I have pictures of my dad with him. My father did not have a promising upbringing or youth. So, I‘m proud of him. I remember the time, I was a kid, then. But, dude, his Karma was very flawed, he always fought hard and usually only almost got it right. He always got the chipped medal. His childhood never left him, and maybe the two had that in common. Before he died last year, he told me that if DT was going to become Pres, the US would turn into a banana republic. That he got right.
1. “Fond” would be the wrong word, as I enjoyed ATPM much more, but I’ll say “Nixonland” left its mark on me. I was eight when he resigned … so I knew stuff from being there in the moment, albeit as an eight year old not really understanding any of it … yet … and reading a fair amount of stuff through my teen years and twenties … because so much then was still run through the lens of what Nixon wrought. It was only after reading the book that I realized how much worse it really was.
2. 1972? I was navigating first grade … spending time at my father’s doomed motorcycle dealership … and learning how to pop wheelies on my little Honda 50. Oh! And likely arguing incessantly with my little sister. We *meant* it back then. We still bicker now, but only in jest to annoy our poor mother and show my three kids that there’s no need to argue all the time. 🤣
4. I haven’t watched ATPM in ages. You have reminded me I need to remedy that.
I assume you'll appreciate that a few years ago, since my sister lives in Yorba Linda, I visited the Nixon Library. When I was standing over Tricky Dick and Pat's graves a tour guide walked over. I asked him, "So dig they use a shovel...or a corkscrew to bury him?"
In August of 1970, when I turned 13, I wrote a letter to George McGovern asking him to run for President. In January of 1971, I got a letter from George asking me to join his McGovern for President club and promising me a dinner in the Whitehouse if he got elected. Until election day, I worked for him with the fury of a demon and the loving admiration of a Saint.
Athough I hated Nixon's guts, any compendium of his faults merits a few critical qualifications:
A) Compared to today's republicans, Nixon was a sage, a scholar , a saint and a savant. He actually could find Vietnam on a map, which may be more than we can say for Donald and his a hole supporters
B) Nixon was, compared to today's pols, in some ways more liberal than all of them:
For example, in July 1971, he announced that he was FREEZING all wages and prices to fight inflation, i.e., he made it illegal for anyone to raise a price or a wage. Today's politicians would consider that statist and socialistic, and Joe Biden would much prefer steep increases in interest rates to fight inflation, even though they may put many people out of work.
Lastly, about Mc Govern, Nixon and Israel:
You said that some Jews turned away from George because of Israel:
a) George Mc Govern never suggested that he was the least bit critical of Israel. Some of his supporters castigated Israel, but Mc Govern was solidly for Israel.
b) Nixon had been Ike's Vice President: Ike had suggested, in the late 50's, that Israel give up territory as a peace gesture to Arabs even though, in the late 50's, i.e., before the 6 day war, Israel was 10 miles thick at Tel Aviv, her point of greatest population concentration. In the early 50's, the US ambassador to the UN, at Ike's direction, condemned Israeli incursions into Jordan which were reprisals for Arab terror attacks; the Soviet Union voted against the US condemnation of Israel.
David, thank you for taking the time to share your story and your perspective! I really appreciate it. I think it's great that at the age of 13 you had an informed point of view about politics and the drive to get involved. Well done!
About your comment on McGovern and the Jewish vote, I think I could've been more clear. As you pointed out, if those voters were motivated by the perception that Nixon was a better friend to Israel, they weren't making that assessment based on the facts. Of course, it's likely they *were* coming to that incorrect conclusion based on fears that Nixon had worked hard to stoke. Of course, fear was Nixon's greatest weapon.
Again, thank you for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful comment. I hope you'll subscribe and stick around!
Second: Thank you for your praise, which is probably undeserved. I was involved not because I was special or better than other people, but because I could not help but be aware of what was gong on. My cousin was 7 seven years my senior. He was terrified of the draft. He knew guys who jumped out of 2nd story windows to get out of the draft. I knew a dude who took speed before his army physical so he could get rejected for hypertension and tachycardia.
From my cousin's friends who went to Vietnam, we knew that we were not defending them from communism; we were attacking them because many of them sided with the communists. Large swaths of Vietnam were free fire zones where we killed anything that moved. Actually, in the congressional record, it is recorded that 1000 innocent civilians in South Vietnam alone (not counting North Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia) were getting killed per week.
AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE GREATEST IRONY WAS:
By fighting the "Reds," we were helping them. Our aggression suppressed the severe Sino (Chinese) - Soviet rift. After we left Vietnam, the pro Russian Vietnamese coms attacked and invaded pro Chinese Cambodia. Then China invaded Vietnam. And in 1979, we were on the verge of a thermo nuclear was between Russia and China (This is true; there were headlines in the Times to that effect) After this, COMMUNISM LOST ITS LUSTER FROM THE SALONS OF PARIS TO THE SLUMS OF HONG KONG.
In October of 72, the Sunday NY Times said that Russia wanted Nixon to win the Nov election. I think that Russian fears of a communist takeover in vietnam, and the ensuring carnage with china, had made Russia desirous of Nixon's re election.
David, you are subscribed, that was my mistake. And thank you for expanding on your motives for getting involved. What a terrifying time that must have been for millions of young men like your cousin.
In 1972, I was 10 years old and incredibly embarrassed that our car sported a "Nixon now more than ever" bumper sticker. My dad was a staunch anti-Communist having had to run from the Russians and leave his native home of Hungary, so he supported Nixon. It wasn't cool in the neighborhood to be a Nixon-supporter and one day we came out to find that someone had taken a knife to the bumper sticker and torn it up. So I agree, things are pretty similar now.
Thank you for sharing that memory! I'm always horrified when I hear about people removing political lawn signs and bumper stickers they don't agree with. I know it seems like a harmless and petty move, but it's also a violation of personal space.
I was 16 in 1972, itching to get out of my rural high school. I watched the Watergate hearings because my then employers had them on all the time. They were Republicans but I'm not sure they were the kind of Republicans we have today. Without Arlen Specter and John Dean and the combined force of all the Republicans in the Senate when it was clear that Nixon was guilty, we would have gotten to where we are today a lot faster. He resigned rather than face impeachment and removal. We don't have those kinds of Republicans in leadership positions anymore. I don't think I fully grasped then how close we were to having a criminal run the country.
When I was a journalism student in 1975, Watergate and the reporting was presented as the model for all of us.
Thank you for sharing this, Elizabeth! Your comment really speaks to a question I’ve wondered about since I was a teenage history nerd: did people see the danger at the time? Now, as a middle aged human, I’ve got some answers.
I was a 17 year old teenager living in Mississippi to Dick Nixon supporter parents in 1972 during the run up to the election. The local Democratic Party office “hired” me to take pictures as George visited the state capitol city. I gave them the pictures I took but never got paid. They said I could take it off my taxes as a political donation. I wish I still had the negatives but alas, too many moves over too many years.
Wow, thank you for sharing that! I can’t believe they stiffed a teenager and then told him to deduct the fee from his taxes. Wish you still had the negatives!
Enjoyed your essay a lot, even though I'm probably your mom's age. A Californian in NYC in 72, teaching college and taking the "training" with visiting Californian Werner Erhard from est. So in a way I stayed Californian. Favorite history is Rebecca Solnit's River of Shadows, a remarkable, wide-ranging California saga. Anyway Nixon was so much fun to loathe because he seemed to be a genuine neurotic, always shooting himself in the foot or lighting himself on fire. We loved his down times. Larry Josephson (R.I.P.) of WBAI here played Nixon's Calif. defeat speech on a loop then ("Think how much you're going to be missing me. You won't have Dick Nixon to kick around anymore."), well, interspersed with his own commentary. Trump is just an out-and-out mob boss-cum dictator wannabe, not nearly as interesting. And without any redeeming virtue whatever.
Thank you, Curt! I can see what you mean about the fun of mocking Nixon. He was so complex and awkward and eager for power that he must’ve been a comedic gift. Gonna check out River of Shadows, looks fascinating!
My dad has this HUGE George McGovern banner from when he was running. My dad's band was performing in Boston for the campaign, and when McGovern or one of McGovern's people went to speak, the mic was out. My dad gave his mic to them, and he gets the gigantic backdrop banner as a thank you. Great post!
