Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying he was a good man. But though he was a devious criminal, he did an amazing amount of good—and that should also be remembered if accurate history counts for anything.
—Title IX – Major step toward equal rights for women
— Opened relations with China
—Improved relations with the Mideast and began peace talks there
— Initiated détente and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with the Soviet Union (tried to end the cold war)
—Ended the Vietnam war (though did escalate it first)
— Started to give more power to states to make their own laws
—Launched the War on Cancer
—Started school desegregation
—Reduced inflation (until it rose again as a result of the oil cartels)
—Reduced the crime rate
—Created the Supplemental Security Income Program
—Established the Consumer Product Safety Commission
—Signed the National Environmental Policy Act
—Signed the Federal Water Pollution Control Act amendments of 1972
—Established the Council on Environmental Quality.
And he did all these things while cutting billions of dollars in government spending.
He was a criminal and an arrogant bastard, but it seems to me he was firmly on the side of the people rather than big business. I’m not aware of any other president who created so many protections for the working man, the free market, the environment, world peace and the general welfare of the people in such a short time as Nixon did.
Most of them, I believe so. There are even some sects of Buddhism in which people worship and pray to Buddha as though he was a god. That’s not what he taught at all!
I agree that being a politician requires dishonesty, but I think that lack of intelligence is completely optional. In fact, smarter people can potentially be better politicians because they may be better at figuring out the chess game of politics, and cleverer at lying to people.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying he was a good man. But though he was a devious criminal, he did an amazing amount of good—and that should also be remembered if accurate history counts for anything.