Dr. Kissinger came to Hartford and refused to sing.
Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who died yesterday at the age of 100, was long a friend of the Connecticut Republican party organization. Dr. Kissinger, who lived much of each year in Kent, was mentioned as a possible U.S. Senate candidate in 1979 though nothing came of the speculation.
In the fall of 1988, Dr. Kissinger was the main attraction at a Republican fundraising and campaign dinner at the Hartford Hilton–two years before it was demolished to become a parking lot.
I remember the evening not for the speech but for what came before it that night. Before Dr. Kissinger spoke, Jonathan Bush, George H. W. Bush’s youngest brother, also who lived in CT, took the podium and directed the audience to a page or insert in their programs. There we would find the lyrics to “George Bush for President” to be sung to the tune of Irving Berlin’s timeless “God Bless America.”
There’s a reason we honor great lyricists. It is a rare talent. Berlin is one of the few (along with Cole Porter) 20th century American songbook legends who wrote both music and lyrics. He had not provided the substitute lyrics that night.
Jonathan Bush had enjoyed several ultimately disappointing years as a Broadway chorus boy after a stint in the military but before a successful career in finance. He answered the call of the greasepaint that night. I remember it well.
I was a candidate that year and full of enthusiasm for politics. Though young, I also possessed a well-developed instinct for an uncomfortable moment. As soon as I saw those godawful lyrics, I knew I was witnessing a terrible idea unfold. I paid no attention to Jonathan Bush as he belted out the terrible lyrics to the Irving Berlin chest-sweller made famous by Kate Smith. Bush strained to convince the audience to join in.
Through more than one chorus, my eyes did not leave the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate as he stood and looked out at the audience. His lips did not move, and neither did the rest of his stony face, as I imaged he contemplated in horror the demands of politics.
Published November 30, 2023.
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