Categories History

The Pink Lady Revisited

  The Beauty in the Beast: The Daily Beast‘s choice of illustrations hints at the hatchet job that follows in the excerpt from Sally Denton’s new book about the 1950 California Senate Race between Richard Nixon and Helen Gahagan Douglas. The Daily Beast is offering an exclusive excerpt from The Pink Continue Reading

Categories Economic issues

We’re All Nixonians Now

Bruce Bartlett is a former Reagan administration official who wrote in 2002 that President Nixon had “betrayed” conservative principles by acquiescing in big-government policies. Bartlett now argues that all conservatives will have to live with big government and higher taxes. He wants them to focus on promoting economic growth and Continue Reading

Categories American Politics

Of Mice, Pumpkins, And Former Presidents

Sometime after the transition in January of 1969, President Richard Nixon asked his predecessor, Lyndon Johnson, how it felt the moment he knew he wasn’t president anymore. LBJ replied: I don’t know whether you’ll understand this now or not, but you certainly will later. I sat there on that platform Continue Reading

Categories History

37’s Resolutions for ‘69 and ‘70

RN 1970: A photograph by portraitist Merrett Smith. On the night of 6 February 1969  RN was preparing for an interview with TIME and LIFE columnist Hugh Sidey.  He wrote three pages of thoughts and resolutions regarding the responsibilities and opportunities of a President. Compassionate, Bold, Courageous,… Zest for the Continue Reading

Categories In Memoriam

Taps For An American Hero

On Wednesday, Colonel Robert L. Howard, the most decorated American soldier living, passed away at the age of 70. He served five tours of duty in Vietnam and the extraordinary list of honors and unit citations he received in those years is itemized in his Wikipedia entry. But one honor Continue Reading

Categories Richard Nixon

What does “Nixonian” mean?

It seems to me that we are hearing the term “Nixonian” used more often these days. Most recently when TV pundits were talking about the Obama Administrations criticism of Fox News. They talked a great deal about the Obama folks having an enemies list and how they were acting very Continue Reading

Categories Barack Obama

Healthcare Reform, Then And Now

Jason Schafrin, a young economist trained at UCSD, breaks down RN’s 1974 message to Congress and proposal for a comprehensive health insurance plan, and compares it to President Obama’s current plan: “Today the need [for reform] is even more pressing because of the higher costs of medical care.”  Obama echoes Continue Reading

Categories American Politics

Palin, Nixon, And The “Secret Plan”

At CQ Politics, Jonathan Allen contrasts Sarah Palin and Richard Nixon.  “Palin doesn’t have Nixon’s interest in, or knowledge of, foreign affairs,” he writes. “Imagine the reaction if Palin suggested she had a “secret plan” to win the war in Afghanistan.”  He is undoubtedly right on his major point, but Continue Reading

Categories Richard Nixon

Helen Gahagan Douglas Redux

I apologize in advance for the shameless bit of name dropping that is about to take place…..but I remember asking Henry Fonda why he so disliked RN — was it because of Vietnam (the conversation took place the spring of 1972) or the economy or something else? I was prepared Continue Reading

Categories Congress

Herman Perry’s Letter to Richard Nixon

Sixty-three years ago today, businessman Herman Perry wrote a letter to Richard Nixon asking him if he was interested in running for a seat in the House of Representatives. At the time, incumbent Democrat Jerry Voorhis was representing the 12th congressional district of California. Nixon was a young up-and-coming attorney, Continue Reading