The term “Bushism” was coined in 1992 for George H.W. Bush’s tendency to misspeak. It was later applied to his son, George W. Bush, who made many linguistic errors during his presidency. Some believe the errors were intentional, while others use them to criticize his intelligence.
The term “Bushism” was first coined in 1992 by writer Jonathan Bines and applied to President George Herbert Walker Bush’s tendency to bad mouth during speeches or interviews. The term has since been adopted to be used with his son, President George W. Bush, who was even more notorious for his linguistic errors than his father. During his eight-year tenure, there were dozens of occasions when he mispronounced words or uttered sentences with distorted meanings. These statements have become very well known, particularly in the political community of the Internet.
President Bush’s public speaking gaffes began long before he was elected, with many appearing during campaign speeches. Some of the campaign’s most popular Bushisms date back to 2000. Some of the most memorable include: “I know that human and fish can coexist peacefully”, “I know how difficult it is for you to feed your family”, “I understand the small business growth. I was one of them” and “The questioned person is rarely asked: are our children learning?”
The Bushisms continued throughout his time as president of the United States. In 2002, he began quoting a famous proverb only to forget it saying, “There’s an old saying in Tennessee – I know it’s in Texas, probably Tennessee – that goes, fool me once, shame on you – shame on you. Deceive me: you cannot be deceived again.” Two years later, he was discussing health care when he said, “Too many good doctors are going out of business. Too many gynecologists are unable to practice their lovemaking with women across the country.” One of the later quotes from him is from 2008 when he said: “I remember meeting the mother of a child who was kidnapped by the North Koreans right here in the Oval Office.”
One of the most recognizable Bushisms was his repeated mispronunciation of nuclear power as “nuclear.” Oddly enough, Bush wasn’t the first president to use this pronunciation, nor is it all that rare. The confusion of the sound “ular” for “lear” was also heard by Carter, Eisenhower and Clinton, and is in fact found in the Merriam Webster dictionary as an alternative pronunciation.
The Bushisms raise many discussions among critics and supporters of Bush. Some believe these traits were a purposeful manipulation of the tongue to appear more “at home.” Others use them as a tool to claim that President Bush was not a very intelligent man. Supporters of the President recognize that he was not a good public speaker and tend to condone Bushisms as a fault the President has been open about.
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