May
14
Blog #50 – Frost / Nixon blog
During all of the Vietnam protests, President Nixon became convinced that there was a foreign power/country/enterprise directing these American kids, so he wanted to find out who and how these directives were getting done. He signed an Executive Order that allowed the intelligence agencies to spy on Americans in the hopes of finding that foreign element that funded subversive groups that were planning protests and other crazy things. The FBI could tap more phones, open mail, and break into homes and offices w/o warrants. These powers were later curtailed by Congress in the mid 70s, but then expanded again recently in the name of securing the nation from another terrorist attack called the Patriot Act.
“Did Erlichmann inform me that these two men were going to California? He may well have. And if he had, I would have said, ‘Go right ahead’” – Nixon, in reference to Gordon Liddy and Howard Hunt going to California to break into Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office.
The movie takes some liberties with the truth in order to make it more dramatic – Nixon’s drunk dialing Frost the night before the final interview and Frost being inspired to meet Nixon’s challenge; the tough portrayal of Jack Brennan; he knew and had been dating Carol Cushing for five years before the interviews; why does there have to be a winner in the interviews? Did all of the flaws of the first three interviews get forgotten after the triumphant 4th interview? Was Nixon really that funny or likeable despite many reports to the contrary? Also, the script changed Nixon’s line near the end – see the difference:
“Then, through a sleight of hand, the script simply changes what Nixon actually said: the script of the play has Nixon admitting that he “…was involved in a ‘cover-up,’ as you call it.” The ellipsis is of course unknown to the audience, and is crucial: What Nixon actually said was, “You’re wanting to me to say that I participated in an illegal cover-up. No!”So, give me your comments on Nixon’s statements. (choose both questions).
1. Would you approve the idea that the president can do just about anything in the defense of the United States during a time of war? Why or why not? Do you agree with Nixon’s reasoning? Why or why not?
2. Do you think the Frost / Nixon filmmaker’s intent was to create sympathy for former President Nixon? Why or why not? Do you think that you might feel sympathy for Nixon despite not having lived through Watergate, whereas an older audience member might be angry with the portrayal?
1. A President does not have the right to do just about anything in the defense of the Country. A President should be able to take action as long as it’s within the constitution or an action that is absolutely necessary to the well being of the nation that is also within reason. A President does not have the right to defy the supreme law of the land, the Constitution, as Nixon did during his Presidency. When Nixon said, “When the President does it, it means it’s not illegal,” his reasoning was not accurate. It wouldn’t be legal for the president to murder someone on the street, so an action against the United States, even if done by the President should also not be legal. I do think that if it was an absolute last resort for the country’s survival, a President could take illegal actions to save the country as long as there was some sort of Congressional approval. If the nation was really in such a dire situation and the President received approval for his actions, he should be able to take action to protect the nation.
2. I don’t think the filmmakers’ primary goal was to create sympathy for Nixon, but I think they filmed the movie so that you didn’t hate the man. Nixon was depicted as a kind hearted man who was obviously embarrassed and ashamed of his past actions. The audience was definitely supposed to see a softer side of Nixon, but they weren’t supposed to have full sympathy for him. Throughout the movie I saw Nixon’s group as pretty untrustworthy and I wanted them all to fail. I think the filmmakers wanted the audience to feel this way, while still having a little bit of sympathy for Nixon. Obviously I did not live through Watergate, and this film might affect somebody who did more than me. A person who lived through Nixon’s presidency might not feel even the small amount of sympathy I felt for Nixon when I watched the film.
I agree with Nixon’s statement in this instance, I do not agree with what he did, or how this justifies Nixon’s actions. However, I do think that the president is allowed to do illegal activities in defense of the nation, but only in the time of declared war, but I think that the illegal actions must be motivated by the war, like the espionage acts, I don’t think watergate applied to the war. So Nixon’s justification is absolutely false in context of his presidency. It was an absolutely brilliant bit of filmmaking by the producers of Frost Nixon, everyone has seen the corrupt and broken politician Nixon, his interviews and his famous “I am not a crook speech”. The American public never really saw the man, Nixon the lonely, paranoid human. The directors really wanted to emphasize the less knows position, Nixon’s, if the directors didn’t focus on Nixon’s point, the movie would’ve sucked, the American people haven’t sympathized or considered Nixon’s emotions or motives. The introduction sets the stage beautifully that will make the audience identify with Nixon, this remains constant throughout the movie, and it influenced the audience to focus on Nixon’s inner toil, which is often forgotten in the media.
