NIXON THE POLITICIAN   Term Paper ID:1934 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: in 1960, 1968 & 1972. Contends that Nixon, basically a political opportunist, has undergone changes in his image & politics since 1960.... More...

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Paper Abstract: in 1960, 1968 & 1972. Contends that Nixon, basically a political opportunist, has undergone changes in his image & politics since 1960. Paper Introduction: More than any other public figure, Richard Nixon represents the popular conception of the politician. He has participated in and been at the center stage of every single Presidential election in this country since 1952 with the exception of the 1964 election. He has been pronounced politically dead and politically unbeatable: his political positions have shifted from being the leading anti-communist politician of the 1950's to the first President since the advent of the Cold War, to change the policy towards Communist China. When Richard Nixon ran for President in 1960 he had the advantage of having been in the public eye for 8 years as vice-president and having the support of Dwight Eisenhower a very popular President. However, Nixon had weathered a number of major storms in order to get into the position he was in a 1960. Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Humphrey not only inherited the warpolicy of Johnson, but in order not to discredit his own position as Vice-President, tried to steer clear of the key issues of 1968. Foremostin the minds of local Republicans was Richard Nixon both because he somehowstood outside of the 1964 fiasco (or acted more statesmanlike) and becauseof the help he offered in 1966. The 1966 elections were crucial because 1964 had been such adisaster for the Republican Party not only because of Johnson's landslidewin against Goldwater, but because many Democrats had been elected in thewake. Further theDemocratic nominee, Vice-President Humphrey was in a terribly weakposition. Further, the trip to China reinvoked the image of big power globalpolitics that seemed to have been suspended during the Vietnam War. Nixon, however, came out of the situation with a vastlystrengthened hand. In 1968, the key issue was the War in Vietnam, and underlying thatthe civil conflict that was tearing apart the country. He hadJohn Lindsay give Agnew's nominating speech to demonstrate Republicanunity. This sentiment was strengthened by the fact that in 1955Eisenhower had a heart attack and the serious possibility that thePresident might die while in office was raised. Whatit would accomplish in material terms remained to be seen. When Richard Nixon ran for President in 196 he had the advantage ofhaving been in the public eye for 8 years as vice-president and having thesupport of Dwight Eisenhower a very popular President. 285.Theodore H. He has participated in and been atthe center stage of every single Presidential election in this countrysince 1952 with the exception of the 1964 election. With carefulpreparation and organization, reminiscent of the Kennedy strategy in the196 Democratic nomination, Barry Goldwater became the Republican nominee.At that Convention, liberal and conservative forces seemed fully andirrevocably split. He was now the new Nixon,softspoken, moderate, a unifier, as opposed to the old Nixon who wasextreme, vitriolic and antagonistic.[vi] What probably was most advantageous to Nixon in the 1968 campaign wasthat he was not Hubert Humphrey. On election night when the returns came in, he made his famousremarks about how the press would no longer have Nixon around to attack.It seemed as if his Presidential quest was at an end. What turned out to be even more ironic isthat while Nixon was condemning Kennedy's position he was perfectly awareof the preparations his own administration was making with regard to Cuba:namely support for a refugee invasion. Finally, inspite of all the images and television personalities, a lot still dependson the issues, and what might be happening this coming November in that faroff place in Asia called Vietnam. 126-149.Joe McGinnis, The Selling of the President 1968 (New York:Trident Press, 1969), n.p.----------------------- 1 Nixon's secret plan to end the War in Vietnam turned out to be theprogram of Vietnamization: namely replacing American troops with those ofSouth Vietnamese troops, continuing the air war, and, as in the case ofCambodia and Laos, expanding the war as well. White, The Making of the President 196 (New York:Atheneum, 1961), pp. The Republican Convention,after Nixon reestablished his primacy against the Rockefeller/Scranton leftand the right now led by Governor Reagan of California, now faced the taskof unifying for the election. XVIII, No. In terms of the Goldwater right, Nixonmaintained his ties and popularity both by supporting Goldwater after hereceived the nomination and because the fond memories of Nixon leading theattack against Alger Hiss still persisted. The Democratic Convention both inside and outside the Conventionhall was a wild melee demonstrating the country's disunity. Nixon immediatelycondemned Kennedy's position as reckless and provocative. 