LO_Nixon_presidency

The Nixon Presidency – The Decline of Liberalism[1]

[Domestic policy] [Watergate]

Domestic Policy

I Presidential Campaign - 1968

A Two Issues

1 Law and Order – Silent Majority

2 Vietnamization of War – End of American Involvement

B Objective: Expand Constituency

1 Southern Whites – Southern Strategy

2 Blue Color Workers in Industrialized States – Iron Belt

II Campaign

A Three Candidates

1 Hubert Humphrey – Democrat

2 George Wallace – Independent

3 Richard Nixon – Republican

B The “Wallace” Factor

C Election:

1 Nixon – 43% of the popular vote

2 Humphrey – 42% of the popular vote

3 Wallace – 1% of the popular vote

D Congress: Controlled by Democratic Party

III The Decline of Liberalism?

A Assumptions and Approach of Nixon and his administration:

1 Constituency – Tired of liberal agenda and government’s ability to solve social problems

2 Causes: (1) Great Society / War on Poverty AND Vietnam and (2) Social Disorder – war protests, urban riots, and government’s perceived favoritism toward the poor and dispossessed.

B Republican Agenda and Issues

1 Economics

2 Welfare State

3 Social reform movements – Women’s Movement

IV Economic Problems

A Stagflation: inflation and unemployment; rise in interest rates

B Response: Wage and Price Controls

C Causes:

1 Vietnam War – the costs

2 Decline of American dominance in international economy - Case Study: Japan – electronics and cars

D Energy Crisis – winter 1973 – 74

1 Oil embargo by OPEC nations – American support of Israel in Yom Kipper War

2 From embargo to increased prices

3 Winter of 1973 – 74: gas lines and cold homes

V Programs of Welfare State

A Scale back, not end, government programs of the welfare state

B Means: shift responsibilities to state and local governments

C Actions: Nixon, Congress and Supreme Court

VI Nixon Administration:

A Endorsed Family Assistance Plan

1 Minimum yearly stipend of $1600 to family of four and food stamps of about $800 or more

2 Died in Congress

(1) Democrats – Not enough

(2) Republicans – Too much

VII Affirmative Action

A Federal contractors and unions

B Awarded government contracts and loans to minority business

VIII Issues for NOW

A Signed Title IX – guaranteed equality in all aspects of education

B Vetoed child care bill

C Publically opposed abortion

D Private opinion about women

1 Women more “erratic” and “emotional than men”

2 “Thank God we don’t have any in the Cabinet”

IX “Law and Order”

A Problems: political protests, rising criminal rages, increased drug use, permissive attitudes about sex

B Actions:

1 Public statements by Nixon and Agnew: students who protest are “ideological eunuchs” and the media attached as the “liberal establishment.” (New York Times, Washington Post, television networks

2 Attorney General: John Mitchell - Enforcement

3 Four appointments to the Supreme Court – Conservative Justices

X Mixed Record – Seventies as a Contradiction

A Congress and the Supreme Court

B Friedan’s two “gut issues” in the Bill of Rights for Women (1968)

1 Congress: Equal Rights Amendment – 1972: Amendment that guaranteed equal rights for women

2 Supreme Court: Roe vs. Wade (1973): A woman’s right to a medical abortion

XI Civil Rights and Congress

A Extended Voting Rights Act by five years

B 1972: strengthened the Civil Right Act of 1964 –

C Expanded powers of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

1 Included authorization to initiate lawsuits against employers

XII Civil Rights and Supreme Court:

A School Desegregation in the South

1 1968 - 2/3 of African American children in segregated schools

2 Nixon reluctant but Supreme Court completed the southern state to enforce the law

3 1974: 1:10 southern black children – segregated schools

Nixon’s Downfall - Watergate

I Nixon’s Mind Set

A Insecure

B “Tricky Dick” and “Dirty Tricks”

II Re-election Campaign – 1972

A Worried – Maintain his political base – New South and Iron Belt

B Gain Republican Majorities in Senate and House of Representatives

III Committee to Re-elect the President (CREEP)

A John Mitchell – Chair

B Fund Raising – “for any purpose”

IV Action: Spy on the Opposition

A Wire tap phone of Democratic National Committee – June 1972

1 Watergate – Apartment Complex in Washington, D.C.

2 Hired “burglars”

3 Caught and Arrested

B The link

1 FBI traced the burglars to CREEP

2 CIA called of the FBI – National Security

C Burglars - pleaded guilty and jailed

D “Cover-Up”

V Election

A Landslide Victory for Nixon – 61% of the popular vote

B Did not get Republican congress

VI The Media – The Eastern Establishment

A Washington Post and New York Times

1 Competed for “Scoops”

2 “Deep Throat” and Other Sources

B Key: Washington Post – Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein

C Issue: “Smoking Gun” – Did Nixon Know or Order the Break-in?

VII Congress and Nixon

A Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign

1 Smoking Gun

2 Nixon: “Released” his two closed aids – HR Haldeman (chief of staff) and John Ehrlichman (domestic advisor)
May 1973 – Senate - Televised Public Hearing

3 John Dean – Insider in White House

4 Nixon knew about the “cover-up”

VIII Nixon Resigns – August 1974

IX Nixon

A Secret Audio Taping of all conversations in oval office

B Appointed Special Prosecutor -Independent and “Neutral”

C Archibald Cox

1 Access to Tapes

2 Fired by Nixon

D Leon Jaworski – Kept his job

X Impeachment and Resignation

A House Judiciary Committee – Demanded Release of Tapes

B August 5, 1974: Tapes released: Nixon knew about the cover-up

1 August 9, 1974: Nixon Resigned to Avoid Impeachment

2 Handing Over the “Red Phone”

3 Pardoned by Gerald Ford –

XI Legacies of Watergate

A Constitutional Crisis but Check and Balances Work

B Disillusionment of “System” by Voters

1 50% of eligible voters – 1976, 1980, 1984