The Campaign of Richard Nixon Research Assignment Paper

The Campaign of Richard Nixon
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The Campaign of Richard Nixon
Introduction
Richard Nixon was born in Yorba Linda, California in 1913. Introverts often find it hard to cope or excel in politics because it is universally believed to be the extroverts’ field. However, Nixon’s dared to dream and challenged the status quo and in 1969 to 1974 he served as the 37th president of the United States of America (Black, 2008). Before his stint as the president, Nixon had worked hard to build his reputation in the political arena and to fight the prevalence of extroverts in the field. His journey to becoming president was not easy but seemed assured from his previous wins. On his first political campaign in 1946, Nixon was successful in his bid for the United States Congress. Four years later in 1950, he run another successful senatorial campaign and then followed it with two successful vice president campaigns in 1952 and 1956. To Nixon and his Republican supporters, the sky seemed like the limit until the 1960 presidential elections. John F. Kennedy handed Nixon his first loss in the political arena and two years later, his second loss came when he failed to clinch the California gubernatorial seat (Ambrose, 1988). Ambrose explains that it was widely propagated that Nixon’s insalubrious appearance in the country’s first presidential debate to be televised led to his loss to Kennedy and after his 1962 loss, the media labeled him “loser.”
After his two losses, the universal expectation was that his political career was over. However, an intelligent and success hungry Nixon took a break and moved to New York where he practiced law. Having tasted politics and the four wins in a row, it was difficult for him to ignore the voices that asked him to make a return to politics. He then began remaking himself and preparing himself for the ultimate goal of becoming president of the US.
The US in the 1960s
The onset of the 60s brought about hope and the expectation of change in the American people. First of all, John F. Kennedy won the elections, and as a young charismatic and aggressive leader, hope was indeed restored for the American people. Kennedy offered something unique and chose to ride on a wave that few had dared to do in the past. He made people believe in the government and the idea that the government had the answers to almost all of the economic, political, civil, as well as social issues that plagued the country at the time. In the eyes of the Americans, he was their political savior, and his domestic agenda seemed genius. The 60s were supposed to be the golden age of the United States, but by 1969, the country was almost breaking apart.
Nixon’s Journey to Presidency
As the country was plunged into a bleak and blurred future in the 60s, Nixon was rebuilding himself and preparing for a comeback. He dared to defy the political gods that had contributed to his two losses and cast him as a loser in the political arena. While serving in Congress and as a senator, Nixon build the image of a strong conservative as well as a strong anti-communist, and this made it easier for people to accept him (Brodie, 1981). According to Small (2013), Nixon decided to reinvent himself and focused solely on campaigning for his party members. Small writes that “in the 1966 by-election in which his party won big, he campaigned in 35 states for 105 candidates.” These campaigns gave him the opportunity to resell himself as well as the doctrines that he believed in. According to Black (2007), Nixon depicted a calm and informed figure throughout the campaigns. He was well conversant with the country’s domestic issues as well as the foreign issues and his views were quickly earning him airplay.
The Vietnam War which became the country’s focus in the 60s was a hot topic and one that contributed to the many unrests in the main cities and universities. The nation was against the war, but the government kept sending troops to the Asian country. Nixon took the stand that favored the majority and was thus against the war. Throughout his campaign, Nixon championed himself as the voice of the “silent majority” and this appealed to the voters ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"q7pis0tin","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Prasch, 2015)","plainCitation":"(Prasch, 2015)"},"citationItems":[{"id":27,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/Dlr6Mwob/items/8S96P5H2"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/Dlr6Mwob/items/8S96P5H2"],"itemData":{"id":27,"type":"article-journal","title":"Retelling Watergate: Apologia, Political Eulogy, and Richard Nixon's “Final Campaign”","container-title":"Southern Communication Journal","page":"271-292","volume":"80","issue":"4","source":"CrossRef","DOI":"10.1080/1041794X.2015.1045622","ISSN":"1041-794X, 1930-3203","shortTitle":"Retelling Watergate","language":"en","author":[{"family":"Prasch","given":"Allison M."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2015",8,8]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Prasch, 2015). In the United States, Nixon is touted as the person who popularized the term and propagated himself as the only person who has the answers to the needs of the voiceless. At the time, the silent majority denoted the people who never took to the streets or participated in any demonstration but were silently against the decisions of the government with regards to both domestic and foreign policy. Nixon’s stance on the war would eventually soften up, but before then, he had established himself as an ardent campaigner against the war.
Politicians have indeed mastered the art of using themes that resonate with the pertinent issues of the society, particularly during campaign time. Nixon was an intelligent and perceptive man who paid attention to almost everything that his opponents did and never missed an opportunity to ridicule or to counter their thoughts in matters of the state (Black, 2013). After his defeat in 1962, Nixon decided to rebuild himself silently, and by 1967, he had immersed himself back into the political arena. His stance in the Vietnam War was well known, but as election year neared, Nixon decided to focus more on domestic policy and hence his resurgence as the “voice of the voiceless” (Reeves, 2002).
Nixon also championed himself as the person who is politically endowed to restore the country’s law and order. In his 1966 governorship campaign, Ronald Reagan also used this theme. It is widely believed that the issue of law and order propelled the Republicans past the Democrats in the 60s. Nixon and his fellow Republicans were able to convince the majority of white voters that the Democrat government led by the then President Lyndon Johnson was not tough enough towards crime. Issues such as gang violence as well as the trafficking of illegal drugs became hot topics and ultimately ended the reign of the Democrats in 1968. Nixon’s choice of themes was indeed fruitful and in the end, he became president and worked to deliver most of the things he had promised.
Nixon is often remembered for his outstanding knowledge and understanding of foreign policy, but the domestic issues in the 60s called for particular attention to domestic policy as well. Some voters did not well perceive his shift of focus, but it was evident that the demonstrations, as well as the numerous unrests in cities, called for immediate attention and reforms. As already stated, Nixon was an intelligent man and having seen the strife of his fellow Americans; he started delivering a message of hope and restoration. John F. Kennedy had given the citizens a strong message, but after his assassination, uncertainties regarding the future of the country were evident.
1968 has been described as one of the most turbulent years in the history of the United States (Biography.com, 2014). First of all, the citizens were dissatisfied with the progress of the then leadership. Secondly, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy left a scar in the hearts and minds of people. Citizens did not feel safe and thus craved for a leader who will promise and deliver on both safety and stability of the nation. This presented Nixon with a perfect opportunity to propagate himself as the only person with enough experience and proficiency to make America safe and stable again.
In August 1968, Nixon won the Republican presidential nominations, but it was the contents of his speech that had everyone talking. Apart from championing himself as the voice of the silent majority and the fact that he will reform the criminal justice system, Nixon also promised to end the country’s stalemate. The 60s were indeed harsh on the American people, and Nixon saw the urgency of ...