Was Richard Nixon a 'Moderate Hero'?

[Phony Moderate]

Yes.

[Antonio the Sixth]

In some way, yes (though I don't think it is a bad thing in itself). Anyways, for modern standards he is a librul soshulist.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

Nixon was IMO a closet progressive.

[You kip if you want to...]

Probably my second or third favourite GOP president (Lincoln being first, obviously).

[Keystone Phil]

Moderate Heroes need to be "moderately heroic" in terms of personality, too. Richard Nixon was the exact opposite of that.

[courts]

Being a moderate hero, to my understanding of the phrase, has less to do with your political positions (many of Ben's are by no conceivable definition of the word "moderate" moderate at all), and more to do with your insistence, in much the same vein as many media and center-right talking heads and pundits, on appearing to be moderate, bipartisan, nonpartisan, etc., without regards to ideology. What is most important to the moderate hero is that he be perceived as moderate, by agreeing with everything that the establishment and vehemently attacking everything that the establishment hates.

Amusingly, this is the opposite of Bush, whose actions were done based on how he viewed the world and how he thought, with very little thought to how they would be viewed. However, with his bipartisan, "restoring honor and dignity to the White House" schtick, his 2000 election was a moderate hero's election.

So, it doesn't really matter whether or not you support a moderate or a centrist; what matters is that you support who the establishment supports, who the mainstream supports. The moderate hero is never revolutionary and rarely even evolutionary. The moderate hero's goal is to be accepted as "serious" by the ruling elite. Sometimes, of course, that means playing the part of a faux-populist, pretending to be the voice of the people. Rarely is a moderate hero the voice of the people, however, but instead what the elite or the establishment believes that the voice of the people is and, more importantly, should be.

In the real world, anyone who pretends to be a "centrist" or a "populist", while really towing the establishment line (your Evan Bayhs and Mark Warners) is a moderate hero.

[LBJ Revivalist]

Nixon was IMO a closet progressive.

No, he was just a pragmatist who did whatever he felt worked at the moment.
He, from all accounts, wasn't really all that interested in economic policies. His real love was foreign policy.

[Dr. Cynic]

Nixon wasn't any kind of "hero", period.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

No. He is something far far worse.

[memphis]

No, but the next two presidents were.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Nixon was certainly far to Obama's left on economic issues.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

Yeah you'll get that because he was the bad bad man who took us off the gold standard =(

[memphis]

Nixon was certainly far to Obama's left on economic issues.

Has anybody claimed otherwise? Can anybody really see Obama pushing for wage and price controls?

[tpfkaw]

Nixon was a fascist creep.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Nixon was a fascist creep.

I'd enjoy hearing how.

[Хahar 🤔]

Nixon was a fascist creep.

I'd enjoy hearing how.

He was certainly a creep and a terrible person and a terrible President and I can't understand how some of you red avatars like him.

[memphis]

Nixon was a fascist creep.

I'd enjoy hearing how.

He was certainly a creep and a terrible person and a terrible President and I can't understand how some of you red avatars like him.

He was a paranoid nutjub with an ugly method of politicking but a lot of his policies were good. He oversaw the creation of much of our environmental protections. He cooled tensions with the Soviets and with China. He didn't completely sell out the country to monied interests the way the modern GOP did. He was a thoughtful Republican. You don't see too many of those today.

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

More like Moderate Villian.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Rather brilliant policy-wise in regards to global affairs, and his domestic policy was mixed, but his personal demons got the best of him.

Too complicated to label.

[Frink]

He's the interesting contrast of a truly villainous creature mixed with an accidental humanitarian. Not all of his domestic policy was that bad either, with some glaringly obvious exceptions that make modern "liberals" and conservatives alike cringe.

[Lief 🗽]

Being a moderate hero, to my understanding of the phrase, has less to do with your political positions (many of Ben's are by no conceivable definition of the word "moderate" moderate at all), and more to do with your insistence, in much the same vein as many media and center-right talking heads and pundits, on appearing to be moderate, bipartisan, nonpartisan, etc., without regards to ideology. What is most important to the moderate hero is that he be perceived as moderate, by agreeing with everything that the establishment and vehemently attacking everything that the establishment hates.

Amusingly, this is the opposite of Bush, whose actions were done based on how he viewed the world and how he thought, with very little thought to how they would be viewed. However, with his bipartisan, "restoring honor and dignity to the White House" schtick, his 2000 election was a moderate hero's election.

So, it doesn't really matter whether or not you support a moderate or a centrist; what matters is that you support who the establishment supports, who the mainstream supports. The moderate hero is never revolutionary and rarely even evolutionary. The moderate hero's goal is to be accepted as "serious" by the ruling elite. Sometimes, of course, that means playing the part of a faux-populist, pretending to be the voice of the people. Rarely is a moderate hero the voice of the people, however, but instead what the elite or the establishment believes that the voice of the people is and, more importantly, should be.

In the real world, anyone who pretends to be a "centrist" or a "populist", while really towing the establishment line (your Evan Bayhs and Mark Warners) is a moderate hero.

Am I the definite source of moderate heroism now? That's kind of cool.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Nixon was a fascist creep.

I'd enjoy hearing how.

He was certainly a creep and a terrible person and a terrible President and I can't understand how some of you red avatars like him.

It's a comparative thing - who did more damage to the country Bush II or Nixon?

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

Nixon was a fascist creep.

I'd enjoy hearing how.

He was certainly a creep and a terrible person and a terrible President and I can't understand how some of you red avatars like him.

It's a comparative thing - who did more damage to the country Bush II or Nixon?

Nixon. He destroyed almost all credibility the office of the president had.

[Frink]

Being a moderate hero, to my understanding of the phrase, has less to do with your political positions (many of Ben's are by no conceivable definition of the word "moderate" moderate at all), and more to do with your insistence, in much the same vein as many media and center-right talking heads and pundits, on appearing to be moderate, bipartisan, nonpartisan, etc., without regards to ideology. What is most important to the moderate hero is that he be perceived as moderate, by agreeing with everything that the establishment and vehemently attacking everything that the establishment hates.

Amusingly, this is the opposite of Bush, whose actions were done based on how he viewed the world and how he thought, with very little thought to how they would be viewed. However, with his bipartisan, "restoring honor and dignity to the White House" schtick, his 2000 election was a moderate hero's election.

So, it doesn't really matter whether or not you support a moderate or a centrist; what matters is that you support who the establishment supports, who the mainstream supports. The moderate hero is never revolutionary and rarely even evolutionary. The moderate hero's goal is to be accepted as "serious" by the ruling elite. Sometimes, of course, that means playing the part of a faux-populist, pretending to be the voice of the people. Rarely is a moderate hero the voice of the people, however, but instead what the elite or the establishment believes that the voice of the people is and, more importantly, should be.

In the real world, anyone who pretends to be a "centrist" or a "populist", while really towing the establishment line (your Evan Bayhs and Mark Warners) is a moderate hero.

Am I the definite source of moderate heroism now? That's kind of cool.

Its certainly the best description of a hack I've read.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Nixon was certainly far to Obama's left on economic issues.

Has anybody claimed otherwise? Can anybody really see Obama pushing for wage and price controls?

I'm pretty sure that if Obama were President then, he would have done it without hesitation.