November 24

Blog #105 – Was Nixon a liberal, conservative, or moderate?

Using the 1970s’ definitions of liberal and conservative, I’d like you to figure out whether President Richard Nixon was a liberal, conservative, or some combination of both – a moderate.

At that point in the 1970s, a liberal is someone who believes in positive governmental action to solve societal problems and to ensure equality for all. Liberals also see the government as the guarantor of civil liberties and human rights. Generally, liberals believe that government can solve society’s problems because sometimes they are too big to be solved by individuals, charities (non-governmental organizations), or private businesses. Conservatives, on the other hand, tend to believe in limited governmental actions and spending, traditional American values, a strong defense, and a belief that capitalist free markets can solve economic inequality. Conservatives want to empower the individual to solve his / her own problems and not rely on the government for help. There is also a major divide about how much of the past / present should be preserved in order to benefit the future. Liberals are willing to try new ideas or approaches to adjust to the changing times, while conservatives want to preserve working structures / traditions and carry them forward into the future. Also, liberals tend to come from historically marginalized groups (think women, African American, etc.) while conservatives tend to come from the dominant groups in American society (white and male).

To make the case that Nixon is a liberal:

Nixon raised the minimum wage by 40% in 1974. He also proposed a couple programs that never came to be but seem amazingly liberal – a guaranteed minimum annual wage for families (Family Assistance Program), and an expansion of Medicare / Medicaid so that everyone would be covered by a government health care program, in which all employers would have had to provide health care for their employees or make up the difference for those employees who couldn’t afford it. “Herbert Stein, Nixon’s chief economic adviser, who once wrote, ‘Probably more new regulation was imposed on the economy during the Nixon Administration than in any other presidency since the New Deal.'” In 1971, Nixon imposed price and wage controls in order to curb inflation, and also took America off the Gold standard. These price and wage controls, like Stein said above, was the most overt control of the American economy since FDR’s New Deal during the Great Depression. Nixon also signed the Clean Air Act and created the agencies, Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Nixon also expanded the food stamps program from $610 million in 1970 to $2.5 billion in 1973.

This quote is taken from the National Review (a traditionally conservative magazine) in 2013: “In a 1983 interview, [Nixon] told historian Joan Hoff that his many liberal initiatives as president (from the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency to his calls for universal health insurance) reflected his own background and association with the “progressive” wing of the Republican party. In private, Nixon was scathing about conservatives ranging from Ronald Reagan (he considered him a showy “know-nothing”) to William F. Buckley Jr., the founder of National Review.” Nixon told this to an aide: “The trouble with far-right conservatives like Buckley,” Nixon told Whitaker, “is that they really don’t give a damn about people and the voters sense that. Yet any Republican presidential candidate can’t stray too far from the right-wingers because they can dominate a primary and are even more important in close general elections. Remember, John,” Nixon lectured, “the far-right kooks are just like the nuts on the left, they’re door-bell ringers and balloon blowers, but they turn out to vote. There is only one thing as bad as a far-left liberal and that’s a damn right-wing conservative.”

Foreign policy-wise, Nixon was not like Reagan’s 1st term. Reagan hated detente because he thought that the agreements like SALT I and II were immoral. Nixon normalized relations with China and kicked Taiwan to the curb, even supporting their dismissal from the United Nations. Nixon also left our ally, South Vietnam, in the lurch after signing a dubious treaty to get us out of the war. Yes, we did make South Vietnam’s army the #4 biggest army in the world after we withdrew, but it wasn’t enough to stop the North Vietnamese from invading and seizing the country in 1975.

Nixon also famously said this in the groundbreaking Frost / Nixon interviews:

Frost: “Are you really saying the president can do something illegal?”

Image result for frost nixon interviews Nixon: “I’m saying that when the president does it, it’s not illegal!”

This sweeping interpretation of presidential powers is nowhere written in the Constitution, unless you widely interpret the President’s war powers.

To make the case that Nixon was a conservative:

Nixon originally campaigned in 1968 during the chaos of that year as a “law and order” candidate, as someone who championed the “silent majority” who supported American values but didn’t protest the Vietnam War or burn bras or participate in marches / riots. This technique tended to be something that conservatives would do – promote strong crime strategies like capital punishment, more prisons, and stricter penalties and prison terms (think of the the Willie Horton ad from 1988 Bush vs. Dukakis). Nixon swayed white Southern Democratic voters away from the Democratic Party with his “Southern Strategy” in which he sought a fine line between integration and segregation. To many younger voters and war protestors, he appeared to be an authoritarian figure who escalated the Vietnam War by invading Cambodia in 1970 and Laos in 1971. Under his watch, the FBI also launched COINTELPRO, a systematic wiretapping and disinformation campaign that targeted anti-war and Civil Rights groups from 1965-1971. Another one of Nixon’s programs, New Federalism, sought to push some programs out of the federal realm and into the states’ responsibilities. He felt that it was more important for states to have control over some federal programs and be able to oversee how the money was spent – the idea being that the states know better what they need and should spend it how they want to rather than the distant federal government.

Also, Nixon nominated 4 Supreme Court justices, including Chief Justice Warren Burger (1969), future Chief Justice William Rehnquist (1971), Harry Blackmun (1970), and Lewis Powell (1971). Nixon’s conservative influence would be felt for decades. Chief Justice Burger was critical of the previous Court’s expansion of rights for criminals in cases like Gideon v. Wainwright and Miranda v. Arizona. Despite many conservative rulings, the Burger Court also included such liberal decisions like Roe v. Wade (allowing 1st term abortions to be legal), Swann v. Charlotte- Mecklenburg Board of Ed. (supporting busing to integrate schools), Furman v. Georgia (postponing all death penalty cases for four years), and U.S. v. Nixon (forcing the president to turn over his recordings in the Oval Office).

Why did Nixon do all of this? Some historians have argued that he was poll driven, and because America had gone through a very liberal phase in the 196s0s (Great Society, Civil Rights legislation), he was responding to America’s demands for environmental laws, work place improvements, and the energy crisis / inflation. Other historians have argued that Nixon was an opportunist who wanted to focus on his foreign policy in Vietnam, the Soviets, and China. That Nixon was cynical enough to let the domestic agenda items pass in order to become the great foreign policy president that he strove to be.

Here’s the video of Nixon on Trial that we saw together in class.

So, in your own words,

Tell me whether you think Nixon was a liberal, conservative, or moderate. Back this assertion up with your own thoughts (and feel free to do some additional research and site it in your comment);
Explain how this complexity makes Nixon seem more of a real person as opposed to a stereotype or two-dimensional figure.

400 words minimum total for both answers. Due Wednesday, Nov. 29 by class.

Sites consulted:

Tags: conservative, environment, liberal, Nixon's Southern Strategy, Richard Nixon

Posted November 24, 2017 by geoffwickersham in category Blogs

64 thoughts on “Blog #105 – Was Nixon a liberal, conservative, or moderate?”

Katie Lucken November 25, 2017 at 4:26 pm

1. I think President Richard Nixon was a moderate. This is because during his presidency and campaigns, some of his actions and propositions were liberal, and some were conservative. I believe that, like some historians have said, Richard Nixon was poll driven, and responded to what the people wanted, the best that he could. His most influential liberal decisions included the creation of environmental reforms, and his attempts to make universal health care a reality. His environmental decisions included the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, signing the Clean Air Act and creating the Occupational Safety and Health Administration agency. He proposed to expand Medicare/Medicaid, in an attempt to ensure that everyone could be covered by health care. These actions were liberal because it emphasized the government stepping in to create a better society with more assistance and regulations. His most influential conservative decisions included the program New Federalism, and supporting strong, traditional American values. New Federalism was a program that attempted to push some federally controlled programs into the control of state governments. Nixon believed this was important because the states are more involved than the federal government and know what they needed to spend their money on. President Nixon campaigned for the “silent majority”, the people who were traditional and supported things such as strong crime strategies, but also didn’t protest, march, or demonstrate. These were conservative actions because it decreased the interference of the federal government in some affairs, and emphasized traditional American values.

2. This complexity of President Richard Nixon’s character makes him seem more of a real person in America’s history rather than a stereotype or two-dimensional figure because whether his programs were liberal, conservative, or moderate, they were all done with the American people in mind. The video, “History vs. Richard Nixon – Alex Gendler” from TED Ed best contrasts his character with how those who see him as a completely negative past president against those who saw his decisions he made during his presidency as important and helpful to our country. On the one hand, his involvement in the Watergate Scandal was terrible for our government and caused the American people to lose trust in their government. It was completely appropriate for President Nixon to resign due to his illegal actions. On the other hand, Nixon’s decisions before those fateful actions were progressive and the American people liked him enough to elect him twice as President of the United States. His actions in the scandal define his presidency for many people, and an event such as that will often have those results. However, when analyzing the character of Richard Nixon, his decisions and programs in the White House were nothing short of complex and thoughtful.
Nikki Barnas November 26, 2017 at 6:01 pm

1) Richard Nixon won the Republican nomination in 1968, and defeated Democrat Hubert Humphrey to become the 37th president of the United States. Because of his work in the five and a half years he served as president, I believe he should be categorized as moderate- a blending of conservative and liberal traits based on the 1970’s definition of the two terms. I believe he started his duties in the oval office based on liberal policies, but was quick to turn conservative as his campaign continued and more Americans turned to conservatism in the 1970s. At the beginning of his first term, Nixon was open to working with contemporary changes to benefit the American people- he was “willing to try new ideas or approaches to adjust to the changing times”. The Nixon Doctrine of 1969 showed how he didn’t hold onto the former American policy in Vietnam by fighting harder- instead, he started withdrawing troops in response to the antiwar protests at home. He announced his “peace with honor” theory, where American troops would exit Asia without being completely humiliated. These actions could be considered conservative, especially with the invasion of Cambodia, but I see his intentions as liberal because the war was too large-scale for protestors to stop alone, so the government listened to their demands and made advancements to take care of it. As the 70s approached, I feel it was evident that Nixon morphed into a more conservative president. Although listed as a reason as to why Nixon was liberal, raising the minimum wage by 40% in 1974 (the end of his presidential career) seems more of a conservative practice to me. I understand that because of the government intervention and Family Assistance Programs it might be deemed liberal, but its motive slightly reminds me of the conservative works of Reaganomics, which wanted to encourage individual spending to boost the economy rather than federal government spending. Raising the minimum wage can be titled as one way to empower individuals to spend more, specifically minorities who might not be spending as much as white suburban people. Also, as stated in the blog article, in 1971 he appointed supreme court judges that were critical of criminal court cases including Gideon v. Wainwright and Miranda v. Arizona. I feel that people don’t look back at Nixon’s legacy and immediately think he’s a liberal; they would forget about his work in the late 1960s and consider him conservative. I think Nixon was smart and quickly realized he would have to adapt and changed into more of a conservative president due to the Sunbelt and mass religious growth, which both factor into why conservatism peaked in the 1970s. He needed to appeal to this massive group of voters, even if that meant abandoning his initial liberal practices. However, cases for both liberal and conservative sides have equal potential.

2) The complexity of Nixon’s presidency made it evident that he was human and revealed insight into what kind of a person he was. The Watergate scandal itself proved he wasn’t autonomous and showed fear, as that fear and paranoia led him to hire the plumbers and break into the Democratic National Committee headquarters. His presidency also humanizes him by proving he isn’t perfect and can make (many) mistakes, which again can be related to Watergate and escalating the war in Vietnam by invading Cambodia and Laos, which is not what the people wanted. The US v Nixon case revealed him grasping for power, as he felt that because he was president he shouldn’t have to turn in the recorded tapes. This case portrayed a selfish side of him. Nixon wasn’t the perfect president- none of the 36 men who came before him were. But because of intricacy of his career, it made him more relatable and at some times appealing to his “silent majority”.
Nicholas Haddad November 26, 2017 at 6:46 pm

1. Nixon was a dedicated Republican who, despite advocating for states’ rights and appealing to the “silent majority” that was fed up with the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement, implemented policies that many would consider “liberal”, as they involved heavy government involvement. His actions as president give insight into his political beliefs, and leads to my assumption that he was a moderate. Nixon, as evident in his “New Federalism” program, believed in progressing his domestic affairs agenda by pushing government responsibilities into the hands of the states, including a change in the welfare program, the eradication of the Office of Economic Opportunity, and a new method of sharing money between the federal, state, and local governments. Nixon also extended his conservative influence in the government by appointing four right-wing judges to the Supreme Court. Yet, he also created his fair share of liberal programs while in office, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, and imposed strict price and wage controls to stabilize the economy. His proposed Family Assistance Plan created a standard minimum annual wage for families across the countries, showcasing his commitment to the impoverished citizens of America. I believe that it’s fair to say that just because a person belongs to a certain political party doesn’t mean that he or she completely aligns themselves with those principles. As evident in our current political issues, not all Republicans believe in the limitation of LBGTQ rights, yet why do people have firm stereotypes that everyone a part of the Republican Party is against this issue? Nixon was also president at a time following a liberal boom in American history, and made decisions based on his political image (he wanted people to vote for him again), so he may have also incorporated liberal programs into his domestic agenda to rally moderates across the country.