1.)I do not agree with Nixon’s reasoning, claiming that he can pretty much do anything during war. Causing more tragedy and death does not solve anything. The American people voted for Nixon for a reason, and that’s to run our country the correct way. That does not mean making our country looking bad. President Nixon did not even consider with the Seceratary of Defense. Nixon mentions in the interviews that, everytime the president does something illegal, “it’s not illegal when the president does it.” I simply do not agree with that statement because basically what he is saying is that, if the president murders 20 people, or when the president is in possesion of marajuana, or steals, THATS ALL LEGAL! But it’s not.
2.)I won’t necessarily say that it was intended to provide sympathy, but Nixon’s apology provided a little bit. The interviews to Nixon were meant for Nixon to admit what he had done. Almost nobody wanted to feel sorry for him because of this horrific crime. I would personally feel a little sympathy for him because, he had somewhat of a rough childhood, and after watergate, I believe deep inside Nixon was truly sorry. In is mind, he thought he was doing the best thing for his political party. I believe Nixon did not intend for this scandal to be as deep as it is. Nixon didn’t even mess up the country. The way Nixon petted the dog after the interviews, I know Nixon is not a bad person inside, he made an honest mistake that he just have to live up to. We should recognise Nixon’s greatness, how he was proof that anyone can do anything if they work hard enough despite what people try to tell them and how he used pragmatic politics and diplomacy to put the U.S.A. on the right path both at home and with other countries.
No presidents aren’t allowed to do just anything wheter or not its a time of war. A democracy had a man like that once and his 66 senators killed him because he became too powerful. There is a reason we have a checks and balance system. We often fear that a president will get these untouchable ideas and believe that if he thinks what he is doing right whether or not he is breaking the law. Although in the movie they add a lot of stuff about nixon i dont nessearily believe it was to get us to sympathize with nixon but to rather understand how conflicted and complex a man Nixon was. Frost they just added parts like the phone call to motivate his aggresive final interview with Nixon. Both men made there living getting things through the munipulation of others and they were both very good at it so it became a contest of two intellegent men who both knew how munipulate people one used it to in a sense beat the other in sort of a debate.
1. I don’t agree with the idea that a president can do anything during times of war. A president can stretch their power, but only under dire circumstances. In each situation there must me a limit as to how far you can stretch your power without it being illegal or irrational. Although these limits may vary from each person, the President’s actions must be looked over by other government officials. He can’t just declare something and put it into action without other people’s consent. The idea is not to become overruling, just to expand executive power where it is most needed. Nixon abused his power as President, no matter what excuses he makes.
2. I don’t think that Frost/Nixon’s intent was to create sympathy for the Nixon, but it did allow you to see the President’s story from a different angle. Nixon felt very sorry for himself, and they showed that in the film. This may have caused someone to feel sympathy for him, but it wasn’t meant to blindly lead someone to feel that way. It showed the things he did horribly wrong as well. They tore him apart in the last of the interviews and showed him to be a bigoted man. Although I though there were some things that they should have made more aggressive toward Nixon, to balance out the parts that made him seem almost like a nice guy. I felt that sometimes they were too soft on him, and there could have been more places in the film to show his wrongdoings. For instance in the beginning they should have played one of the more surprising tapes. I felt the one at the beginning didn’t even come close to showing the awful things he said not only about the government, but also about people.
I do agree with the theory that a president can do anything during a time of war in defense of his country, but I do not believe that Nixon’s infringement of privacy of the American people falls under that category. What he did did not in any way protect the American people; in fact, it hurt them. In my opinion, this theory should only be applied to actions that favor the lives of Americans during war times. I think it was manipulative and irresponsible for Nixon to use that as an excuse for the mistakes he made and crimes he committed. I think the director was trying to portray Nixon as accurately and realistically he could and trying to remove the bias and opinions that people had formed of Nixon. I think he wanted to create a clean version of the story with as little bias as possible. I didn’t have much opinion of Nixon and during the movie I felt both anger at Nixon for the things he said but also sympathetic for him because of the way he was treated. I think most young people who weren’t exposed to the scandals would be able to see this movie and form their own opinions about Nixon, both good and bad because it should both sides of the story. I think it might change the minds of some of the older generation who lived through Watergate, but not completely.
