INTERVIEW
When it became clear that Republican George Bush and Democrat Michael Dukakis would gain their parties’ nominations for President, CHRISTIANITY TODAY requested interviews with both candidates. Thus far, only Vice President Bush has consented.
You have spoken about your Episcopal beliefs. What does being a Christian mean to you?
I have been asked: “Is there a spiritual side to George Bush?” Of course there is. But I do not find it easy to discuss it publicly since my faith has been very personal to me. My upbringing was conventional Christianity. We had prayer at home, and attended church regularly. There was never any doubt that Jesus Christ was my Savior and Lord. To this day, I have total conviction on this point.
Barbara and I have had many personal moments with God. For example, when doctors told us our three-year-old daughter, Robin, would die of leukemia within weeks, there was no one for us to turn to but God. We lost Robin, but we never lost the faith and spiritual insight from that experience.
The pain taught us just how dependent on God we really are, and how important our faith is.
Do you believe there is a relationship between a President’s private morality/personal life and his or her public duties?
Yes. Those of us in leadership positions in government must be an example of ethical behavior. I am disturbed when those in privileged positions fail to uphold the trust that is placed in them. Public service has been hurt by individuals who lacked the judgment or character to put the public’s business above their own self-interest.
We need a revival of traditional ethical standards. Despite our national prosperity, many Americans are troubled over the fact that we have strayed from our fundamental values. But we cannot legislate ethical behavior. We must lead by example.
Would your administration handle poverty issues differently than the Reagan administration has? If so, how?
I am very proud of our recovery, proud that the majority are prospering as never before and such a large number of the poor have been able to break out of the poverty cycle. Nonetheless, as long as there are people hurting, our recovery is not complete. I firmly believe we can never be a truly prosperous nation until all within it prosper.
The surest way to win the war against poverty is to win the battle against ignorance. Even though we spend more on education than any other nation on Earth, we just don’t measure up. People who earn high school diplomas are only one-third as likely to be poor as those who drop out.
The challenge of the future is not just to make education more available, but to make it more worthwhile, with more choices for parents and students in the public-school system. For example, there should be schools for excellent, exceptional students in science and math, as well as wide choices for those disadvantaged with learning disabilities or deprived of intellectual nurture at home. Head Start Programs and remediation should be expanded so all who have need can have these. There should be economic access for higher education, with a savings plan that is possible for all parents and families, rich or poor, long before children will be ready for postsecondary education and training.
What is government responsibility in terms of family?
We should provide welfare benefits that keep families together, not split them apart. The current system is a disgrace. Further, we should enforce the responsibility of fathers for the families they create. It is a mockery of justice that fathers can avoid making child-support payments ordered by the courts. We must go after them hard.
We have engaged in a wide range of social experimentation over the past 25 years. Marriage as a lifelong commitment was marked as passé and old-fashioned, permissiveness moved on into promiscuity, open classrooms to open marriage. It just has not worked. But even worse, it has destroyed our family structure.
I am pleased that we are now moving into a resurgence of traditional values I that derive from our broad Judeo-Christian heritage, not overtly religious, but rather “common sense.”
What is your position on abortion? What specific steps would your administration take on that issue?
I believe abortion is wrong. We should work to change Roe v. Wade. Abortion on demand should not be legal. And it won’t be—but only if we persevere. I believe we need a human life amendment. I favor exceptions for rape, incest, and those cases in which the life of the mother is in danger. I know that not all of us agree on those exceptions. But we do agree on the principle. Our Constitution is and should be designed to protect human life.
What do you see as contributions that Christianity and other people of faith can make to this nation?
The private sector, including the Christian community with its very large constituencies, has a vital role to play in the service of this nation. When we went to Sudan, for example, we visited Jerry Falwell’s hospital, a private-sector undertaking—individual Christians reaching out to deprived Muslims. I took Pat Robertson along on that trip, since his organization was also involved. Dan O’Neill and Mercy Corps International were there, as well as Ted Engstrom’s World Vision organization. In other words, the evangelicals did not wait for government to get involved; they saw people dying and they jumped in to help.
I don’t get upset when I hear leaders of my own denomination speaking out through the National Council of Churches even when they are 180 degrees off the mark. I consider it Reverend William Sloane Coffin’s right to advocate very liberal political positions, or for the very liberal Father Robert Drinan to serve in Congress—although I wish we had defeated him.
Are you satisfied with the current relationship between church and state? If not, what specific problems would you address?
It is important that we all respect the separation of church and state, just as we are meticulous in defending the right of all people, including evangelicals, to participate in the process without intimidation or ridicule.
Separation of church and state? Yes. One nation under God? Yes, transcending even political party lines. Evangelicals, as all other Americans, have the right, and even a responsibility, to participate in the process, advocating their values. I support them. I think their involvement is healthy for America.