2. Not every person can be categorized as a liberal or conservative, which is exemplified by Nixon. The bipartisan system that exists in American society today has driven our country into a divisive state that isn’t healthy in progressing our nation. He has his own personality that shines through in his political actions, and he has a complexity to him that makes him more than just a conservative figurehead. He supported initiatives to progress America environmentally and economically, as evident in the passing of many acts devoted to improving the quality of the air and animal life, as well as the proposal for programs guaranteeing families a certain income. His so-called “conservative” side was prominent as well, with his belief in states’ rights. He doesn’t fit the stereotype for either a liberal or conservative, as his opinions are pieces of both groups’ messages.
Nia Kepes November 27, 2017 at 11:17 am

Nia Kepes

1. President Richard Nixon was a moderate. This means that the President was a mix of both liberal and conservative beliefs and values. The fact that it is possible to argue that he was a liberal and that he was also a conservative proves that he valued both side’s views. He was clearly a combination of the two parties ideals or a moderate. For every argument that he was a liberal there is a counter-argument showing that he was a conservative. For example, in his election campaign in 1968 he ran as the law and order candidate meaning he promoted stomping down on crime and using capital punishment, having more prisons, enforcing stricter penalties, and assigning stricter prison terms. This was a very conservative motivated action on President Nixon’s part. On the other hand, when in office, Nixon signed the Clean Air Act, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. All of these programs were backed by liberal movements. Some might say that President Nixon was willing to accommodate liberals and pass bills for them just so that he could assist his conservative agenda. This could be a true statement but he proposed many programs that would gain liberal support and they weren’t signed into law which wouldn’t benefit him or the liberals. This shows that he did value liberal ideas like a guaranteed minimum annual wage for families. I think that President Nixon did agree with certain ideas from each party and therefore was able to pick and choose which ones he was going to support. Therefore, his actions on both sides of the political parties prove that he was a moderate.
2. The complexity of Nixon’s beliefs and actions as president makes Nixon seem more of a real person as opposed to a stereotype or two-dimensional figure. In the real world nothing is strictly black and white or liberal and conservative. Life is a spectrum where people fall into place somewhere in between and the two extremes just represent a small population. What made Nixon seem like a real person is that he had combined values from each side of the spectrum and showed this through his actions. People were able to see that he wasn’t a stereotypical extreme politician who supported all the values of their party and did all they could to uphold them. Clearly, President Richard Nixon was seen as a real person because of his versatility and his ability to connect with both liberals and conservatives.
Sathvik November 27, 2017 at 1:23 pm

1. I believe that president Richard Nixon was a moderate, because some of his actions were liberal, while others were conservative. When Richard Nixon was in office, some the policies he passed were “liberal”, while others were “conservative”. He switched to the more conservative policies when more and more Americans turned to conservatism in the 1970s. This showed that President Nixon was poll-driven – willing to change his own policies to appeal to the general public or the majority. Nixon took many liberal actions in both foreign and domestic policy. Domestically, Nixon raised the minimum wage by 40% and passing many environmental policies/ creating agencies. Foreign policy wise, Nixon normalized tensions with China and left our ally South Vietnam after signing a treaty and making them have the 4th biggest army in the world. Nixon also took many conservative actions in both foreign and domestic policy. Domestically, President Nixon appointed 4 right-winged judges to the Supreme Court which extended the conservative influence for decades. He also made a very conservative decision in the New Federalism which transferred certain power from the federal government back to the states. Nixon also campaigned for the “silent majority” who supported American values but didn’t protest Vietnam war or participate in marches. In conclusion, I believe that Richard Nixon was moderate because, for every liberal policy that was passed, a conservative policy followed, or vice versa.
2. You cannot categorize every single person as a liberal or a conservative. An example that proves this is Richard Nixon’s presidency. Richard Nixon took many liberal and conservative actions so therefore he is a moderate. The complexity of Nixon’s presidency makes him seem more of a real person as opposed to a stereotype or a two-dimensional figure because regardless where his actions align politically, they were done for the greater good of the American people. Richard Nixon passed many environmental policies and raised the minimum wage which basically guaranteed minimum annual wage for American families. All of these actions were for the greater good of the American people, Nixon made these decisions with the American people in mind. He also tried to de-escalate the conflict in Vietnam. Nixon would be remembered as a good president if the Watergate scandal didn’t happen. President Richard Nixon was not perfect, none of the presidents are. He doesn’t fit the stereotype of either a liberal or conservative, his opinions are viewpoints are both liberal and conservative.
Jake Flaherty November 27, 2017 at 2:06 pm

Well, I suppose he’s a moderate, because he did both liberal and conservative things. He did so many things on both sides it’s hard to sway to one side or the other… But Nixon was a moderate! Nixon appeared to be a conservative to me at first, calling himself the Law and Order candidate which many candidates have done. (I know) But basically, talking about stricter punishments and I think that he was appealing to a lot of traditional people in that manner. You know, you have the 1960s change, change, change, and I know we all know this but there was a hidden “counter-movement” and that’s who Nixon appealed to. And his New Federalism lessened the power of the National Government and gave it to the States, that’s Conservative… And he used his Southern Strategy in which he weakened civil rights! (A bit) Lastly, with COINTELPRO he was secretly going in on the people, liberal, but towards liberal groups, which is technically a conservative thing to do. He’s like a conservative with liberal… tendencies… Or the, he’s a moderate! He is a moderate… So he also said that if the president is above the law… That’s giving a lot of power to himself, and it’s actually pretty liberal. He also had all those nature laws going on… Liberal! He expanded some New Deal programs… Price and wage controls… Wage controls could be liberal because the government is influencing the people and setting restrictions but conservative because there’s more money to the people… Well, it’s mainly the government taking control so I suppose it’s liberal. But he did all these conservative and liberal things together, so he’s a moderate to the core.

This complexity shows Nixon as a real person because, first of all, there’s no such thing as 100% liberal or 100% conservative really, and he exemplifies that really well. It shows him as an individual because he’s not following the liberals, nor the conservatives. He’s doing what he would do and that just shows that he’s a real, living, individual person. He’s not satisfying everyone, nor perfectly satisfying one person / group, he’s doing his things his way as a real person. Also, he tried to escape Watergate, and you can see where is goofed, and he’s real because he goofed, and the stereotypes don’t include people doing these giant scandals. Nixon kind of shows that maybe you can’t even trust the president too, the president is human too in that sense.
Isabelle November 27, 2017 at 2:26 pm

Isabelle Borr
Mr. Wickersham
AP US History
27 November 2017
Blog #105
Even though Nixon ran as a Republican, his policies reelected a moderate liberal approach. At the beginning, he campaigned towards the “silent majority” with his conservative messages like law and order. He promoted hard-line policies on crime like capital punishment. He was an advocate for the conservative value of states’ rights with the new program of New Federalism, which shifted some federal programs to states’ control and gave them the power of how to spend money. These were some conservative values that Nixon stood for. As he got more involved in his presidency, there were some policies that were very liberal. He passed a lot of environmental laws like the clean air act and created the environmental agency that is still around today. This seemed very out of character for a Republican, but very right for a moderate president. Along with his environmental policies, he economic policies were very liberal. He raised the minimum wage in 1967 by 40%. Much to the dismay of his fellow conservatives, he expanded Medicare/Medicaid. A policy still intact today is the that employers must provide health insurance for their employers if you’re a certain size. If you look at his foreign policies, they were much different than previous presidents. He normalized the relations with China, completely throwing out the policy of recognizing Taiwan. Nixon also escalated the war in Vietnam by invading Cambodia. None of his policies were solely republican or solely democrat. He made a policy decision, not on political belief, but on his own belief, he saw the view from both sides.
As mentioned in the question before, Nixon made policy decisions on his own beliefs and what he believed was right for the country. As we see a lot today, many politicians do not make decisions that are for the good of the country, but for the good of their political party. That can make the voters who voted for them feel like they disconnected from them and their needs. Stated in the question, it makes the figures seem “two dimensions”. Nixon, on the other hand, made choices across party lines that he felt could improve the country. It makes him seem more real as he uses his conscious of laws that can change people’s life. He strayed from the normal especially in dealing with the communism. The presidents before put fear and evil in the minds of Americans when thinking of communism. Not Nixon, he introduced détente to America. He said that it was okay to co-exist with them. We do not need to completely destroy them. He normalized relations with the actual China versus the island Taiwan, opened channels to new economic opportunities. Nixon followed his own path and made those hard choices that other presidents wouldn’t.
Neve Robinson November 27, 2017 at 2:50 pm

1. I think Nixon is a very unique president, Nixon is remembered mostly because of the watergate and not as much, his presidency. He is also unique president because his stance on issues is not totally cut and dry. Nixon was obviously a republican president but a lot of his policies didn’t align with the republican party which leads me to think that Nixon was more of a moderate. Nixon wanted to get as many votes any way he could, meaning he would us tackets like appealing to the “silent majority”, mostly middle and working class, usually white, who were not the people in the streets, protesting. He knew since this was such a big group that if he got their vote it would really help him win. He also tried to swing the “Dixiecrats”, racists democrats in the southern states, to republicans by not focusing about the integrating the schools, which was a big topic at the time. Nixon knew because the south voted as a block, if he got most of the south voting for him, he vote hopefully get the all southern states vote which is a big part of what he would need to win, Also he wanted to get the Dixiecrats to move to the republican party this was known as the “southern strategy”. These tactics showed Nixon’s republican ways but also I think people forget how he did a lot for the environmental programs. He created the EPA, signed the National Environmental Policy Act and expanded the Clean Air Act. All of these helped preserve the environment, which was more important to the democrats. Nixon was also known to raise the minimum wage and try to create a free health care system, which would help get the people who could afford health care and provide jobs during the rise of inflation in the 70s. This shows how some people saw him as liberal. I think the mix of both his democratic and republican beliefs make him a moderate even though he is technically a republican president.

2. Nixon is seen as a real person than a figure in history is because of how imperfect he was. He was involved in a huge scandal, Watergate, which lost the trust of many Americans in their government. Which is sort of made Nixon’s presidency so infamous. He also promised to withdrawal the of troops in Vietnam during his campaign and he tried during his presidency but didn’t really work because it took so long to get everyone out of there. Also the fact that he had such a weird political agenda, He agreed with some things the republicans said and some stuff the democrats said which makes some people view him as a flip flopper. All this made the people of america view Nixon as a power hungry politician who would do or say anything for power. This changed the public’s view of the president from trustworthy to not trustworthy at all because of Nixon.
Dominic Gullo November 27, 2017 at 3:06 pm

1. I would have to argue that for the most part, President Nixon was a moderate, although I do think he pushed I little bit more toward the liberal side. Probably the best example arguing that he was conservative is “New Federalism” because it best matches the definition of conservative (according to the 1970’s definition that is). We can see that Nixon put an emphasis on self-reliance (rather than relying on the Federal Government). Nixon was a president who appealed to the so called “silent majority”; people who enjoyed traditional American values but didn’t support protesting on things like the Vietnam war (If I recall, Nixon blamed the protestors at the Kent State riots for the chaos that happened). Nixon also helped launch COINTELPRO, which used wiretapping to try and get information on anti-war and Civil Rights groups (most likely liberal groups at the time). It’s obvious that Nixon had a lot of conservative ways, but he also had a liberal side. A lot of his proposed programs relied on Government action. Examples of these include his expansion of Medicare/Medicaid, or his guaranteed minimum wage program. He also signed things like the Clean Air Act, and created agencies like the EPA. He drastically increased spending on the food stamps program; a very liberal move according to the definition. I noticed that in the quote from the National Review, Nixon calls out right wing conservatives, so I am beginning to think that Nixon referred to himself as more of a liberal. There is a reason I say he pushed more toward the liberal side. For one thing, he was one of the first presidents to try to fix conflicts with communist nations like China and the Soviet Union (and ignore traditional American fears). Another important thing to look at is how decisions like Roe v. Wade and Swann v. Charlotte- Mecklenburg Board of Ed. were made under the court of Chief Justice Warren Burger (a Supreme Court Justice nominated by Nixon who appeared to be a conservative). Decisions were made in these courts that supported things like Civil Rights (a liberal thing at the time). I would like to say that Nixon was completely moderate, but his actions as president lead me to think he pushed more toward the liberal side.

2. I think this complexity proves that Nixon is less of a stereotype and more of a person because it shows that he is not just your stereotypical liberal or conservative. Today I feel that when it comes to politics, you are either one side or the other. People will get angry with you if you don’t completely support their side. We have the stereotypical liberals and the stereotypical conservatives, and neither group likes to consider the other’s viewpoints. I feel that in a way, Nixon showed that both sides of the spectrum could be considered, and that you don’t just have to fall on one specific side. He showed that both sides could be pleased. In this way, he breaks a stereotype. I think another thing to mention (and I know a lot of people have said this already, and I agree) is that throughout his presidency we saw who Nixon was as a person. With things like the Watergate Scandal, we saw the flaws in Nixon that made him human, because who doesn’t have flaws.
Kate Karaskewicz November 27, 2017 at 9:12 pm

1. I believe that Richard Nixon turned out to be a moderate. Nixon may have promised a more conservative agenda during his campaign but once in office he signed and proposed laws and programs that are much more liberal. His more liberal actions include the creation of the environmental protection agency, raising the minimum wage considerably, he signed the clean air act and also took America off the Gold standard to help the economy. However, Nixon ended up balancing his more liberal actions with more conservative ones. He ordered the invasion of Cambodia and Laos, he pushed the New Federalism policy that gave more power to state governments and thus would shrink the size of the federal government. Nixon also appointed conservative supreme court justices. The reason why I think he is a moderate is that you can see aspects of both liberalism and aspects of conservatism. His policies on the environment and economy show him as liberal in that respect. Although appointing conservative justice shows that he holds more traditional values. Nixon also suggests his more conservative views when he blamed the students at Kent state for the horrific events that took place there. The students at Kent state were protesting the Vietnam war, a war that Nixon promised to end. Nixon did end the war but it ended in defeat and he left the south Vietnamese to the Northern communists. One may argue that Nixon had to be a moderate. The rise of conservatism had not quite happened yet and the country was just coming of the liberal charged protests and movements of the 60s. Nixon got into office a perhaps realized he need to bridge the gap and therefore acted for both sides of the spectrum. The quote included in the blog I think sums him up and reflects his own moderate believes; “There is only one thing as bad as a far-left liberal and that’s a damn right-wing conservative.”

