The Legacy of Watergate and the Nixon Presidency : Nixon's Curse

This book examines the Nixon presidency, reviews the events surrounding Watergate and the President’ resignation, and unpacks the effects of Watergate on our politics and public attitudes about the political process. Genovese, a prolific scholar of the American presidency who has published three previous books on Nixon and Watergate, argues that the roots of modern political dysfunction and slash-and-burn politics can be traced to the impact of the Vietnam War, the Watergate Crisis, the policies and activities of the Nixon presidency, and the hyper-partisanship they spawned. Now, 50 years on from the scandal, it is time for a reappraisal of Nixon’s impact and a review of the impact he has had on our political system and political culture. Acknowledgments Contents List of Tables 1 Introduction 2 The Rise and Presidency of Richard Milhous Nixon Nixon on the Public Stage What Manner of Man? Child is Father to the Man Nixon in the White House Organizing Power Nixon’s Staff Nixon’s Cabinet Foreign and Defense Policy Vietnam as Root of All Evil Vietnamization The War Spreads: Cambodia and Beyond U.S.–Soviet Relations The Road to (and from) Détente Opening Doors to China Conclusion 3 The Watergate Crisis The 1972 Landslide The Roots of Watergate Cambodia: Nixon Turns Up the Heat The War at Home Plugging Leaks The Wiretaps The Huston Plan The Pentagon Papers The Plumbers Dirty Money Dirty Tricks The Break-In The Cover-Up Begins Uncovering the Cover-Up All Fall Down The Ervin Committee The House Faces Impeachment The Ongoing Battle for the Tapes The Resignation The Pardon 4 Nixon’s Curse: A Nation Divided Against Itself Presidential Corruption Ulysses S. Grant (1869–1877) Warren G. Harding (1921–1923) Richard M. Nixon (1969–1974) Ronald W. Reagan (1981–1989) William Jefferson Clinton (1993–2001) Donald J. Trump (2017–2021) “A Republic, If You Can Keep It” Watergate, and the Vagaries of Modern Democracy The Legacy of Watergate: A New Path Remembering, Misremembering, and Learning Conclusion The Road to January 6 Index