24, 1972, 7-12.-----------------------William A. On most issues, the twocandidates saw eye to eye. However, Nixon still kept ties with the Rockefeller left wing of hisparty. This fact is also ironic in termsof what later happened at the Bay of Pigs.[iv] In what turned out to be an exceedingly close race, Nixon lost out inhis first bid to become President. Appealing directlyto homespun American values, Nixon made his famous Checkers speech. Another aspect of the 1968 campaign was Nixon's effective use of themedia. Use of advertising slots, sponsored programs, and, in general, amost impressive use of television projected the new Nixon image.[vii] When the votes were all counted Nixon had finally achieved his longsought wish: the Presidency. Certain Republican leadersfelt that Nixon was not prepared to assume Presidential responsibilities.However, partly with the support of Eisenhower, and partly by the toningdown of Nixon's previous anti-communism, Nixon once again becamerespectable enough to keep the Vice-Presidency.[ii] The fact that nixon was able to keep the Vice-Presidency accomplishedboth his successful capturing of the Republican nomination in 196 and hisstatus as frontrunner in the initial months of the contest with JohnKennedy. Everyone waited to see what Nixon the President wouldbe like. However, once again he came across as the underplayed non-controversial candidate in this conflict prone year, which was quite aswitch from his previous political images. XVIII, No. However, thesemeetings had never taken place in such a spectacular manner and one whichassured Nixon a maximum amount of media coverage. Further, Nixon would no longer be considered the most extreme andright wing figure in his party, an image he had been trying to live down in196 and since.[v] In 1966, Nixon was once again prominent during the election period.This time, he barnstormed the country campaigning for local Republicancandidates. He is basically a political opportunist- that is, someone who will shift according to the way certain thing aregoing. He wound up inthe strange position of advocating a "politics of joy" in a year in whichpractically no one was very joyful. However, defying politicalodds, Nixon went on television to explain his position. New York: Atheneum, 1961. He was capable of doing this by acting the part of middle man, soessential to those who wished to see the re-establishment of Republicunity. . Nixon was no longer simply a statesman; hewas now engaged in nothing less than spectacular politics. The trip to Russia and the various agreements that were signed inMoscow also signify a return to the traditions of big power diplomacy thathad been so prevalent in the late 195 's and early 196 's. Williams, "Just Who is Nixon Anyway?" New York Reviewof Books, Vol. In a bitterly contested election, Nixon was badlydefeated. "Just Who is Nixon Anyway?" The New York Review of Books, Vol. Still very much desirous of achievingthe Presidency, Nixon ran for Governor of California in 1962 against thethen Governor Pat Brown. More than any other public figure, Richard Nixon represents thepopular conception of the politician. Very few incumbent presidents have ever been defeated in anelection. The year of the Republican right wing was 1964. However, one issue did pop up during one of the debates. 279-295.Ibid., p. It notonly saved his position also made him something of a celebrity.[i] In 1956, when Eisenhower was up for re-election, talk again began ofdumping Nixon. New York: Atheneum, 1969.Williams, William A. 34-42.White, The Making of the President 1968, pp. The Making of the President 196 . "With Nixon in Peking," The New Republic, Vol. The country which was soincredibly tired of the War was ready to at least give credence to theNixon message. At onepoint, Kennedy made a reference to the situation in Cuba. By 196 , thisharsh style of politics was very much out of favor, and much of thecampaign Nixon tried to project an entirely different public image.However, that simple facial presence in the first debate went a long waytowards keeping the old Nixon on everyone's mind.