Nixon

Nixon 1968 - year of huge disorder

Vietnam – doubts infesting almost everyone – McNamara leaves early '68

TV coverage shows blood & brutality in American living rooms

body counts "if it's dead it's a VC" – had to destroy the village to save it

Anti-War protesters outrage many - especially blue collar voters

"left hated us for killing, right hated for not killing enough"

WWII fought by all classes – Vietnam fought by poor (80%) and black (30% combat)

Priviledged like GWBush into National Guard with connections or deferments like Dick Cheney

Protesters often college educated - outraged & angry at lies and brutality – some read Viet history

Tet offensive Jan 30 – just after expressions of confidence that VC had been dispersed

simultaneous attacks al over the country

New Hamsire Primary – "Clean for Gene" McCarthy gets 40% on anti-war platform

Johnson announces reduction in bombing – ready to talk peace – will not run for president

Huge anti-war demonstrations at Universities

June - King assassinated at Memphis working on Garbagemen's strike

Nationwide urban riots

August – Democratic Convention – Police riots according to Kerner Commission

Mayor Daley (shoot to kill order during riots) criticized for "Gestapo tactics"

Party bitterly split

Nixon – very packaged campaign - claims "secret plan to end war" – oops – 5 more years

same terms as 1968 – 25,000 more dead Americans

Largest objective shifts from non-Communist democratic SouthVietnam

to demonstrating "Credibility" & avoiding loss of face

Before the 1968 election Nixon's people had secret contacts with the South Vietnamese.

afraid LBJ would achieve a breakthrough and help Humphrey win the election.

advised the South Vetnamese to stall & play hardball – would get better terms later.

LBJ bombing halt just before election – Humphrey can be more clearly anti-war - almost wins

End of 1968 Gallup poll – "Big government" biggest threat over big business & big labor

Nixon starts withdrawing US troops "Vietnamization" of the war – make up for fewer troops

Huge firepower – ferocious bombing with intermittent negotiation attempts

1970 Cambodia invasion to root out sanctuaries – not much found

massive Student protests students shot at Kent State & Jackson State

WATERGATE

1971 Pentagon Papers history of the war leaked by Daniel Elsberg to NYTimes.

Papers expose lies of previous administrations

Nixon forms "Plumbers" to stop leaks

Fire-Bomb Brookings Institution? Break into Elsberg's Psychiatrists office.

June '72 – 5 Nixon campaign workers – some ex-CIA – arrested in Watergate Complex

kept under wraps until after election

Also campaign dirty tricks – help get rid of strong nominee Muskie – McGovern nominated

Nixon unusual psychology for politician.

He took extreme steps to keep secrets and win election in part because he saw himself as a persecuted unappreciated outsider. Resented critics and stored up grievances instead of talking & arguing. Especially resented press and people he saw as Ivy League-ish priviledged like Alger Hiss (spy) – he worked tirelessly on case against Hiss

loves politics and power ... except for the people.

Set up system where he was shielded by Erlichman and Haldeman from contact with staff.

Does much in secret with Kissinger – little give and take. Even State Dept kept in dark.

Very irritated at leaks especially Pentagon Papers – bugs many employees including Kissinger

Watergate Investigation starts with Woodward & Bernstein – Washington Post City reporters

Slowly builds as details gathered

Senate investigation discovers taping system for Oval Office conversations

Independent Councisl appointed – fired when he issues subpoena for tapes of conversations

Supreme Court rules Nixon must produce tapes

VP Agnew resigns after pleading guilty to taking bribes – Gerald Ford replaces.

VIETNAM END:

1973 Paris accords US gets out

Congress passes War Powers Act

August 1974 Nixon resigns & Ford becomes President

1975 N Vietnamese Army's final offensive conquers South Ford can't get congress to approve $$Aid

LONG TERM RESULTS WATERGATE

"Open up the process" – Direct democracy - Primaries select candidates rather than party leaders

Most ideological and enthusiastic voters rule low-turnout primary process – extreme candidates win

One man-one-vote (Baker v Carr) redistricting –

House members select their voters rather than voters selecting members

convoluted districts concentrate members of one party – especially as computers used later

where ideological purity triumphs over compromise

Voting Rights Act

helps this ideological extremism

Reapportionmant plans designed to increase number of African-American representatives

pack overwhelmingly Democratic black voters into small number of districts

rest of districts fewer poor / Black - much less concern – demonize welfare "Law and order"

lower turnout makes disciplined-ideological groups more powerful

Churches which can motivate and proseletize their members gain power

Republicans gain – Dems lose in House

Cynthia McKinney – example of extremes in black district

"Bush knew about 9/11 plot"

