Farewell

 Enter Clinton at 43:00

Triangulation

See, esp. 1:30

The citation on p. 212 of Schoen

Bush 43, second inaugural:" So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world."

Triangulation v. Base Politics

Polarization 1994-2017



  

Roger Stone at The Spectator:

It’s well known that I have a tattoo of Nixon on my back. It’s not a political statement, but a daily reminder that in life, when you get knocked down, when you strive for something and you fail, when you are disappointed and discouraged, you have an obligation to get up off the canvas and get back in the fight. It’s about resilience and persistence.

‘Until one has been in the deepest valley, one cannot appreciate the majesty of the highest mountain top,’ Nixon said. ‘A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is only finished when he quits.’

After my release on bail, I flashed Nixon’s famous ‘V for Victory’ sign on the courtroom steps. Two years of fake news reports that I would be charged with Russian collusion, conspiracy and treason have neither destroyed my spirit, nor my resolve to fight for exoneration. Like Nixon, I am not a quitter. This November, I will fight for total exoneration in my trial. I am not guilty, and I intend to prove it.

A jury found him guilty.

Trump pardoned him. 

Nixon Goes to China
 
Vinita Gupta and former Sen. Tom Daschle at NBC:

It is both the tragedy and irony of contemporary American politics that former President Barack Obama is impugned as a radical leftistfor reprising, in more moderate tones, the legislative health care legacy of a fiscal conservative, President Richard Nixon.

Lessons

• From In the Arena: "Politics is battle, and the best way to fire up your troops is to rally them against a visible opponent on the other side of the field.  If a loyal supporter will fight hard for you, he will fight twice as hard against your enemies.”
• From the farewell to the WH staff:  "Always give your best, never get discouraged, never be petty; always remember, others may hate you, but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself."

Psalm 146:3-4

Do not put your trust in princes,
    in human beings, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
    on that very day their plans come to nothing.

Cautionary tales.  Life does not come with a soundtrack

Nixon, Major League Baseball, and the ‘72 Campaign

 FROM SAM:

Pinstripe Alley, a blog providing news coverage of the New York Yankees, recently published an article highlighting Richard Nixon’s connection with MLB stars and the role they played in his re-election campaign in 1972.

In the summer of ‘72 a reporter questioned the President about his favorite MLB players. Despite being an Orange County native, Nixon named New York Yankee legends Lou Gehrig and Mickey Mantle, who was an avid outspoken Nixon supporter, among his favorites.

In October of ‘72 the Nixon campaign received word from former MLB stars Bobby Thomson, who wanted to endorse Nixon. Thomson had cemented his name in baseball lore when he hit the famed “Shot Heard ‘Round the World'' to win the National League Pennant and send the New York Giants to the World Series in 1951. At the same time former MLB pitcher Ralph Branca also told the White House of his intention to endorse the President. Incidentally, Branca was pitching for the Brooklyn Dodgers when Thomson hit the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World.”

While these endorsement offers may have seemed silly to some, the White House fully embraced them. An internal Nixon administration memo expressed excitement about the endorsements of Thomson and Branca. It also made note of the public support of Yankees legend Babe Ruth’s widow Claire. The memo even recommended that the campaign reach out to the widow of Yankees legend Lou Gehrig; though no contact was made.

While these events likely played little to no role in Nixon’s landslide victory in the 1972 campaign, they remain interesting nonetheless.

** The information contained in this blog post was first published by Kevin Winterhalt of Pinstripe Alley (Richard Nixon leans on Yankees legends to help his re-election campaign. - Pinstripe Alley)

Legacies

 Legislation:

• Pre-resignation:  War Powers Act
• 1974 Budget Act
• FECA 1974
• The Presidential Records Act of 1978

Nixon and his Successors

Chance, circumstance, and careers:

Ford:  "There's a change that's come over America..."

The 1972 election and Watergate give rise to Jimmy Carter  (and we hear again from Chris Matthews)

A speech that Carter probably wishes that he had never made:

Hard to picture Nixon giving this speech:

Nixon meets with Reagan advisers in 1984

Bush 41 and the map of 1988

Crime




 

Roger Stone:

"So what did you think of him?" I asked Richard Nixon after his first meeting with Bill Clinton.

"You know," Mr. Nixon replied, "he came from dirt and I came from dirt. He lost a gubernatorial race and came back to win the Presidency, and I lost a gubernatorial race and came back to win the Presidency. He overcame a scandal in his first campaign for national office and I overcame a scandal in my first national campaign. We both just gutted it out. He was an outsider from the South and I was an outsider from the West."

...
 He thought the Whitewater affair could pose serious problems. When I pointed out that the poll numbers reflected no damage to Mr. Clinton's popularity, Mr. Nixon observed that Watergate had not hurt him either, until the televised Senate hearings. "The American people don't believe anything's real until they see it on television," he said. "When Whitewater hearings are televised, it will be Clinton's turn in the bucket."

Enter Clinton at 43:00

Triangulation

See, esp. 1:30

The citation on p. 212 of Schoen

Bush 43, second inaugural:" So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world."

Triangulation v. Base Politics

Polarization 1994-2017



  

"When Nixon Taped Joe Biden"

The sinister name of the article "When Nixon Taped Joe Biden" deceives readers. The article also links a tweet containing Nixon's 1987 note to Donald Trump.  I've noticed that parallels between Nixon and Trump dominate the media, and even when journalists associate Nixon with other presidents (Biden, here), those journalists still manage to reinforce the Nixon-Trump parallel.