GayPatriot

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Why did Hillary Skip Pat Nixon’s Funeral?

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When Bess Truman, the wife of Harry S Truman, the 33rd president of the United States and a Democrat, died in 1982, Nancy Reagan, wife to the then-incumbent Republican president of the United States, traveled to Missouri to attend her funeral.

Eleven years later, when funeral services for Pat Nixon, wife of a former Republican president, were held on June 26, 1993 at her husband’s library and birthplace in Yorba Linda, California, then-First Lady Hillary Clinton was in Washington, attending a fundraiser for Mary Sue Terry, then the Democratic candidate for Governor of Virginia, at the residence of West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller.

Mrs. Clinton prefers Democratic politics to paying homage to one of her predecessors.

Comments

  2. Oh no. Dan, I hate to do this because you know I love you more than my luggage, but this post is beneath you and unworthy of your intellect. Would it have been a respectful gesture for Hillary to attend the funeral of a former First Lady (one whose husband she endeavored to put in prison)? Absolutely. Is it any surprise she didn’t bother? Of course not. Is it worthy of a Gaypatriot post in this election season? My opinion (sorry) is no.

    I agree with the underlying idea–Hillary is a profoundly corrupt, unprincipled, dangerous, vindictive elitist. But there’s just something about this post that sounds petty and small. I’m afraid it reminds me of those liberal blogs, posting outraged tirades about President Bush not attending the funerals and visiting the families of every individual soldier killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

    Sorry–just an opinion. Don’t worry, I still think you’re totally awesome.

  3. How is bringing up examples of a candidates character, illustrated by their behavior in any way “unworthy” of discussion?

    But you do bring up a good question, should Hillary have gone given her involvement with prosecuting Nixon? Perhaps not.

  5. Don’t you think there is something to Manners? or Civilized behavior? or a recognition that America’s democracy requires courtesy ESPECIALLY towards those who were antagonists in past elections? Perhaps that is Hillary’s downfall: she doesn’t understand ‘courtesy.’ That is probably why many say she is like a robot.

  8. Come to think of it, didn’t Hillary skip out on 9/11 remembrances (and she the Senator from NY) for fund raising events?

    And yes, Heather, common courtesy, tradition and respect for the office of the presidency and the first lady dictate that one or both of the Clinton’s should have attended the funeral. Hell, why didn’t Bill go? Who did they send instead I wonder?

  10. I think the reason is much simpler; Hillary never thought of herself as First Lady, but as Co-President. Attending the funeral of a former First Lady is not something that a President necessarily would do.

  11. I don’t want to make excuses for Hillary Clinton, but there may be a lot more to this story.

    As I recall, attendance at Pat Nixon’s funeral service was by invitation. Have you given any thought, Dan, to the possibility that Mrs. Clinton was not invited; that President Nixon and his daughters chose to limit attendance to political associates and personal friends who knew Mrs. Nixon. I noticed that the opening protocol in Pete Wilson’s remarks addressed the Fords and Reagans but the Carters were not present.

    Julie Nixon Eisenhower, in particular was very bitter about how her father was treated during the “Watergate” ordeal and angry because her mother was so deeply hurt by things said by and done to her husband.

    Barry Goldwater, for example, made no friends among the Nixons when he called the former president the most dishonest man he’d ever known. Years later, when a Republican convention gave Goldwater a standing ovation, Julie considered registering as a Democrat. So it would not be surprising if she chose not to invite a First Lady who had served as a Watergate committee counsel.

    (Presidential protocol kicked in a few years later when the incumbent, President Clinton, accompanied by the First Lady, attended President Nixon’s funeral and spoke.)

  14. This is a real good point. To see how Hilary did in the little that count Dept. of Life. It does not surprise me, but the Nixons were both aware of her being on a powerful committee to investigate Nixon for possible impeachment. It was never comfortable for her to be around the Nixons; when she had to be. Nixon comments on this in Monica Crowley’s first book on Nixon in his later days.
    Please note that Jackie Onassis did not attend Pat’s funeral either. Pat Nixon was, however, the only first lady that Jackie visited at the W.H.; after her husband’s death. She did accept a dinner invite and it went well. The occasion was the unveiling of her offical W.H. portrait. Later, JFK, Jr. went on record as stating that his Mom liked President Nixon as a person, and found him very helpful in dealing with “ex-first lady issues”. Jackie did not like attending any public events.

  16. First Lady Clinton didn’t attend Pat Nixon’s funeral because there was a threat of sniper fire from the rooftop of the Nixon Library. Another 1st Lady, Babs Bush replete in a triple strand of oversized pearls, was reportedly seen earlier in the day loading some 30-30s into a John Wayne Commemorative Winchester rifle with a Bushnell scope and speaking to the Secret Service personnel about “settling a score with a bitch”.

    Instead, President Clinton allowed Hillary to take Marine One helicopter and be air-dropped into the Rockefeller compound… the military brass didn’t think it safe to land on the lawn and irritate Jay Rockefeller. Mrs Clinton made a perfect, knees bent landing near the peasants’ wading pool and changed shoes in time for the fundraiser’s kickoff.

    She made it just in time for some overly salty canapes of bluefin, crab and watercress and she looked, well, presidential.

  17. #16-17: Jackie was always a private person in a very “public” way. Although her conduct following JFK’s assassination and funeral was superb, she was eternally placed on my $HIT list following her charade of a marriage to my hero, Aristotle Onassis.

    And note – her final request was to buried next to JFK, not Ari. Shows you how much she cared for him.

    Before I burst a blood vessel, I’m signing off.

    Regards,
    Peter H.