J.D. Vance was right when he said Watergate would be a "12-hour news story" in today's political climate.
This is a perfect indication of how this country has lost its way.
In the 60s and 70s, the American public reacted in horror to the murders of blacks in the south. The killing of students at Kent State was met with universal distaste. The secret bombing of Cambodia caused revulsion and more opposition to the Vietnam war. We were terrified at the prospect of nuclear war.
The Nixon administration was taken down despite the fact that it was incredibly popular and accomplished in resolving those very issues.
In 1970, before Watergate, Nixon's approval rating often topped 50%: among Democrats! His approval rating was often over 80% among Republicans, and for good reason. With bipartisan support, the following was accomplished:
Opening to China: Fundamentally reshaping the Cold War posture.
Détente: Became the first president to visit Moscow.
Nuclear Disarmament: He signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
Nuclear Disarmament: He signed the SALT I treaty to curb nuclear weapons.
Vietnam War Exit: Negotiated the Paris Peace Accords in 1973.
Military Draft: Ended the discriminatory Draft system.
EPA: Established the Environmental Protection Agency.
OSHA: The Occupational Safety and Health Act was signed.
Clean Air Act: Signed the landmark Clean Air Act.
Women's Rights: Signed Title IX, mandating gender equality in education.
Voting Age: The 26th Amendment reduced the voting age from 21 to 18.
War on Cancer: Initiated the National Cancer Act of 1971.
Peaceful Desegregation: Oversaw the largest peaceful expansion of school desegregation in American history across Southern states.
Native American Policy: Formally ended the termination and forced-assimilation policies of previous decades, returning tribal lands and expanding self-determination.
Apollo 11 Moon Landing: Presided over the historic 1969 Apollo 11 mission, which successfully landed the first humans on the moon.
GNP growth: A 9.5% increase in 1972.
Employment: Investment by the government caused falling unemployment.
Family income: Rose by 8.1% in 1972.
Personal savings: Was healthy at 6.9% of after-tax income.
It could be argued that the Nixon administration was the most successful presidency in generations. So how could the American public support its demise? One simple thing: Americans would not tolerate criminal behavior in our public officials.
The Watergate prosecutions were done in the name of justice and the law, NOT some imaginary deep state. The American people demanded the truth, and our justice system, our media, and our representatives in Congress did their due diligence.
There were 48 successful prosecutions for the Watergate debacle including conspiracy, burglary, perjury, wiretapping, and obstruction of justice. Twenty corporations and various campaign officials pleaded guilty to making and laundering illegal campaign contributions.
This is history that can be reviewed at the National Archives' Watergate collection.
But today, this administration commits crimes like these without a blink of an eye. The integrity of our public figures has eroded to the point of nothingness. Anything goes. Lies, deception, and lawlessness are pervasive.
In the 1970s, the American public would not have tolerated:
2020 election fraud claims without evidence.
Whole swaths of the American public branded as terrorists.
Violent insurrectionists branded as peaceful patriots.
Bullying of universities with threats of grant money withdrawal.
FCC threats to revoke broadcast licenses for political reasons.
Deeming opposing media as "FAKE NEWS."
A complete disassembly of our independent agencies.
The resurgence of imperialism and threats to our allies.
Claiming that climate change is a hoax without evidence.
Claiming that renewable energy is a hoax without evidence.
Open calls for political gerrymandering.
The dismantling of our public education system.
So what happened to us?
This was a time before the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, which unleashed unlimited dark money into our politics. Our representatives today serve the money, not us.
Trust requires honesty, and cooperation requires trust.
Honesty has died in a blare of distraction. Social media dimwits make a good living promoting conspiracy theories. Our broadcast and cable media has fractured into far left and far right.
Simply put: we don't know who or what to believe in this environment.
The grift has exploded.
The chart above tracks reported family net worth for Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden from entering to leaving office, on a linear dollar scale from 1993 to the present. It shows how far Trump's fortune has diverged from every other president in this window, especially during his second term.
Every figure on this chart is a journalist's estimate, not an official one. Presidents are only required to disclose their finances in broad value brackets, and the top bracket for most assets is simply "$50,000,001 or more," so no government filing can distinguish a $100 million fortune from a $7 billion one. That is why the chart shows a range of published estimates rather than a single number for each point.
Democratic Party approval was about 35% in 1972; it's about the same now.
Republican Party approval approached 60% in 1972; it's about 40% now.
Trust in the federal government: about 40% in 1972, about 20% now.
Trust in the media: about 70% in 1972, less than 40% now.
Senator salary was $42,500, while average U.S. Senate campaigns cost roughly $400,000 in 1970: a 1:10 ratio.
Senator salary was $175,000 in 2024, while average U.S. Senate campaigns cost roughly $11 million: a 1:62 ratio.
Democrats and liberal Americans who are gloating at this point should have some humility. The Democratic Party is just as corrupted as the other side. We are promised a bill of goods, but we get the same pay-to-play servitude to the fat cats serving their own interests.
We must be smarter and better informed now. Our democracy has suffered, and all of us, regardless of party affiliation, are paying the price.
We must insist on honesty from our representatives and our media.
We must insist on integrity from our representatives and our media.
We must insist on independence from big money influences.
We must insist on full and accurate public disclosure of financial data for our representatives.
We must insist on functional campaign finance reform.
We must restore trust in our institutions.