1. I do believe that the president should be able to do anything and everything in a time of defense of the United States because the president was elected for a reason. I believe that the president knows more than the American public knows about certain issues and I don’t believe the public should have a say because I don’t feel the public always knows everything (they shouldn’t). I believe that since he/she is our president, they’re judgment should go unheeded and I believe that when we elect a president we should also give faith in they’re judgment. I do agree with Nixon’s reasoning because the president is of the highest authority, I don’t believe that the president should be able to get arrested for anything because they only do things to help, I don’t believe a president would have gotten elected if his sole purpose was to ruin our country. The president should be able to do anything to protect his country and if he abuses that power, you shouldn’t have elected him in the first place
2. I do indeed believe the creators of frost/Nixon intended to create sympathy for Nixon because they made him seem like a alone person and that his own country disowned him and he had to live with that for his entire life. They made it clear how sad Nixon was to have been the first to resign his presidency in the beginning with his wife. I do indeed feel sympathy for President Nixon because he did so many good things in his presidency and because of one small thing that he got caught doing, his entire political career was destroyed by the American public. He worked so hard to get to where he was and because he “spied” on other people he was disowned. I personally feel that Nixon was a great president and that Watergate was just an overreaction by the public because Nixon wasn’t the only president to spy on others.
1. I think that the President should only defend his country, that’s all. I think that he is able to take action as long as he isn’t breaking rules or doing anything sketchy with what he’s doing. They do not have the right to break the rules, such as Nixon did during the war. One of Nixon’s famous quotes, “If a President does it, it isn’t illegal.” goes to show how much he thinks he was able to get away with. If it was a last resort thing, I think that people would understand, but if the President isn’t doing it as a last resort type thing, then I don’t think that it’s approriate.
2. In my opinion, I don’t think the movie was trying to make Nixon look like something he wasn’t, they knew what they were doing and they knew that they were trying to get people to not hate him, but all in all, I don’t think that they were trying to create sympathy for the man. In the movie, they made Nixon look a great man who regretted what he had done in his past. The people who were watching the movie I think were able to be given a different side of Nixon that they hadn’t seen before. I didn’t agree with what Nixon was doing during his presidency and I never wanted to see him succeed. I think the filmmakers wanted the audience to feel this way, while still having a little bit of sympathy for Nixon. I don’t think it would change the mind for anyone who lived through Watergate, Nixon still did what he did.
I believe that the president was way out of line when he said that he did all of the things he did for defense. The president does not have the capability to break any law they want, because they are the president. The other reason why his idea doesn’t work, is because Nixon was trying to protect the people of America, technically from democracy. While presidents do have the ability to break boundaries for the defense of America, they do not have the ability to lie to the public. Nixon’s defense for is actions, were stupid and misguided, and I do not agree with him. No I do not believe the directors intent, was to create sympathy for Nixon, nor was it made to create hatred for him. I believe that the director just tried to portray what actually happened in those talks from from both point of view, because of how he showed both sides had bad points in the movie. I don’t believe that i feel any sympathy for Nixon, any more that a older person might have, because we still learn about what had happened and how Nixon had hurt our government.
1. I think the President should have certain privileges and exceptions to the law but he cannot engage in an activity as illegal as cover up, or break in. The water gate scandal was unrelated to what was happening overseas so there should are no special privileges given to Nixon. A president should defiantly have more power and more liberties during a time of war, but those liberties shouldn’t include breaking laws that have no relevance to the war. For a president to be involved in the Watergate scandal is what it is, a scandal no matter how he tried to manipulate it. Nixon abused his powers as President that the people gave him and he was in the wrong to do so, but a president, elected by the people is given the trust of the people to do what is right, especially in times of war.
