What did George Bush mean when he said he wished for a kinder and gentler America?

Question

Bush used this as a theme when running for President in 1987.

Answer 1

“In his inaugural address, Bush signaled a departure from the avarice and greed of the Reagan era by calling for a "new engagement in the lives of others." He promised to be more of a "hands on" administrator than his predecessor, and he committed his presidency to creating a "kinder, gentler" nation, more sensitive and caring to the poor and disadvantaged.

During his first years in office, President Bush and the Democratic-controlled Congress addressed many issues ignored during the Reagan years. For the first time in eight years, the minimum wage was raised from $3.35 to $4.25 an hour. Congress amended federal air pollution laws in order to reduce noxious emissions and acid rain. For the first time since 1971, Congress considered child-care legislation, and ultimately, voted to provide subsidies to low-income families to defray the costs of childcare. In other actions, Congress prohibited job discrimination against the disabled, required nutrition labeling on processed foods, and expanded immigration into the United States.

In two areas, critics accused President Bush of reneging on his promise of a "kinder, gentler" nation. He vetoed a new civil rights bill bolstering protections for minorities and women against job discrimination on the grounds that it would lead to quotas. Bush also vetoed a bill that would have provided up to six months of unpaid family leave for workers with newly born or adopted children or for emergencies. In November 1991, however, Bush signed a compromise, the Civil Rights Act, which made it easier for workers to win anti-discrimination lawsuits.”

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=412

Answer 2

Apparently the younger Bush didn't get the message. I often wonder if George Sr. cringes inwardly every time he turns on the news and hears his son speak. I do think the first President Bush believed in his campaign slogan. Unfortunately the image of a kinder, gentler U.S. has died a painful death at the hands of his son.

Answer 3

"kinder and gentler" to his administration?
It certainly meant for the American people to become "kinder and gentler". If he did mean this he would have implemented a Universal Healthcare system and not approved that stupid Medicare Rx bill.

Answer 4

"George Herbert Walker Bush brought to the White House a dedication to traditional American values and a determination to direct them toward making the United States "a kinder and gentler nation." In his Inaugural Address he pledged in "a moment rich with promise" to use American strength as "a force for good."

Answer 5

Yeeehhh George Bush.

Answer 6

What he meant was a more docile and un questioning America so that he could usher in the "new world order"

Don't ask questions and do what your told or else!

Answer 7

He probably meant the same thing Junior did when he said that he was for "compassionate conservatism". In both cases, it was all just empty rhetoric.

Answer 8

He's just telling the voters what they want to hear. No one wants to go to war, except the Bushes.

Answer 9

He wanted to put drugs in the water so as to have everyone acquiesce to his dictations.

Answer 10

Who knows but he and his son definitely didn't do anything to make that happen...

False, empty promises. That's politics for you.