In conservative-Christian districts most militant-Christian wins

99% of incumbents in House re-elected instead of responsive voice of the people founders wanted

Presidential Primaries – most ideological voters – again "True believers" dominate

No party discipline - $$$ for TV ads in primaries more important than experience or party unity

rich donors more and more important – much of time raising money

"Investigative Journalism" glorified – line between public and private erased Nixon and Wilbur Mills

New Left women's movement claimed "the personal is political"

how politicians treat women is "political" – Kennedy style "discretion" is gone

This New-Left idea helps political right - Sex and scandal become more important than policy

$55 million to investigate Clinton Sex life - $25 million for Cisneros

especially for "Traditional value" Republicans to use against "permissive" Democrats

Civil Rights unintended –

Role models - middle class professionals businessmen - move out of neighborhood to suburbs

Jobs also leave – manufacturing decline – tax base and schools fall also

Athletes and drug culture macho models

studying is "white"

Senate Sunbelt advantage – small population states get 2 senators

17% of population can elect majority of Senators

Democrats get 53% or 54% of total votes but Repubs dominate with small population Sunbelt states

anti-environment backlash i– sagebrush rebellion – Oil and mineral interests dominate $$$

Western irrigation farming needs federal subsidies – environment harmed -

environmentalists like Salmon – conflict –

Carter environmentalist - stumbles into this fight – loses Senate support

DETENTE

Nixon, and Henry Kissinger, his main foreign policy addvisor, were aware of the conflict between China and USSR and hoped to play the two off against each other. Use them to push the North Vietnamese towards a peace setlement.(Little influence on the North)

Nixon's could only make the moves to relax relations because of his long history of anti-Communism.

A Democrat would have been much more vulnerable to talk of appeasement.

His moves to talk and negotiate with the Russians and Chinese offended many of the religious-crusade-cold-warriors however. Seeing him meeting and toasting with Mao and Brezhnev offended those who saw China and the Soviets as Evil.

They felt the Soviets were absolutely untrustworthy and that negotiations implied moral equality.

This lack of rigid theological anti-communism became a big issue for Ronald Reagan to attack Gerald Ford in 1976 nomination campaign.

Nixon and Ford Succeeded in lmiting the arms race.

Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties (SALT I & SALT II) stopped the buildup of nukes.

Anti Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty limited defensive weapons.

Insured that neither side would be secure against attack and thus able to launch a first strike.

President Ford 1975 at Helsinki summit with Russians recognized post-WWII boundaries

got a human-rights commitment from the Russians which many dismissed as window dressing

used by Russians like Skharov and Eastern Europeans to press for reform

critical to fall of Communism

Some Democrats joined many Republicans against reducing the arms race –

these became the "Neo-conservatives".

In 1976 they formed the Committee on the Present Danger (CPD).

At this time many analysts argued that the Soviet Union was collapsing of top-down-rigidity &

inefficiency. USSR had to buy wheat after being a great exporter before the Commies.

Committee for Present Danger says USSR growing more powerful all the time - $$$$$ for arms

OIL & ECONOMY

LBJ wouldn't raise taxes enough for Vietnam so US ran large deficits with a growing economy

This leads to inflationary pressures

America losing dominance in manufacturing – other countries have rebuilt & improved our technology

Japan & European imports – cars, appliances = negative balance of trade

1971 – Nixon goes off gold – flowing out of country – dollar floats

10% tarrif on imports

90 day wage-price freeze

controls after that – prices set in August when price of gas is high, heating oil price is low -

distortions of market and incentives

ENERGY MARKETS

America has historically had oil at home – other countries taxes oil so more energy efficient

oil price rise less damaging to their economies

Oil industry influential in Sunbelt US – wants high prices – limit imports of cheaper oil

policy developed for dealing with surplus, not shortage.

But we are near peak oil in US

Nixon wage-price controls (like tax cuts always) good politically short term just before election

but long term restricts exploration

no tax on oil which would increase efficiency – shortages, long gas lines

effect on economy lasts for rest of decade

MIDDLE EAST

1967 war had left Israel controlling Syrian & Egyptian territory &

West Bank of Jordan River inhabited by Palestinians

1973 Egyptian surprise attack – US clearly supports Israel

Arabs pissed – Oil boycott of US – price of oil up 470% in '73 – doubles in long run

PRICE CONTROLS START TO HAVE HORRIBLE IMPACT NOW

Canada lets prices rise markets work – no lines – short crisis

Because the crisis lingers and prices stay high it makes long term inflation even worse.

