It's Always Dubya's Fault
Matthew Continetti ·
Jan 14, 2011 at 1:26pm
I was enjoying this WSJ article on the closing of the Mayflower Hotel's Town and Country bar, one of my favorites, when I came across the following annoying passage:
Everybody has an opinion of the Town & Country and a theory to explain its loss. Some gripe about the prices, the fustiness or, before hardwood floors were installed a year ago, the gamey carpeting. Others speculate the place suffered when the George W. Bush adminstration brought in a slew of teetotalers.
Really? The Bush administration, which ended in January 2009, is responsible for the Mayflower's decision to close the Town & Country in January 2011? I thought I had heard it all. But no: Of the blaming of Bush, there is no end.
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Comments :
May '10
Re: It's Always Dubya's Fault
Given my immature soda pop tastes and lack of liking for alcohol, under the "sins of omission" theory of bar-closing-culpability I am clearly responsible for closing down half of the bars in the District.
Re: It's Always Dubya's Fault
My god ... this made me laugh out loud it was so absurd!
Dec '10
Re: It's Always Dubya's Fault
The more likely and timely cause was the passing of Senator Kennedy.
Oct '10
Re: It's Always Dubya's Fault
Matthew, don't you realize that all this inane Bush-blaming is also Bush's fault. Get with it.
May '10
Re: It's Always Dubya's Fault
Very witty indeed, without Ted there was too much old stock on the shelves.
Perhaps it was a severe economic downturn that reduced their customer's disposable income, or perhaps they just charged too much, provided poor service and went belly up like so many business when poorly run.
Perhaps it was Dick Cheney's Quail and Lager bar across the street that provided too much competition. I am going with Global Warming, it causes everything to go bad.
Re: It's Always Dubya's Fault
This is a cruel and heartless and hilarious remark! Bravo! Made me laugh out loud.
Re: It's Always Dubya's Fault
Years ago, when the steakhouse revival was just taking off, the great old LA mainstay restaurant -- and the Reagans' favorite dining spot -- Chasen's, closed its doors. Which was odd, because all over town, places were cropping up that consciously modeled themselves after Chasen's. It's a mystery why it closed. (And a few years ago, when I was lucky enough to have lunch with Mrs. Reagan and Peter Robinson, she asked the same question. She's a hip old lady, that's for sure....)
You'd think that a big old hotel bar in DC -- right in the middle of the biggest boom in DC for years -- would go gangbusters.
May '10
Re: It's Always Dubya's Fault
Hate speech!
No surprise that a new bar is moving in nearby after the Town & Country closes. Even with Bob Etheridge and Teddy out of the picture, alcohol is likely to be in high demand in D.C. for the next couple of years. Turns out at least one person in that city understands the basics of supply and demand!
Re: It's Always Dubya's Fault
I can assure you that whatever teetotaling came to town with the Bush Administration was more than offset by my presence. In fact, OMB actually crunched the numbers for me ... which may have been the first sign that there was a problem.
Nov '10
Re: It's Always Dubya's Fault
I traveled to D.C. frequently in the good ole days (2005-2008) and the Mayflower was my hotel of choice (spacious rooms and easy access to AEI lectures). The Town & Country bar was a reliable source for a good pour and a tasty supper; the bar staff was never less than accommodating.
The irony of the WSJ quote is that T&C was never quite the same after the infamous Democrat, Eliot Spitzer, soiled the nest. Truly noticed an uptick in the (overt) sleaze factor of the clientele after Spitzer's very public demise; don't think the place was ever able to recover.
Sep '10
Re: It's Always Dubya's Fault
The Left complained that Bush was a drunk (because of drinking he did 30 years ago), and now they complain because he didn't do enough to encourage drinking?
Anyway, looking at the laws and regulations coming out of Washington, does anyone seriously believe that there is a shortage of drunks in DC?