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PJMcK

(22,035 posts)
6. Nixon was a complicated president
Tue Oct 30, 2018, 08:58 AM
Oct 2018

I hated him. I became politically aware during his presidency and the experience made me a life-long Democrat.

However, Nixon was a product of the American political system. He went to Duke for his law degree. He served in the U.S. Navy Reserve during World War II. He was a member of Congress and then the Senate. He served as Vice President and eventually was elected President. He served our country.

Trump has never done anything like that.

There is no doubt that Nixon was a criminal. And yet he did some remarkably important things. He brought an end to the Viet Nam War and brought the American POWs home, subsequently ending the military draft. In 1972, his overtures to China eventually led to diplomatic relations between the two nations. His administration initiated détente and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with the Soviet Union. He enforced desegregation of Southern schools. He created the Environmental Protection Agency.

Trump will never doing anything like those accomplishments. He's incapable of the sustained thought that great accomplishments require.

To be clear, I hated Nixon. Yet one cannot deny real accomplishments and when comparing these two Republican presidents, Trump isn't even in the same universe.

Nixon didn't try to destroy the US. sinkingfeeling Oct 2018 #1
Trump is much worse Tom Rinaldo Oct 2018 #2
Some character flaws in common -- notably to very different degrees, Hortensis Oct 2018 #3
Trump is much worse... N_E_1 for Tennis Oct 2018 #4
I have to agree with everything you've said. Nixon might have been a crook, but he knew the Arkansas Granny Oct 2018 #12
Nixon was an intelligent Statesman Greybnk48 Oct 2018 #5
Completely agree PJMcK Oct 2018 #7
Nixon was a complicated president PJMcK Oct 2018 #6
Excellent post NewJeffCT Oct 2018 #10
Thanks PJMcK Oct 2018 #13
And, believe it or not, he also had a heart. Years after he left office he appeared in southern Vinca Oct 2018 #23
Didn't know those things about Nixon, uponit7771 Oct 2018 #20
Much of what you say is true, however Va Lefty Oct 2018 #28
Right you are PJMcK Nov 2018 #37
Both tried to stifle the media mtnsnake Oct 2018 #8
Nixon was not stoking stochastic terrorism harumph Oct 2018 #9
nixon was a petty thief / trump is a serial killer spanone Oct 2018 #11
Lets see, Nixon created the EPA MiniMe Oct 2018 #14
trump is who he always have been. All for himself. Nixon never approached the levels of disgust beachbum bob Oct 2018 #15
Trump is worse but reflects the different times we live in. The country is much further to the right jalan48 Oct 2018 #16
Trump is Nixon on Crack grantcart Oct 2018 #17
I guess people are forgetting Nixon conspired to spoil the peace talks for political gain. Hassin Bin Sober Oct 2018 #18
No, I remembered that. . . Stargleamer Oct 2018 #26
Trump IS Nixon flotsam Oct 2018 #19
Nixon was Goodmax Oct 2018 #21
Trump is a malformed sociopath. Nixon was not. Iterate Oct 2018 #22
Dear God the posts on this thread. MyNameGoesHere Oct 2018 #24
No shit. shanny Oct 2018 #30
Thats not the important contrast. GulfCoast66 Oct 2018 #25
Richard Nixon cared about American strength and prestige MaryMagdaline Oct 2018 #27
Nixon was a crook, and behind Watergate there were a lot of other nefarious financial transactions The Velveteen Ocelot Oct 2018 #29
No, not that analogy Lithos Oct 2018 #31
Nixon: a better class of criminal NoPasaran Oct 2018 #32
Oh, gawd, no... Nixon was drunk, mean, and paranoid. TygrBright Oct 2018 #33
+1 smirkymonkey Nov 2018 #36
I remember at the time many people saying that Raine Nov 2018 #34
Nixon didn't wear awful black suits leftyladyfrommo Nov 2018 #35
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