Nixon's first term (1969-1973)

[Dazey]

Looking at his first term, before Watergate was uncovered, would you say Nixon's first term was a successful one? In the first term we got the EPA, Clean Air Act, Earth Day, end of the draft, Detente and rapprochement with China.

[NeverAgain]

Eh. Yes.

[SATW]

A lot got done, so I believe that it was a success.

[Maxwell]

A lot got done, so I believe that it was a success.

That's where we split, as most of what he did was awful, notable exception for his work with China.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

No, as with his predecessor, his actions in SE Asia overshadowed his domestic policy. Also this would be the start of the disastrous War On Drugs,  the EPA was not allowed to be particularly powerful (it was full of DoA goons)  and detente was not particularly successful or important in the long run.

[Phony Moderate]

Laid the foundation for the Watergate scandal, the legacy of which still plagues politics today (and not just America's either). Terrible.

Also, his 'liberal' domestic policies were put in place so that it gave the Democrats less to run on. He wasn't really a raving environmentalist (lol).

[TNF]

American liberalism sure is in sorry shape when you guys are actively trying to claim the biggest liberal hater of 20th Century American politics as 'the last liberal President', or whatever this insane exercise is. No, Richard Nixon's first term was not good, and neither was his second. Nixon was a criminal of the highest order whose actions resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people in Southeast Asia. Nothing else that he was forced into enacting by the mass social movements of the time comes close to making up for the fact that he was a war criminal by any measure.

[Mr. Smith]

Nope.

Mediocre to decent really, so many hits, but so many misses. But it wasn't good.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Looking at his first term, before Watergate was uncovered, would you say Nixon's first term was a successful one? In the first term we got the EPA, Clean Air Act, Earth Day, end of the draft, Detente and rapprochement with China.

Yes

[OSR stands with Israel]

American liberalism sure is in sorry shape when you guys are actively trying to claim the biggest liberal hater of 20th Century American politics as 'the last liberal President', or whatever this insane exercise is. No, Richard Nixon's first term was not good, and neither was his second. Nixon was a criminal of the highest order whose actions resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people in Southeast Asia. Nothing else that he was forced into enacting by the mass social movements of the time comes close to making up for the fact that he was a war criminal by any measure.

Dec 25 1991 is one of the best day in history as the Soviets fell that day

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

American liberalism sure is in sorry shape when you guys are actively trying to claim the biggest liberal hater of 20th Century American politics as 'the last liberal President', or whatever this insane exercise is. No, Richard Nixon's first term was not good, and neither was his second. Nixon was a criminal of the highest order whose actions resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people in Southeast Asia. Nothing else that he was forced into enacting by the mass social movements of the time comes close to making up for the fact that he was a war criminal by any measure.

Dec 25 1991 is one of the best day in history as the Soviets fell that day

You tell 'em, computer.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I don't like what he did, especially the Nixon shock, but I liked how he did it.

[Dr. Cynic]

You'd have gotten the environmental legislation with Humphrey (He campaigned heavily on it compared with Nixon and it was an issue that HHH was passionate about) and Humphrey was ready to scale down the war in preparation for ending it while Nixon escalated it. So no, I wouldn't call it a success.

[SWE]

No (not a liberal idiot)

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

No (not a liberal idiot)

[Sumner 1868]

Nixon's first term saw the bombing of Cambodia, wage freezes, the beginning of deregulation, the War on Drugs, and HMO's. So, obviously no.

[Sopranos Republican]

No (not a liberal idiot)

[Goldwater]

No (not a liberal idiot)

[Dancing with Myself]

For me it's a wash. But the good overdone the bad.

He didn't end the war like he said and bombed more than anyone figured. He didn't handle the economy well at all (but in his defense he never claimed to be an economic president,) the DEA and "war on drugs," which never got anywhere and his paranoia overstepped so many bounds and did him in. Those were his biggest failures in that term.

But he did have a good deal of positives. In terms of foreign relations he was really good and did a lot for us. That was his #1 goal and desire and he did well. China and Russia was a lot of it but he had some successes elsewhere. He ended the draft and lowered the voting age both were things that should have been done years earlier.  Then he had the environmental acts (minus the clean water act which passed after he vetoed it,)  and Title 9 as well.  The riots of the late 60's settled down as the hippie culture died out and the country didn't have such epic and halting violence like Johnson had.

Overall in hindsight it was a successful 4 years but it was far from perfect. He didn't have the easiest go at first but it seems things turned around for him right before Watergate which killed it. He deserved to be re-elected even if the Dems nominated the worst ticket possible in '72.

[Türkisblau]

No (not a liberal idiot)

[Rooney]

Nothing about the Nixon presidency was any good. He was the most harmful president until George W. Bush. The problem with Nixon is that we did not have an Obama-like president to address the many destructive policies of the Nixon years. Carter attempted but was blocked by his own party far too often.

[Dr. Cynic]

You'd have gotten the environmental legislation with Humphrey (He campaigned heavily on it compared with Nixon and it was an issue that HHH was passionate about) and Humphrey was ready to scale down the war in preparation for ending it while Nixon escalated it. So no, I wouldn't call it a success.

Revisionism is fun.

Oh, please.

[James Monroe]

No (not a liberal idiot)