2. Nixon complexity makes him seem more like real person because complexity in people is normal. Most people, if not all people, in America are not just one thing, and neither was Nixon. Real people are also flawed and Nixon was no exception. The Watergate scandal is evidence to his flaws. Nixon did however step down, he knew it was in his own best interests but it also was better for the American people. Nixon’s legacy would have perhaps been a very good one if it were not for Watergate. All presidents are real people of course but Nixon showed us more of the human in him than most presidents do or have done. That aside Nixon could be a good model for many Americans who find themselves caught in the middle of liberal and conservative. Personally I am a liberal but understand and agree with several conservative beliefs. Nixon was a man, and men (and women) are complex beings flawed and hard to define. ( P.S for the record I hate this guy 🙂
Will D November 28, 2017 at 4:55 am

Will Drake
11/28/17
Blog #105
I believe that President Nixon was a moderate. I believe this because some of his actions were based on conservative values, while others were based on liberal values. In the 1970s, he switched to more conservative values when more Americans became conservative. These actions showed that President Nixon was “poll-driven,” or willing to change his own policies to appeal to the majority of voters. In terms of liberal actions that Nixon took, domestically he raised minimum wage by 40%, increased the food stamps program, created multiple environmental protection agencies (such as the clean air act), and expanded medicare/medicaid. Especially shown in the expansion of medicare/aid, these are liberal ideals held in the belief of bigger government. Nixon also normalized the United States’ relations with China, and left South Vietnam to fend for themselves at the end of the Vietnam war. These were out of character for a republican, and showed Nixon as leaning more towards the left. Nixon also has multiple conservative actions. Examples of these include appointing four conservative judges to the supreme court which resulted in conservative influence for decades. Also, he made the decision in New Federalism which transferred power from the federal government back to the states. Finally, Nixon did campaign for the silent majority, people who supported American values but did not protest Vietnam or participate in marches. President Nixon was a moderate due to his liberal and conservative policies that were implemented throughout his presidency.

The complexity of Richard Nixon’s liberal and conservative policies make him seem like more of a real person because this shows him acting on his own personal beliefs rather than following the beliefs of the Republican or Democratic party. He is doing what he believes to be the best for the country, and is not being heavily influenced by people on the right or on the left. Many presidents act on what their party believes, which may only please one side of the American people. Another reason Nixon may be seen as a real person instead of just a two dimensional figure is because of Watergate. This brought growing distrust in the government, but also let people know that even the president of the strongest nation in the world makes mistakes. Nixon made many mistakes throughout his time as president, from Watergate to the bombing of Cambodia and Laos, and this shows people that he, just like them, are human too.
Rachel Shulkin November 28, 2017 at 8:02 am

1) Throughout his presidency, Nixon was never surely on one side of the political spectrum. He was seen making progressive pushes in legislation as well as appealing to a large group of conservative Americans. Other than the obvious of running as a conservative, Nixon appealed to Conservative groups as well as campaigned a “New Federalism,” giving way to more power and capabilities for smaller tiered Governments, making him appear as a conservative. On the contrary, Nixon could be easily seen as a liberal president on the terms of his legislation and progression towards environmental and social changes, but considering that America was in a very liberal state at the time, it very well could be possible that he was pushed into such decisions or made them to gain approval from the large liberal population. Personally, I see Nixon as very much in between; his conservative international policies and liberal domestic policies show that he truly had views on both sides and did not make decisions solely based on a political bias. Furthermore, I see Nixon as an attempt at being a people-person; while proceeding with liberal legislation, Nixon also tried to appeal to the “silent majority” of America, the conservative population that hid behind the protests and liberal waves in the 1960’s. Overall, to me, Nixon was highly concerned with his approval ratings and that he was liked by all Americans, leading to a presidency of in-between beliefs and policies. After all, aren’t polls the topic that were rooted out in the Watergate Scandal?

2) Analyzing Nixon’s character solely on decisions he made prior to the Watergate scandal revealed to me that he isn’t only what the scandal makes him out to be. As a president and as an individual, Nixon showed his genuine concern for the American people and their interests through his decision making, both international and domestic. Personally, I can now see where Nixon’s people had come from during the Watergate scandal and why they felt the need to break laws for this task; Nixon wanted the full approval of the American people and the assurance that what he was doing was what the American people wanted. For example, although Nixon presented himself as a conservative in his campaign, his liberal legislation proves otherwise. Similarly, this reveals a possible trait in Nixon in that he strives for the acceptance of others in all of his decisions. Overall, Nixon’s leadership reveals his true human traits; he may be just as unsure in himself and worried about judgement as anyone else. Although this is a normal trait in normal citizens, it is clear why it is not a desirable attribute for the President.
Ugo Uchendu November 28, 2017 at 10:24 am

1) President Nixon had moments where he was extremely liberal with his policies or way of thinking. Though he also had just as many moments where he was conservative. In my eyes the only way to describe that equilibrium is to say he was a moderate. Nixon was certainly more conservative than Eisenhower, at least in his foreign policy instincts, but he was pragmatic, and some would say cynical, enough to bend his principles when circumstances warranted a different approach. For example Nixon raised the minimum wage by 40% in 1974, though he also had a program,New Federalism, which sought to push some programs out of the federal realm and into the state’s’ responsibilities. These two programs are quite different in terms of the liberal view behind the first and the conservative view behind the later. In the following quote one can see that Nixon doesn’t lean more to one side than the other. He criticizes both the liberal campaign and the conservative campaign equally stating that the only thing as bad as a far-left liberal is, the opposite, a right-wing conservative.. ‘“The trouble with far-right conservatives like Buckley,” Nixon told Whitaker, “is that they really don’t give a damn about people and the voters sense that. Yet any Republican presidential candidate can’t stray too far from the right-wingers because they can dominate a primary and are even more important in close general elections. Remember, John,” Nixon lectured, “the far-right kooks are just like the nuts on the left, they’re door-bell ringers and balloon blowers, but they turn out to vote. There is only one thing as bad as a far-left liberal and that’s a damn right-wing conservative.”’
2) In my opinion the complexity of Richard Nixon and his decisions makes him seem like more of a real person opposed to a stereotype or two-dimensional figure. Most people, like Nixon,are dynamic in their way of thinking and don’t see every situation in either black or white. A lot of public figures try to put on the perfect persona and mask how they are feeling inside, especially if that feeling happens to be fear. Nixon’s personality heavily shone through many of the decisions he made. For example, the watergate scandal made Nixon come across as very sneaky, selfish, and even afraid. The qualities mentioned made him more relatable to the average person and appear as less of a perfect fictional character.
Andrew Scivoletti November 28, 2017 at 4:21 pm

I believe that President Nixon was a moderate. I believe this was his political status because some of his actions were based on conservative beliefs and views, while others decisions during his presidency were based on liberal point of views like all of the environmental laws he passed and his actions against the minimum wage. In the 1970s, he switched to more conservative views when more Americans became conservative and the sunbelt started to become really the center of the political game. These actions showed that President Nixon was “poll-driven,” or willing to change his own policies and beliefs to appeal to the majority of voters such as the sun belt. In terms of liberal actions that Nixon took, domestically he raised minimum wage by 40%, increased the food stamps program, created multiple environmental protection agencies (such as the clean air act), and expanded medicare/medicaid. Especially shown in the expansion of medicare/aid. Nixon also normalized the United States’ relations with China, and left South Vietnam to fend for themselves at the end of the Vietnam war. Though the surprise of some of Nixon’s actions that seemed left were prevalent he did also appease his fellows conservatives and some examples of these ways include appointing four conservative judges to the supreme court which resulted in conservative influence for decades and the invasion of cambodia which heightened the Vietnam war, also Nixon tailored his campaign towards the silent majority of the US. In conclusion president Nixon was a moderate when it comes to his political views due to his liberal and conservative policies that were put in place throughout his relatively short presidency.

The complexity of Richard Nixon’s liberal and conservative political views made him seem like more of a real and approachable person because it shows that Nixon really wanted to please the entirety of the US and not just the republican party and its members and I think that was one of the most important things about Nixon’s presidency that took away from the tragedy that was Watergate along with how he improved our relations with China and the Soviets. But Nixon’s complexity and how he almost played reverse devil’s advocate really showed how he wanted and accepted what all citizens of the US wanted and tried to act on it I mean clearly he didn’t do it very well all the time but he tried to and I think that is a very overlooked part of Nixon’s presidency. So I believe that Nixon’s complexity as a politician really allowed him to open up to all political beliefs of the US and not just the conservatives which again really made him seem like a “real” person.(in my opinion)
Dorian November 28, 2017 at 4:40 pm

1. I believe that Nixon was a moderate because he did things both a liberal and a conservative would do. We see so because of the things he supported or did not support. One of these is how he supported the silent majority instead of those who protested Vietnam War or who participated in riots and marches. Supporting this group of people who did not participate in protests, marches, riots, etc made Nixon a conservative. In addition, he came from a group of people who has always in power, the white male which is generally associated with being conservatives. White men have always been on top instead of black Americans, women, and other minorities. Also, in foreign and domestic policies, Nixon’s decisions were generally conservative ideas.
However, despite having conservative views, Nixon also appeared to be somewhat liberal. One way we can see Nixon acting as a liberal is how he raised the minimum by 40 percent. He also proved to care for the environment, as most liberals do, by signing the Clean Air Act and also creating the Environment Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. He also added new things to Medicare and Medicaid, and because liberals are pro-health care, this shows how Nixon also proved to be liberal. He also created price and wage controls to reduce the amount of inflation there was in the country. Again, this is something liberals tended to do or that they supported.
Because Nixon has done both liberal and conservative things, you could say that he is a moderate. There is a lot of speculation as to which party he really belonged to and it is also said he tried to dismantle Franklin Roosevelt’s democratic side that had been created earlier on. Due to the many things Nixon has done, it is possible he was moderate.
2. This complexity makes Nixon seem more of a real person as opposed to a stereotype or two dimensional pictures. This is because we do not see many people deciding to implement both liberal factors and conservative factors. Nixon is a one of a kind because he is one of the few who did so. By doing so, many people still wonder to this day whether or not he was conservative, liberal or moderate. He is not stereotyped because usually a white man like himself would tend to oppose liberalism and be completely for conservatism. Obviously, this was not the case which made Nixon break the stereotype.
Rochelle D November 28, 2017 at 4:47 pm

1.) I believe that President Nixon was a moderate due to his actions and decisions during his presidency that shifted from both the Conservative and liberal sides. Nixon had both a mix of left wing views and also right wing views both overseas in Vietnam and here in America. I agree with both sides of the historian’s arguments saying that he did this to rank more voters in and to appeal to more people, but also wanted to focus on Vietnam to become a great foreign policy president. The more liberal sides of his views were concerned with environmental and social ideas, but he could’ve done this to focus more on Vietnam and to get more people in Congress to side with his ideas for Vietnam, or maybe he actually cared about the society and the issues it held. Nixon was also conservative in a sense that he did not appeal to the anti-war protesters by invading Cambodia and Laos, which liberals did not support. COINTELPRO was also established under his presidency which spied and listened to anti-war groups and civil rights groups to understand what they were doing. I think that the idea of a moderate being someone who has both liberal and conservative views and not being too far right or left wing would apply to Nixon. Seeing that his actions consisted of both conservative and liberal ideas depending on the situation showed that he fully wasn’t on one side. He might’ve agreed with more conservative ideas and that might be why he ran as Republican, but that doesn’t mean that he also might’ve agreed with some liberal ideas.

2.) Nixon’s views on government and politics showed that he was a moderate, and gave his character a sense of realness. It showed that he, like most people, can’t stick to just one idea. They can’t be appealing 100% to just one side. Nixon showed this by not being a full right wing conservative or a full left wing liberal. Most presidents in the past stuck to the party that they were running in and maybe made a few limited changes that didn’t agree with the party’s morals, but to my knowledge, it seemed like Nixon couldn’t stick to just one side. He also had flaws also that were noticed by the government, like in the Watergate scandal. Sure, a lot of presidents go through personal struggles but America saw it the most in Watergate by revealing his imperfections and the mistakes he made. When I think of a president, I think of someone who is highly intelligent and could make no major mistakes. But this is proved wrong by seeing that Nixon made a huge mistake which made him lose his job, which can happen to quite a few Americans also. It makes the ideology of a god-complex for presidents more realistic.
Ethan B November 28, 2017 at 5:11 pm

1. I think that President Richard Nixon was a moderate because he pulled ideas from both liberal and conservative viewpoints. Nixon was a moderate because he knew what it took to be the leader of the Republican party: having a balance between the conservative right, with their traditional values and belief in capitalism, and the more centrist aspects of the Republican base, who believe in some parts of conservatism, and some parts of liberalism. I also think that Nixon was trying to do the right things for his country, as well as for his party. We can see with his Southern Strategy that Nixon was trying to give the Republican party the upper hand in elections, but we can also see with his more liberal decisions, such as the creation of the EPA and the normalization of relations with China, that he was doing his best for the country. Additionally, Nixon’s belief that far-left liberals and right-wing conservatives were equally bad shows that he was aware of the dangers of extremes and would not want to stray to far to either side in his political beliefs. Finally, the 4 Supreme Court justices that Nixon appointed also represent his own political views. The Burger Court handed down decisions that were conservative and others that were liberal. For example, Chief Justice Burger was very critical of the decisions in cases such as Miranda v. Arizona, but his court handed down other liberal decisions in Roe v. Wade and U.S. v. Nixon.

