As GOP’s Indignation Rises, So Does the Hypocrisy Index

Republicans used the “Misery Index” during the 1980 presidential campaign to bury the Carter Administration. Combining the inflation and unemployment rates, the Misery Index underscored the dismal state of the American economy.

Democrats haven’t been nearly as clever in thinking of ways to drub the incumbent Republicans over the last 12 years. What’s the matter, haven’t they been paying attention?

How about the Hypocrisy Index?

Examples abound, but none better than First Lady Barbara Bush saying last week that the GOP should drop its strong anti-abortion plank. What a coincidence, coming right on the eve of the Republican National Convention.

Mind you, I’m not suggesting Mrs. Bush is being hypocritical.

No, it’s her husband who pushes the Hypocrisy Index way up. Keep in mind that George Bush supported abortion rights as late as 1980, when at age 56, he apparently had a change of heart. Or, was it because Ronald Reagan wanted him as a running mate and Bush couldn’t afford to alienate the right wing of the party?

The suspicion has always lingered that Bush wasn’t as strident on abortion as he proclaimed. After all, he’s the same candidate who derided Reagan’s economic policy until he had an amazing conversion after joining the ticket.

Now it’s 1992, and the polls show that a rigid anti-abortion position doesn’t sit well with many Republicans, much less the general public.

So out of the blue comes Barbara Bush, openly talking about abortion (and there’s no way she would have blindsided her husband on the subject), doing what amounts to a little winky-winky with the American public. “Yes, the party platform is anti-abortion,” she winks, “but you all know that deep down George really isn’t that hung up on it.”

No doubt sensing that the public may be sick of pontificating, Mrs. Bush added this about the abortion debate: “Any moral superiority bothers me on either side, and I’ve certainly seen it on both,” she said. “I don’t think that’s healthy for the country when anyone thinks their morals are better than anyone else’s.”

Right on the money. Only problem is, such statements only serve to increase her husband’s HI rating.

Eleven days ago, the President addressed a Knights of Columbus convention and said, “If you’re looking to restore America’s moral fiber, why buy synthetic when you get real cotton?”

He went on to say: “A fundamental issue of this election should be, who do you trust to renew America’s moral purpose? Now that our moral values are victorious around the globe, we cannot and will not abandon them at home.”

The President said he would continue to veto abortion rights legislation “no matter the political price.” When it comes to abortion, the President said, “I am going to stand on my conscience and let my conscience be my guide when it comes to matters of life.”

That’s an easy thing to say when Mrs. Bush just happens to give one of her infrequent interviews and specifically softens the rhetoric on the subject.

Vice President Quayle also scores well on the HI. He acted like he had a bee in his bonnet last week after questions were asked about the President’s alleged extramarital affair. Quayle said the media should be ashamed of itself for asking such a question of the President.

Yet, not even two months ago, when asked if a candidate’s infidelity was grist for a presidential campaign, Quayle responded: “Look, values are a legitimate issue; character is a legitimate issue.”

Enter Barbara Bush again. When asked in the interview last week whether Clinton’s alleged infidelity should disqualify him from the presidency, the First Lady said no.

But her husband and the vice president weren’t the only ones whose HI ratings had to be countered by Mrs. Bush.

A few days earlier, Republican National Committee Chairman Rich Bond snidely suggested that Hillary Clinton is anti-family. The subplot working there is that the Republicans feel it’s important to keep up the subliminal barrage against the Clinton family, but they also know it’s a sensitive area.

So, after Bond got in the company line, there was Barbara Bush to soothe people.

Mrs. Bush chided Bond for attacking Hillary Clinton, noting that “she’s not running for office.”

All in all, a very good HI week for the White House, but it’s nothing new. After all, this is a President who watched his predecessor score big political points in 1980 by decrying the Carter Administration’s handling of the Iran hostage crisis, only to turn around and sell weapons to the Ayatollah Khomeini after he became President.

That knocked the HI right off the scale.

And they’ve got the nerve to say Bill Clinton is slick.