As always, your questions are Golden! See what I did their? Tbh, at this point I probably don’t have strong enough feelings about either game to carry me through a debate. But if I walked into an arcade and they had both, I’d head for Mortal Kombat first, right after Centipede, of course. Playing that game is just a very zen experience for me.
I see what you did there. When it comes to last name jokes, you’re the Bestrin.
Always been a Street Fighter 2 guy myself, though I appreciate the FMV aspects of early Mortal Kombat. Centipede is a must-play for me at the arcade, along with Galaga. Yeah, the early arcade games can get really absorbing.
Absolutely loved this post! I bought Nixonland when it first came out but then never read it. The book was physically painful to hold despite being in my physical prime at the time. It's still on my list however so perhaps I'll take your advice and go on an audiobook odyssey around the holidays. Reaganland came out in 2020 as well, so I'm looking forward to the sequel to this post once you read it.
I'm a huge, huge fan of Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast. I've learned so much from his episodes and, given their breadth and depth, his series are really non-fiction books masquerading as podcasts.
All The President's Men - excellent. The best "movie" I've seen in a while is Bad Education on HBO. An awesome throwback to the days when contemporary stories and simple drama could capture an audience's attention.
I'm a 1980 baby. Born during the last breaths of the Carter presidency. It's really amazing how many problems you can trace back to 1980, and how many of those you can trace back to Nixon.
This comments reminds me about that old joke of how each Soviet leader would write two letters and leave them behind for their successor. The first one said, when you get into trouble, blame me. The second one said, the next time you get into trouble, write two letters. Speaking of which, I also need to read Pearlstein’s book on Barry Goldwater.
Totally. I think I heard either Clinton or Obama say the same thing regarding the two letters in an interview about presidential transitions. And yes, the Goldwater nightmare is where it all started. One of these days I'm going to deep dive through the entire Perlstein catalogue.
I just don’t know enough about Goldwater or the really wacky conservative politics of Arizona, but the way things are going at the moment, I need to take a deep dive there.
No expert either, but my understanding is Goldwater introduced the virulent race politics into the new conservative movement, Nixon made it more palatable, and Reagan made it mainstream. The current GOP has been living in Reagan's shadow for decades with no new ideas.
The title was a great play on the governor's race in Arizona. Nixon, as you describe, was a wedge-issue candidate. Race is such a durable and depressing issue and never seems to go away. Definitely going to get the book. We are currently in nomination for my history bookclub. Can't get folks to choose books that long although Grant / Chernow was an exception and was excellent.
I also enjoyed Grant. For what it’s worth Nixonland is easily more if a page-turner, so maybe you’re book club will give it a chance. But I get the length thing. It’s a commitment.
I just ordered Nixonland. I think lots of the members won't vote for a book at 600+ pages. Maybe we can exchange our book reading list of history if you are interested. Always looking for something to read. After three months off of writing, I fell hopelessly behind merging my book reviews into my regular Newsletter. Used to do one book review per month.
I was 3 in 1972 so probably wasn't doing anything too interesting at that point. History books that I enjoy... I'm more of a biography person than a pure history book reader, though I'd argue that something like Brook's The Road To Character is more of a history book than anything. I did enjoy this post!
Thanks Mark! It’s funny you mention biography and histories. Some of the online reviews of Nixonland were really annoyed that the book wasn’t a biography. I guess the title kinda of lends itself to that. But I love a good biography and memoirs -- always fascinating to see the world through another person’s eyes.
Great post! Not every day I come across a book review that is both entertaining and inspires me to read the book.
Putting Nixonland on the top of my reading list. Thanks!
I have pictures of my dad with him. My father did not have a promising upbringing or youth. So, I‘m proud of him. I remember the time, I was a kid, then. But, dude, his Karma was very flawed, he always fought hard and usually only almost got it right. He always got the chipped medal. His childhood never left him, and maybe the two had that in common. Before he died last year, he told me that if DT was going to become Pres, the US would turn into a banana republic. That he got right.
1. “Fond” would be the wrong word, as I enjoyed ATPM much more, but I’ll say “Nixonland” left its mark on me. I was eight when he resigned … so I knew stuff from being there in the moment, albeit as an eight year old not really understanding any of it … yet … and reading a fair amount of stuff through my teen years and twenties … because so much then was still run through the lens of what Nixon wrought. It was only after reading the book that I realized how much worse it really was.