2. President Nixon is subject to a lot of stereotypes. For example, he can be seen as a lying politician, for saying “I am not a crook” and then resigning after impeachment proceedings had begun. However, the complexity of his political views makes him seem more like a real person because it makes him more relatable. Many people in the United States have moderate political views like Nixon. They agree with some conservative viewpoints, and with some liberal ones too. Additionally, Nixon’s achievements, both in domestic and foreign policy, make him more of a relatable figure. Liberal Americans can benefit from his more liberal policies, such as the creation of the EPA, the passage of the Clean Air Act, and the price and wage controls that Nixon imposed on the economy. On the other hand, conservative Americans can support his more conservative policies, such as New Federalism and his toughness on crime.
Jake Stollman November 28, 2017 at 6:06 pm

Blog #105

1) After weighing the evidence presented and a few other sources, I believe that Nixon was a radical moderate or a radical centrist, but leaning very slightly left. Radical centrism does not mean making few decisions that would starkly support conservatism or liberalism, but means making a significant amount of both. For example, according to History.com, he passed the 26th amendment, lowering the voting age to 18 and introducing a newer, more liberal audience to the melting pot of voters. One particular common view of these new student voters was to end the Vietnam War. Contrarily, Nixon actually escalated the war while in office by invading Cambodia and Laos in 1970 and 1971 respectively. This displays how Nixon took strong views of both liberals and conservatives and melded them together, illustrating how Nixon was a radical centrist. Going back to the example of his decision to invade Cambodia and Laos, Nixon made a conservative choice, since conservatives often value defense and war spending. However, Nixon also chose to withdraw the US from the Vietnam War, which appealed to more liberal views. Additionally, though Nixon had a particularly liberal domestic policy, such as the creation of the EPA and the signing of Title IX, he took a very traditional, conservative view on drug use, denouncing them and at one point even calling them “public enemy number one,” which was quite contrary to his other policies. Lastly, some of Nixon’s actions regarding the civil rights movement were very conservative, while his other choices were quite liberal. For example, Nixon signed Title IX, as stated earlier. Title IX made discrimination in gender in federally funded schools illegal, as well as help make school desegregation go more smoothly. These ideas were very pro-civil rights, liberal ideas. However, according to the History v. Richard Nixon video, much of Nixon’s southern campaign was based upon instilling fear and resentment of the civil rights movement, a very conservative approach. Nixon is hard to pin to one side of the political spectrum when he borrowed many ideas from each side. That is why I would call him a radical centrist.

2) If we are going to show that Nixon differs from his stereotype, we must first confirm what that stereotype is. After looking at many of his appearances in media, I can safely confirm that the common representation of Richard Nixon in the media is that he is a scheming, old, grumbling, anti-progressive/hyper-traditionalist megalomaniac. In some ways, that is true, but it is for the most part simply and wholly incorrect. Firstly, Nixon was far from anti-progressive. For example, as discussed, he made contributions to civil rights such as passing Title IX and easing integration into schools. Additionally, he also created many environmental policy achievements such as the EPA, the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, and expanding the Clean Air Act. Secondly, though his actions were certainly not commendable, Nixon’s involvement in Watergate was not as bad as it is sometimes portrayed. He might have not ordered the break-in of the plumbers, and when he tried to cover it up, he had hoped it would succeed, though it did not. Nixon’s stereotype is that he was a scheming, conniving, plotting weasel. In reality, he had expressed nervousness and fear regarding the Democrats winning the election, and when CREEP made the break in, he attempted to cover it up. He tried to block the FBI from investigating using the CIA. According to ThoughtCo, he even talked about paying $120,000 in hush money to one of the burglars. He even directly lied to the public. We must ask ourselves this when talking about Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate scandal: was this truly the work of a sneaky, scheming man or just an already highly paranoid and arrogant person who was presented with a daunting scandal and tried to cover it up to preserve his public image and trust in the government? In either case, it shows that Nixon wasn’t perfect, and the moral complexity of his actions reveals a more relatable side.

Links consulted:
http://www.history.com/topics/the-26th-amendment
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-was-richard-nixons-role-watergate-105480
David Mueller November 28, 2017 at 6:11 pm

President Richard Nixon was a moderate. Many of his policies are on opposing political views. Nixon’s had policy that was quite liberal. He increased the minimum wage and expanded health care. He implemented controls over prices and wages to fight inflation, which were the most economic regulations imposed since the New Deal. Other examples of Nixon’s domestic policy are the Clean Air Act, and the organizations of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. These policies are liberal. The policies use government intervention and regulation to better the American people, which is core liberal belief. Nixon also had policies that were conservative. He created New Federalism which pushed certain federal programs into the state’s jurisdiction. He pushed for capital punishment, and harsh punishment on crime. Nixon ran as a law and order candidate and sought to win the south by doing little to nothing for integration. Nixon also nominated four conservative supreme court justices. Many argue that Nixon truly believed one way or the the other and that his actions opposite of his supposed true beliefs were just to appease the other side. From his interview with National Review and his conversation with his aide it is easy to gather that he considers himself more in the middle and truly believes in his policy. He states himself that he is a progressive Republican. His conversation with his aide reveals that he thinks both the far left and right are crazy, so he clearly is not an extreme proponent of one side. Through his policy and words it is quite clear he lies somewhere in between, despite his efforts to win over certain sides solely to win the election his policy and words prove that he is a true moderate.

People are incredibly opinionated and complex; you can’t just fit them into a box. People do not always advocate for something because it falls under the same political ideology they fall into. People’s beliefs aren’t so cut and dry. These complexities in Nixon’s political views make him seem more human. His beliefs for different topics are different as they are for most people. Just because he had an opinion on clean air and acted upon it does not make him a staunch liberal. Just because he pushed for harsher criminal punishment he is not a staunch conservative. Clean air and criminal punishment are two very different things, so why should a person’s views on such different subjects align on the political spectrum? Nixon acted like a person making him more relatable to the general public. He also could not be cast aside by liberals as a crazy conservative and he could not be cast aside by conservatives as a crazy liberal. Nixon’s actions improved his relatability and made it incredibly difficult for people to cast him as the villain of the opposite side.
Philip Bradbury November 28, 2017 at 6:42 pm

1.I think that Nixon was moderate. His conservative side was one that you could see through him appealing to the ‘silent majority’, and through the New Federalism program. Appealing to the silent majority was a common technique that conservatives used when campaigning. For example, Trump, and Reagan both appealed to the silent majority during their campaigns. The New Federalism program attempted to dull down the role that the federal government played in the responsibility of the states. The New Federalism program is an excellent example of how Nixon had conservative beliefs because a conservative is quite literally someone who believes that the government shouldn’t play as big of a role in the government and who also tends to like/ keep traditional values and ethics. Some examples of how Nixon was liberal were the environmental acts that he passed and the raise of minimum wage alongside the expanded medicare and medicaid. Although he implemented the New Federalism program, Nixon still interfered with responsibilities of the states. The raise of minimum wage shows how Nixon interfered with policies put in place by states. Also, the expansion of healthcare (medicare/medicaid) is another example of how Nixon was a liberal. This is because conservatives tend to want the government to make people rely on themselves for pretty much everything whereas liberals tend to want the government to help people who can’t receive certain things by themselves. For example, most people who work part-time jobs don’t have a health care plan from their work like many others do and medicare and medicaid were programs that helped people who weren’t working or who simply couldn’t afford health care to have a health care plan. And finally, the environmental acts that he put in place like the Clean Air Act also show how Nixon was liberal. Environmental movements were relatively new when Nixon was in office and these environmental acts were the first of their kind and paved a way for environmental laws today. I think that the balance of Nixon’s conservative and liberal beliefs made him a moderate president. I would like to think that instead of pleasing a corporation or candidate, Nixon did what was best for the people (for the most part).
2. I think that this complexity makes Nixon seem more of a real person as opposed to a stereotype or two-dimensional figure, because a lot of times today, you see politicians just following what their party wants or what their political learning believes in, whereas Nixon just went ahead and made changes wherever he saw fit. I would hope that most people, like myself, appreciate his choices of being open to all opinions and of making decisions based off of what he saw was best for the people. To conclude, I believe that the fact that Nixon made his decisions on what he truly believed would better the country rather than please some people make him a more relatable and appealing person instead of a robot following the orders of their party and political learning.
Henry Berthel November 28, 2017 at 6:43 pm

1) I believe that Nixon is a moderate. Since you can have serious arguments over this question, it shows that neither answer is completely wrong. He was not a liberal, but he proposed many liberal programs. Overall, he was a conservative who agreed with some liberal ideas. He may have not been as conservative as he seemed, since he was trying to get more of the vote from the party he was running in, not just trying to appeal to everybody. By campaigning for the “silent majority”, it made it appear that he was much more conservative than he was liberal. He was not targeting his campaign towards the people who were protesting, such as people who were anti-war and pro-civil rights, most of them being liberals. He targeted campaign towards the people who stayed “silent” during this time, most of them being conservatives. He also had the “Southern Strategy”, where he catered to southern conservative democrats. During his presidency, many of his proposals were conservative, like his “Tough on Crime” stance, where he proposed harsher punishment for crime and an increase in number of prisons. Even though he campaigned as a conservative and had lots of conservative ideas, it does not mean he was only a conservative. He also had some very liberal proposals and ideas. Nixon raised the minimum wage by 40% in 1974, which, by the 1970’s definition of a liberal, is a very liberal action. Also, through programs like the Family Assistance Program, he was using the government to help American families. Overall, Nixon followed what he believed in, but also wanted to get the support of the majority of the population, not only from one party.

2) Having a complexity like this allows Nixon to seem like a real person, not just a stereotypical politician, because it shows that he cares about his own beliefs, not just the beliefs of his party. Many politicians fake their way into getting their position, by saying stuff that would appeal to as many people as possible. Nixon did not become president behind a facade, he became president by following what he believed in. Also, he made many mistakes and had major flaws, just like a normal person would have, and showed that he wasn’t just the president, but that he was a person who was the president. For example, the Watergate scandal made Nixon seem like a selfish person who was willing to break the law to get what he wanted. This wasn’t a positive thing, but it shows that he was more than just the president.
Luke L November 28, 2017 at 7:12 pm

1. I feel that Nixon was much more of a liberal than a conservative due to what acts he passed and his actions in doing what was best for our country. Although he may have campaigned for a “silent majority” which mostly consisted of a conservative side, his actions speak louder than his words. He passed many acts that allowed the environment to be kept safe and prosper along with raising the minimum wage by 40% and expanding medicaid and medicare to have more people gain access to these programs. Even though he scared the people voting for him with what civil rights could possibly do to them, he still passed acts that supported equality, such as preventing discrimination amongst both genders in education as well as desegregating schools. Although he ended the Vietnam War, he used most of his power and spending on acts that helped further american society, thus putting him further on the left side. Of the four supreme court justices he chose, Chief Justice Burger made many liberal decisions as well, such as allowing 1st abortions, postponing the death penalty by 4 years, and forcing the president to reveal his recordings of the oval office. Although Nixon has shown some conservative values before, I feel that what he did for the country was more important toward the progression of it rather than the foreign affairs he made.

2. This contrast between Nixon’s liberal and conservative sides shows his dimensionality by revealing how he wasn’t entirely devoted to one side. Unlike how a stereotype works in which they represent common beliefs and/or misconceptions in a person or society, Nixon breaks those one-sided black and white beliefs by showing both sides. In domestic affairs, he showed a more liberal side by passing and supporting acts that promoted desegregation, equality in education, and environmental policies. However, in foreign affairs he showed a more conservative side by putting down more troops in Vietnam thus killing off more american soldiers as well as invaded Cambodia and Laos. These choices and decision show how he had his own morals and mindset, not conforming to one side but instead doing what he thought was best. In my opinion, making a decision should depend more on what you want to do rather than what a certain side dictates or what others say. After all, a president is chosen to lead their country. One of the main reasons as to why people vote for candidates is because of the decisions they make and what they think is best for America. If a candidate were to strictly stick to one side of the argument without their own thoughts would most likely not succeed.
Hadin Sayed November 28, 2017 at 7:24 pm

I think Nixon was a moderate. This is for the reason that during his Presidency, Nixon had policies that at the time seemed like something liberals would do, but at the same time did things that a strong conservative would do. For example, especially at the time liberals were the Party that pushed all social issues. In the 1960’s with pressure, Kennedy and Johnson turned the party into a huge platform for the Civil Rights Movement. Nixon showed he was Conservative from his responses to the Democrats Civil Rights push. During Nixon’s administration, the FBI launched COINTELPRO. This organization targeted groups likes the Black Panther Party. All the groups they targeted were part of the rising New Left. While doing this, the FBI secretly and sometimes illegally wiretapped people. This group led to things like leaders of the Black Panther Party getting murdered like Fred Hampton by the police. The Nixon administration supported the FBI’s program. This is a prime example of Nixon’s conservative values of at the time of not really making Civil Rights an issue in the Republican party, and at times going against Civil Rights groups. Also, his silent opposition to the Civil Rights Movement can be seen by Nixon trying to appeal to Southern Democrats. These were Southern Democrats that previously supported the segregation platform of the Democratic party that Nixon swayed to the Republicans. A huge Conservative idea is to give the states more power and the national government less. This is exactly what Nixon did with his New Federalism program. At the same time showing Nixon was a moderate, Nixon instituted programs that made him seem liberal. Liberals pushed big Government Programs. Nixon expanded the Government program of Medicaid and Medicare. Those programs were initially made under a liberal president. Nixon also hugely increased the food stamps program. This goes against a core Conservative principle of limitation of government and more pressure on the individual to solve their issues rather than reliance from the government. Lastly, Nixon signed the Clean Air Act and created two agencies still effective today, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. At the time environmental issues were something that the liberals were greatly pushing in their agenda.

