May 12, 1988: Bush Anointed

New York Times, May 12, 1988

Finally Robertson called it quits after the West Virginia and Nebraska primaries on May 10. The next day he announced he was pulling out before the Oregon primary on May 17. The last gadfly was gone. Robertson had been an annoyance but had fought as if his historical reputation depended on the result. In the end, even Bush could respect that.

1988 Republican primary results for the first two weeks of May. First column is Bush, second is Dole, third is Robertson, fourth is Jack Kemp, and fifth is Pierre du Pont.

Reagan wasted no time in endorsing Bush. The Gipper had played the whole primary process like a competition of the strongest,Now he was stepping in like an impartial contest judge to preside over the victory. His after-the-fact endorsement was like raising the fist of the last man standing in an open brawl while the others are lying face down in the mud. No one had to announce who the champion was.

Soon it's good-bye, old man, Bush said to black-and-white photograph of Reagan on the newspaper page he was holding.

Turns out I didn't need your blessing after all.

He read in the article:

...analysts say, no endorsement will cure the basic problem facing the Bush campaign: the lack of public perception that the Vice President has an identity independent of his role in the Reagan White House.

"Analysts," Bush sputtered with contempt. "Public perception,"

"Never mind that now. They can write what they want. Bush isn't President yet, but from now on, it's going to be the Bush story."

May 14, 1988 – Atlantic Records stages a concert at Madison Square Garden celebrating its Fortieth birthday with performances by many of the label's greatest acts of the past. Artists include Crosby, Stills & Nash, Iron Butterfly, Ruth Brown, Foreigner and Wilson Pickett, but the most talked-about performance is by a reunited Led Zeppelin with Jason Bonham on drums." (wikipedia)

(link to video) Wikipedia: 'Atlantic's first batch of recordings were issued in late January 1948, and included Tiny Grimes' "That Old Black Magic" and "The Spider" by Joe Morris In its early years Atlantic focused principally on modern jazz although it released some country and western and spoken word recordings. Abramson also produced "Magic Records" which were children's records with four different sets of grooves so each side had four different stories of which the story which got played was determined by where the stylus landed on the groove.'