2. I don’t think it was the intention of the filmmakers of Frost/Nixon to create sympathy for Nixon. They tried to depict the reality of the situation and how affected Nixon was by the events that occurred and how he was responsible for them. Several scenes showed how selfish and money invested he was and wasn’t bothered much by the fact the Frost’s whole career was in the hands of the interview. His ambition during the interviews, and the drunken phone call helped remove feelings of pity for the former president. However future generations such as mine are much more likely to feel sympathy for all the events Nixon has been through because we haven’t had to deal with the betrayal and we see it in a different circumstance. We see Nixon’s presidency as a whole not just as the Watergate scandal, where as people who lived through his presidency and can’t remember the other things he did for the country as he argued no one would. Looking back in time it is easier to reflect on what happened as a whole and not be as emotionally clouded as the American people were by their hatred of the betrayal.
I believe that in a time of war, some liberties for the president can be added, but in a very limited amount. These liberties must also still be constitutional and not impend on the rights of America’s people. I believe that the point of a democratic government is to put the people first, and let the officials carry out policies for the needs of the people. I also believe that the president isn’t just allowed, but must take any action necessary to protect the wellbeing and general interest of the public, once again as long as his/her actions remain legal. For instance, if the war in Afghanistan were to travel into other countries, i believe that, in the interest of fighting terrorism, an action which would help countries all over the world, the US Armed Forces should pursue these dangerous people. However, killing an Iraqi leader because a president doesn’t like them, or in Nixon’s case, breaking into Watergate to ensure his reelection, is not an acceptable wartime measure.
I believe that Frost/Nixon is not an attempt at sympathy for Nixon, but rather an attempt to bring out another part of the Nixon era. I do believe, however, that the purpose of Frost/Nixon was to show younger generations about the high stakes, intensity, and overall significance of the interviews between Robert Frost and Richard Nixon. I also believe that another purpose of the film was to show more of the man in the shadow of the Watergate scandal. I think the filmmakers did a good job of showing Nixon the man rather than Nixon the criminal. I do not feel any more sympathy for Nixon, nor do i believe his crimes are any less wrong, but on the other hand, i believe that Frost/Nixon gave me a larger picture of Nixon’s presidency.
1. I do not think that the president so be able to do just about anything in the defense of the United States during a time of war. I believe that there are some things slightly outside the law that they could do for this reason but nothing to the extent that Richard Nixon did. If presidents had the freedom to do this then they would become abusive of their power and it could pose a great threat to our government and way of life. Nixon’s reasoning is that the president can approve something to deal with a threat to internal peace and order of significant magnitude, and it will not be illegal: and that those carrying out the wishes of the president are not violating the law because the president ordered it. I do not agree with this because Nixon believes that because someone is president that they are above the law and everyone else in the country; this is simply not true.
2. I do not think that the intent of the Frost/Nixon filmmaker was to create sympathy for Richard Nixon. If he had wanted to go with an approach like that then he would not have spent so much time and emphasis on the Watergate interview; the time spent on the last interview is many times greater than any other. The last interview is the one that really makes Nixon uncomfortable and he actually confesses to the American public about his misdoings in the White House. I felt some sympathy for him during the movie because I never had to live through anything with Nixon. People from generations that lived with Nixon might be anger with the way Nixon was portrayed in this movie because it made him seem much more human than before. Whenever I learned about Nixon I thought of some terrible inhumane person, but this movie makes him seem much more relatable.
I don’t think that the president can do just anything in the defense of the US during wartime. It’s a dangerous ideal and state of mind for the president. Power abuse is the thing that Americans fear and detest most. If the president decides it’s OK to start breaking laws for the “good” of the country, the American people will naturally freak out. The media explodes into accusations and paranoia, and then they have to spend hours defending themselves in countless interviews. It puts the president in danger, and throws the people for a loop. When the president breaks laws, he/she is basically saying “Oh, I’m better than all of you, so I can do this and get away with it.” Nixon’s reasoning for breaking into the Watergate office and any other scandals that had happened were not justified in the least. He was so paranoid of people disobeying him, he decided the most logical thing to do was to invade people’s privacy and spy on their mail and tap their phone calls. It doesn’t matter if it was wartime or peacetime – I only think spying during wartime is justified if there is clear evidence that someone could be a danger to the success of the war, such as an information leaker.
