George W. — a winner

Last night, I met George W. Bush in the living room of my mother’s home.
The brief time I spent with him gave me some insight into why he has
become such a whirlwind force in Republican presidential politics this
year.

W had just arrived in town for a fundraiser and stopped by my mother’s
house to visit my brother, Rush, who is here on vacation. After pictures
were taken and pleasantries exchanged, we sat and discussed politics.

The first thing that struck me was that despite reports to the contrary,
Bush has specific and thorough positions on the issues, some quite
unique and innovative — and all, conservative.

He would: rebuild our national defenses and restore fairness to the tax
code; return educational sovereignty to the communities and oppose
oppressive gun control legislation; push tort reform and greater
accountability for criminal conduct; and replace the current regime of
victimhood with an era of responsibility.

His “prosperity with a purpose” envisions leaving no one behind. But
unlike Clinton Democrats he sees the solutions not in government, but
the private sector. He is committed to expanding access to opportunity
by dismantling bureaucracies and creating a climate where those who want
to produce will be allowed to, and those who can’t help themselves will
be assisted.

When he explained “compassionate conservatism” I came to understand that
it is in no way an apology for traditional conservatism. Quite the
opposite. He’s just tired of conservatives being painted as heartless
and is determined to set the record straight, issue by issue. Plus, he’s
contributed a few additional “compassionate” ideas to the mix, such as
advocating government partnership with faith-based institutions.

After hearing him speak, I’m convinced he isn’t engaged in demagoguery;
these are heartfelt convictions. He steadfastly refuses to write off any
voters, even the most traditional Democratic constituencies. He promises
to be in Gore’s face, making him sweat for every vote his party has
always taken for granted.

Whereas many politicians opportunistically emphasize race issues to
pander to minority voters, Bush has a gleam in his eye when talking
about racial politics.

With animation he tells the story of how he and John Kasich, shortly
after Kasich dropped out of the race and endorsed him, walked through an
inner-city Dallas neighborhood and talked to African-Americans about
being made part of the American dream. And he was genuinely pumped up
about it.

As Bush talked, he exuded passion, reminding me of the Jack Kemp of the
early ’80s — sporting a contagious enthusiasm.

Everything about Bush bespoke a mature confidence and a refreshing
optimism. He knows what he’s about. I detected in him a Reaganesque
quality that will enable him to bypass an inevitably hostile media and
communicate directly to the people.

I also observed in him a number of seemingly contrasting personality
traits.

• He is obviously a member of an insider family, yet projects a
  decidedly outsider quality.

• He could be considered a blueblood (a person of wealth), yet appears
  as someone who would be more comfortable drinking beer with the boys
  than wine with the elite. So his desire to assist the common man and
  minorities is not an act. (For you teetotalers, I’m talking personality
  traits here, not drinking. W doesn’t drink anymore.)

• He has a boyishly innocent quality about him — yet he’s rugged, a
  man’s man.

• He is being accused of not being sufficiently conservative, yet in
  the shrewd and prudent management of his campaign expenses, he’s making
  his GOP opponents look like profligate spenders.

• He is running with the momentum of a man who was born to be
  president, yet he truly didn’t start out seeking this position; he’s
  been swept up by a draft-W-movement that is in one sense bigger than
  him, but in another all about him.

Bush is a charismatic businessman with a unifying vision for America.
And he intends to implement it. In his words, he “is a uniter, not a
divider.” Like a smart executive he knows his limitations, surrounds
himself with brilliant (and right thinking) people, understands when to
delegate but assumes final authority over his decisions.

The one word that most succinctly captures W is “winner.” He’s a winner,
not just in terms of votes, but also personality. This is in sharp
contrast to some of his opponents.

The Republican Party, which has been mired in defeatism since 1995,
sorely needs a winner. And so does America. W is looking pretty good
right now.