2. 1972? I was navigating first grade … spending time at my father’s doomed motorcycle dealership … and learning how to pop wheelies on my little Honda 50. Oh! And likely arguing incessantly with my little sister. We *meant* it back then. We still bicker now, but only in jest to annoy our poor mother and show my three kids that there’s no need to argue all the time. 🤣
4. I haven’t watched ATPM in ages. You have reminded me I need to remedy that.
Pretty Damn cool, Michael!
I assume you'll appreciate that a few years ago, since my sister lives in Yorba Linda, I visited the Nixon Library. When I was standing over Tricky Dick and Pat's graves a tour guide walked over. I asked him, "So dig they use a shovel...or a corkscrew to bury him?"
A cold stare reflected back at my devilish grin.
Thanks Ed! Something tells me that over the years the tour guides at the Nixon Library have given that cold stare to more than a few jokers.
In August of 1970, when I turned 13, I wrote a letter to George McGovern asking him to run for President. In January of 1971, I got a letter from George asking me to join his McGovern for President club and promising me a dinner in the Whitehouse if he got elected. Until election day, I worked for him with the fury of a demon and the loving admiration of a Saint.
Athough I hated Nixon's guts, any compendium of his faults merits a few critical qualifications:
A) Compared to today's republicans, Nixon was a sage, a scholar , a saint and a savant. He actually could find Vietnam on a map, which may be more than we can say for Donald and his a hole supporters
B) Nixon was, compared to today's pols, in some ways more liberal than all of them:
For example, in July 1971, he announced that he was FREEZING all wages and prices to fight inflation, i.e., he made it illegal for anyone to raise a price or a wage. Today's politicians would consider that statist and socialistic, and Joe Biden would much prefer steep increases in interest rates to fight inflation, even though they may put many people out of work.
Lastly, about Mc Govern, Nixon and Israel:
You said that some Jews turned away from George because of Israel:
a) George Mc Govern never suggested that he was the least bit critical of Israel. Some of his supporters castigated Israel, but Mc Govern was solidly for Israel.
b) Nixon had been Ike's Vice President: Ike had suggested, in the late 50's, that Israel give up territory as a peace gesture to Arabs even though, in the late 50's, i.e., before the 6 day war, Israel was 10 miles thick at Tel Aviv, her point of greatest population concentration. In the early 50's, the US ambassador to the UN, at Ike's direction, condemned Israeli incursions into Jordan which were reprisals for Arab terror attacks; the Soviet Union voted against the US condemnation of Israel.
David, thank you for taking the time to share your story and your perspective! I really appreciate it. I think it's great that at the age of 13 you had an informed point of view about politics and the drive to get involved. Well done!
About your comment on McGovern and the Jewish vote, I think I could've been more clear. As you pointed out, if those voters were motivated by the perception that Nixon was a better friend to Israel, they weren't making that assessment based on the facts. Of course, it's likely they *were* coming to that incorrect conclusion based on fears that Nixon had worked hard to stoke. Of course, fear was Nixon's greatest weapon.
Again, thank you for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful comment. I hope you'll subscribe and stick around!
First: I though I was subscribed.
Second: Thank you for your praise, which is probably undeserved. I was involved not because I was special or better than other people, but because I could not help but be aware of what was gong on. My cousin was 7 seven years my senior. He was terrified of the draft. He knew guys who jumped out of 2nd story windows to get out of the draft. I knew a dude who took speed before his army physical so he could get rejected for hypertension and tachycardia.
From my cousin's friends who went to Vietnam, we knew that we were not defending them from communism; we were attacking them because many of them sided with the communists. Large swaths of Vietnam were free fire zones where we killed anything that moved. Actually, in the congressional record, it is recorded that 1000 innocent civilians in South Vietnam alone (not counting North Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia) were getting killed per week.
AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE GREATEST IRONY WAS:
By fighting the "Reds," we were helping them. Our aggression suppressed the severe Sino (Chinese) - Soviet rift. After we left Vietnam, the pro Russian Vietnamese coms attacked and invaded pro Chinese Cambodia. Then China invaded Vietnam. And in 1979, we were on the verge of a thermo nuclear was between Russia and China (This is true; there were headlines in the Times to that effect) After this, COMMUNISM LOST ITS LUSTER FROM THE SALONS OF PARIS TO THE SLUMS OF HONG KONG.
