Nixon Era 1968-1974

Eugene McCarthy 1968
vote map

Robt Kennedy & Cesar Chavez
1968

Miami Beach 1968

Woodstock 1969

Warren Burger 5/30/69

George Meany - quotas

Mayor Richard Daley 1968

Idaho Republican 9/4/72

Toasting Chou in China 1972

CRP 10/30/72

Nixon resigns 1974

Election of 1968

Eugene McCarthy announced candidacy Jan. 3, due to prolonged Vietnam war, youth movement
New Hampshire primary Mar. 12 - 10,000 students "Neat and Clean for Gene" 42% for McCarthy, 49% for LBJ
Oregon primary May 28 - Robert Kennedy challenged McCarthy, but killed June 4
LBJ withdrew March 31
Hubert Humphrey nominated at Democratic National Convention in Chicago that abolished the traditional unit rule, allowed stronger minority participation, Julian Bond led Georgia delegates, Lester Maddox walked out
convention crippled by violence, "police riot" at Lincoln Park -1, Chicago 7 arrested
Nixon and Spiro Agnew (from Maryland, the first "suburban" national candidate) nominated by Republican National Convention, claimed to represent the "Silent Majority" and promised law and order, national unity, end the war
George Wallace and American Independent party took votes from Nixon, would get 9.9 votes, largest 3rd party vote since LaFollette in 1924
Nixon won 43.4% popular vote to Humphrey's 42.7% and Wallace's 13.5%
Popular vote was not for Nixon, but against war and social conflict
Democrats kept control of Congress

Foreign Policy

Pepsi Generation

era of restoration rather than protest, conservatism rather than reform, consumer culture rather than counterculture, detente rather than confrontation
Erich Segal's Love Story best seller of 1970, reflected commercialized emotion, political insensitivity, middle class consumer values, not the passion and idealism and liberal activism of Charles Reich's Greening of America.
Apollo 11 landed on the moon July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong, Ed Aldrin, Mike Collins, "triumph of the squares" according to Eric Hoffer
Woodstock in 1969 celebrated love and music, not the antiwar protest of 1964 SDS marchers.

Civil Rights

"benign neglect" of AG John Mitchell due to Southern strategy to unite conservatives including Wallace voters
Nixon opposed extension of 1965 Act and school desgregation, but Congress and Court acted
Supreme Court in Chief Justice Burger's first decision ruled in Alexander v. Holmes Oct. 1969 that Mississippi schools must desegregate at once - by 1970, black children in all-black schools dropped to 18% from 68% in 1968 - black college student enrollment increased 85%
Burger court ruled 9-0 in April 1971 Charlotte NC case that cities must bus to achieve integration - Nixon asked Congress for moratorium on busing in March 1972 but Senate filibuster led by Walter Mondale (Dem-MN) and Jacob Javits (Rep-NY) blocked the moratorium
Nixon sought appointment of conservative southern judges, such as Clement Haynesworth of SC, friend of Strom Thurmond, pro-segregation, pro-textile industry, opposed by George meany of AFL-CIO

Social Issue

Nixon sought to exploit middle class fear of violence and crime and counterculture permissiveness
Southern strategy designed to appeal to working class, sought expanded federal aid to parochial schools, opposed NY state abortion law, opposed 1970 Commission on Obscenity and Pornography, opposed welfare unless working, ended the OEO, expanded job training, 1972 revenue sharing would shift burden to states
Philadelphia Plan established quotas to allow blacks entry into trade unions, but not enforced by Nixon or mayor Frank Rizzo
white hard-hat labor vote supported Nixon
Ronald Reagan Califonia governor 1966-1973, a product of the Goldwater conservative movement in the West, oppposed student radicals such as the Berkeley Free Speech Movement

Economy

inflation increased to 5.3% by 1970, due to Vietnam War deficits
"gradualism" of Nixon cut the budget, raised interest rates, caused 1969 recession, bear market until May 1970
Penn Central bankruptcy June 1970, worst failure in American history
GNP declined, deficit grew, unemplyment doubled to 6% by 1971
Nixon used troops to end postal strike 1970, allowing 12% pay increase, not 22%
New Economic Plan announced Aug. 15, 1971
Phase I froze wages and prices and rents for 90 days, devalued dollar in Dec.
Phase II eased controls on profits and dividends and fresh produce unemployment remained high but inflation began to decline to 4% - 1

1972 Election

Nixon and Agnew renominated at Republican National Convention in Miami Beach (not San Diego)
George McGovern nominated at Democratic National Convention in Miami, the "Prairie Populist" from South Dakota who was known as the "only decent man in the Senate," favored draft dodger amnesty, legalization of marijuana and abortion, appealed to the "New Politics" of youth, minorities, poor that set quotas at the convention (40% women, 25% blacks, 21% under 30), the 26th amendment had been ratified march 1971 lowering the voting age to 18, allowing 14 million new voters to participate - 1
George Wallace and American party started strong in primaries, but shot by Arthur Bremer May 15 in Laurel MD shopping center - 1, paralyzed, replaced by John Schmitz of CA, of John Birch Society, who gained only 1.1 million votes.
Benjamin Spock and the People's Party gained only 74,000 votes from extreme left.
Nixon won decisive victory with 60.7% popular vote, 520 to 17 electoral votes

Watergate

The crisis of Watergate began with wiretaps in 1969 on an "enemies list" of those who opposed of the secret Cambodia invasion, the Tom Huston plan in 1970 to investigate protesters and cause their arrest and possible mass internment, the creation of the White House plumbers unit under John Ehrlichman to plug leaks such as Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers in 1971, the CRP organization and the use of dirty tricks in the 1972 campaign, led by Donald Segretti and CRP legal counsel G. Gordon Liddy, including the first break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in may 1972 to plant a wiretap on the telephone of Larry O'Brien
The CRP operations became public with the arrest of 5 burglars June 17, 1972, during the second break-in of the Watergate headquarters. The coverup began June 23 (later known as the smoking gun) when Nixon ordered Haldeman to lie to the FBI and use the CIA to stop the investigation of the burglars. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of the Washington Post began to write articles about the breakin for the Washington Post.
The trial of the burglars began in Jan. 1973 and $400,000 was allocated from CRP to defend the burglars, but Judge John Sirica declared Feb. 2 he was "no satisfied" with the silence of the burglars. James McCord broke his silence in a letter to Sirica that he operated under orders from the White House. John Dean told Nixon march 21 that the crisis was becoming a "cancer on the presidency" but Nixon declared in public Apr. 18 that the White House was cleared of any involvement. But within two weeks, key aides resigned: Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Dean, AG Kleindienst, FBI directory L. Patrick Gray.
The Senate began televised hearings May 17, 1973, under Sam Ervin (Dem, NC) that slowly revealed the breadth and details of the crisis, especially the revelation of the White House tapes on July 16. Archibald Cox was appointed special prosecutor and Sirica ordered Cox to turn over the tapes to his court. Spiro Agnew resigned Oct. 10 due to tax evasion charges and Nixon appointed Gerald Ford as vice-president. In the Satruday Night Massacre of Oct. 20, Nixon fired Cox, AG Elliott Richardson, and James Ruckelshouse.
After a six-month lull, Nixon released some tape transcripts in April 1974, revealing the 18 and 1/2-minute gap, causing the Supremem Court to rule July 24 that Nixon must surrender 64 tapes to Sirica. The House Judiciary Committee voted 3 articles of impeachment July 30. Nixon turned over the tapes Aug. 5, revealing the "smoking gun" coverup of June 23, 1972.
Nixon resigned the presidency Aug. 9, 1974

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