WI: Watergate comes out after 1976

It would heavily depend on who is President when it comes out, and just how long after his Presidency it comes out.

I can see it either being less of a big deal than OTL, or it could explode the same as OTL, either way Nixon's identity definitely isn't as tarnished as it is now, as he won't be remembered as the "resigned" President.
 
Since Nixon is not president he can't hide behind his powers and claim executive privilege not to release the tapes. Less of a dramatic buildup that made Nixon look like shit IOTL. No impeachment hearings and resignation also helps to smooth the impact, of course .

Still, once the Smoking Gun tape is released the collective memory of him can't be good. And there's still a chance that whoever is president ITTL will not pardon him which could obviously screw his legacy further.
 
Still, once the Smoking Gun tape is released the collective memory of him can't be good. And there's still a chance that whoever is president ITTL will not pardon him which could obviously screw his legacy further.

I don't know about that. Clinton was impeached and he still has a fairly good reputation with liberals. Nixon's supporters will still see him in a positive light... granted, he has far less supporters than Slick Willy...
 
I don't know about that. Clinton was impeached and he still has a fairly good reputation with liberals. Nixon's supporters will still see him in a positive light... granted, he has far less supporters than Slick Willy...
Whether or not Clinton technically committed perjury over such a mundane affair would hardly make Democrats consider that his legacy was stained (pun intended... I was young when everyone was making those jokes so humor me).

If it comes to light that Nixon was actively covering up an obvious criminal activity, it's hard to ignore. Sure there will still be those who think he was a good president despite that. But what I mean is that even Nixon's hagiographers will at least put an asterisk on his character description, methinks.
 
Watergate as we know it can't happen after Nixon leaves the presidency. By the time he's gone either the tapes are destroyed, they become private property, or he can't do anything to prevent them being handed over. It's a much quicker and less painful affair, and without the OTL struggle for the tapes I don't think it has quite the same effect. Keep in mind the burglary itself was practically footnote in OTL until Nixon refused to hand over the tapes. In the middle of an election season, there was a break-in at the Democratic National Headquarters and the Democrats lost by staggering margins and concern only grew after Nixon won re-election.

Without the long, extended struggle I'm just not sure Average Joe cares.
 
A large part of what made Watergate WATERGATE was the destruction of the mythology surrounding the office of the presidency.

Historians and investigators have long dug up dirty dealings in previous Administrations. But the lack of immediacy robbed them of the same level of impact.

I think the best comparison would be with the Teapot Dome scandal. It would be a scandal that tarnished the Nixon legacy, and those in his Administration, but wouldn't be a traumatic wound inflicted on the nation. And it's that lack of trauma which is the most noteworthy aspect as it is arguable that the echos of Watergate are still being felt today.
 
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