Richard Nixon – He Was a Good President

by Jack

Richard Nixon, the 37th president of the United States, has frequently been referred to as a bad president because of the Watergate incident.  But, remove that one blotch on his record and you have a pretty effective guy, perhaps one of the most effective in our nations history.

Let’s not lose sight of the fact that Nixon was the president that got us out of the Vietnam war, he turned around our economy around and opened up China’s market to the US.  He also had a reform plan for healthcare way back in 1974 and he was very keen on environmental protections.

For example, “In these dark times when federal budget deficits (not federal debt) frequently roam around the $1 trillion mark, most Washington officials would probably sell their mother for a deficit of only $23 billion. But make no mistake—to the Nixon administration, this was a terrifyingly large number. So large, in fact, that Nixon was prepared to do something unthinkable to a modern-day Republican—he declared himself a Keynesian in 1971, and unleashed a bag of economic tricks so overwhelmingly liberal it would make Obama blush.

The New Economic Policy changed the course of history. It combined massive stimulus designed to increase employment with an uncoupling of the dollar from the Bretton Woods exchange system, essentially eliminating the link between the dollar and gold. The knock-on effect of this has been enormous. It’s the reason why we didn’t go through a devastating crash in 1987 and one of the reasons we’re in recession now.

This “Nixon shock” managed to knock around $17 billion off the deficit in three years. Imagine the praise Obama would have received for sweeping away 70 percent of the deficit in under one term, and try to argue that Nixon doesn’t deserve more credit for this.”

Nixon’s worst mistake was authorizing the Watergate burglary, but even this was probably forgivable if he had pled his case before the public.  Nixon had information the Chinese were trying to influence the presidential election and had been funneling campaign money to the DNC using shell companies.  Hindsight says there was good reason to suspect this, but we” never know now, because Nixon never finished his investigation.

Here’s another factoid that ought to make liberals faint… “Speaking of Nixon’s liberal credentials—it’s only by a tiny margin that your grandparents weren’t getting all worked up about “Nixoncare” in 1974. That’s right—32 years before Romney did it, and 34 years before Obama stole Romney’s idea (and somehow made him campaign against it), Nixon was trying to ensure affordable healthcare for the entire US population.

Just like Obamacare, his system would have utilized private employer-sponsored insurance, while extending subsidies to those too old or ill to work. And just like Obamacare, it would have stayed out of the regulation game with hospital budgets. It was a hugely popular move on the administration’s part and fellow Republicans absolutely lapped it up. In fact, the only reason it didn’t pass was that the Democrats thought it wasn’t liberal enough and voted against it. That’s the exact same policy they later expended lots of political capital forcing into law, while the Republicans who dreamed it up destroyed themselves fighting against it. It’s a weird world we live in.”

 

 

 

 

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14 Responses to Richard Nixon – He Was a Good President

  1. cherokee jack says:

    Jack, you’re right about Nixon.
    If we want presidents without flaws, we need to look outside the human race to find them.
    FDR gave away the farm to Stalin. JFK was a womanizer. LBJ got us into Viet Nam, The horrible “Great Society,” and I still wonder about his role in the grassy knoll thing.
    “Read my lips” Bush convinced me to switch to Independent. Clinton is a rapist and perjurer, maybe worse. Bush ’43 made us permanent Mideast residents. Obama stirred up racism into the chaos it is today.
    Trump is an unpresidential loudmouth, but dammit, he’s getting more good stuff done than any of them.
    Jimmy Carter was a nice, honest ol’ boy, but this country doesn’t need a scoutmaster in the oval office

    • Post Scripts says:

      Cherokee Jack, your words are as reasonable as they are true! I challenge ol Chris to name the president that didn’t have flaws and make mistakes! He can’t of course, every leader we’ve ever had has had their flaws. Trump has his too, obviously and nobody on our side of the fence is trying to say otherwise.

      So, I say lets all (Chris) be fair in measuring the value of Trump. He has done some major good and put the nation back on the right course for energy, economy, stock market, wealth creation, jobs, border security, fair trade and more. He did this despite all the undermining, howling, dirty tricks and bitter opposition. So in my mind, that part, that really good part of Trump really warrants a whole lot of forgiveness for some of his personal flaws!

    • Peggy says:

      Well said, Cherokee Jack. Common thread links the worst offenses going all of the way back to Trail of Tears Andrew Jackson are done by democrats, with the exception of Carter. High on the list would be racist Wilson. Are students still demanding his name be removed from university buildings? Don’t remember students demanding any republican presidents’ names removed.

      My Vietnam era husband also credited Nixon with getting us out of there. Said it was a political war run in DC making politicians rich at the cost of soldier’s lives.

      • Post Scripts says:

        I also think it was a political war. Remember the flawed domino theory L.B.J. liked to talk about?

        Vietnam today is as corrupt as it was back then. We had no idea the kind of mess we were taking on. Government changed, but people didn’t. Today they may have socialized medicine, but its not any better healthcare than before the commies. You still have to bribe your way in to see a doctor and the wait time for major procedures is often fatal…pffft.

        • Peggy says:

          I do remember the Domino Theory to stop the spread of communism. Now it’s referred to as nation building and the spread of democracy. Failed since LBJ to Obama. At least Trump has made it clear he’s not interested in forcing them to change but to find a path to live in peace. Leave us alone and I’ll leave you alone.

          Since the killing of Gaddafi and the attack on Benghazi my awakening to the massive wealth made from the selling of military arms to conflicts all over the world has me questioning the real motives for the war hawks drooling over the profits that would fill their pockets.

  2. Dave says:

    Jack, I have some information I would like to get to you. (It’s not about Nixon.) What’s the best way to contact you? If you would like you could respond to the email address I left and I could respond to your message with the information. Thank you.

  3. Chris says:

    Pretty fair article. You are right to point out that many of Nixon’s policies would be seen as liberal today.

    Nixon’s worst mistake was authorizing the Watergate burglary, but even this was probably forgivable if he had pled his case before the public. Nixon had information the Chinese were trying to influence the presidential election and had been funneling campaign money to the DNC using shell companies. Hindsight says there was good reason to suspect this, but we” never know now, because Nixon never finished his investigation.

    There are proper ways to go about an investigation. Neither Nixon nor Trump used them.

    The standard isn’t perfection. The standard is whether the president can be trusted to follow the law and put the nation’s interests above his own. Trump, like Nixon before him, cannot and has not met that standard.

  4. J. Soden says:

    And after the Monday night Iowa Demwit Caucus fiasco, actor John O’Hurley tweeted today

    BREAKING NEWS – Iowa Democratic Party Declares “NO WINNERS IN IOWA” Each candidate will be getting a Participation Trophy.

    Iowa and Nevada – who have made plans to use the same app for their caucus – should be asking for a full refund!

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