In a revealing indication of how stressful — and angering — political elections can be, former President George H.W. Bush lashed out in a newly uncovered letter at the opponent of his son during the presidential campaign that ended in a Florida recount in 2000.
As George W. Bush was challenged and mocked by former Vice President Al Gore, the 41st president wrote a friend, “I have gotten so I can’t stand Al Gore.”
The elder Bush revealed his feelings, and surely those of his extended family, in a letter to former Illinois Rep. Dan Rostenkowski that is being auctioned this week by Alexander Historical Auctions.
Writing from his summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine, Bush penned, “I sure appreciated your call the other day with those helpful suggestions. You can just imagine how proud we are of George W and how nervous we are about the election. I have gotten so I can’t stand Al Gore. I sit on the sidelines pained when the press of Gore attack. It is far worse when it’s your son who is under heavy incoming fire, Danny, far worse!”
Bush was a famous letter-writer, but the one-page note to Rostenkowski is a very rare indiction of Bush’s anxiety during the election that ended up before the U.S. Supreme Court. His son went on to serve two terms after the Florida recount showed Gore lost.
That election was similar to the 2016 election. Just as most pundits expected Hillary Rodham Clinton to beat Donald Trump, Gore was expected to beat Bush, then a Texas governor.
The letter is expected to bring $5,000-$7,000 in the online auction that ends on Wednesday. Bidding is ongoing here.
The timing of the auction is exceptional as both the Florida Senate and gubernatorial elections of last Tuesday are being recounted.