The complexity of Nixon on the political spectrum shows him as a real person rather than a stereotypical politician. What I mean with the political spectrum is with Nixon it shows he is not 100% liberal and 100% conservative. A lot of time with politicians you always think they are just your average liberal or average conservative. Nixon is more complex though, and his actions show he has ideas that form from both sides of the political spectrum. Also, the video History vs Richard Nixon shows in regards with Watergate the whole complexity of Nixon shows him as a real person. Because of Watergate, Nixon is only seen as a huge criminal. The video shows that the situation is really more complex than that. It shows that you can’t really judge Nixon based on just Watergate, but rather everything he did. Everything he did includes, some major accomplishments that are often forgotten because of the reason that we only look at Nixon because of Watergate.
Cole Sutton November 28, 2017 at 7:39 pm

1. I believe President Nixon’s actions as the president show him as a moderate. In office, Nixon made many decisions. Some of these were conservative and some were more liberal choices. He never really kept to a style throughout the presidency. Nixon tended to lean towards a liberal style with decisions involving the economy. Nixon instituted many programs to help with this, and an example is the Family Assistance Program that guaranteed a minimum annual wage for families. All families would be provided by a medical plan. Though this program never came to be, it is a great example of his ideal to raise the minimum wage by 40%. Richard Nixon was poll driven and responded to America’s demands like environmental laws, workplace improvements, and the energy crisis. Now Nixon made some important choices that were conservative, such as campaigning in favor of the “silent majority” during 1968, where he supported common American Values but never actively participated in riots/strikes and protest with the subject. This showed his conservative values such as promoting strong crime strategies, greater number of prisons, and stricter penalties. Nixon appeared as a man who furthered the war in Vietnam from his attacks in Cambodia, which caused the young public to see him as authoritarian. Nixon never really stayed on one side during his presidency, as often jumping around to make America content with choices was his strategy and he never really initiated anything crazy without seeking the public’s opinion.
2. This complexity makes Nixon seem more of a real person because he thinks like most people would. He wanted people to like him and he wanted the American public to be content with his decisions. Nixon definitely wasn’t the “perfect” person and often made little mistakes but that’s what being human entails. Nixon was the public’s president. He made choices thinking of the public constantly, firing it around his mind about how this new plan would impact the public or how this new deal could hurt this group of people specifically. Nixon made mistakes as president and his biggest was the Watergate scandal that caused the public to lose trust in our government and our president. When the public does not trust the leader of their country, it is not a very bright time. Mistakes are about being human and nobody is perfect. Nixon’s presidency demonstrated that our president is just like you and me in the way that they live. The only difference is that when you are the president and you make mistakes, everybody is sure to hear about it.
Brenden Kashat November 28, 2017 at 7:50 pm

1. Nixon was a dedicated Republican who, despite advocating for states’ rights and appealing to the “silent majority” that was fed up with the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement, implemented policies that many would consider “liberal”, as they involved heavy government involvement. His actions as president give insight into his political beliefs, and leads to my assumption that he was a moderate. Nixon, as evident in his “New Federalism” program, believed in progressing his domestic affairs agenda by pushing government responsibilities into the hands of the states, including a change in the welfare program, the eradication of the Office of Economic Opportunity, and a new method of sharing money between the federal, state, and local governments. Nixon also extended his conservative influence in the government by appointing four right-wing judges to the Supreme Court. Yet, he also created his fair share of liberal programs while in office, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, and imposed strict price and wage controls to stabilize the economy. His proposed Family Assistance Plan created a standard minimum annual wage for families across the countries, showcasing his commitment to the impoverished citizens of America. I believe that it’s fair to say that just because a person belongs to a certain political party doesn’t mean that he or she completely aligns themselves with those principles. As evident in our current political issues, not all Republicans believe in the limitation of LBGTQ rights, yet why do people have firm stereotypes that everyone a part of the Republican Party is against this issue? Nixon was also president at a time following a liberal boom in American history, and made decisions based on his political image (he wanted people to vote for him again), so he may have also incorporated liberal programs into his domestic agenda to rally moderates across the country.

2) The complexity of Nixon’s presidency made it evident that he was human and revealed insight into what kind of a person he was. The Watergate scandal itself proved he wasn’t autonomous and showed fear, as that fear and paranoia led him to hire the plumbers and break into the Democratic National Committee headquarters. His presidency also humanizes him by proving he isn’t perfect and can make (many) mistakes, which again can be related to Watergate and escalating the war in Vietnam by invading Cambodia and Laos, which is not what the people wanted. The US v Nixon case revealed him grasping for power, as he felt that because he was president he shouldn’t have to turn in the recorded tapes. This case portrayed a selfish side of him. Nixon wasn’t the perfect president- none of the 36 men who came before him were. But because of intricacy of his career, it made him more relatable and at some times appealing to his “silent majority”.
Kyle V November 28, 2017 at 8:13 pm

Richard Nixon was a republican president but had liberal and conservative policies, which is why I believe he is a moderate. To earn the republican nomination Nixon appealed to the “silent majority” of Americans which where white and the middle class like most conservatives would be. He swayed the southern democrats who wanted to keep segregation in place and Nixon never said he would stop or continue segregation. Under his presidency the FBI used COINTELPRO to wire tape and dismantle certain groups that protested civil rights and the end to the Vietnam War. When he was president he had the U.S. army invade Cambodia and Lao’s and used new federalism which pushed certain government programs away to the states rather than make it the government’s program. Keeping the people from relying on the government so much is a conservative idea stated in the second paragraph. While Nixon did have conservative ideals set he used liberal ones too. He increased the budget for food stamps by 2 billion dollars and he expanded Medicaid and Medicare. Both of these things are liberal polices because it causes the American people to rely on their government to provide their needs. Nixon also signed the Clean Air act and created the EPA and Occupational Safety and health administration. Nixon also nominated 4 Supreme Court judges that ruled court cases conservative, like Miranda v. Arizona and they ruled cases liberally, like the Roe v. Wade. Nixon also said that the people on the far right and far left are nuts and that they only come out to vote and get nominated. Compared to Reagan, Nixon was seen as soft with his foreign policy unlike what most conservatives wanted.
Nixon complexity makes him seem more like a real person rather stereotype because he never seemed too right or too left. He didn’t make a decision because it was what his party wanted or it was what he wanted, he made decisions he thought would better the people. A real person makes complex decisions to help the people rather than stay with the idea they are given or chose. He did make many mistakes, most notably the Watergate scandal that led him to resign and he get the US more involved in the Vietnam War. Even though he did these thing he’s still a human being and humans make many mistakes. Nixon never took a side for politics and made many mistakes which makes him more of a man that a stereotype.
Gabe Gamlin November 28, 2017 at 8:30 pm

1. I believe that Richard Nixon was a Liberal who posed as a Conservative for reasons of electoral and stability means. Richard used a genius tactic to win his first election with a huge victory by tapping into what he and the current President Donald trump call “The Silent Majority”. The Silent Majority is a term used to refer to the social and statistical majority of citizens who collective power and voice is dormant for usually short periods of time due to their usual lack of a need for outcry or protest due to the legislation of their living conditions which more often than not are based upon their best interest. The Silent Majority can theoretically completely override any action, view, or wish of any type of social or statistical minority through their socioeconomic dominance, and many times the concept of the silent majority has worked to other’s detriment. However, Richard used the silent majority with a method of addressing their discontent with the widespread strife wrought by rampant protest. It was discovered in his election map that most Americans were fed up with the plight of the fruitless Democratic Liberals, and Nixon used that by posing as the hero that Gotham- I mean America deserved: a Republican. In his campaign he promised that the government would stop trying force huge changes and perpetuate turmoil overseas to the masses, and here he has basically said that the Government would make efforts to improve their lives and living states through stopping programs encroaching on their values and ending systems that built discontent, like the war and the progressive pushes, and the whole “government make everything better now” thing is starkly Liberal as opposed to the government stepping away from the people.
2. I think that Rich was a multi-faceted and interesting character due to his political flexibility and rise to action that could be observed while he served office. Richard enforced certain policies that emboldened institutions like the police or prisons due to his view that strengthening these systems would lessen the crime rate, which in result negatively affected the lower income communities in the ghettos, but he also instated and offered policies that gave more freedoms to people who were faced with certain problems he otherwise would have made worse, like first term abortions in Roe vs Wade, or his proposal to have a minimum for the minimum wage that kept citizens from living under the poverty line. His views and policies had a range that benefited and decremented all different people in America reflected his ability to think situationally and do what he believed was actually beneficiary instead of what he thought he wanted. Because it’s good to take America out of a country whose need of protection negatively affects both them with their diplomatic relations and our military budget, but it’s also bad to then go into Cambodia and stir up more bs.
AJ Zako November 28, 2017 at 9:03 pm

In my opinion, Richard Nixon was a moderate. This is because during his presidency he made some actions that were liberal and some were conservative. Richard Nixon was most definitely poll driven and was always for the American people’s best interest as his campaign was basically run on the “silent majority”. Some important liberal decisions he made were coming up with the idea for the environmental reforms such as the Environmental Protection Agency, Clean Air Act, and creating the Occupational Safety and Health Administration agency. He also introduced the expanding of Medicare and Medicaid. He did this in a struggle to establish that everyone could be covered by health care. Theses things he accomplished were seen as liberal because it highlighted what the government was doing to help create a better society in the eyes of the liberal side of the country. His most important conservative decisions comprised of the New Federalism program, and supporting traditional values American values. The New Federalism program was an attempted to push a few federally controlled programs into control of some state governments. Nixon thought this was important because the states were more involved than the federal government and they knew more about what they needed to be spending their money on.

Nixon’s complex character was made him seem a little more like a real person in the eye’s of the American people. All of the things he did and accomplished whether they were liberal, conservative, or moderate, he always had the had the best interest of the American people in mind. I watched the Alex Gendler video “History vs. Richard Nixon” from Ted ED. This video best contrasts his character because some people saw him as a terrible president because of everything with the Watergate scandal made the American people completely distrust the government.It was one hundred percent ok that Nixon resigned after everything happened with Watergate and probably was a good move for the country because they started trust the government less and less. But other people can completely disagree with that and say that while that did happen, while he was in office he did many good things to benefit the country. Like everything he did with the environmental reforms. He also was obviously was doing something correct in the eye’s of the American people because they elected him as the President of the United States twice. The events that happened during Watergate affect some people’s view of him entirely. Although, if you look at the overall character of Richard Nixon, his ideas, decisions, and programs were complex, thought out, and very intricate.
Carolina Ishikura November 28, 2017 at 9:12 pm

1. The era President Nixon was in office would make him a liberal president. This is the conclusion because Nixon’s decisions in office were very liberal by protecting the environment and increasing the minimum wage. In the 1970s the term ‘liberal’ was thrown around like an insult. It was stricter then, it was either you’re liberal or you’re conservative. On an overall spectrum, Nixon was a liberal president. He was clever by appealing to the silent majority to win the election; this was shown in the past as well with President Kennedy. John F. Kennedy appealed to Southerners more so he could win the election. President Kennedy’s goals for America were more so liberal. When he was assassinated and Lyndon B. Johnson took over, the liberal agenda continued. It could be seen that some of Nixon’s motives were conservative, but these were mostly displayed in his campaigns. I believe it was all strategy. In addition, Nixon would often associate with Republicans that would add more to his image. Nixon’s relationships with conservatives were rather odd. He was often critical with both sides of the political spectrum. However, Nixon made it clear that he did not trust conservatives. Most of his working partners were conservatives, but he often dropped them suddenly and expressed frustration. Other world leaders would frequently notice Nixon’s liberal works. Also, Nixon’s chief economic advisor commented, “Probably more new regulation was opposed on the economy during the Nixon Administration than in any other presidency since the New Deal” (from the National Review).
2. This completely makes Nixon a real person and breaks his stereotype/ two-dimensional figure. Caring for the environment shows how Nixon has concern for the earth and humanity. As for the raising of minimum wage by 40% and his efforts Medicare/Medicaid showed that Nixon truly cared for the well being of Americans. He has been repeatedly ridiculed and denigrated from his sly behavior in the Watergate scandal. Though his behavior was unacceptable, it showed where his mindset laid. The scandal showed that he was more of a follower than a leader. Some humans are natural leaders and some are followers, he is not flawless and his true character had to come out. Unfortunately, the scandal is what defines the 37th President of the United States. Nixon definitely deserves more recognition with what he did with the environment, America’s relations with China, effort towards Title IX, and his work on desegregating schools.
Joseph DeMarco November 28, 2017 at 9:14 pm

1. Overall, President Nixon’s political views are very simple to figure out. He has a mixture of conservative and liberal views, but they follow a path that makes it very easy. Nixon has very liberal economic views, believing in many things like centrist-liberal economic strategies, such as taking the US off of the Gold Standard, and believing in regulating business to help preserve and protect the environment. He also believed in expanding programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and food stamps, as well as controlling wage and prices like increasing the minimum wage to curb inflation. Overall, his liberal views follow the economic path, but he can also be very conservative. His conservative views do come under the same pattern, where his views are mostly if not all justice related. Nixon was a law and order man who believed in justice, like increasing prison serving times, the amount of prisons, expand capital punishment, stricter penalties, etc. Nixon’s intense conservative justice beliefs would carry on for a long time, as he did nominate 4 supreme court justices. His conservative influence would be felt in many law cases with his conservative justices taking many law cases. Overall, Nixon’s political views follow a simple pattern, where most of his views follow under a certain category, and because of this, I believe that even though he did run as a republican, he is neither conservative or liberal, but moderate.