In October of 72, the Sunday NY Times said that Russia wanted Nixon to win the Nov election. I think that Russian fears of a communist takeover in vietnam, and the ensuring carnage with china, had made Russia desirous of Nixon's re election.
David, you are subscribed, that was my mistake. And thank you for expanding on your motives for getting involved. What a terrifying time that must have been for millions of young men like your cousin.
In 1972, I was 10 years old and incredibly embarrassed that our car sported a "Nixon now more than ever" bumper sticker. My dad was a staunch anti-Communist having had to run from the Russians and leave his native home of Hungary, so he supported Nixon. It wasn't cool in the neighborhood to be a Nixon-supporter and one day we came out to find that someone had taken a knife to the bumper sticker and torn it up. So I agree, things are pretty similar now.
Thank you for sharing that memory! I'm always horrified when I hear about people removing political lawn signs and bumper stickers they don't agree with. I know it seems like a harmless and petty move, but it's also a violation of personal space.
I was 16 in 1972, itching to get out of my rural high school. I watched the Watergate hearings because my then employers had them on all the time. They were Republicans but I'm not sure they were the kind of Republicans we have today. Without Arlen Specter and John Dean and the combined force of all the Republicans in the Senate when it was clear that Nixon was guilty, we would have gotten to where we are today a lot faster. He resigned rather than face impeachment and removal. We don't have those kinds of Republicans in leadership positions anymore. I don't think I fully grasped then how close we were to having a criminal run the country.
When I was a journalism student in 1975, Watergate and the reporting was presented as the model for all of us.
Thank you for sharing this, Elizabeth! Your comment really speaks to a question I’ve wondered about since I was a teenage history nerd: did people see the danger at the time? Now, as a middle aged human, I’ve got some answers.
I was a 17 year old teenager living in Mississippi to Dick Nixon supporter parents in 1972 during the run up to the election. The local Democratic Party office “hired” me to take pictures as George visited the state capitol city. I gave them the pictures I took but never got paid. They said I could take it off my taxes as a political donation. I wish I still had the negatives but alas, too many moves over too many years.
Wow, thank you for sharing that! I can’t believe they stiffed a teenager and then told him to deduct the fee from his taxes. Wish you still had the negatives!
Great post! You'll love the sequel, "The Invisible Bridge." Tells...the rest of the story.
And yes, planning to check out The Invisible Bridge!
Thank you, Rick! At the risk of really stepping in it, are you the author of Nixonland, or do you just happen to share the same awesome name?
You've arrived, Michael!
C'est moi.
Okay, now I'm going to have to read it. Particularly since I'm always referencing Nixon and linking everything back to him.
I hope you enjoy the book, Bev! And if you don’t, blame Nixon 😁
Enjoyed your essay a lot, even though I'm probably your mom's age. A Californian in NYC in 72, teaching college and taking the "training" with visiting Californian Werner Erhard from est. So in a way I stayed Californian. Favorite history is Rebecca Solnit's River of Shadows, a remarkable, wide-ranging California saga. Anyway Nixon was so much fun to loathe because he seemed to be a genuine neurotic, always shooting himself in the foot or lighting himself on fire. We loved his down times. Larry Josephson (R.I.P.) of WBAI here played Nixon's Calif. defeat speech on a loop then ("Think how much you're going to be missing me. You won't have Dick Nixon to kick around anymore."), well, interspersed with his own commentary. Trump is just an out-and-out mob boss-cum dictator wannabe, not nearly as interesting. And without any redeeming virtue whatever.
Thank you, Curt! I can see what you mean about the fun of mocking Nixon. He was so complex and awkward and eager for power that he must’ve been a comedic gift. Gonna check out River of Shadows, looks fascinating!
My dad has this HUGE George McGovern banner from when he was running. My dad's band was performing in Boston for the campaign, and when McGovern or one of McGovern's people went to speak, the mic was out. My dad gave his mic to them, and he gets the gigantic backdrop banner as a thank you. Great post!
And I love All The President's Men.
Wow! What a cool story and a very cool memento for your dad! Sounds like your dad rocks, and thank you for sharing this, Jessica!
