I always admired Richard Nixon. I recognize his faults. His own paranoia did him in and wasn't that silly. For such a brilliant man to be done in by his own insecurities. He accomplished some great things as president. Thank you for commenting and many thanks for taking the time to visit my channel. It is much appreciated!
I've always thought that Watergate was overrated as a scandal... but that the China gambit was overrated as an accomplishment. I guess it made sense in 1972 in the context of Cold War geopolitics, but in the year 2023, are we any better off today because of Chinese exposure to Western technology? Right now, it looks as if we would have been better off if China had remained isolated.
Uh...no. In fact, he (along with LBJ) set the stage for Reagan, then Trump. Fascism doesn't happen overnight. The erosion and corruption of the body politic happens steadily and somewhat stealthily, like a frog slowly boiling. But make no mistake, it was Nixon along with many of his associates, along with McCarthyism that set the stage for the eventual toppling of the US. The only thing left to wonder about now is, when will the final collapse occur?
@@kevinbrennan-ji1so "Fascism". But none coming from the Obama administration which sicced the IRS against political enemies - conduct that was included as an article of impeachment against Nixon. And none coming from this administration, which has actively sought to curb free speech on the internet and which has used the Department of Justice as a political tool to harass political enemies - including PTA members delivering questions and demands at local meetings... and which indeed is turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to reprisals against the Jews by its political supporters, in accordance with an older version of fascism. "Fascism". White male liberals are such effeminate drama queens running down the street carrying knives and screaming that someone has cut their throats. And what sort of nimrod actually writes out the word "Uh"?
I was a Nixon guy and it saddens me that he could have been remembered as one of the best. I don't know if it was loyalty or what but he should never have gotten involved in the cover-up. The thing I am most proud of is he didn't try to destroy this country. He had class and stepped down. He wasn't perfect but a lot better than some of the characters we have to choose from today. Jimmy Carter also got a bad rap. He might have been the best human being to occupy the office.
I've had a lot of comments on my RU-vid page but this is one of the most eloquent. Straight to the point. It probably reflects more than any other comment my own views. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and visit my channel!
Nixon was an eloquent man and a great president even if it ended on a bad note. Watergate was very unfortunate but Nixon should be remembered as one of the greatest minds of his time. Very classy as well I might add.
Yes, JFK was actually a bit of an introvert which was quite surprising at first since he’s known to be charismatic with incredible speeches stage presence. From what I’ve read he seemed to view his popularity as both a blessing and a curse, good for the polls but he wasn’t a particularly social or friendly person
I read where he was coolly detached. It actually did help him in crisis situations because he could look at it from the outside looking in instead of just oh this is my problem. But he did not have many close friends. The same was said about Ronald Reagan. Thank you for visiting my channel and especially for commenting! It's truly appreciated!
As a life long Democrat, who voted against Nixon, I have since had an epiphany on my opinion of him. He was a very strong and capable Chief Executive, unafraid to make bold decisions when the circumstances warrented it. His opening relations with Red China. was momentous and masterful. His actions which extricated us from the morass of Vietnam were brilliant..
@@garymorell6924 Exactly, I think we’re saying the same thing. (Insecurity and inability to exercise sound judgement when insecure on something). Not a good combination The bugging was one of several examples of this.
Nixon is among the most fascinating presidents in modern history. I don't think many of his peers match him for his intellect, wisdom and skill in the political arena. His apparent inner tumoil also adds a degree of interest to the overall character. He seems to be constantly strained in his life and just plain unhappy in his own skin; and yet he managed to become the President from very humble beginnings. America would benefit from leaders drawn from the masses of people rather than the same old political dynasties which are often corrupt and self entitled.
I recall Nixon also saying in another interview that he shared a sleeping car on an overnight train with Kennedy when they were both Congressmen. And they talked pretty much the whole night.
Yes! That was in 1947 after they debated in McKeesport Pennsylvania. That was actually the first Kennedy Nixon debate. If you have friends that are into politics you can use that as a trick question. When was the first Kennedy Nixon debate. I've done it several times. Thanks for commenting!
Louis CK has a podcast with Shane Gillis where they talk about all of the presidents, and he adds a few little details to their trip. He said that Nixon was really serious about who was going to get the top bunk. He was like, "I uh... I guess we have to flip for it, huh?" And Kennedy sort of went along with it, like, "Uhh, yeah... I uh... Guess we do." Kennedy didn't really seem to care, but he won anyway. 😂
@@kevincorcoran6493 Thanks for the channel. I just finished listening to a podcast by Louis CK and Shane Gillis about the presidents, and CK talks at length about Nixon, who's apparently his favorite president. Tons of fascinating stuff in it. Not totally accurate, but worth a listen.
The Kennedys came from a few miles from my house here in Ireland. Their homestead still stands to this day. I think Nixon and JFK had great respect for each other.
I never heard anything on the Kennedy tape where he was dissing nixon. But I do know that they were friends in Congress and that Kennedy actually donated to Nixon's 1950 Senate campaign. Thanks for visiting my channel and I appreciate your comments! Please Subscribe if you would like to.
@@kevincorcoran6493, did the Kennedy’s have anything against Helen Gahagan Douglas or is it because they thought the election was a forgone conclusion? In the end, it was a landslide for Nixon.
i'm currently about halfway through Richard Nixon: The Life by John Farrell - I highly recommend it. It more or less asserts that Nixon and Kennedy were genuinely fond of each other (about as much as they were fond of any of their other colleagues in congress) but they ended up disliking each other after the 1960 election - Nixon coming to believe that JFK ran a dirty campaign and Kennedy seeing Nixon as a 'son of a bitch'. Kennedy apparently laughed hysterically alongside Earl Warren at newspaper articles when Nixon had a public meltdown after losing the CA governers race. guess it goes to demonstrate how much interpersonal relationships mean to people who excel in politics...
