What if no Watergate, also no Agnew scaldal? Nixon and Agnew serve two full terms

[TMOT1955]

There is a thread here "Campaigning Clean - Nixon in 72."

I would like to take that beyond the 1972 Presidential campaign itself. My question is this. What if there had been no Watergate? Because there is no watergate Richard Nixon serves two full terms as President scandal free. Also what if there had been no scandal involving Vice-President Spiro Agnew? Agnew serves two full terms as Vice-President.

How does this change history? What would it have done to the 1976 campaign and beyond?

[von kressenstein]

for one.. Respect for the presidency would be allot greater. The cynicism that is pervasive is due in large part to Nixon.

[RogueBeaver]

The country would still operate under pre-Watergate political SOPs. That means dirty tricks would still be commonplace, the media would be less (but not completely) antagonistic towards the White House, etc. Less cynicism in political life.

[michaelrbn]

In our timeline there were many other, smaller, scandals that the Democratic controlled Congress and the media went after Nixon for: tax deductions for his Presidential Papers, work done on his private residences, battles over impounding appropriated funds for agencies/services he didn't approve of, the secret bombing of Cambodia, etc. That would have continued and after the midterm elections of 1974 (smaller, but definite Democratic gains) intensified as the 76 election neared.

Having Agnew remain in office leads to a nomination battle between him, John Connally (Nixon's choice) and perhaps Reagan during what is seen as a Democratic year.

Perhaps Carter is hurt for the Democratic nomination (since a lot of his candidacy was based on a reaction to the Watergate scandal) and a more typical DC based member of Congress (Udall, Bayh, Humphrey among others) is nominated.

After 8 years of tumultuous GOP rule, and against a candidate who is not an incumbent president (Gerald Ford had planned to retire from the House in 74, I seem to recall), the Dems would probably win more easily than Carter did, not picking up all the Southern states he did, but doing better in the industrial north. Perhaps Carter is VP nominee to help in the South.