Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
4 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Fun fact...Just before resigning under threat of impeachment, Nixon went on a foreign trip... (Original Post) brooklynite May 2017 OP
Very fun fact indeed. Mme. Defarge May 2017 #1
Can you even imagine a US president riding in an open topped car in the middle east these days.. Kentonio May 2017 #2
This message was self-deleted by its author drray23 May 2017 #3
Another Fun Fact about Nixon's end grantcart May 2017 #4

Response to brooklynite (Original post)

grantcart

(53,061 posts)
4. Another Fun Fact about Nixon's end
Fri May 19, 2017, 04:30 PM
May 2017

After he released the tapes he would not go out in the public again, except he had a long standing appointment to open the Worlds Fair in Spokane, yes Spokane. He wouldn't appear in public again and then resigned in August.

I pulled together 5 other peace activists and we organized about 800 people to shout at him as he went into the fairgrounds. I remember two things from that demonstration 1) We were across the street separated by heavy police presence and when he arrived we shouted our lungs out and climbed on the cars. He turned and waved with a big grin and I was impressed at how well he carried that off 2) We were on a bunch of cars parked across the street and they happened to be police cars. People jumped up and down on the roofs and the roofs caved in. I was amazed to see the police calmly look at us and do nothing. I realized they were all thinking "those cars are not our problem".

Here is a fairly accurate story except there were very few hippies involved, most of the people there were students from the Universities in the area, known as fairly conservative schools:

http://www.historylink.org/File/5133

When President Richard M. Nixon announced months earlier that he would personally open Expo '74, King Cole (1922-2010) the fair's head, called it validation for an "underdog" world's fair (Youngs, p. 374). However by opening day, Nixon's popularity was at an all-time low and he was thoroughly embroiled in the Watergate scandal. Just a few days before the opening, the White House had released partial transcripts of the tapes that would soon undo his presidency.

A few hecklers were scattered through the huge crowd. Many more protesters were gathered outside the gates, including a contingent of Yippies, the Youth International Party. The Yippies were holding a summer encampment a few miles down the river at Spokane's People's Park -- a kind of counter-Expo -- and they had staged an anti-Nixon rally earlier that day at Spokane's federal building. At some point during the rally, someone suggested that the crowd of about 200 march down to the Expo gates.

They surged down to the Expo '74 site and shouted "Jail to the Chief" (Youngs, p. 394). Meanwhile, somebody unfurled a banner saying, "See You Later, Watergater" (Youngs, p. 394). A few protesters, including Spokane Yippie leader Rik Smith, gathered near Nixon's limousine as the president was making his exit from Expo '74. Smith said Nixon wore "a disgusted look" as the crowd began "yelling at him and flipping him off" (Youngs, p. 395). Then Nixon's motorcade rolled off and the protesters dispersed.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Fun fact...Just before re...