Friday, August 08, 2014
“Effective at noon tomorrow, I will resign the Presidency of the United States of America.” Calm down Sarah Palin, I am referring to Richard Mihouse Nixon and the 40th anniversary of his resignation as President of the United States. While it is all Watergate under the bridge, it still fun to recall the names. In May 1973 we watched the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, headed by the Senator from North Carolina, Sam Ervin and his eyebrows. During the hearing the White House lawyer, John Dean said former Attorney General John Mitchell did it and WH advisers John Eherlichman and H. R. Haldeman knew about it too. Yep, even Nixon knew about it. Meanwhile, Watergate prosecutor Archibald (who really names their child Archibald?) Cox uncovered widespread evidence of illegal wiretapping of thousands of private citizens by the administration and contributions to the Republican Party in return for political favors. And just think, he did all of this discovering without benefit of a computer and social media. Hey, Nixon if you are reading this from Hell, “Did you think another round of Checkers and Pat’s good Republican cloth coat could save you again?” By the end of July 1974, the House Judiciary Committee had adopted three articles of impeachment against President Nixon: obstruction of justice, abuse of presidential powers and hindrance of the impeachment process. That last article concerned the infamous tapes and the 18 minutes that were missing. At that point Nixon was busted like ho at a cheap motel on Saturday night. At no point was a cigar involved or mentioned in the indictment. Well, we certainly did not have Tricky Dick “to kick around anymore” after that.
Here is a bit of alternative history. Alternative history is where one plays “what if” an event actually took place that changed history. When Nixon received the Republican nomination in 1968, his main party opponent was the governor of Michigan George Romney. What if George Romney had won the nomination? Maybe Mitt would be in White House today.
Nixon appealed to what he later called the “silent majority” of “socially conservative Americans” who disliked hippies and the anti-war demonstrators. I am not certain if that means they were pro-war. Here’s What I’m Thinking – as his campaign button prophetically stated – Nixon’s the One. He is the One who started it all. Nixon – Making Republicans Proud Even Today!
Here's What I'm Thinking 