The Bush Presidency | Americanidiot

AMERICA

THE BASICS

George W. Bush served as the Texas Governor from 1995-2000, and more notably, served as the 43rd President of the United States of America.
He was originally elected in 2000, then was re-elected again in 2004.
George W. Bush was preceded by Bill Clinton (who was preceded by Bush's father, George H. W. Bush), and succeeded by Barack Obama.

THE ELECTION

His first election was controversial - he won the election against Democratic incumbent Vice President Al Gore after a recount in Florida was halted by the Supreme Court. The votes were in Bush's favor when the recount was stopped, thus giving him the majority of votes through the Electoral College. He is the fourth U.S. President to be elected while having less popular votes than their opponent.

THE EARLY PRESIDENCY

When Bush first took office, he created the No Child Left Behind Act (a major education bill) and pushed for socially conservative efforts, such as the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act and other faith-based welfare initiatives. Eight months into his time in office, however, the September 11th terrorist attacks occurred.
George W. Bush responded to the attacks less than ten days later by declaring the War on Terror. This decision shaped the rest of his career in office.
You can read more about Post 9/11 America and the U.S. Army during this time period by clicking the links below.

THE LATER PRESIDENCY

George W. Bush's first term was wildly successful at first, then hit a steady decline in the beginning of 2002. His heartfelt message to Americans after the tragedy of the 9/11 attacks made his approval ratings soar - the War on Terror divided the country greatly, and his ratings began to fall rapidly. He was re-elected for his second term, and his ratings only fell more.
While the war in the Middle East was possibly one of his larger controversies, he also lost approval from American citizens when he dismissed several U.S. attorneys from office for purely political reasons.

THE BUSH LEGACY

Many historians and politicians will agree that George W. Bush was a below-average President at his best, and a complete disaster at his worst. He declared the War on Terror - originally an idea that the country came together to support, but quickly turned sour after over 4,000 U.S. soldiers' lives were lost, and after the murder of thousands of civilians in the Middle East.
A 2017 C-SPAN poll ranked George W. Bush the 33rd best U.S. President America has ever had, which is not a particularly good rank among the other 44 U.S. Presidents.
Political author, educator, and director of the McConnell Center Gary L. Gregg II sums up George W. Bush's presidency by saying, "The Bush presidency transformed American politics, its economy, and its place in the world, but not in ways that could have been predicted when the governor of Texas declared his candidacy for America's highest office. As President, Bush became a lightning rod for controversy. His controversial election and policies, especially the war in Iraq, deeply divided the American people. Arguably his greatest moment as President was his initial, heartfelt response to the tragedy of the 9/11 attacks. Soon, however, his administration was overshadowed by the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. President Bush's place in U.S. history will be debated and reconsidered for many years to come."

"SIEG HEIL TO THE PRESIDENT GASMAN,

BOMBS AWAY IS YOUR PUNISHMENT,

PULVERIZE THE EIFFEL TOWERS,

WHO CRITICIZE YOUR GOVERNMENT!"

GEORGE W. BUSH &

AMERICAN IDIOT

Many of the references within the album American Idiot are tied directly to the U.S. Government of the time, especially the current U.S. President, George W. Bush.
Green Day has a history of making their work into pieces of political protest art, and American Idiot is no exception. With the release date being only months prior to George Bush's second election, and the topics dealing with a frazzled, war-crazed, propaganda-filled America, their allegory was loud and clear.