A Tale of Two Bushes: Standing Alone Versus Standing Together

Political bases come in various forms and sizes. The original political base of the Bushes took the form of hundreds of Christmas and other family cards in Barbara Bush’s “shoebox.” Letters she received, notes from persons she met at meetings, correspondence among the big Bush family—all were duly recorded, sometimes with her comments. The hundreds grew into thousands—at least ten thousand, it was estimated—and by the time the names were computerized, the resulting list could generate as many as 90,000 Christmas cards. When a Bush ran for office, the campaign began with a huge mailing from Barbara Bush’s boxes. She became both archangel and archivist of the Bush dynasty—and the one person who dared critique any and all other Bushes.