Forty Years Later ...

[User 11148]

... I am a married, early-50s father of three. But 40 years ago today I was a kid riding in the front seat while my father drove the family to the coast for a few days of vacation, and we were all spellbound by the radio reports that President Nixon was going to announce his resignation that night on TV.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/08/08/nixon-watergate-resignation-anniversary/13739409/

Nowadays the Watergate endgame doesn't seem quite so dramatic. But it was a helluva big thing back then.

 

[Mr. Sunshine]

Most influential president of the 20th century.

 

[Songbird]

"Richard Nixon has never been one of my favorite people anyway. For years I've regarded his existence as a monument to all the rancid genes and broken chromosones that corrupt the possibilities of the American Dream; he was a foul caricature of himself, a man with no soul, no inner convictions, with the integrity of a hyena and the style of a poison toad. The Nixon I remembered was absolutely humorless; I couldn't imagine him laughing at anything except maybe a paraplegic who wanted to vote Democratic but couldn't quite reach the lever on the voting machine." -- HST

 

[Songbird]

To that end ... here's HST and Nixon talking' football from Manchvegas to the airport.

http://blog.nixonfoundation.org/2009/12/37-was-fan-1/

You somehow end up in the car with ...

° Bubba
° Obama
° Rand
° Hillary
° Christie
° Mitt

... what would be the one non-political thing you'd want to talk about with each?

 

[Captain_Kirk]

Most influential president of the 20th century.

I would replace 'Most influential president' with 'One of the most despicable human beings'.

 

[3_Octave_Fart]

Nixon accomplished more in office than each of the last two presidents.

 

[SFIND]

Nixon and Watergate are one of the most fascinating areas of history to me. I'm interested in Watergate and Nixon like some are interested in the Kennedy conspiracies.

Here's an interesting story today on what Nixon did after he resigned to rehabilitate his image: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/05/project-wizard-richard-nixons-post-watergate-plan-for-redemption/370874/

 

[outofplace]

Most influential president of the 20th century.

I would replace 'Most influential president' with 'One of the most despicable human beings'.

They aren't mutually exclusive.

 

[Mr. Sunshine]

Most influential president of the 20th century.

I would replace 'Most influential president' with 'One of the most despicable human beings'.

Nixon would be a lightweight amid the culture of corruption and abuse of power that has come to define the executive branch. Watergate wasn't the end of a bad thing; it was the beginning.

 

[3_Octave_Fart]

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Nixon.
Nixon who?
Nixon, who like B.O., also used the IRS to harass and intimidate political opponents.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/irs-apologizes-targeting-conservative-groups

Most of U.S. academia and 98 percent of contemporary journalists believe the charges against Nixon were enough to label him a world-class menace.
But when the Unicorn King does it, it's

 

[Walter Lippmann]

For an administration that supported detente, instituted price controls, and established the EPA, Nixon elicits a lot of hate from the left.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

For an administration that supported detente, instituted price controls, and established the EPA, Nixon elicits a lot of hate from the left.

Nixon would be considered a traitor to his party if he tried implementing those things today.

 

[Mr. Sunshine]

For an administration that supported detente, instituted price controls, and established the EPA, Nixon elicits a lot of hate from the left.

Nixon would be considered a traitor to his party if he tried implementing those things today.

He'd be an unsuccessful Democrat felled by his lack of ruthlessness.

 

[3_Octave_Fart]

Nixon would have had a traitor like Eddie Snowden strung up by his Buster Browns.
He was many things but wimp wasn't one of them.

 

[BTExpress]

he was a foul caricature of himself, a man with no soul, no inner convictions, with the integrity of a hyena and the style of a poison toad.

Sung to the tune of . . . .

You're a vile one, Mr. Grinch.
You have termites in your smile,
You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile,
Mr Grinch.

 

[old_tony]

Nixon and Watergate are one of the most fascinating areas of history to me. I'm interested in Watergate and Nixon like some are interested in the Kennedy conspiracies.

Here's an interesting story today on what Nixon did after he resigned to rehabilitate his image: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/05/project-wizard-richard-nixons-post-watergate-plan-for-redemption/370874/

Before the lockhammer comes down, just wanted to say thanks for the link. A really good read. ...
Much like the read Mickelson just got off another player to drain a long birdie. /crossthread

 

[Alma]

Most influential president of the 20th century.

I would replace 'Most influential president' with 'One of the most despicable human beings'.

Nixon would be a lightweight amid the culture of corruption and abuse of power that has come to define the executive branch. Watergate wasn't the end of a bad thing; it was the beginning.

Nixon would never, ever be president in this era.

He'd be Karl Rove.

 

[Starman]

For an administration that supported detente, instituted price controls, and established the EPA, Nixon elicits a lot of hate from the left.

Well, the part about trying to establish a clandestine autocratic police state takes off some of the luster.

 

[britwrit]

Nixon and Watergate are one of the most fascinating areas of history to me. I'm interested in Watergate and Nixon like some are interested in the Kennedy conspiracies.

Here's an interesting story today on what Nixon did after he resigned to rehabilitate his image: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/05/project-wizard-richard-nixons-post-watergate-plan-for-redemption/370874/

Before the lockhammer comes down, just wanted to say thanks for the link. A really good read. ...
Much like the read Mickelson just got off another player to drain a long birdie. /crossthread

Yes. Ditto. A great article. Thanks.

 

[LanceyHoward]

George McGovern in his old age concluded that Nixon was actually a pretty good President and in many ways I agree.

But I think the lesson, sadly, that can be drawn from Nixon's life is that this is a man who was very angry at his "enemies" and felt persecuted. I those hatreds ultimately hurt him a hell of a lot more than he ever he hurt his opponents.