2. In America, we see the country divided between two political parties, republican and democrat, and it is very rare to see anyone who is neither, either if they are libertarian party, or green party, or communist, or anarchist, or fascist. Even though there is a whole 2D compass of political views, most people in this country are either republican or democrat. Nixon does stand out from the crowd of president because he believes in moderate political views, both taking liberal standpoints and putting it together with conservative standpoints. Most presidents don’t typically combine conservative social views with liberal economic views, and that is why he stands out from the stereotypical president. His more complex political views make him different as most presidents follow their party more. This idea can be related to other presidents, like Lyndon B. Johnson, who supported very liberal economic views, following the footsteps of his predecessor, JFK, but also supported the war in Vietnam, joining the conflict to detain communism and conserve our American values, a very conservative thing. All I can say is that because most presidents follow their parties closely, and usually share the same political views, Nixon stands out because he combines liberal with conservative to create his more complex political views.
Devin Woodruff (3rd Hour) November 28, 2017 at 9:17 pm

1. I believe that Richard Nixon was a moderate with some liberal too but mostly a moderate. The definition of a moderate is someone that see their political views going in the left-wing of the politics which is what I believe Richard Nixon was. In other reasons, one of the first creation Nixon did was wanting every American person to have health care which this could be seen as a liberal move but I think Nixon was a mix between them too but more moderate. He thought that by guaranteeing health care to more Americans and giving them the dream that you could get healthcare for free without having to pay a cost. Furthermore, this would be similar to what Obamacare is today. Nixon was trying to do just that. Another, moderate move in my view was creating the EPA which was meant to help save the environment which would turn out to stop companies from leaving radioactive waste down the toilet or anywhere else in that matter. Moving on onto another matter his views on lowering the big deficit that we had was very important to him which to me is a very moderate view because it’s the thinking of everyone should have a fair chance is being able to get what they want and not. He was able to take off over 17 billion dollars in debt which is almost 70 percent of the debt during that time period. Which is one of the reasons why they were able to enter the recession now. To sum up, I thought that Richard Nixon was a moderate because of his views with a mix of a liberal.

2. This makes Nixon seem more like a real person rather than stereotype because it allows us to view the things that he’s done well the time he had in the white house. Instead of always looking at the bad of the Watergate accident that happens. We as people use the stereotype that Nixon was a bad person and didn’t do anything in his presidency but have the Watergate scandal which is not true. He did a lot with his president to try to make America a better country. Furthermore, it also helps to make him look not like a two-dimensional figure because he was more than just a Republican he was a president for the people and we often forget that and just focus on all the bad things and not what good things he did. In Conclusion, we should learn not to judge Richard Nixon or any president by just the one thing that they did and name them a bad precedent for that. Richard Nixon should be known for more than his one bad mistake.

-Devin Woodruff
3rd Hour
11/28/2017
Maddy Penoza November 28, 2017 at 9:19 pm

1. I think, for the most part, Nixon was who he said he was. He was conservative, but by no means was he a right-wing conservative. It is true that many of his programs brought his political stance closer to the center, such as the actions he took in order to help out the environment (clean air act, safe drinking water act, founding of environmental protection agency, etc.), and raising the minimum wage to 40% more than it previously was. However, it is at the center of the Republican way of thinking that the federal government does too much and that they should do less. When he turned a fair amount of power over to the state governments, under his program of new federalism, he made it nearly impossible for anyone to say he was liberal. He was actively shrinking his government. Additionally, he never went out of his way to support civil rights. Civil rights were one of the main dividing issues between the two parties in the 1970s and in turning a blind eye to it, he aligned himself with the Republican party. Finally, he aligned himself with the Republican party, and I think that counts for something. Nixon himself decided that his views were more closely aligned with the conservatives, and the conservatives were “his party” and his base of operations.

2. I feel like it is very hard to see Nixon as anything but incredibly complex. Two months ago, I would have said differently, but now that I know the situation, Nixon is in no way two dimensional. Watergate is the primary factor that shaped the way America sees him today, but his presidency was not all bad and not all good. I appreciate that he took major strides to protect the environment and that he tried to ensure that all Americans were making enough money, but he did bomb neutral countries in a war they were not fighting, and of course, he covered up the break in to Watergate, so that’s not super great, but I can almost understand why he did it. Almost. It is incredibly hard to put a president like Nixon into a box. I don’t believe he was a bad man, but I suppose I never knew him. In general, he tried to do the right thing. He signed title IX, and took great steps for the environment. I do, however, think he had a few fatal flaws, (Watergate, Cambodia, Southern Strategy, Kent State Reaction, etc.) and this all adds to the complexity and controversy that surrounds the presidency of Richard Nixon.
sofia di stefano November 28, 2017 at 9:21 pm

1- Nixon was a moderate president.Throughout his campaigns and presidency in general his actions seemed and were meant to be seen as liberal, and some were conservative. In many resources the historians believed Nixon was basically leaded by the people and responded to what they wanted and showed them his best and tried to make the best impressions. As time past he was seen as a victim of liberal double standards but he had many influential decisions but may of these were liberal. Some of them are, the creation of environmental reforms,that were designed to increase public awareness. These included the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, signing the Clean Air Act and creating the Occupational Safety and Health Administration agency Another decision were his attempts to make universal health care a reality. He proposed to the public to make medicare bigger and more impactful to ensure that everyone could be covered by health care. These actions were liberal because it showed how the government stepped in to try and improve their society. His most influential conservative decisions included the program New Federalism. This was was a program that attempted to push some federally controlled programs into the control of state governments. Other actions were supporting traditional American values. Nixon believed this was important because the states are more involved than the federal government and know what they needed to spend their money on. President Nixon campaigned for the “silent majority”,which supported many good points but they were the people that didn’t really protest and kept their ideas to themselves.

2-This way of showing Richard Nixon’s character makes him seem more of a real person in rather than a stereotype or two-dimensional figure because whether his programs were liberal, conservative, or moderate, they were all made for the american people and hoping to help those who weren’t heard as much too.Many different sources such as videos show the contrast between those who see him as a completely negative past president against those who saw his decisions as valuable and important decisions to our country. Nixon’s decisions before those fateful actions were effectful and the American people liked him so much that they elected him again as the president of the United States. When analyzing the character of Richard Nixon thoroughly we can see that his character makes him seem as much as a real person as any of us
Jana Dinkeloo November 28, 2017 at 9:22 pm

1.) Taking into account what Nixon did and what laws he passed during his Presidency, you can come to the conclusion that Nixon was a moderate. Though Nixon was definitely a Republican with some republican values, Nixon did things that people would consider characteristically “liberal’, like signing the Clean Air Act and creating special agencies whose agendas were focused on the environment. He also tried to bring new programs in that would guarantee a minimum annual wage and expand Medicare or Medicaid so that more people would be covered. Nixon also made several comments about his dislike for the far right politicians, which would be considered liberal in this day and age. When looking at his presidency as a whole, you can see that Nixon started off with both liberal and conservative concerns and was willing to do things like expand health care so that people could access it, but as the country’s views shifted into more conservative ones, Nixon went along with the times and mimicked the views of the country. When he first ran for president, Nixon was appealing to the “silent majority” of Americans who valued the traditional aspects of the country and didn’t protest rowdily or speak loudly about the horrors of Vietnam. He promoted many crime related things like strict sentences and more prisons, and drew the attention of lots of White Southerners by not outwardly supporting integration. Nixon also felt like the states should have more control over the Federal Programs, an idea that launched his New Federalism program into effect. Nixon also implemented the Burger Court, which had a lasting conservative effect on our Supreme Court, even though the Burger Court also made some liberal decisions. When you balance these out, you can tell that Nixon changed with the times, and with the needs and wants of the population. His fluid views showcase the fact that he is indeed a moderate president.

2.) This complexity of Nixon’s views gives him lots of depth, and shows that he was not just a two dimensional character who got impeached because of Watergate, but a man who strived to change with the people’s views and give them what they wanted. People love to separate Presidents by their political views and values and stick them into specific boxes, and with some ultra conservative or liberal presidents, you can. But with presidents like Nixon who changed as times did, you can see that he was more than just a man put into a box.
Hanna Lupovitch November 28, 2017 at 9:27 pm

Hanna Lupovitch
Mr. Wickersham
APUSH
28 November 2017
1. I think that Richard Nixon was a liberal. I have this view of Richard Nixon for multiple reasons. The first of which is because of the programs he was willing to bestow upon society at to change social issues. For example, Roe v. Wade. This court case, which ruling was to allow abortions within the first trimester of the pregnancy, not only gives a guaranteed choice to women about their health care, but changes the tradition of society that said women should not have a say in their own health (in most cases). In addition, another court case known as Brown v. Board of Education resulted in the statement that separate but equal is unconstitutional. Schools were integrated, and this was another beginning to a huge change in a new society. Another reason I view Nixon as a liberal is because of the speed he was going at to change society with these programs. Conservatives are open to change, but they like it to happen very slowly. Take today, for example. Women today still do not have equal pay as men. Most conservatives are extremely open to equality for men and women, but even though it has been more than 50 years since Betty Friedan’s Feminine Mystique opened the eyes of many women, both sexes are not equal. Since Nixon was so willing to immediately integrate schools, give women better health care options, and run environmentally friendly programs, it shows that he is not a conservative because he did not want to wait for change.
2. This complexity makes Nixon a real person and not just a leak-hating, two-dimensional stereotype for a few reasons. First, the thought behind the programs Nixon was running was delightful. Not only did he care about making change in society right away, he took care of the major problems, or the problems that really mattered. Second, Nixon was the creator of detente. This ease on the harshness of foreign policy was one of the most liberal (and not to mention human) things Nixon did while in office. Another reason Nixon’s liberal side showed that he was more human than some people viewed, is that the liberalistic programs Nixon founded whilst serving his terms as president demonstrated that Watergate was not all there was to Nixon’s presidency. There are some people that say Richard Nixon was strictly a bad, stereotype type of a man and a president because he was untrustworthy. However, even though that might have been true sometimes, that does not mean that he was not a real person who created great, liberalistic programs for this country.
Megan Zacharias November 28, 2017 at 9:28 pm

1. After reviewing the history and the decisions Richard Nixon made while president, I believe he would be considered a moderate. A liberal during the 1970’s was someone who believed highly in the government and thought they should have power over most things. However, conservatives thought the opposite. They mainly believed in traditional values and also the chance to have self-correction and evaluation. Some things that President Nixon accomplished could give the connotation that he was liberal were the expansion of the Medicare and Medicaid programs, increasing the minimum wage, extending food stamp programs, and placing an emphasis on environmental issues. He worked on environmental topics with the Clean Air Act and the Environmental Protection Agency. All of these programs, that are considered more liberal, include great involvement from the government, which was the main idea of liberalism. On the contrary, Nixon made some conservative decisions throughout his presidency as well. He worked on crime restriction and created the Southern Strategy, which lowered restrictions on the Civil Rights Acts. He also believed that individual states should have power and decision making over various programs. Lastly, he was a declared republican as well. These ideas include discrimination and taking power away from the government, which is the conservatism ideal. Because he made decisions that were a blend between liberal and conservative values, I think president Nixon would be thought as a moderate during the 1970’s.

2. Because President Nixon had varying beliefs—both liberal and conservative, they create this image that he was just like anyone else. It made him seem more human. Most people do not strictly follow all the beliefs of the common liberal or conservative. Because of this, Nixon could be considered more likeable. It is clear that Nixon had his own opinions and beliefs because he acted on them. He was not aiming to be the textbook definition of a conservative or liberal to please a certain group of people. He just made decisions based on what he believed and felt was correct. This also probably appealed to more people because of his varying beliefs. This, most likely, was another factor of why he seemed relatable or more human. Even though the Watergate scandal resulted in the increasing distrust of the government, it also showed that even presidents make mistakes. His popularity decreased exponentially, but it contributed more to how people perceived Nixon as a person. It showed that there was more to him because of the faults he had.
Jackson Gugni November 28, 2017 at 9:43 pm

To define President Richard Nixon as just a conservative or just a liberal, would be completely incorrect. Nixon was much more complex than that. He did things that would help both the conservative movement as well as the liberal movement. Because of this reason I believe he should be categorized as a moderate. In the explanation you gave on the blog you said that liberals at the time were people who “believe in positive governmental action to solve societal problems and to ensure equality for all.” You also said that conservatives “tend to believe in limited governmental actions and spending, traditional American values, a strong defense, and a belief that capitalist free markets can solve economic inequality.” By these definitions, Nixon did things that would categorize him as both. On the liberal side, he helped the poorer people of America by raising minimum wage by 40 percent and increased the food stamp program from $610 million in 1970 to $2.5 billion in 1973. These two reasons in it of themselves would usually prove that one would be a liberal but when you hear about what he did for the conservatives, you would have to believe he was moderate. While in office, Nixon nominated four Supreme Court Judges that would all be conservative. This along with the fact that he launched COINTELPRO are huge indicators that he had some conservative beliefs in him. So, to label him as conservative or liberal would not be appropriate in this situation, rather he is definitely moderate.
Nixon did a lot of things that would make him seem like more of a real person rather than a two-sided politician. For starters the fact that he used a secret group of men to see what the opposite party had plans for is a sign that he like us makes mistakes and has human traits like jealousy. Although this may be a farfetched example of how he is more like a normal person it still shows the idea. The bigger and more notable idea is that he somewhat supports both sides. As I said in the first question, Nixon helped both the liberals and the conservatives. This shows that he is much like a real person because real people don’t agree with everything. What I mean by that is, a majority of the population believes and promotes everything a political party stands for, and what Nixon did was show support towards both stances.
Ella Landers November 28, 2017 at 9:46 pm

