Anonymous
Post 06/10/2026 12:23     Subject: Jenna Bush Hager seems like a compassionate woman, was it her upbringing? Adult jobs?
I went to college at the University of Texas in Austin when George W. Bush was governor of Texas. She went to Austin High School -a public school. I remember being impressed that the governor had enough confidence in his state education system to send his daughters to public school.
He was known as a compassionate conservative. When he was governor, he had a pathway for undocumented children to get a college education. His policies wouldn’t fly in the Republican Party of today.
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2026 12:14     Subject: Jenna Bush Hager seems like a compassionate woman, was it her upbringing? Adult jobs?
Anonymous wrote:It used to be common in both parties for the people (and their families) who ascended to the top of the party had to be upstanding people. I didn't think W was a good president at all, but I think he was probably a good dad, and that he chose a thoughtful and nurturing mother for his kids in Laura, and their family does a good job of nurturing kids to reach their potential.

Again, this used to be common on both sides of the aisle. I have never voted for a Republican for president but I think Mitt Romney, John McCain, George W. Bush, Bob Dole and George HW Bush are all decent human beings. Bad politics, good people. It happens. And then I also believe Jimmy Carter, Michael Dukakis, Al Gore, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton are also all good people.

Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan were not particularly moral people but they at least felt compelled to try and convince people they were, which likely led them to behave more ethically overall than they would have without that constraint.

Donald Trump is an openly bad person who is proud of his lack of ethics and morality. He gets excited when he does something clearly immoral and people fall all over themselves trying to justify it or explain it -- it's evidence of his power that he can twist people into these knots. And once he opened that door, it's hard to shut. Biden was once a pretty upstanding person -- flawed but basically a decent person. But he did some deeply unethical things during his presidency, and justified them because of Trump. Now I look at the Maine Senate race and find myself hoping a dirtbag with a Nazi tattoo successfully gets a Senate seat, because he's running against an otherwise nice lady who simply can't stand up to Trump.

Everything is broken. I don't know how we find our way back from this wilderness.


Hilary Clinton good people?!

F'ing please.
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2026 10:17     Subject: Jenna Bush Hager seems like a compassionate woman, was it her upbringing? Adult jobs?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:She is just a normal person with a pretty normal (for UMC Texas) background aside from her dad and gdad being president. Pretty similar to many other UT sorority girls I know but even more down to earth.


She gives strong Elle Woods vibes. I know I'm supposed to hate her, but she's delightful.


Why are you supposed to hate her? I don't understand. Please explain it to me like I'm five.
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2026 10:16     Subject: Re:Jenna Bush Hager seems like a compassionate woman, was it her upbringing? Adult jobs?
I think Jenna has gotten more comfortable on TV, and her ease and kindness with the people she interviews are very compelling.

Anonymous
Post 06/10/2026 07:37     Subject: Jenna Bush Hager seems like a compassionate woman, was it her upbringing? Adult jobs?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:She is just a normal person with a pretty normal (for UMC Texas) background aside from her dad and gdad being president. Pretty similar to many other UT sorority girls I know but even more down to earth.


She gives strong Elle Woods vibes. I know I'm supposed to hate her, but she's delightful.


This is so off-base. You are not supposed to hate the Bush girls anymore than anyone is supposed to hate the Obama girls or Chelsey Clinton. Children who do not participate in their parents’ presidential administration should not be judged by it.


I interpreted that comment as supposed to be wary ("hate") so called nepo babies but maybe that's not what PP meant.

She probably got in the door to her job due to her name, but I think she's proven herself as good at the job and does seem like a nice person.
Anonymous
Post 06/09/2026 22:21     Subject: Jenna Bush Hager seems like a compassionate woman, was it her upbringing? Adult jobs?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:She is just a normal person with a pretty normal (for UMC Texas) background aside from her dad and gdad being president. Pretty similar to many other UT sorority girls I know but even more down to earth.


Pretty sure that the Bushes are past UMC at this point.


Well, yes. But this post is about when they were growing up. Her dad was governor in the 90s but they went to Austin High and were normal and had normal friends and she went to UT and was a normal UT student and then worked as a teacher then got into TV.
Anonymous
Post 06/09/2026 21:41     Subject: Jenna Bush Hager seems like a compassionate woman, was it her upbringing? Adult jobs?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You sound so surprised. That's literally no different than offering surprise that Barack Obama is so clean and articulate.


wut?


And yet the PP hit the nail on the head. You were clearly politicizing the situation.


NP here and nowhere did the OP politicize her question. I don't even know what's wrong with people like you that have now turned this thread political.
Anonymous
Post 06/09/2026 21:11     Subject: Jenna Bush Hager seems like a compassionate woman, was it her upbringing? Adult jobs?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The Bushes are nice people. They were raised with standards and manners. I’ve met some of them, and they were exactly what they seemed to be - Old Blue WASP types (W hammed up the Texas stuff) who were “comfortable” and along the way were taught you should serve and give something back. They got lucky that grandma Barbara was the no-nonsense type who was not going to let her kids get away with bad behaviors. Today, this all seems another time, another place.
Just ignore GW's DUI.


