================================================================================-
March 1, 1975
Editorial: Give Nixon another chance [1]
A crisis is brewing in Indochina. The Communist armies of North Vietnam are killing, raping, and pillaging their way through the South. Our politicians should be helping the South Vietnamese and giving the North all we’ve got. Instead, the Congress and media are attacking the President.
This does not mean we should ignore what the President did. But there will be a time and place for things to be sorted out. Do not forget all the good that Mr. Nixon has done for our country! And do not forget the hypocrisy that has been shown by his critics. The unprecedented barrage of criticism from a small but vocal minority is hurting America.
By impeaching Mr. Nixon, we are putting South Vietnam in grave danger. Over the last few months, Mr. Ford has shown that he will do nothing to stop the North Vietnamese. And the Democrats in Congress would rather see Communist parades in Saigon than give a dime to our friends and allies in South Vietnam. They have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Our only hope is to keep President Nixon in the White House. It is he, and he alone, who can achieve peace with honor.
The impeachment of Richard Nixon would not only dishonor our Presidency, it would dishonor our military. The 58,000 men who died fighting for our country and for the freedom of South Vietnam will have given their lives in vain! If we do not act now in Vietnam, all that bloodshed and expense will be for nothing. Only President Nixon has the strength to ensure that the people of South Vietnam remain free.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES:
[1] This is a fake editorial cobbled together from quotes from various Nixon apologists, including Nixon himself.
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March 2, 1975
Nixon addresses nation on eve of closing arguments
The President once again took to the airwaves to defend his actions in the Watergate scandal. In his address, Nixon acknowledged making mistakes, but did not admit to committing any crimes. “I did not commit, in my view, an impeachable offense. Now, the House has ruled overwhelmingly that I did…As far as the handling of this matter is concerned, it was so botched up, I made so many bad judgments. The worst ones were mistakes of the heart rather than mistakes of the head, as I pointed out, but let me say a man in that top judge job, he's got to have a heart but his head must always rule his heart.”
Nixon also put the blame on the media for his ‘misleading’ statements: “The statements [that I made] were misleading in the enormous political attack I am under. It is a five-front war: a partisan Congress, a partisan media, a partisan judiciary committee, and a fifth column.” [1] He also blamed liberal protesters, who have begun amassing outside the White House, for poisoning the minds of the American public. But, he claimed, that despite the best efforts of his enemies to discredit him, many Americans still support him. The President claimed to have received “thousands” of letters and telegrams supporting him [2]. He said that the support of Americans had gotten him through this very difficult time and has given him the courage to fight back.
Nixon concluded his speech by calling on the “silent majority” of America to march in Washington to show their support for him before the Senate vote, setting aside Saturday, March 15 as “Defend America Day”. [3] "And so tonight—to you, the great silent majority of my fellow Americans—I ask for your support," said President Nixon, in a nod to his famous “Silent majority” speech from 1969. [4]
----------------------------------------------------------
NOTES:
[1] All quotes up to this point from the Frost/Nixon interview from 1977, with minor modifications: https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2007/sep/07/greatinterviews1
[2] And he certainly had many more such supporters: http://nothingiswrittenfilm.blogspot.com/2016/11/history-richard-nixons-deplorables.html#!/2016/11/history-richard-nixons-deplorables.html
[3] This isn’t Nixon’s first rodeo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor_America_Day and http://www.nytimes.com/1970/06/30/archives/peak-capital-crowd-foreseen-on-july-4-honor-america-day.html?_r=0
[4] http://watergate.info/1969/11/03/nixons-silent-majority-speech.html
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March 3, 1975
Mr. Nixon's Supporters Don't Take It Quietly
The more the rest of society maligns Nixon, the more vociferously his stalwart defenders proclaim his innocence. What unites these Americans is a sense of alienation and outrage that has increased as the President’s troubles have worsened. Caldwell Butler – no liberal – jokingly warned that his constituents would load up their pickups with rifles to descend upon him when they learned he was going to vote to impeach. [1] Now the President has invited them to Washington so that they can make their voices heard.