[iii] What is striking about the 196 campaign was the relativesimilarities between the two candidates. Summit diplomacyhad been in the making all during the Nixon Presidency and was likely timedto coincide with the approach of the 1972 elections. The trip to China not only took a long time in planning but held theheadlines for nearly a year. What is ironicis that many saw the perspective positions on Cuba a certain reversal ofroles with Kennedy and Nixon. He undertookthe trip assured that his right wing in the Republican Party would notdesert him when push came to shove, an assumption that seems accurate inspite of the Ashbrook candidacy. In terms of bringing the country together, Nixon offered no concreteproposals. One of the most remarkable developments in the Nixon Presidency hasbeen the summit diplomacy enacted during the past year. 3, Feb. The War issue wasso deep that it forced President Johnson to step down. Nixon once again was thefrontrunner. Though the issue of the yearin 1971 seemed to be subsiding, with the offensive of the North Vietnameseand Nixon's strategy to mine North Vietnamese harbors and reinitiate theair war over the North, the war in Vietnam once again threatens to be amajor issue during the 1972 elections, though this time with Nixon tryingto defend his policy. By the winter of 1967, Richard Nixon wasthe frontrunner of his party for its Presidential nomination. The Making of the President 1968. 166, No. These debates were a first in the annals of American politics andthreatened to be the single most important factor in deciding the outcome. The first debate caused the tremendous controversy over the questionof Nixon's make-up. Nixon chose Spiro Agnew of Maryland as hisrunning mate, apparently as a peace offer to the Rockefeller camp. In all the debates hardly an issue seemed toemerge that seriously divided the two candidates. New York: Trident Press, 1969.Osborne, John. Without much of any position of his own, he still inherited theunpopularity of the Johnson administration. Endnotes BibliographyMcGinnis, Joe. Nixon for the first time politically found himself inthe middle ground, flanked on the right by Goldwater and on the left byRockefeller. Many people, including leadingRepublicans called for Nixon to step down. He had more than ever before become a media personality. However, that opportunism is always modified by his desire to comeoff as the striking and winning figure he sometimes has been, though notalways. He has been pronouncedpolitically dead and politically unbeatable: his political positions haveshifted from being the leading anti-communist politician of the 195 's tothe first President since the advent of the Cold War, to change the policytowards Communist China. Through a series of impressive victories in primary elections whichknocked a number of other candidates including George Romney, Richard Nixonwas by far the front-runner by Convention time. The new Nixon of 1968 - the statesman and non-extremist - had addedsome entirely new qualities that would clearly mark the Nixon of the 1972Presidential election. The Selling of the President 1968. Due to a series of circumstances, Nixon's facial make-up was so minimally and poorly applied that Nixon appeared to many ashaving somewhat of a grisly, unshaven look. In this low-keyed unified Republican Convention, Nixon emerged insharp contrast to the bitterly split Democratic Party. Whether the voters will return him to office is hard to say atthis point. 7-12.Theodore H. 1 , March 4, 1972, 7-1 .White, Theodore H. Nixon's campaign strategy evolved around two main aspects: he had asecret strategy to end the War in Vietnam, and he "would bring ustogether." Both strategies showed Nixon in a low-key role and as astatesmanlike figure. Since 196 , Richard Nixon has undergone a number of changes both inhis image and political presence. Unfortunately for Nixon, thisimage directly corresponded to the type of image so prominent in cartoonsby Herblock portraying Nixon the anti-communist demagogue. In 1952, immediately after the Republican nomination in whichNixon was selected as Vice-President, a scandalous slush fund for Nixonbecame a widely spread political rumor. However, a lot also depends on Nixon's opponent. Early in the 196 campaign the two candidates agreed to a series ofdebates. 24, 1972, pp. Playing a shrewd and calculated political game, he carefullysteered between the two positions. Although the Republicans did not score the gains they wanted in19656, the Republican Party was getting in better shape for 1968. He could claim interest with regards his Vietnampolicy both because he said nothing concrete and because he had nothing todo with the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. However, Nixon hadweathered a number of major storms in order to get into the position he wasin a 196 . 22 -231.Ibid., pp. He expresseddirect support for a possible invasion of Cuba. 3, Feb. Nixon was now spectacular and unpredictable, havingsuch men as Henry Kissinger and John Connally in his retinue; both dashingpublic figures. White, The Making of the President 1968 (New York:Atheneum, 1969), pp. After years of practice in the many campaigns he had run, by 1968Nixon had wielded together a most effective and sophisticated mediacampaign. His margin was a lot slimmer than mostpeople had expected. Violence in thiscountry claimed both Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy amongst itsvictims. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.