Influence of Sunbelt Oil-interests – we not only lack energy taxes,

we have depletion allowances – "use it up as fast as you can!!!!"

means our economy is less efficient relative to oil compared to Jappan Europe

shocks are absorbed slowly and rationally with market incentives –

In economic theory these are "externalities" or "community effects"

TRADE IS GOOD BUT if you hurt others must alleviate

ciggie taxes for disease and public health costs

oil externalities : dead marines, global warming, lack of economic security, health effects of pollution

tax on carbon or oil means that market picks between ethanol, solar, wind, nuclear etc

Subsidies mean thet politicians and their donors decide

RACE

Kevin Phillips predicted in 1968 thet there was an "Emerging Republican Majority" in the country as the South turned against the Democrats – partly because of race and Civil rights.

Phillips saw demographic trends making South & Sunbelt dominant in national politics.

Presidents from South & Sunbelt became the rule as Phillips predicted.

Democrats lose South (Civil Rights) & Blue Collar ethincs on traditional & patriotic values

support for women's rghts, anti-war party, welfare to undeserving poor

"weak on crime, morality & national defense"

Wallace took 5 Southern states in 1968 – Nixon took the rest except Texas

Nixon not racist in many policies - but racist on tapes & appoints racist judges.

Supreme court decisions about prayer in school, defendants rights, abortion etc are flashpoint

Connections to Christian right expressed in Judicial appointments like:

Carswell – overturned more often any other judge - especially on civil rights

always against equal rights in housing, voting rights etc

WOMEN & GAYS & SEX &DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL Drive

POLITICS OF RESENTMENT – CHRISTIAN RIGHT – anti-MODERNISM

Wants to cover Wallace issues toward the center – Wallace is rising as anger-candidate –

Nixon puts slightly more civilised face on Wallace visceral issues

Patriotism comes to be defined by unconditional ardor for war against our "opposite" the Soviet Union

Anti-American views of some anti-war forces perfect ammunition for right

Any Anti-War activity painted as anti-American

Many Nixon policies are progressive – "Guaranteed annual income" avoids welfare bureaucracy

give tax refund to families thru IRS

Philadelphia plan – integrate unions

1980 29% believe Government does the right thing most of the time – was 70% early '60's

Video Wallace "Middle ground gone" WEDGE ISSUES

never mention race – but mention crime in Central Park – "States rights" "oppressive bureaucracy"

altho Wallace is economic populist all his visceral complaints build a foundation for Reagan

pimp harvard – science & intellectuals and judges [populism gets connectred with aristocratic economics

Judges now – Justice O'connor just gave speech about Republican leaders encouraging violence against judges

Tom Delay "Justice Sunday" "arrogant out-of-control unaccountable judiciary" kill Terry Schivo?

Cornyn sees Connection violence against judges and decisions Cornyn doesn't agree with ... if they get hurt it's because of this .... O'Connor links to Zimbabwe bullying Judiciary

independent judiciary? Not supposed to be influenced by popular passions

Foreign law in footnotes Angers super-religious-patriots like Justice Scalia

"if you're not armchair patriots those two justices will not last another week"–

ethnic voters in Wisconsin Polish anti-commies

anti-viet is not pro-commie – Che wished us 2 or 3 Vietnams – best thing we could do to help commies Make American voter skepical of ALL MILITARY ACTIVITY – we do much good stuff

which is with our principles – lies in Vietnam lead us to no action

Video: battle of the books

State religion = patriotism

State is "under God" so whatever it does is good - so support is holiness, dissent is treason

"Question authority" vs Strict-father-family

The Ballad Of The Carpenter

Jesus was a working man
And a hero you will hear
Born in the slums of Bethlehem
At the turning of the year

When Jesus was a little lad
Streets rang with his name
For he argued with the older men
And put them all to shame

He became a wandering journeyman
And he traveled far and wide
And he noticed how wealth and poverty
Live always side by side

So he said "Come you working men
Farmers and weavers too
If you would only stand as one
This world belongs to you

When the rich men heard what the carpenter had done
To the Roman troops they ran
Saying put this rebel Jesus down
He's a menace to God and man

The commander of the occupying troops
Just laughed and then he said
"There's a cross to spare on Calvaries hill
By the weekend he'll be dead

Now Jesus walked among the poor
For the poor were his own kind
And they'd never let them get near enough
To take him from behind

So they hired one of the traders trade
And an informer was he
And he sold his brother to the butchers men
For a fistful of silver money

And Jesus sat in the prison cell
And they beat him and offered him bribes
To desert the cause of his fellow man
And work for the rich men's tribe,

And the sweat stood out on Jesus' brow
And the blood was in his eye
When they nailed his body to the Roman cross
And they laughed as they watched him die
They laughed as they watched him die

Two thousand years have passed and gone
Many a hero too
But the dream of this poor carpenter
Remains in the hands of you