He’s sober and has been for a long time.
Anonymous
Post 06/09/2026 21:03     Subject: Jenna Bush Hager seems like a compassionate woman, was it her upbringing? Adult jobs?
Anonymous wrote:She is just a normal person with a pretty normal (for UMC Texas) background aside from her dad and gdad being president. Pretty similar to many other UT sorority girls I know but even more down to earth.


Pretty sure that the Bushes are past UMC at this point.
Anonymous
Post 06/09/2026 20:32     Subject: Re:Jenna Bush Hager seems like a compassionate woman, was it her upbringing? Adult jobs?
I saw her out and about occasionally when she briefly lived in Baltimore a couple blocks from me. Only thing I remember is that she got carded at a bar and didn't have her ID on her and gave the bartender a hard time.
Anonymous
Post 06/09/2026 20:21     Subject: Jenna Bush Hager seems like a compassionate woman, was it her upbringing? Adult jobs?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:She is just a normal person with a pretty normal (for UMC Texas) background aside from her dad and gdad being president. Pretty similar to many other UT sorority girls I know but even more down to earth.


She gives strong Elle Woods vibes. I know I'm supposed to hate her, but she's delightful.


This is so off-base. You are not supposed to hate the Bush girls anymore than anyone is supposed to hate the Obama girls or Chelsey Clinton. Children who do not participate in their parents’ presidential administration should not be judged by it.
Anonymous
Post 06/09/2026 20:20     Subject: Jenna Bush Hager seems like a compassionate woman, was it her upbringing? Adult jobs?
Anonymous wrote:W and Laura were decent humans all along. Not very bright but decent people. W especially was a naive simpleton in the WH which suited Dick and the neocons just fine.


Just today I saw online a write up of Laura Bush calling up Michelle Obama to invite her, Sasha and Malia to the White House for a special tour before they officially moved in. Both Jenna and Barbara, who were in their mid 20s, made a point to come and show the girls around, including places they played as kids (when their grandfather was prez). The point is that Laura is a class act.
I always thought Jenna was a vapid southern sorority girl, but my sister worked with her and said she was great. She didn’t want to find her to be so but found her to be nice to work with.
Anonymous
Post 06/09/2026 20:14     Subject: Jenna Bush Hager seems like a compassionate woman, was it her upbringing? Adult jobs?
Anonymous wrote:It used to be common in both parties for the people (and their families) who ascended to the top of the party had to be upstanding people. I didn't think W was a good president at all, but I think he was probably a good dad, and that he chose a thoughtful and nurturing mother for his kids in Laura, and their family does a good job of nurturing kids to reach their potential.

Again, this used to be common on both sides of the aisle. I have never voted for a Republican for president but I think Mitt Romney, John McCain, George W. Bush, Bob Dole and George HW Bush are all decent human beings. Bad politics, good people. It happens. And then I also believe Jimmy Carter, Michael Dukakis, Al Gore, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton are also all good people.

Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan were not particularly moral people but they at least felt compelled to try and convince people they were, which likely led them to behave more ethically overall than they would have without that constraint.

Donald Trump is an openly bad person who is proud of his lack of ethics and morality. He gets excited when he does something clearly immoral and people fall all over themselves trying to justify it or explain it -- it's evidence of his power that he can twist people into these knots. And once he opened that door, it's hard to shut. Biden was once a pretty upstanding person -- flawed but basically a decent person. But he did some deeply unethical things during his presidency, and justified them because of Trump. Now I look at the Maine Senate race and find myself hoping a dirtbag with a Nazi tattoo successfully gets a Senate seat, because he's running against an otherwise nice lady who simply can't stand up to Trump.

Everything is broken. I don't know how we find our way back from this wilderness.

Yes, all this. +1000
Anonymous
Post 06/09/2026 20:03     Subject: Jenna Bush Hager seems like a compassionate woman, was it her upbringing? Adult jobs?
W and Laura were decent humans all along. Not very bright but decent people. W especially was a naive simpleton in the WH which suited Dick and the neocons just fine.
Anonymous
Post 06/09/2026 19:44     Subject: Jenna Bush Hager seems like a compassionate woman, was it her upbringing? Adult jobs?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The Bushes are nice people. They were raised with standards and manners. I’ve met some of them, and they were exactly what they seemed to be - Old Blue WASP types (W hammed up the Texas stuff) who were “comfortable” and along the way were taught you should serve and give something back. They got lucky that grandma Barbara was the no-nonsense type who was not going to let her kids get away with bad behaviors. Today, this all seems another time, another place.
Just ignore GW's DUI.


Even nice families can have a kid that makes a mistake. He turned it around and married a nice girl and didn’t seem like an alcoholic while in office. Unlike some of the current admin. I did not think he was a good president — his major legacies are the Iraq war and no child left behind. (Although I love Laura’s book festival!!!). But he and Laura seem like great people. It’s sad that isn’t valued at all anymore.