I don’t know if the producers of Frost/Nixon were trying to create sympathy for Nixon. They showed both sides of him. The friendly, sociable side showed when he first met Frost and after the interviews were over – he liked to tell stories and make conversation. But there was also the manipulative side – he tried to control the interviews so that they made him look good and asked Frost about his the financial details. If there’s one point where even I had sympathy for Nixon is when he cracked at the very last interview. The way it was portrayed made him look as if he was a bad dog that had just been kicked in the side – defeated, sad, and regretful. I can understand why older people might be upset by that image, but I think they could get over it by the time he says asks Frost what the American people want to hear. That even made me angry at him.
I think that Nixon did what he did out of greed and did it selfishly. He never had the idea of the country and the order and peace of it in mind only himself. When he sent spies to spy on the American kids protesting he was doing it for “the country” but he was personally scared and didn’t want to look bad. All of the illegal decisions he made were not in the good of the country, he was only looking out for himself. So do I agree with what Nixon said? No. He was acting out of greed. He made decisions that were not necessary for the country even though he believed they were. If a president wants to do something illegal it is still wrong and punishable. They are not an exception to laws and shouldn’t be. If they believe something illegal will be better for the country then they should have it passed through congress or something with other people involved to make it more legit.
I do not think that the Frost/Nixon filmmakers intent was to create sympathy for Nixon but children these days that see this movie are more sympathetic towards him than the adults that grew up during that time. The adults from that time are still angry today about what Nixon did where as children see this movie and here what Nixon said and feel bad for him and what he went through. Many children feel bad for him and think that he was only trying to help and make things better while adults who grew up through all of that lived it everyday and know exactly what happened and how Nixon shouldn’t have any sympathy. Frost has some sympathy for Nixon in the movie, which made many viewers angry because Frost didn’t see Nixon for all he did wrong.
No, just because some may have you believe it is in the best interest of the country, breaking the fundamental rules that hold our country together ruins the integrity of our nation. If the head of our country breaks the rules, then what fate lies for the people if the executive cannot even stay true? When the president does something, I disagree that it is not illegal. Nixon thought that even if the president did it, it wasn’t illegal because he was doing what he thought was best for the country. There are reasons why I disagree with this though. The President of the United States of America is supposed to represent the embodiment of our core values and ideals. When a president breaks this code of honor, the image of American integrity is shattered.
I don’t think the movie’s purpose was to create sympathy for Nixon, rather to portray him as a human being, not as some law-breaking tyrant who assumed himself as a god amongst men. If the filmmaker was trying to conjure sympathy for our former president, then I believe the portrayal of Frost would have been much more gruesome and evil. However, neither of the two were shown as being villainous. On both sides of the skirmish, Frost and Nixon were shown as desperately trying to ensure the sanctity of their respective names in history as good men. Looking from another’s perspective, there are no doubts to say that the movie may have produced mixed opinions. An older generation, such as one who witnessed the Watergate scandal during their life, may be outraged at the portrayal of Nixon in the film. During their lives, Nixon was only a shell of a man, who once stood tall, and continued to cast shame across the face of their nation. Presenting Nixon as someone who may only early resemble a respectable human being may be a bit much in the eyes of one who thought ill of Nixon. Younger generations who haven’t been exposed directly to the Nixon scandal would have a much less harsh opinion on Nixon’s portrayal. As part of the younger generation, I do feel some sympathy towards Nixon. I don’t feel like he was wrongly accused or was hoodwinked in any sort of fashion. The sympathy I feel goes towards the fact that whenever Nixon in mentioned, he is never acknowledged for any of his accomplishments, rather for the Watergate Scandal.
Ben K.
1. I do not think that a president can do anything in order to defend the country during a time of war. Depending on the situation, I think they should be able to bend the rules slightly as long as it is in order to protect all the rights of American citizens, especially life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and to not infringe on those rights. I do not agree with Nixon’s reasoning because no one is above the law, not even the president. The Constitution was not set in place to give general guidelines that everyone had to follow except the president, rather, it is the supreme law of the land and was created to limit power so that things would be illegal no matter who did them.
