Left Attacks George H.W. Bush After His Death: ‘Blatant Racism and Toxic Masculinity,’ ‘F**k Him’ (15 Pics)

While many Americans are mourning the loss of former President George H.W. Bush, some on the left couldn’t resist using his death to attack him.

George H.W. Bush passed away Friday evening at the age of 94 in Houston. The blue-checkmark left sprung into action, attacking the former president for his role in the War on Drugs, the Gulf War, and other issues.

Amanda Marcotte of Salon went on a long Twitter rant about Bush, accusing him, among other things, of using “blatant racism and toxic masculinity theatrics” to “appeal to GOP voters.”

“One can draw a straight line from Bush’s 1988 campaign to Trump running on the same macho posturing and racist hysterics. Know your history, folks. There’s immense pressure to forget, and you should ask yourself who benefits,” she also said.

Actor Rob Delaney simply posted a tweet with a link to the Wikipedia page for the “Highway of Death.”

Feminist activist Anita Sarkeesian chimed in, saying, “I can’t with these headlines about Bush’s ‘masterful foreign policy’. He was a warmonger whose violence created unlivable conditions in Iraq hurting civilians, like my family who didn’t have access to life saving drugs or basic food. Fuck him. And fuck media’s historical erasure.”

Vox’ Aaron Ruper said, “While George H.W. Bush was a more responsible steward of the economy than his son or Trump, it needs to be mentioned that his presidential campaign stoked fears and division with racist dogwhistles.”

Indeed, many of the negative reactions mentioned the infamous 1988 “Willie Horton” ad which attacked Michael Dukakis for his past support of prison furlough programs, using the image and story of William Horton, a convicted murderer who got out on a weekend pass program in 1986 and later kidnapped and raped a woman. Horton is black, and many accused the Bush campaign of race-baiting.

The ad was not even made by the Bush campaign, however; it was produced by an outside group, and, as some have argued, the ad’s efficacy was overhyped by media coverage after the fact. This hasn’t stopped many on the left from attacking Bush over it.

Check out all the blue check mark reactions: