Bush 41: I’m With Her

Matt Vespa | September 20, 2016 8:05 AM

Well, Hillary Clinton has certainly scored some top Republican endorsements throughout this campaign. Some key players in George W. Bush’s cabinet like Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson are all declaring their support for the former first lady. Now, a member of the Kennedy family sort of spilled the beans on who former President George H.W. Bush is voting for this election—and it’s not Donald Trump. Reportedly, Bush 41 is with her (via Politico):

Bush, 92, had intended to stay silent on the White House race between Clinton and Donald Trump, a sign in and of itself of his distaste for the GOP nominee. But his preference for the wife of his own successor, President Bill Clinton, nonetheless became known to a wider audience thanks to Kathleen Hartington Kennedy Townsend, the former Maryland lieutenant governor and daughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy.

On Monday, Townsend posted a picture on her Facebook page shaking hands next to the former president and this caption: "The President told me he’s voting for Hillary!!”

In a telephone interview, Townsend said she met with the former president in Maine earlier today, where she said he made his preference known that he was voting for a Democrat. “That’s what he said,” she told POLITICO.

Well, I guess the lesson to learn here is to never say anything to the Kennedys that you want to be kept secret. On the other hand, while it’s not going to push Republicans away from Trump, it still shows the battle lines drawn within the Republican Party among the Trump and Establishment camps. It’s a line that’s hindering Trump from getting a key boost in the polls from a united Republican base, though he’s been able to tighten the race in key swing states against the Clinton machine. You never know, maybe the base will become more united as Election Day approaches. I don’t think Bush 41’s decision is going to impede that should it happen. So, you’ve made your choice, Mr. President. That’s fine. I’m not going to shame you like Obama and his attitudes towards black voters this cycle.