatment of other political content on HN, if it reduces commentary like yours.
- jMyles 8y ago> keeping this content off HN, in a similar vein to the treatment of other political content on HN "Political" content, to the degree that the word "political" is a meaningful disambiguator or characterization, is not kept off HN. Rather the guideline is: Off-Topic: Most stories about politics, or crime, or sports, unless they're evidence of some interesting new phenomenon. [...] If they'd cover it on TV news, it's probably off-topic. This story seems to be square down the middle of this "off-topic" description.
- pluto9 8y agoThat's a curious association to make. The only thing Barbara Bush and Adolf Hitler's mother have in common is that they were both related to important political figures. However, Klara Polzl was not politically influential or important. Barbara Bush was. So to answer your question, no, there would not be such a post for Klara, and not just because the internet didn't exist 110 years ago. Unless, of course, you think there's something else they share in common. Please elaborate.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- serf 8y ago>Unless, of course, you think there's something else they share in common. Please elaborate. Well, they're both the mothers of war-lords. Klara didn't have the pleasure of also marrying one, nor did she get to see the impact her son had. Barbara not only got to witness the impact her spouse and son had, she had the opportunity to act aloof about it when questioned![0] [0]: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/barbara-bush-beautiful-mind/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/barbara-bush-beautiful-min...
- java_script 8y agoWhat an impactful life. Very amusing how she told W, as president, to keep his feet off a table one time. And there’s at least a six-figure body count from the needless decisions of her son and husband whose political careers she supported. Very charitable woman as well.
- beautifuIMind 8y ago“Why should we hear about body bags and deaths, and how many, what day it’s going to happen?” she asked. “Why would I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?”
- archgoon 8y agoMore context: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/barbara-bush-beautiful-mind/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/barbara-bush-beautiful-min...