And polls bear this out. A new poll finds that Nixon’s approval rating has risen to 31%. Instead of hurting the President’s image, Watergate has brought Nixon a newfound wave of popularity. White House speech writer Patrick Buchanan, meanwhile, has stepped up his attacks on the press, charging that “the big media” distort their coverage of the news by giving “enormous, positive and favorable publicity to movements associated with the far left.” [2]
Mr. Nixon is still popular in the South, where the talk about Watergate and the possible impeachment of President Nixon is subdued. The few who raise the subject dismiss It as little more than a Northern liberal plot —some even suggest it is a Communist inspired plot—to embarrass the President. “The news media is just looking for bad things to say about our President,” said one woman. [3]
Various left-wing groups have vowed to counter-protest at Defend America Day. More than 10,000 attended an impeachment rally called the March to Impeach Nixon, which was held in Washington and Los Angeles last year. [4] Washington police are anticipating an even larger crowd of pro- and anti-Nixon protestors at Defend America Day.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES:
[1] Nixon's Shadow: The History of an Image, pp. 188, 205, 207
[2] http://www.nytimes.com/1974/07/21/archives/mr-nixons-supporters-dont-take-it-quietly-aides-and-outsiders-damn.html
[3] http://www.nytimes.com/1974/01/13/archives/mood-of-deep-south-is-against-impeachment-constituents-drop-by.html
[4] As OTL, only a year earlier: http://dra.american.edu/islandora/object/auislandora%3A65937
==========================================================================-
March 5, 1975
Closing arguments in Nixon Senate trial
As Nixon’s impeachment trial draws to a close, House prosecutors seem confident that they will convince the Senate to remove Nixon over charges of abuse of power and obstruction of justice relating to Watergate. They appealed to Senators by arguing that Nixon shows no remorse and should not get away with his offenses. Almost without exception, the managers defended their vigorous prosecution of the president and complained about not having the time and scope to present their case as they would have liked.
Nixon’s defense, however, said the prosecutors' opening statements were focused on retribution and were designed to achieve partisan ends. Herbert J. Miller Jr., Nixon’s attorney, matched the intensity of House prosecutors' rhetoric with biting criticism of the case against the president, picking through the case in exhaustive detail.
Predictions for the number of votes on the two articles vary widely. If a two-thirds majority of the 100-member Senate convicts Nixon on one or both articles, he will be removed from office. Before the trial, Nixon’s impeachment seemed certain. But now there are rumors that Republican support for impeachment wavering. Some Senate Republicans believe that the second impeachment article, accusing Nixon of abusing his power, may not even get a simple majority of votes in the Senate.
When the court of impeachment re-convenes next Monday, the 100 senators will begin their final deliberations, with an up or down vote on the two articles of impeachment expected soon thereafter. Democrats are trying to drum up support for a motion to change the Senate rules to allow final deliberations to be held in the open, which would take 67 votes. But Republicans disagree strongly that the deliberations should be open. [1]
---------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES:
[1] Loosely based on: http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/02/08/impeachment.01/
===========================================================================-
March 1, 1975
Editorial: Give Nixon another chance [1]
A crisis is brewing in Indochina. The Communist armies of North Vietnam are killing, raping, and pillaging their way through the South. Our politicians should be helping the South Vietnamese and giving the North all we’ve got. Instead, the Congress and media are attacking the President.
This does not mean we should ignore what the President did. But there will be a time and place for things to be sorted out. Do not forget all the good that Mr. Nixon has done for our country! And do not forget the hypocrisy that has been shown by his critics. The unprecedented barrage of criticism from a small but vocal minority is hurting America.
By impeaching Mr. Nixon, we are putting South Vietnam in grave danger. Over the last few months, Mr. Ford has shown that he will do nothing to stop the North Vietnamese. And the Democrats in Congress would rather see Communist parades in Saigon than give a dime to our friends and allies in South Vietnam. They have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Our only hope is to keep President Nixon in the White House. It is he, and he alone, who can achieve peace with honor.
The impeachment of Richard Nixon would not only dishonor our Presidency, it would dishonor our military. The 58,000 men who died fighting for our country and for the freedom of South Vietnam will have given their lives in vain! If we do not act now in Vietnam, all that bloodshed and expense will be for nothing. Only President Nixon has the strength to ensure that the people of South Vietnam remain free.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES:
[1] This is a fake editorial cobbled together from quotes from various Nixon apologists, including Nixon himself.
======================================================================-
March 2, 1975
Nixon addresses nation on eve of closing arguments
The President once again took to the airwaves to defend his actions in the Watergate scandal. In his address, Nixon acknowledged making mistakes, but did not admit to committing any crimes. “I did not commit, in my view, an impeachable offense. Now, the House has ruled overwhelmingly that I did…As far as the handling of this matter is concerned, it was so botched up, I made so many bad judgments. The worst ones were mistakes of the heart rather than mistakes of the head, as I pointed out, but let me say a man in that top judge job, he's got to have a heart but his head must always rule his heart.”
Nixon also put the blame on the media for his ‘misleading’ statements: “The statements [that I made] were misleading in the enormous political attack I am under. It is a five-front war: a partisan Congress, a partisan media, a partisan judiciary committee, and a fifth column.” [1] He also blamed liberal protesters, who have begun amassing outside the White House, for poisoning the minds of the American public. But, he claimed, that despite the best efforts of his enemies to discredit him, many Americans still support him. The President claimed to have received “thousands” of letters and telegrams supporting him [2]. He said that the support of Americans had gotten him through this very difficult time and has given him the courage to fight back.
