When former President George W. Bush spoke at a motivational seminar in Fort Worth yesterday, his most memorable anecdote, according to listeners, was one about dog poop.
Bush told a crowd of about 11,000 in his most publicized event since leaving office that he had recently taken his dog, Barney, for a walk, plastic bag in hand.
It was then that he realized “Man, my life has changed!”
Bush’s speech was a string of anecdotes and observations about his time in office. Sharing the stage with Rudy Giuliani, Colin Powell and Terry Bradshaw, he was apparently not the best speaker there.
But the audience was his.
One attendee told the Washington Post that his lack of speaking abilities sounds “incompetent if you are president. But here it can be inspiring. It makes him seem like a regular guy, no better than me.”
Bush — whose approval ratings were dismal in the waning months of his presidency — warned against chasing popularity, which is “fleeting.”
He also said that the prayers of his supporters got him through, and made every day “joyous.”
“I don’t see how you can be president without relying on the Almighty. Now when I was 21, I wouldn’t have told you that, but at age 63, I can tell you that one of the most amazing surprises of the presidency was the fact that people’s prayers affected me. I can’t prove it to you. But I can tell you some days were great, some days not so great. But every day was joyous,” he said.
The seminar — run by giants of the motivational speaker world Peter and Tamara Lowe — often focused on Jesus. Tamara Lowe called Jesus “the real superstar.” Terry Bradshaw tossed out wristbands promoting his charity, Pigs for Jesus.
Bush isn’t the first ex-president to speak at the Lowes’ seminars. George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford have all headlined. (The Lowes closed their last firm, Success International, owing millions and barraged with complaints of false advertising, and opened Get Motivated in 2001, as the Star-Telegram points out.)
Tickets for the seminar only cost around $5 in advance. But door tickets went for $225, and the day-long event was punctuated with investment pitches.
As for Bush, former adviser Karen Hughes said he has “quite a few speeches planned” in the coming months.
Bush was reportedly paid upwards of $100,000 for the appearance, although representatives for neither Bush nor the Lowes would confirm that.
Not quite everyone was a fan. One woman, holding a sign that said “Arrest Bush,” was “briskly hustled outside,” according to the Dallas Morning News.
As we reported last week, Bush is set to give another speech for Get Motivated next month.