I believe President Nixon was a moderate during his presidency due to how most of his actions were a blended mix of both liberal and conservatives beliefs and morals. There is clear evidence and well structured arguments on both the conservative and the liberal views displaying how varied he could be, depending on the situation and time. Although many could make a strong case for one side, there will always be another case for the other side. It is possible to argue that some of his more liberal actions were done to further benefit a more conservative point (or vice versa), but when one looks at each individual action it’s clear that some actions were just done because Nixon truly thought it would benefit America, not just one party. For example, throughout his presidency he raised minimum wage by 40%, expanded Medicare/Medicaid, and passed a lot of environmental laws, such as the clean water act. These laws were clearly liberal, much to many of Nixon’s fellow conservatives chagrin. On the other hand, Nixon also enlarged the looming conservative influence by appointing four strongly republican Supreme Court justices, starting a new program called New Federalism that really emphasized on states rights, and really advocating for harsher conditions for criminals, which included stricter penalties and terms and increasing the number of prisons. It is nearly unambiguous how diverse Nixon’s actions throughout his presidency was.
This complexity makes Nixon seem more than a two-dimensional figure or a stereotype. Looking at Nixon’s presidency, one might believe a lot of different stereotypes, specifically regarding what he really was; a conservative or a liberal. But looking at all of this evidence really breaks that stereotype, showing how varied he could be, how diverse some of his answers could be, showing that you could never really 100% know what to expect with Nixon. This also made him different from a two dimensional figure because it emphasized how the world is never black and white and there is never a certain right or wrong answer, which many people relate to. There will always be people who immediately attach Nixon to a certain viewpoint based on just what they think rather than looking at all of the evidence, sometimes conjuring up a thread of distaste towards him because they think he’s in that certain party. However, people who really understand Nixon will see that overall, he efficiently mixed both values from each side, and that he never really stuck to one specific side. Nixon’s ability to do that is something that many Americans view positively
Cariel Gamlin November 28, 2017 at 10:05 pm

1)I believe though Nixon wanted to be a conservative, Nixon was a Liberal. And if Nixon’s head was in a jar and was still alive he would say he was a conservative and if he still was in office he would probably do conservative things in office. But, he isn’t alive and his legacy in office was more of a liberal agenda. First, he increased the liberal agenda through government assistance. For example Nixon increased the minimum wage by 20%. This is important because this is a very liberal thing to push. The agenda of Many conservatives however had other ideas. They believed in deregulation. Deregulation is the idea that businesses should regulate themselves. So the idea of increasing the wage of which the businesses had no option but to pay an increased wage isn’t very conservative of him. But hey! That’s just one instance once! Wrong! He also did very progressive advancements for the protection of the environment. Once for example is the clean air act agreement. Now how isn’t that conservative . This also ties into business. This bill restricted the amount of air pollution was put into the air especially from businesses. The idea of government helping all the time is liked very much in the conservative ideas. So expanding the amount food stamps” $610 million in 1970 to $2.5 billion in 1973.” (Mr. Wickersham). May defend Nixon’s conservativeness by saying he instituted a said to be conservative supreme court judge. The supreme court justice however, his rulings tended to be more liberal.
2) HIs character is very complex. He was very outspoken for example when he said “‘The trouble with far-right conservatives like Buckley,” Nixon told Whitaker, “is that they really don’t give a damn about people and the voters sense that. Yet any Republican presidential candidate can’t stray too far from the right-wingers because they can dominate a primary and are even more important in close general elections. Remember, John,” Nixon lectured,” (Mr.Wickersham’s blog). This shows him lashing out on his own party. Which shows the conflict of his character. During his campaign he would advocate the conservative ideas during office however, he made almost a complete 180 in office and made very liberal acts and executive orders. He shows his divide through his presidency. Watergate showed his uncertainty with the people and their decision. Because of this he decided to be sneaky and hide secrets from the citizens.
Kevin Gruich November 28, 2017 at 10:12 pm

I think Nixon was a liberal by the standards of the times. You can’t just write off his liberal policies as appeasing the left. This is because he had many liberal ideas of his own. Notably was his push for a universal basic income in the form of Family Assistance Program. This is still seen as a pie in the sky idea and not supported by many liberals. The idea was forward thinking and idealistic, like many liberal policies. I don’t think he was just chasing polls as seen in his foreign policy, he was thinking long term. His detente with China helped cool tensions allowing for the modern peace of today. He ended the war in Vietnam as it was unwinnable for the unprepared and unmotivated Americans, and Nixon saw this war as unsustainable.
It’s even difficult to paint Nixon in the conservative view point of today. He disagreed with a lot of Ronald Reagan’s rhetoric and stances. The same Reagan who would shape republicans and conservatism as a whole today. Nixon’s southern strategies and appeal to the silent majority were not like Bush’s campaign against Dukakis. Nixon was being pushed by his paranoia and the possibility of the Democratic Party not crumbling. Nixon’s invasions of Laos and Cambodia were only in pursuit of a quick end to the Vietnamese conflict. The Ho Chi Minh trail was a major issue and bombing it was not going to solve the problem. In a last ditch effort Nixon bit the bullet and invaded to stop the trail and the Vietnamese’s guerrilla warfare. The launch of COINTELPRO at the time made sense with the recent race riots. The government wanted to keep close tabs on more militant groups like the black panthers. New Federalism was not just blatant state’s rights like conservatives desired. The speed of information at the time was relatively slow and full control over the massive US during a time of strife like this was difficult for any man (except the greats like FDR). These ideas make sense in concept as sitting on a throne can alter their perception of distant problems. This has been seen in the many empires throughout history (American Revolution?).
These politics, no matter which side you choose, are complex and in turn, show how complex Nixon. Many times Nixon is just a joke or a bad example to learn from, but his presidency shows much more than that. You can’t just look at this interviews and decide that his bad behavior and ideas post-presidency paint his whole administration years as bad. These ideas and policies show that he had thoughts and doubts and was even flippant at times, as any person is.
Nick Johns November 28, 2017 at 10:16 pm

President Richard Nixon implemented a blend of both liberal and conservative views into his actions as a president. Nixon, who was elected as a Republican, often turned on his base party, initiating many liberal policies onto the nation. This included actions such as signing the Clean Air Act, which pushed for government regulations on pollution from industrial and automotive industries. Nixon also significantly raised the minimum wage from just $1.60 an hour, to $2.10 an hour, almost a 40% increase. Nixon even openly criticized the far right, saying they were just as bad as their liberal counterparts. However, Nixon, especially earlier in his presidency, was clearly more loyal to his conservative base. In the 1968 campaign, Nixon argued for harsh authoritarianism, and attempted to exploit the chaos within the Democratic Party in the late 1960’s to sway the public to obtain more votes. Nixon also began to give government power back to the individual states, and hindered federal government control. This was backed by his strong belief that each individual state would spend their money more efficiently and strategically to fit their personal needs than the federal government could. Nixon introduced this action to the nation under the name “New Federalism”. Even though he appealed more to the left when he eventually pulled out of Vietnam, he entered the US army into the territories in Cambodia and Laos, to try to ensure that the US truly had a lasting impact on the war, and to continue to help his allies exterminate communism. After evaluating the liberal and conservative actions Nixon instituted while in office, one can safely conclude that Nixon was more moderate than just conservative or liberal.
Nixon being a moderate really showed who he was as a person, because it illuminated his desire to really try to please everybody. He fought within himself to stay loyal to his base party, yet still tried to appeal to the left side of the political spectrum. He saw both side’s points, and one could say that it probably forced him to carefully examine his decisions so he would not face an enormous amount of backlash from either side. He appealed to the left a lot when he made actions to pull out of the Vietnam war, which was a key issue within Democratic Party in the late 1960’s. He appealed to the right when he put restrictions on the federal government, and used his authoritarianism to enforce crime.
Jocelyn Warnica November 28, 2017 at 10:19 pm

1.I think that President Nixon was a moderate during his presidency, although he ran as a Republican. I believe this because the things he did while he was in office represented both of the political parties. For example, he raised minimum wage 40%, he normalized relations with China, and he put wage and price controls in place to curb inflation. He also signed many environmental acts. He also said that a lot of his liberal tendings came from his own background and the “progressive” side of the republican party he sided with. This shows that Nixon showed liberal qualities. He didn’t just show liberal qualities, he also showed conservative qualities while he was the President. His campaign strategy in the 1968 election, representing the “silent majority” of Americans or targeting a certain group of Americans, was something that a traditional republican would do to earn votes in their favor. Also, he looked to sway the solidly democratic south to republicans to get more votes. He did this by making the line between segregation and integration very fine. When Nixon was in office, he took some of the federal programs that directly involved the states and gave the states these programs.
2. President Nixon’s fluxual decisions between the political parties showed that he was real and his decisions made him seem more 3D because he related to everybody and somehow he made everyone happy, which is very hard to do. Although he ran for office as a Republican, during his presidency he made both liberal and conservative decisions.He made these decisions because he wanted to get the votes of all people, not just the states that were normally conservative, in which he succeeded. The election was won in a landslide. He was also trying to ease people out of the very liberal 60s. This benefitted the people because they saw a real president that sees the opinion of the “silent majority” of people in the US. The decisions that President Nixon made while he was in office made him seem 3D because he made progress to stopping issues that the United States population actually cared about rather than government reforms. For instance, he helped end the war in Vietnam, in which people were not happy that it was still going on at the start of Nixon’s presidency. He also normalized relations with China and passed many environmental acts that limited pollution, etc., and are still in place today. This showed that he tried to make everybody happy and seemed more relatable to the people of the United States.
Diego Roell November 28, 2017 at 10:38 pm

Diego Roell
5th Hour

1.    Richard M. Nixon, 37th President of the United States of America, is a controversial figure. Although part of the Republican party, his position on the political spectrum is debated. It seems most reasonable to claim that Nixon was neither a liberal nor a conservative, but a moderate.
    Nixon’s presidency was strange: a Republican and nominally a conservative, he was elected during a wave of liberalism and progressivism during the 60s and 70s. Nixon held many views that are generally seen as conservative, such as the devolution of some federal authority and regulations to the state governments. He campaigned as a “law and order” candidate, a term frequently espoused by the Republican party and conservatives. COINTELPRO was created during his presidency, a disinformation campaign intending to counter anti-war and Civil Rights groups. He directed the Republican party’s attention to the Democratic “Solid South”. He knew that a large amount of white Democrat voters in the South were against integration, and that they often disagreed with the northern Democrats. He developed the Southern Strategy, walking a fine line between complying with integration and appeasing the pro-segregation southerners. His direct appeal to the conservative South could easily label him as a conservative himself.
    Despite Nixon’s conservative decisions, he also passed a wave of traditionally liberal policies and courted the liberal and progressive voters. He explicitly campaigned on ending the Vietnam War, a hot-button issue for many progressives. He increased the government’s control of the economy, imposing wage and price controls to combat inflation. He even took the dollar off the gold standard. He greatly increased the amount of money allotted to the food stamps program by over 400%, and raised the minimum wage by 40%. He signed the Clean Air Act, and created the Environmental Protection Agency, major victories for the ecology movement. Nixon publicly associated with the progressive/moderate wing of the Republican party, and decried the right-wing of the Republican party in private. In an interview, Nixon claimed that the only thing as bad as a far-left liberal was a far-right conservative, effectively pointing out his opposition to extremism and preference for centrist thought.
    Nixon displayed many characteristics of both sides of the political spectrum, never truly doing anything that might get him labeled as an extremist or hardliner. He courted liberal voters and was capable at seeming like reasonable centrist. Nixon’s moderation allowed the many left-of-center voters in the liberal wave of the 60s to see him as a good choice. He was a compromise between the liberal trend and the soon-to-come conservative turn the nation would take.

