The Achievements of President Richard Nixion - Essay Example

Richard Nixon of the Name of the Concerned Professor August 24, 2009 Richard Nixon The world community in general and the Americans in particular certainly lost a great leader with the passing away of Richard M. Nixon in May 1994. There is no denying the fact that the late President was guided throughout his life with an immense passion to serve his nation. Sadly speaking, many people tend to remember Nixon for Watergate, irrespective of the fact that this matchless leader possessed many remarkable qualities and strengths, which helped him serve the American interest in the troubled times that defined his presidency (Greenberg, 2003). It is high time that the American masses must recognize the achievements of Richard M. Nixon as an astute president and a great leader. Presidents like other common people, simply cannot choose the families in which they should be born. Richard Nixon certainly had a troubled childhood lacking in any form of motherly love and affection (Powell, 1999). An ill-tempered father who did not hesitate from exposing his progeny to blatant abuse and intimidation further worsened this situation (Powell, 1999). The battered and gloomy childhood of Nixon was further burdened by his father's panache for endowing his children with grandiose names owing origins to the English kings (Powell, 1999). Hence, Nixon always had to face bitter circumstances on the personal side of his life, giving way to an anxiety driven mindset obsessed by a yearning to win acclaims and honors from the people he intended to serve. Analyzed in such a backdrop, the achievements of Nixon as a man and a leader definitely stand to be tremendous and remarkable. Primarily, Nixon was a polished politician. In fact, there is no denying the reality that Nixon was a politician par excellence, who started exhibiting his tact and ingenuity right from the start of his career (Small, 2003). The politics of Nixon was always a mix of passion and drive. He successfully fructified his very first campaign for a congressional seat by tactfully revealing the left wing affiliations of his opponent. He established himself as a worthy tactician and strategist who was known for his strong anti-communist leanings, a trait that secured his candidature for the vice-presidency in 1952 (Pious, 2002). In the presidential campaign in 1952, he singlehandedly turned the tables against Adlai Stevenson by projecting himself as a champion of integrity and uprightness through a nationwide television address (Pious, 2002). Nixon was a politician who always did his homework. No doubt, the opponents of Nixon always found him a tough and formidable competitor. Even a cursory perusal of Nixon's history as a politician and a campaigner leaves no doubt as to his genius and marksmanship. During the illness of President Eisenhower in 1955-1957, Nixon conducted himself with an exceptional restraint and aptly handled the day- to- day administrative activities. The conduct of Nixon as a vice president and the Eisenhower-Nixon succession agreement meant to handle possible eventualities even today serves as a guiding model for the administrators and politicians (Pious, 2002). As a vice president, Nixon successfully campaigned for many Republican congressional representatives in 1954-1958. The White House always forwarded Nixon as an antidote against the Democratic aspersions regarding being lax on communism (Small, 2003). Nixon stymied the Bricker Amendment intending unprecedented constraints on the presidential powers (Small, 2003). In 1960, Nixon successfully won the Republican presidential nomination. However, he lost to John F. Kennedy primarily owing to the weak economic policies of Eisenhower. In 1968, he managed to repeat this feat by forging a successful compromise between moderates and conservatives. However, he managed to won the election by a narrow margin, now he faced an opposition-dominated congress. Thus, not in a position to pursue the conventional legislative tactics, Nixon resorted to having his way by affiliating to a policy of shifting alliances and coalitions (Pious, 2002). An analysis of Nixon's domestic policies as president tends to be replete with many achievements. It was Nixon who deftly handled the race issue by acting against racial segregation in schools and vying for unitary schools districts (Pious, 2002). In fact, Nixon initiated a $ 1.5 billion program aimed at doing away with the segregated facilities (Pious, 2002). It was under the Nixon administration that the Labor Department unraveled a plan to extend employment and education to the minorities in the federally funded projects. Actually, this happened to be the first credible instance of affirmative action. Nixon took concrete steps to handle the deteriorating law and order situation in America. In that context, Nixon administration resorted to four pivotal measures that included Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act (1968), District of Columbia Criminal Procedures Act, the Organized Crimes Control Act and Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act (1970) (Pious, 2002). These measures furnished the law enforcement agencies with unprecedented powers, that continue to be effective even toady. As far as the domestic policies of Nixon are concerned, he was a hardcore pragmatist. His essentially liberal measures generally contradicted his discernibly conservative rhetoric that often made people misunderstand him. Nixon as president inherited an economic scenario marred by high unemployment and mounting inflation (Greenberg, 2003). Thus, he zealously took action to deal with the pressing problems of unemployment and inflation. Most of the economic measures taken by Nixon tended to be pro-poor. An initiative taken by Nixon in 1969 absolved the 2 million American poor of their tax liabilities (Pious, 2002). Nixon tended to favor deficit budgets, going by his belief that considering the special economic circumstances in his times, an enhanced government spending will boost the limp economy. The measures taken by Nixon often turned out to be quiet unorthodox, considering the fact that he was a Republican. In the international arena, Nixon was the first Western politician who made an initiative to cull out the communist powers like China and the USSR from their self-imposed isolation. In an article published in Foreign Affairs Nixon wrote that, "We simply cannot afford to leave China forever outside the family of nations, there to nurture its fantasies, cherish its hates, and threaten its neighbors. There is no place on this small planet for a billion of its potentially most able people to live in angry isolation" (Pious, 2002). People until now have primarily judged Nixon, going by his superficial persona. A better approach towards evaluating the legacy of Nixon will be to take a realistic stock of the actual measures that he took to make America a great nation. Total Words: 1,050 References Greenberg, David (2003). Nixon's Shadow. New York: W.W.Norton & Company. Pious, Richard Matthew (2002). "Nixon Richard M." Presidents: A Reference History. The Gale Group Inc, 2002. Retrieved August 24, 2009 from HighBeam Research : http://www.highbeam.com Powell, Michael (1999). "Richard Nixon; A Psychobiography (Review)". The Australian Journal of Politics and History. Retrieved August 24, 2009 from HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com Small, Melvin (2003). The Presidency of Richard Nixon. Kansas: University Press of Kansas. Outline I. INTRODUCTION A. A misunderstood person and politician II. BODY A. Disturbed Childhood B. Astute Politician C. As vice president D. As President E. Domestic Policies F. Economic Measures G. Foreign Policy III. Conclusion Draft Nixon is a politician that has been grossly misunderstood by the American masses. As a person, he bore a disturbed and traumatic childhood. In that context, the achievements of Nixon tend to be immense and remarkable. Right from the start of his career, Nixon was an astute and sharp politician. This becomes quiet evident when one analyses his vice-presidential and presidential campaigns. Nixon was not only an adroit vice-president, but also a pragmatic president. The domestic policies of Nixon were practical and result oriented, which yielded immense success, when evaluated in the context of his times. In the international arena, Nixon also happened to be the first politician who tried to bring out the communist block out of isolation. Its time, that the historians reexamine Nixon as a President and as a person. Read More