Yesterday in class, we started talking about President Nixon and how he came back from such a devastating defeat to become the president of the United States just years later. I thought it might be helpful to look more in depth in to what made his historical political comeback so successful.
In 1962, Richard Nixon ran against the democratic candidate, Pat Brown, for governor of California. Although he was initially favored to win, being the former vice president and a Californian himself, Nixon lost by a surprising 5%. Extremely frustrated, Nixon retired from politics thinking that his future in the government was hopeless. He moved back to New York with his family and became a lawyer, a job he did not find exciting enough. Then, in the presidential election of 1964 he went around doing "favors" campaigning for the Republican party. This helped him regain popularity by 1968, which just happened to be an election year. Defeating Hurbert Humphrey to become president, Nixon had just pulled off the most famous political comeback to this date.
So what made this comeback possible? I personally think Nixon's "shadiness" in the secret conference with South Vietnam was a smart move from a political stance that helped him win the election. I also believe his "Bring Us Together" campaign slogan and the fact that he was brave enough to come back to politics after his defeat showed Americans that he was the president that they needed to get through the war. Nixon also gained the vote from the "forgotten" Americans, who were not given attention to by the other candidates for their lack of spirit to end the war.
What other factors helped him win the notorious election?:)
Jenna,
ReplyDeleteA wise and thoughtful post. You may also consider that Nixon read American opinion very well. On the surface it would appear as though the majority of Americans were dissatisfied with the war the reasons why they were satisfied were different. Some wanted to get out, others wanted to do more to win. Nixon almost negated debate on the war by saying he wanted "peace with honor" and shifted the focus to the social upheaval occurring in the nation and focusing on the issues of "law and order" and "security." Even with this, he barely squeezed out a victory.
What might the Election of 1972 look like? Come to class on Thursday!
Jenna,
ReplyDeleteI think you make a very interesting point in this post regarding Nixon's back deal with the South Vietnamese government that kept them from making a deal until he was in office. You said that this deal was a very smart move from a political point of view because it helped him win the election. Now it is true that this helped him win the election, but I believe that it also was part of his downfall. Nixon resigned from the presidency due to the Watergate Scandal, but I think perhaps Nixon gained confidence and believed he could get away with the Watergate scandal due to the success he had in the back deal with the Vietnamese government. It's interesting that this move could have helped him and hurt him at the same time.
In my opinion Nixon was a genius, I know he was controversial and what he did was not specifically "ethical" but hey he was a pretty good president. His mastery in the art of politics served him well during his career. In fact up to this point I consider him next to the Roosevelt's in the reforms he made both domestically and internationally. Creating a relationship with China, that was probably one of the most important decisions made in the 1970s. I mean look at America now. We directly trade with China all the time. What people think is that Nixon was a bad president because he got caught essentially spying on the democrats. I think of it differently. He definitely should not have been doing that I agree with that statement. But I also believe that it doesn't make you a bad president. Drawing a parallel with the Hunnic Empire Attila the Hun killed thousands of people but he was good to those who lived in his empire. So as a conquer he can be known as the most evil person ever, but as a leader he cannot be portrayed badly. Nixon is the same. Maybe he did not think fairly, but as a leader he in my opinion was one of the best presidents our nation has ever seen. So I definitely understand what you are saying Jenna this comeback he made was proof that he was a powerful and effective politician who was definitely suited for the job as president.
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