Why do people, moderates, liberals, etc., like to pretend that Nixon was "sensible"? I'd advise that you learn your history to an extent more than "OMG, passed progressive legislation".
Given today's Tea Party brand Republicans, I don't think it's at all unreasonable to say he was sensible. That said, I was also under the delusion that Nixon was a progressive president at one time.
The thing is, people seem to think that "sensibility" and all that other crap is dependent purely on one's political compass score, which is ridiculous. Let's look at what Nixon did with his time in power. In economic policy, he purposefully created a looser monetary supply to give a short-term boost to the economy that he knew wouldn't end well, but needed in order to win re-election. As if Johnson's spending hadn't primed the economy enough to self-destruct in the 70's, Nixon did nothing but add to it. In foreign policy, he purposefully extended the Vietnam War so as to win re-election, getting exactly nothing out of it other than political gain. I don't call that sensible and anyone that proudly aligns with that is utterly ridiculous. Not to mention the ultimate failure of
detente, his attempts to dodge de-segregregation, his actions in the last few weeks before election day, 1968, the Plumbers, etc. Jesus Christ, you people.