2. In my opinion, I do think that the creators of the Frost/Nixon movie were trying to create at least a little sympathy for former President Nixon. It seems like they wanted to give the viewers a new perspective of him. They tried to portray a different side of him and attempted to show that he was more than just the criminal that emerged from the Watergate scandal. He had his own domestic and foreign policies just like any other president and got caught trying to do what he thought was right, even though many people obviously did not agree that it was the right thing to do. I do think it is easier for me to feel a tiny bit of sympathy for Nixon because it’s easier to see him in a new way when you haven’t been hating him for so long like many of the older generations. Because they were there when it happened, it would be harder for them to change their point of view now, 40 years later.
Sofia C.
Nixon was a very smart man at times and a very unintelligent one at times.
1. The question asks about whether presidents should be able to do what they want. I would say yes because he was appointed to lead our country so he should but with our history of presidents im not so sure. America is a very visual place, may people do things because it looks better on the outside. In elections may people vote a certain way because one president is more attractive, young or a better speaker. If we actually voted on who we thought could run our country we would always elect a very smart person, if that happened, i’d say yes the president can do whatever but thats the case. Regardless he is still the president so he should be allowed to make a couple decisions on his own.
Nixon sent people to bug the opposing parties meetings and areas, i dont see the wrong about that but he then lied about it which is wrong. I think he should have been punished but i also think the American uproar was WAYY to much. It should be a simple probation or extra eyes watching him rather than countless hours and millions of dollars trying to completely destroy him.
2. The most Frost Nixon was made about the major interview after his presidency. It portrayed characters pretty accurately. Ones who hated him, ones who supported him and ones that didn’t. I would say the movie stuck in between. It showed the events exactly how it happened. It wouldn’t make sense to have chosen a side because the movie was made many years after the interview and it would be a pointless effort, i mean why would they be trying to persuade someone?
I think his friends and loved ones may have felt sympathy for him and his supporters felt anger and hatred towards his attackers. I think many people back then were against him after that. As of now i think the older generation who lived through it doesn’t care anymore and the younger generation has never cared. I mean whats the point in caring about something that already happened? Its not like you opinion will go back and change something and everyone knows that.
Charlie
1) No, I don’t approve of the President being able to do just anything in the defense of the United States. It gives them too much power and then things like Watergate could happen again. Nixon thought it was ok to do that because he was the president, but that doesn’t mean that everything he does is right or ok. I agree with his reasoning in that he had good intentions in the defense of the country, but I still don’t agree with his actions in the Watergate scenario. It was wrong and he can’t expect to get away with it or do things like that because he’s the president. He should be setting an example for people and representing the country, not getting himself into trouble. I think he took his power as president too far in expecting that he could just say “When the president does it, it’s not illegal.” That just sounds like an excuse because he knew what he was doing was wrong.
2) I think part of the movie showed a little bit of sympathy for Nixon, but the majority of it basically tore him apart and showed everything he did that was wrong. A short part of the movie showed his “soft side” and you felt a little bit bad for him, but then it showed him trying to avoid the questions Frost was asking him. It then gave him a bad image by showing the drunk phone call even though that never actually happened. I thought it gave him a bad image throughout the movie and I don’t think I could feel sympathetic for Nixon because even though he thought he was doing something good for the country, he knew that what he was doing was illegal and abused his power as the president.
I would not approve of the idea that the president can do just about anything he wants in the defense of the United States during a time of war. As president, you have been elected to protect the American people. However, you have also been elected to abide by laws like a normal American citizen and to abide by the constitution. American citizens want somone honest and someone that they know they can trust. Lieing, no matter what the purpose, makes the American people not only not trust, but truly resent the President. I do not agree with Nixon’s reasoning because I do not think he was lieing in defense of the United States, but he was lieing in defense of himself. America is a democracy, and the president is just our represntative. To play God, and make all of the choices without telling the Americans (little own lieing to them) is ridiculous and should be punishable.
I do not think that the intenet of the filmmaker of Frost/ Nixon was to create sympathy for former President Nixon. The film was mainly from the side of Frost and the people who helped him research for the interview with President Nixon. As the audience, I did not necessarily view President Nixon as the bad guy, however, I did definitely view Frost as the good guy. Since the whole premise of the story was to expose President Nixon and find out why he did what he did, as the audience you wanted Frost to pressure him enough to get the answers. The juicy answers only created more dramatics. To be honest, I felt little to no sympathy for Nixon. As much as I do think it is sad that he is not recognized for his accomplishments as president, his lieing and attempted cover up is inexcusible.