Many sons follow in their father’s footsteps both in personality and profession. In our horoscopes, both the sun and Saturn relate to the father. The sun is the conscious self and Saturn represents society’s structures and “success” in society.

Saturn, and the sign it rules, Capricorn, are ultimately interested in respect.

Saturn is also the planet of contraction and appears in our personality as an Achilles Heel that we want to overcome. When looking at a chart, I always take a glance at Saturn to see where an individual feels a bit of “lack” in themselves.

Recent Political Fathers and Sons

The most recent fathers and sons of politics, in order of eldest father, are:

1. George Romney – Mitt Romney
2. Albert Gore Sr. – Albert Gore Jr.
3. George H. W. Bush – George W. Bush
4. Ron Paul – Rand Paul

Saturn Contacts Between Father and Son

There is a strong Saturn contact between father and son in all of the charts. That’s not an uncommon thing in itself; however, it may speak to the career choices of these particular political sons.

Let’s take a look at those Saturn contacts by father/son.

The Romneys

George Romney’s Saturn is conjunct Mitt Romney’s sun (in Pisces). Romney Sr. had sun and two other planets in Cancer and moon and two other planets in Gemini.

Cancer and Gemini combined make for one moody individual. I’m guessing that one day Romney Sr. was loving and the next day harsh and contradictory. He might even have been the type to wake his kids in the middle of the night with some weird activity or request. He may even have been what we today call bi-polar.

Romney Sr.’s Saturn in Pisces indicates that for all his emotional and social energy, he didn’t feel a spiritual connection with others. His sun in Pisces son is doing that for him.

Romney Jr. can connect emotionally with others through his Pisces sun and Scorpio moon. In fact, this is a man who wants to connect emotionally with you or not at all. In running for office, Romney Jr. may be trying to emotionally connect to the country in a way his father never could.

The Gores

Albert Gore Sr. has Saturn in Pisces conjunct Mars in Pisces. Saturn and Mars conjunct can make for a nasty individual due to the aggressive instincts meeting the restrictive instructs which creates intense frustration. In the sign of Pisces, the nastiness would be through emotional manipulation. Gore Sr. also had sun in Capricorn and moon in Virgo so I’m guessing no one could please this man.

Gore Sr.’s Saturn is conjunct Gore Jr.’s Mercury. Mercury is about communication. Most likely when growing up, Gore Jr. was told that what he had to say didn’t matter or that he was speaking too imaginatively.

Interesting enough, after serving in Vietnam, Gore Jr. decided to become a journalist. While he moved from journalism to politics, now Gore Jr. is the spokesman for environmental issues.

Gore Jr. may be living out his father’s desire to speak emotionally and truthfully without fearing criticism and loss of respect. Being associated with such groups as “tree huggers” would have probably been a turn off for Gore Sr.

The Bushes

We already know that George Sr. and George Jr. had some difficulties with George Jr. even threatening to go “mano a mano” with dad. What causes that?

Bush Sr.’s Saturn is conjunct Bush Jr.’s moon. Bush Sr. has Saturn conjunct his own moon in Libra. In great contrast, Bush Jr. has the benevolent Jupiter conjunct his Libra moon.

Saturn conjunct the moon leads not only to a reserved personality, but one that needs emotional control of the surroundings. Jupiter conjunct the moon, on the other hand, is a placement that brings lots of friends and lovers for simple good times.

Bush Sr. probably did not have a loving relationship with his mother and envied Bush Jr.’s relationship with both his mother (Barbara Bush) and Bush Jr.’s relationships with friends. In other words, Bush Sr.’s popular son made him feel insecure about his own popularity and identity.

Bush Jr.’s Saturn in Cancer is square his moon in Libra. Bush Jr. probably feels more at home with friends and associates, who truly enjoy being with him, than with family.

Bush Jr., then, may have continued his father’s policies (with all of his father’s men) to give his dad the satisfaction of being liked by others. While Bush Jr. had his opponents (including this writer), he was more popular as president than his father, serving two terms to his father’s one term.

In other words, Bush Jr. was popular for his dad. He made the name Bush more than a footnote of history.

The Rands

Ron Paul’s Saturn in Pisces is on his son Rand Paul’s Jupiter which is part of a T-square with Pluto/Uranus in Virgo and moon in Gemini.

Paul Sr. puts a lid on Paul Jr. when Jr. gets too imaginative or makes impulsive changes. Paul Jr. is a Capricorn sun with Gemini moon. Capricorn is practical enough for Paul Sr.’s moon in Taurus. But the Gemini moon T-square Jupiter in Pisces and Pluto/Uranus in Virgo can sometimes run fast with an idea before doing all the number crunching, all the cost/benefit analyses, all the spreadsheets.

Paul Jr. is faster than his methodical dad. Paul Sr. wants to make a bench in the basement and Paul Jr. is thinking about what color to paint it and if pink benches can be sold in bulk to the Daughters of the American Revolution groups in the entire state of Texas.

While Paul Jr. is thinking of the possibilities, Paul Sr. is spending 20 minutes looking for a new nail because the one he is using is slightly bent.

Paul Jr.’s Mars is in Leo conjunct his dad’s sun in Leo. Paul Jr. is probably does much to get his father excited, out of his chair and out of his book. Maybe Ron Paul running for president is truly Jr.’s idea.

Paul Jr. in holding political office may be showing his dad how optimism can motivate people and how change often occurs in fits and starts. He’s also showing dad that to seize opportunity, one must move quickly.

Do people remember more the one who warned them about the earthquake or the one who helped them out of the crack in the earth?

The Human Chain

Maybe this is how humanity progresses – sons draw energy from the weaknesses of their fathers and move humanity forward one inch and then their own sons do the same, moving one additional inch.

Saturn, then, is a glacier that moves slowly. If a glacier were to move quickly, it would create devastation in the climate and environment.