Nixon’s political life started before TV. His political skills weren’t shaped to be as media savvy as we have with todays politicians. His debate with JFK was the first televised debate, filled with policy & without the personal attacks like you see now a days. When Nixon spoke it was with conviction, passion & substance. At times he’d have an endearing twinkle in his eyes but JFK had a smile & was softer on the camera lens. Nixon was a strong leader & I miss the intellect conviction & passion he brought! He loved the country I would take him then most politicians we have now! RIP President Nixon
@@kevincorcoran6493 I believe so. The book came out a few years before he passed and I was curious about him. I was born in 1967 and so I did not grow up with him being a apart of my life.
I think he was a very good president. He certainly was forward-looking as far as foreign policy no question about it. And certainly intelligent. Thank you for commenting and much appreciation to you for visiting my channel! Happy Independence Day!
In a way, he was the Republican analogue to LBJ. The high points were high indeed, but boy were the low points low. In my view, Nixon was a patriot and a small-d democrat, but his paranoia caused him to do things that deeply scarred both his country and democracy. A tragic political figure.
I can go along with he loved power.. I believe the ideas of the country & what it could have stood for were important to him. 8 years under Ike gave him a perspective of the greatness of America on the world stage. He put himself in a corner with watergate, but even in his defeat I’ll give him credit for giving up the power. His resignation was forth coming you can say he was caught but to hand in his resignation was at least recognizing the writing on the wall and I give him credit for doing that.
I think some historian would do well to view the presidents through the lens of the various professions that they followed prior to becoming president. Nixon, like Lincoln, had been a lawyer and I would say his approach (again like Lincoln) always seems to be very lawerly. Careful to state the facts as he knows them to be and following a logical process to a conclusion only if the facts support it.
JFK castigates Nixon severely in the Ben Bradlee book, which was written about JFK's White House years. He doesn't sound like a friend to me. Did things change during the 1960 presidential campaign? I would have liked to have heard Nixon's response to the statements attributed to JFK in the Bradlee book.
JFK and Nixon were casual friends for many years. They had offices on the opposite side of one another when they served in the House of Representatives. I don't think the sour note came until the 1960 election. Both men became wary of one another. Especially Nixon. Who knows had Kennedy lived maybe the Friendship would have been repaired. Thanks for commenting and visiting the channel!
I didn't like Nixon for a host of reasons, but I will say that one thing Nixon had was a legendary memory. I've seen many of his interviews and he had an uncanny ability to recall things quite vividly.
He was very sharp in his memory. An intelligent man who let it all fall apart over his insecurities. Shame because he could have been a great president. Thanks for commenting and visiting the channel!
@@kevincorcoran6493 I agree - both in how intelligent he was and that he 'could' have been great if not for succumbing to his insecurities. Thanks for posting the interview.
He had a great memory from the get-go, but later he may have developed it even more thoroughly. Since he was no longer in a position of power, the only thing he had left that made him relevant were his memories. Without that, he would be useless on the speaking platforms and in interviews, as this was probably the lion share of his revenue stream. Telling these stories over and over again would help to reinforce his memory of the events.
I recall a taped conversation- as best as I can remember- somebody told him that such-and-such politician was fooling around with little girls. Nixon: "That's better than fooling around with little boys." And just from that, it occurred to me that Nixon was as common, as coarse in his mentality as Johnson was.
Nixon and Johnson both shared a few similar characteristics. Both wanted to be loved by everyone and both showed signs of paranoia. Of course there are also some major personality differences. Nathan was more of an introvert Johnson was an extrovert Etc. Thank you for your comments and thank you for visiting my channel!
oh, don't be so cynical...he was there to be the keynote speaker at a Pepsi bottling convention...hmmmm...I seem to have heard somewhere that the Pepsi Corporation was pass through entity to pay top secret CIA operatives....(in other words , on the books, the CIA agent would be a Pepsi employee, but actually paid by the CIA,, especially prevalent in the Caribbean where Pepsi needed low cost sugar for their products)....ahhh, it's just a rumor......
@@1olddirtroad yeah totes, and Poppy Bush, Lansdale, Hunt, Harvey, yup just passing through to check in bottler’s conventions and stuff, totally normal 👍
Would have been interesting to hear Nixon's response if the interviewer had asked him what he thought about Kennedy's statement "What a sickol" in reaction to Nixon's 1962 remark "You won't have Dick Nixon to kick around anymore" when he declared he was "resigning" from politics after losing the California gubernatorial race; and what Kennedy's reaction to him was about his advice to JFK when Nixon visited the Oval Office after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and Kennedy asked him what he thought he should do and Nixon told him if HE were president he "would just go in on an all-out invasion". The photograph of them together at that meeting shows Kennedy giving Nixon a look of strained tolerance as if to say "You don't know what the hell you're talking about!"
Sounds like an interesting story. If you can could you send me the link for that photo? I've only seen one photo of Nixon and Kennedy in the Oval Office. Kennedy looks tired. Which he probably was since he rarely slept during the whole ordeal. Thanks for commenting!
I tend to agree with you but I would also add JFK to that list. He just didn't live long enough. But both Clinton and Nixon were political Masters. And I'm happy that Clinton had Nixon at the White House when he was president. And they spoke on the phone many times during his presidency even though Nixon did die a little over a year after Clinton took office. Thanks for commenting and I appreciate you visiting my channel!
Nixon is one of those politicians that you either love or hate. There's no middle ground. Thank you for commenting and visiting the channel! PS sorry for the late response.
yeah, i heard a remark once: "LBJ created the " The Great Society" but Nixon funded it..." seems that LBJ created all these "great" programs, but there was a little detail left out. there was no money legislated for them....