Nixon concluded his speech by calling on the “silent majority” of America to march in Washington to show their support for him before the Senate vote, setting aside Saturday, March 15 as “Defend America Day”. [3] "And so tonight—to you, the great silent majority of my fellow Americans—I ask for your support," said President Nixon, in a nod to his famous “Silent majority” speech from 1969. [4]
----------------------------------------------------------
NOTES:
[1] All quotes up to this point from the Frost/Nixon interview from 1977, with minor modifications: https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2007/sep/07/greatinterviews1
[2] And he certainly had many more such supporters: http://nothingiswrittenfilm.blogspot.com/2016/11/history-richard-nixons-deplorables.html#!/2016/11/history-richard-nixons-deplorables.html
[3] This isn’t Nixon’s first rodeo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor_America_Day and http://www.nytimes.com/1970/06/30/archives/peak-capital-crowd-foreseen-on-july-4-honor-america-day.html?_r=0
[4] http://watergate.info/1969/11/03/nixons-silent-majority-speech.html
=============================================================================-
March 3, 1975
Mr. Nixon's Supporters Don't Take It Quietly
The more the rest of society maligns Nixon, the more vociferously his stalwart defenders proclaim his innocence. What unites these Americans is a sense of alienation and outrage that has increased as the President’s troubles have worsened. Caldwell Butler – no liberal – jokingly warned that his constituents would load up their pickups with rifles to descend upon him when they learned he was going to vote to impeach. [1] Now the President has invited them to Washington so that they can make their voices heard.
And polls bear this out. A new poll finds that Nixon’s approval rating has risen to 31%. Instead of hurting the President’s image, Watergate has brought Nixon a newfound wave of popularity. White House speech writer Patrick Buchanan, meanwhile, has stepped up his attacks on the press, charging that “the big media” distort their coverage of the news by giving “enormous, positive and favorable publicity to movements associated with the far left.” [2]
Mr. Nixon is still popular in the South, where the talk about Watergate and the possible impeachment of President Nixon is subdued. The few who raise the subject dismiss It as little more than a Northern liberal plot —some even suggest it is a Communist inspired plot—to embarrass the President. “The news media is just looking for bad things to say about our President,” said one woman. [3]
Various left-wing groups have vowed to counter-protest at Defend America Day. More than 10,000 attended an impeachment rally called the March to Impeach Nixon, which was held in Washington and Los Angeles last year. [4] Washington police are anticipating an even larger crowd of pro- and anti-Nixon protestors at Defend America Day.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES:
[1] Nixon's Shadow: The History of an Image, pp. 188, 205, 207
[2] http://www.nytimes.com/1974/07/21/archives/mr-nixons-supporters-dont-take-it-quietly-aides-and-outsiders-damn.html
[3] http://www.nytimes.com/1974/01/13/archives/mood-of-deep-south-is-against-impeachment-constituents-drop-by.html
[4] As OTL, only a year earlier: http://dra.american.edu/islandora/object/auislandora%3A65937
==========================================================================-
March 5, 1975
Closing arguments in Nixon Senate trial
As Nixon’s impeachment trial draws to a close, House prosecutors seem confident that they will convince the Senate to remove Nixon over charges of abuse of power and obstruction of justice relating to Watergate. They appealed to Senators by arguing that Nixon shows no remorse and should not get away with his offenses. Almost without exception, the managers defended their vigorous prosecution of the president and complained about not having the time and scope to present their case as they would have liked.
Nixon’s defense, however, said the prosecutors' opening statements were focused on retribution and were designed to achieve partisan ends. Herbert J. Miller Jr., Nixon’s attorney, matched the intensity of House prosecutors' rhetoric with biting criticism of the case against the president, picking through the case in exhaustive detail.
Predictions for the number of votes on the two articles vary widely. If a two-thirds majority of the 100-member Senate convicts Nixon on one or both articles, he will be removed from office. Before the trial, Nixon’s impeachment seemed certain. But now there are rumors that Republican support for impeachment wavering. Some Senate Republicans believe that the second impeachment article, accusing Nixon of abusing his power, may not even get a simple majority of votes in the Senate.
When the court of impeachment re-convenes next Monday, the 100 senators will begin their final deliberations, with an up or down vote on the two articles of impeachment expected soon thereafter. Democrats are trying to drum up support for a motion to change the Senate rules to allow final deliberations to be held in the open, which would take 67 votes. But Republicans disagree strongly that the deliberations should be open. [1]
---------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES:
[1] Loosely based on: http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/02/08/impeachment.01/
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