2.    Throughout American political history, many notable figures are often labeled as either liberals or conservatives, with little regard for the deeper, complex personalities and values of these people. This sort of reductionist thought makes many people think of historical figures as black and white: they either held a belief or were opposed to it. Moderates are more common than one would think, although their true centrist opinions are obscured by partisan politics or affiliations with other groups. Richard Nixon won the Election of ‘68 precisely because of his moderation: he appealed to many people who held mixed opinions. Most Americans are forced to think in a two-party system, where one must espouse all the positions of the party or they would find no representation. The truth is that many Americans hold opinions from both parties. A notable example is the Libertarian party, which often defines itself as socially liberal and fiscally conservative. Nixon seemed more real to the voters, as many could identify with him and did not see him as an embodiment of the values of any one party. He was reasonable and able to please almost any person on the political spectrum. Flexible in his beliefs and willing to compromise on important issues, many people voted for him because they could see themselves in him.
Adrienne Konopka November 28, 2017 at 10:48 pm

I don’t think you can say Nixon was an outright liberal, but I think he was a left-leaning moderate. He did many things in office that seem liberal, such as his large expansion of environmental acts. Some of the things he did for the environment include: the national environmental policy act of 1969, created the EPA, the clean air act extension, the marine mammal protection act, the safe drinking water act, and the endangered species act. Such concern and proactive, although also reactive, behavior is most often seen from a liberal. Liberals are generally more concerned about the environment. If a liberal is “someone who believes in positive governmental action to solve societal problems and to ensure equality for all”, the Nixon would certainly be considered a liberal with his progressive thinking and the idea of a guaranteed minimum annual wage for families (Family Assistance Program), and an expansion of Medicare / Medicaid so that everyone would be covered by a government health care program, in which all employers would have had to provide health care for their employees or make up the difference for those employees who couldn’t afford it. He also raised the minimum wage by 40%. These are things that not only would a conservative would rarely do, but are usually completely opposed to. In another example of how liberals tend to do things to help the public as a whole, Nixon expanded the food stamps program from from $610 million in 1970 to $2.5 billion. However, there are many examples of Nixon acting in a more conservative way as well. A prime example is when he proposed New Federalism, which sought to push some federal programs into the states’ responsibilities. Nixon felt it was important for states to have control over some federal programs and be able to oversee how the money was spent – the idea being that the states know better what they need and should spend it how they want to rather than the distant federal government. This is a great example of one of the fundamental conservative beliefs, which is that the states should have more power and there should be less government interference. He was a republican candidate so of course he has to have republican ideals, but many of the things he did in office were things that liberals would tend towards. This is what leads me to believe that he was a left leaning moderate. https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/politics/photos/six-good-things-richard-nixon-did-for-the-environment/related-photos

This complexity makes Nixon seem like more of a real person. It shows that he, just like everything, isn’t just black and white. He’s a real person with his own beliefs. Just because he was a republican candidate and considered a conservative president, doesn’t mean everything he did perfectly aligned with conservative ideals. We learn a little about what Nixon thought was important based on the decisions he made. Most of Nixon’s career was overshadowed by the Watergate scandal, but we also have the opportunity to learn about other great things he did in office. Although Watergate was terrible, that doesn’t mean he is. No one is 100% bad and good, but different mixes of each.
Alex Smith November 28, 2017 at 10:54 pm

1.) I believe that president Richard Nixon was a conservative. While he did sign title 9 which made it possible for desegregation to take place peacefully he never really supported the civil rights movement. He sided with the southern democrats and didn’t try to help African Americans because he needed the southern vote. In fact one of his COINTELPRO campaign which targeted civil rights groups. In the definition of a conservative in the 1970’s they generally don’t believe the government should settle civil problems. In fact they believe in less government action where as liberals believe in the government taking a lot of action. he was also a white male which was the general look of a conservative. also when he campaigned for office he struck people, especially younger voters as authoritative and challenged for more strict jailing policies. Since conservatives also believe the federal government should have less control he gave the control of some federal policies to state governments. like policies on spending their money. At the beginning of his term he leaned toward tensions in Vietnam even though he campaigned against them and even escalated the tensions when he decided to invade Cambodia and Laos. Most liberals at the time wanted nothing to do with the war. Finally he nominated 4 conservative supreme court justices that controlled conservative influence for decades.

2.) The complexity of Reagan not being a far left or a right wing makes him seem like a very real person. He definitely takes in ideals and ideologies from both the conservative and liberal groups. While I don’t believe he was a moderate you can make a case stating that he is or that he is right or left. This complexity makes him seem more normal. Most people aren’t super conservative or super liberal. Yet it seems as though most politicians are. Since he takes in values from both groups he can relate to a wider variety of people. He can feel popular among the rich and poor, and conservatives and liberals. He wasn’t the typical politician as far as how stubborn on being single minded like other politicians. Also the individual programs he set into place helped him connect. For instance he took a great environmental stance with the clean air and water acts and some of the other environmental acts he set into motion. He could connect with environmentalist because of this. Or how he eventually did end America’s involvement in Vietnam. While most students didn’t like him for escalating tensions at the start of his term some came to terms when he took our troops out of Vietnam.
Nolan Kamoo November 28, 2017 at 10:57 pm

Blog #105
“Was Nixon a liberal, conservative, or moderate?”

In my opinion, Nixon was neither a liberal or conservative, at least fully, he was close to moderate but still leaning towards liberal. In the quote taken from Nixon, displayed in National Review, Nixon himself explains how being a far-left liberal is just as bad as being a far-right conservative. That entire quote taken from Nixon makes him seem as if he would be moderate, but to me, judging from the rest of the information provided in the post on the Groves APUSH Blog #105, Nixon’s actions push him slightly past the halfway point on the political spectrum into liberal territory. For example, Nixon’s conservative “aspects” were mostly minimal including his “law-and-order” motto in the 1968 elections. In my opinion, his first outlook was just an answer to what the thought the nation needing in its own political system. In theory, the job of the president is to help, to the best of his/her abilities, in the process of a democracy and answering the weaknesses/failures of american political history and concurring issues. However, it has become apparent that many presidents and political representatives focus more on how the outcome can benefit their designated party instead of the overall population. I believe Nixon was adjusting to what he thought the general population needed, which in fact could be viewed as a liberal perspective, yet it is seen overall as a conservative move. In addition, Nixon made major liberal movements such as raising the minimum wage by 40% in 1974, expanding the food stamps program from $610 million in 1970 to $2.5 billion in 1973, and making an effort to expand programs such as Medicare/Medicaid and a Family Assistance Program. Although it seems as Nixon was liberal far beyond conservative, there was still significant conservative aspects to his administration that pulled him back towards the middle of the spectrum but kept him in liberal area. Such aspects include his nomination of four, yes four, new Supreme Court justices that would keep conservative decisions running strong for decades. In addition, Nixon’s New Federalism program set out to give more decision making to the individual states instead of the national government, helping to tend to specific needs of each state instead of broad goals for all the states, collectively.

I see Nixon’s political views, as well as many others, as more complex than what one might consider the “average” or the “2D person”. To me, the average person in a perfect society would mean that their views were completely set inside of one party’s agenda and all decisions they make would directly correlate to what that one party views as a whole. There would be not much discussion or dispute over politics because if you knew the party someone belonged to, you knew all of their views. However, in real life, most people, including Nixon, a person’s views can change as well as views changing depending on the topic, the situation, and especially the era. Nixon’s views were sometimes not paramount, but I don’t believe one person could describe another person’s views that are. As Nixon displays these differing views, he displays what society might call a “real” person, someone who they can actually understand and relate to.
Nicole Bastian November 28, 2017 at 11:08 pm

1. I think that Nixon was a moderate. If a liberal is “someone who believes in positive governmental action to solve societal problems and to ensure equality for all” and a conservative is someone who “believes in limited governmental actions and spending, traditional American values, a strong defense, and a belief that capitalist free markets can solve economic inequality”, then Nixon is both (a moderate). Nixon took actions leading people to believe that he was a liberal such as lowering minimum wage and expanding medicare/Medicaid. He was doing a positive government action, in hope to solve societal problems and ensure equality for all. Although, Nixon did things such created the New Federalism program. The New Federalism program sought to push some programs into the state’s’ responsibilities instead of the federal realm. This would follow the ideal of limited government actions. To me, it seems that Nixon was interested in helping his people, by doing liberal things, until something went wrong. For example, when protesters were killed, he blamed them for protesting. This showed his conservative side because he told them not to protest instead of telling the police to lessen the violence. Protests would be considered a liberal action and when Nixon didn’t support/help them when they were in danger, it showed his conservative side because protests weren’t typically an action that conservatives took place in. When it came to foreign affairs, Nixon showed his capability. Nixon helped other countries in ways he could, although, he also, to some degree, escalated the Vietnam War by invading Cambodia and Laos. Nixon has done both liberal and conservative actions, making him a moderate.

2. By being as complex as he is, Nixon comes off as more of a real person than just a stereotype or two-dimensional figure. Nixon shows that by doing things that may come from different ideals. By not confining himself to one ideal, he is showing that neither is perfect and he isn’t going to go along with one just because that’s what the presidents before him did. Most presidents are liberal or conservative and most, if not all, of their actions come from that ideal. Nixon also comes off as a real person because of the fact that he messes up sometimes just like us. The Watergate scandal proved this point. Nixon made a mistake by trying to get intel on the competition, but got caught. He then made another mistake by trying to cover it up. Nixon wasn’t like the other Presidents in the sense that he believed that he could get away with things that the average citizen could not. Nixon said in an interview that when a President breaks the law, it’s not illegal. He didn’t have the same mindset as other Presidents, making him less of a stereotype. Nixon made mistakes, and he had his own opinion, just like real people.
Abby Nelson November 28, 2017 at 11:14 pm

Richard Nixon made some decisions while in office that may be considered questionable as to where he stands on the political scale. His standings on the political spectrum range from liberal to conservative rather rapidly. Many people believe that Nixon was a poll-pleaser, and I believe them to be correct. He campaigned for all the things that made the people happy, not necessarily on what he did and ended up doing. His campaigns boasted a very conservative ideal, yet some of the plans he enforced turned out to be very liberal. He took the currency off the gold standard, improving the economy significantly and even implemented the beginnings of the EPA. All of these choices were high crowd pleasers, yet he fell back on some of his conservative policies as well. His foreign policies often tipped the scale into the conservative side, as we see in Laos and Cambodia. Although Nixon did originally have a set policy, I feel he was moderate because of his lack to stick to a specific agenda.
Nixon’s complexity creates a unique personality for him. On one side we have the charismatic people pleaser with a fierce sense of competition, but on the other hand we have the conservative sneaky politician who only cares for himself. Despite the contrasting personas Nixon displayed multiple times while in office, his complexity as a person and his political choices displayed all reflect something unique about him, despite all the hassle he created for the government. His desire to please people in his campaigns gives us a contrast to the stereotypical political candidate, Nixon was giving us something we wanted, not just empty promises, although that’s eventually what would happen in the long run. He gave the people someone at least slightly charismatic as compared to earlier presidents.
Kiran Krishnan November 28, 2017 at 11:30 pm

1. I think that Nixon was a moderate. He had some policies and ideas that were more liberal and some that were more conservative. Nixon was a pragmatist and very focused on re-election, so he made decisions and policies that would guarantee him that result. In order to curb inflation, Nixon imposed many wage and price controls and took America off of the gold standard. Showing control over the American economy that hadn’t been seen since FDR’s new deal. This control showed the positive government action to solve societal problems, that liberals in the 1970s advocated for. Conservatives on the other hand would have not liked the control, as they tend to believe in limited governmental actions and spending and that capitalist free markets can solve economic inequality and problems. Nixon also created the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, as well as signing in the Clean Air Act, upholding the values that the liberals of the time believed in and somewhat dismissing those of conservatives. On the other hand, his program of New Federalism tried to push some programs into the states responsibilities and away from federal regulation. His idea being that each state knew better what it needed than the federal government knew. This program shows the conservative ideas of limited government action and spending. Nixon also sought a fine line between integration and segregation, which was an attempt to sway Southern White Democrats know as his “Southern Strategy”. But his wish to desegregate, while not forcing people to necessarily integrate shows the conservative beliefs of freedom for everyone, while not forcing people to actually actively make a change. Some of his policies reflected conservative ideas while others reflected more liberal ideas. In politics a moderate is someone who is not extreme or partisan, I don’t think Richard Nixon was either of these things. Whether his choices were an attempt to be re-elected or not, I think that they still qualify Nixon to be considered a Moderate rather than just a conservative or just a liberal.
2. I think that the fact that Nixon was a moderate and had liberal and conservative views that were reflected in his policies added complexity to him and his image. A lot of the time politicians know by their political party and we can begin to see them as just another piece in the greater puzzles of liberalism and conservatism. His complexity and the fact that he was not clearly a conservative or liberal has kept him from getting lost in those greater puzzles, and has kept him from being a two-dimensional, who can only be defined or remembered by their stereotypical liberalism or conservatism. It also makes people think about why he had policies reflecting either view. It makes you wonder whether it was because he wanted re-election, or if he was just able to zero in on what situations were best solved by applying ideas from conservatism and which were best solved by using ideas from conservatism.
Jonathan Giha November 28, 2017 at 11:41 pm

I think that Nixon was a moderate. He did many things that appeared liberal, but also many that seemed conservative. An example of a liberal action was his raising of the minimum wage by 40%. This action is distinctively liberal because it is enlarging the federal government’s role in employment, and helping poor people, which tends to be something liberals are more passionate about. Another liberal action Nixon made was the creating of the Environmental Protection Agency, and passing of the Clean Air Act. This is liberal because the environment was definitely a liberal issue at the time, and these things were made to help the environment. A final example of a liberal action by Nixon is his policy of Détente, easing of tensions with the Soviet Union and China. This was liberal because at the time and in the near future most conservatives took a hardline stance against the Communist nations, while Nixon wanted to relax the conflict. One example of a conservative action was his allowance of the FBI to start COINTELPRO, a campaign against anti-war and civil rights groups. This is a conservative action because it sought to hinder the progress of liberal groups, i.e. war protesters and the civil rights movement. Another conservative action of Nixon’s was his New Federalism program. It was made to increase the States’ role in certain programs. This is conservative because it supports States’ rights and decreasing the power of the Federal government. Clearly, because Nixon made many liberal and conservative decisions, he was a moderate.
This complexity made Nixon seem more like a real person because it proved that he wasn’t just a representative of his party’s ideas, but his own ideas. Many presidents just always make a liberal decision if they’re a democrat, or a conservative decision if they’re a republican. Nixon broke this stereotype by making decisions that would land on both sides of the political spectrum, instead of just sticking to one side. I believe that his mistake of getting caught up in the Watergate cover-up makes Nixon seem even more like a person rather than just a stereotypical executive because he made a mistake and accepted it by resigning. Overall, Nixon seems like a person rather than a stereotype or two dimensional figure because he didn’t make decisions based on what party he was in, but based on what he thought, and because he made mistakes that made him seem more human.

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Blog #105 – Was Nixon a liberal, conservative, or moderate?

400 words minimum total for both answers. Due Wednesday, Nov. 29 by class.

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