Watergate: Was Nixon Really That Bad?
Remember Lynyrd Skynyrd singing about Watergate? They echoed a sentiment felt by many: was this third-rate burglary really worth all the fuss?
Fast forward over half a century, and "Watergate" is synonymous with presidential corruption. Nixon's the poster boy, forever etched as the president who resigned in disgrace. But is the story really that simple?
History's a Messy Thing
Looking at Nixon's actions through the lens of consequences, not just symbolism, his misdeeds start to look… less egregious compared to some others. Were FDR, JFK, and LBJ really that much better?
It's not about excusing Nixon, but acknowledging our selective political memory. We tend to forgive (or even celebrate!) power grabs from presidents we find charming or popular.
What Really Happened?
Watergate didn't spark a war. No group was unjustly imprisoned. The Constitution wasn't fundamentally altered. Its victims – public trust, the rule of law – were real, but abstract next to the human cost of other presidents' actions.
Nixon's sin? Secrecy and a inflated sense of entitlement. He got caught doing what other presidents did discreetly.
FDR: Great Depression Hero...and Internment Camp Architect?
FDR guided the nation through tough times, but also authorized the forced relocation and incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans. Homes, businesses, lives – all lost. Did Nixon ever order anything like that?
He also tried to pack the Supreme Court, a blatant assault on judicial independence. Yet, FDR gets a pass because his outcomes were popular, and his story, victorious.
JFK: Camelot, Charm...and Close Calls?
JFK, forever linked with "Camelot" and youthful idealism, also oversaw the Bay of Pigs fiasco and the Cuban Missile Crisis. His administration greenlit assassination attempts.
And Vietnam? He laid the groundwork for the war that would define LBJ's presidency. Plus, his personal life posed major security risks. Somehow, Nixon's taped curse words are more scandalous than a president canoodling with staffers?
LBJ: The Gulf of Tonkin Lie
If Nixon resigned over a burglary, LBJ presided over a deception that still haunts us: the Gulf of Tonkin incident. Using questionable (at best, fabricated) evidence, Johnson secured authorization to escalate the Vietnam War.
The result? Over 58,000 American lives and millions of Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian civilian deaths. The public was lied to about the war's progress.
So, Why All the Fuss About Watergate?
Nixon violated elite norms without elite permission. He distrusted institutions, hated the press, and played dirty. When he broke the rules, he did it clumsily and visibly.
Roosevelt, Kennedy, and Johnson? They broke norms with confidence, charm, or political muscle.
The System Works! ...Or Does It?
Watergate makes us feel good. A bad guy is caught, accountability follows. But what about the broader abuses of power? Wars of choice, mass surveillance, racialized policies? Those are harder to confront because they implicate everyone.
Watergate was about process, not suffering. About power games, not mass harm. Internment camps, body counts, wars sold on lies – those are the things that should really bother us.
This Presidents Day, let's take an honest look at the presidents we excuse. What does our selective outrage really say about us?
