From a historian’s standpoint–I find Nixon fascinating. He is someone who was a passionate student of presidential history and he enjoyed ranking previous presidents. He made the claim Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, and LBJ were the three smartest presidential politicians of the previous century. I agree. All three were shrewd pols. Although TR’s run on the Bull Moose ticket was regretful.
My five greatest presidents go in this order… 1 Lincoln, 2 FDR, 3 Teddy Roosevelt, 4 Washington, and 5 maybe Eisenhower. Whereas I would have been keenly entertained talking over this list with Nixon-I would be completely bored doing it with Trump. He’s just not that deep. He’s not a thinker, he’s a grifter. If I were with Trump I’d ask him to rank his five greatest porn stars or pro wrestlers. That might be interesting coming from him. You know…keeping it in his wheelhouse of expertise.
Today is the 44th anniversary of Nixon’s resignation. He was never indicted in that Gerald Ford pardoned him before he could be indicted.
We’ll never know for sure what turns history would have given us if Nixon had served two full terms.
Would Ronald Reagan have emerged as the leader of the conservative movement? Would Jimmy Carter have beaten Teddy Kennedy in 1980 as the Dems nominee? History is funny in that way.
As we enter the second half of the most corrupt presidential administration in the U.S. modern presidential era with Donald Trump–it at times is hard not to compare the two presidents. But again, Nixon was interesting while Trump is a predictable self absorbed bore who panders nonsense to people who don’t read and who view the world only from one prism.. namely their own economic standing or the belief anything he is doing will eventually trickle down to them.
In honor of Nixon’s resignation here’s Pat Buchanan interviewing Nixon in 1982. I love the part where he’s cursing Robert Cairo’s biography of LBJ as only Nixon could. Whereas…since Trump doesn’t read, Buchanan would have to ask him if he preferred Ric Flair Nature Boy, Hulk Hogan, or Rowdy Roddy Piper as his favorite pro wrestler of all-time.