Thanks for the piece, Michael! I’m going to share it with my father today, and he does rock!
This was a good reminder that our family histories and political histories intertwine in interesting ways.
I have a feeling everyone will have the same question after reading this: Do you still think Mortal Kombat 2 is better than Street Fighter 2?
As always, your questions are Golden! See what I did their? Tbh, at this point I probably don’t have strong enough feelings about either game to carry me through a debate. But if I walked into an arcade and they had both, I’d head for Mortal Kombat first, right after Centipede, of course. Playing that game is just a very zen experience for me.
I see what you did there. When it comes to last name jokes, you’re the Bestrin.
Always been a Street Fighter 2 guy myself, though I appreciate the FMV aspects of early Mortal Kombat. Centipede is a must-play for me at the arcade, along with Galaga. Yeah, the early arcade games can get really absorbing.
Galaga is awesome! If you find yourself in Pasadena, I highly recommend Neon Retro Arcade. Two of our friends are the owners. Such a special place.
I’ll check it out! We went to Button Mash yesterday. Love that arcade.
*there
Absolutely loved this post! I bought Nixonland when it first came out but then never read it. The book was physically painful to hold despite being in my physical prime at the time. It's still on my list however so perhaps I'll take your advice and go on an audiobook odyssey around the holidays. Reaganland came out in 2020 as well, so I'm looking forward to the sequel to this post once you read it.
I'm a huge, huge fan of Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast. I've learned so much from his episodes and, given their breadth and depth, his series are really non-fiction books masquerading as podcasts.
All The President's Men - excellent. The best "movie" I've seen in a while is Bad Education on HBO. An awesome throwback to the days when contemporary stories and simple drama could capture an audience's attention.
Just googled Bad Education. That looks right up my alley!
I’m planning to read Reaganland at some point. I have a feeling that one is going to stir up a lot more memories.
I'm a 1980 baby. Born during the last breaths of the Carter presidency. It's really amazing how many problems you can trace back to 1980, and how many of those you can trace back to Nixon.
This comments reminds me about that old joke of how each Soviet leader would write two letters and leave them behind for their successor. The first one said, when you get into trouble, blame me. The second one said, the next time you get into trouble, write two letters. Speaking of which, I also need to read Pearlstein’s book on Barry Goldwater.
Totally. I think I heard either Clinton or Obama say the same thing regarding the two letters in an interview about presidential transitions. And yes, the Goldwater nightmare is where it all started. One of these days I'm going to deep dive through the entire Perlstein catalogue.
I just don’t know enough about Goldwater or the really wacky conservative politics of Arizona, but the way things are going at the moment, I need to take a deep dive there.
No expert either, but my understanding is Goldwater introduced the virulent race politics into the new conservative movement, Nixon made it more palatable, and Reagan made it mainstream. The current GOP has been living in Reagan's shadow for decades with no new ideas.
The title was a great play on the governor's race in Arizona. Nixon, as you describe, was a wedge-issue candidate. Race is such a durable and depressing issue and never seems to go away. Definitely going to get the book. We are currently in nomination for my history bookclub. Can't get folks to choose books that long although Grant / Chernow was an exception and was excellent.
I also enjoyed Grant. For what it’s worth Nixonland is easily more if a page-turner, so maybe you’re book club will give it a chance. But I get the length thing. It’s a commitment.
I just ordered Nixonland. I think lots of the members won't vote for a book at 600+ pages. Maybe we can exchange our book reading list of history if you are interested. Always looking for something to read. After three months off of writing, I fell hopelessly behind merging my book reviews into my regular Newsletter. Used to do one book review per month.
You’ll love Nixonland! I don’t have a list of books I’ve read, but feel free to send me your list, Mark!
I was 3 in 1972 so probably wasn't doing anything too interesting at that point. History books that I enjoy... I'm more of a biography person than a pure history book reader, though I'd argue that something like Brook's The Road To Character is more of a history book than anything. I did enjoy this post!
Thanks Mark! It’s funny you mention biography and histories. Some of the online reviews of Nixonland were really annoyed that the book wasn’t a biography. I guess the title kinda of lends itself to that. But I love a good biography and memoirs -- always fascinating to see the world through another person’s eyes.