Source: Bruce J. Schulman. The Seventies - The Great Shift
in American Culture, Society, and Politics (2001)
in American Culture, Society, and Politics (2001)
During the 1968 Presidential campaign, Nixon repeatedly refused the advice from his campaign advisors that he offer comfort to the nation; Nixon’s default setting was “Us vs. Them”, not uplift. Nixon preferred polarizing rhetoric to anything resembling unity, and when he did mention something along the lines of unity, he simply didn’t mean it. Over the next five-plus years, Nixon’s cunning and ambition would poison US politics and fragment US society, both by design and unintentionally so. Nixon shifted the balance of power in US politics and the terms of debate in our society and culture. Nixon simply hated the Elites and the Establishment - he hated the “Georgetown Set” and intellectuals; Nixon hated the Northeastern Ivy Leaguers and the mainstream media.
Nixon grew up in Whittier (CA) in a low-middle class setting. Nixon had to attend Whittier College (CA), and he resented the Ivy Leaguers and the Elites that looked down their noses at him. That resentment became more intense when he pursued a law degree at Duke (which wasn’t yeat an elite university). At Duke, Nixon’s resentment against the Elites transformed into hate, especially in 1937 when he made the rounds in NYC, applying for a position in the elite law firms. Nixon’s humiliating rejections deepened his hatred for the Elites.
Nixon grew up in Whittier (CA) in a low-middle class setting. Nixon had to attend Whittier College (CA), and he resented the Ivy Leaguers and the Elites that looked down their noses at him. That resentment became more intense when he pursued a law degree at Duke (which wasn’t yeat an elite university). At Duke, Nixon’s resentment against the Elites transformed into hate, especially in 1937 when he made the rounds in NYC, applying for a position in the elite law firms. Nixon’s humiliating rejections deepened his hatred for the Elites.
After serving in the Navy during WW II, Nixon returned to California, and won an election in 1946 to represent California’s District #12 in the House of Representatives. In 1950, Nixon won an election to the US Senate, and then in 1952, he was selected as Eisenhower’s vice-presidential candidate. However, even as VP, Nixon remained an outsider, viewed as too crude and not socially acceptable by the DC Elites (a.k.a. the “Georgetown Set”). In effect, Nixon was ostracized by the DC Elites, even though he was towards the pinnacle of the corridors of power.
Nixon’s resentment/hatred was not limited to the Elites, in that he also had contempt for African-Americans, Jews, and the media. But by far, Nixon hated the Establishment and the Elites the most due to their wealth, connections, exclusiveness, and its “hauteur”. Nixon so desperately wanted to expose the Elites as being “weaker in the spine”, and now that he was President, he wanted to prove it using the most cunning of strategies and tactics.
Nixon’s Presidency presented a fascinating-yet-baffling psychological profile, going well beyond Watergate. Nixon’s administration presented a crucial historical problem about the evolution of US politics and policy: a) Was Nixon the last of the liberals or the first of the conservatives?; b) Was Nixon’s Presidency the last phase of Post-WW II liberalism?; c) Or was Nixon's Presidency the onset of conservatism, which in part featured diverting government money and resources from the public to the private sectors.
Nixon’s resentment/hatred was not limited to the Elites, in that he also had contempt for African-Americans, Jews, and the media. But by far, Nixon hated the Establishment and the Elites the most due to their wealth, connections, exclusiveness, and its “hauteur”. Nixon so desperately wanted to expose the Elites as being “weaker in the spine”, and now that he was President, he wanted to prove it using the most cunning of strategies and tactics.
Nixon’s Presidency presented a fascinating-yet-baffling psychological profile, going well beyond Watergate. Nixon’s administration presented a crucial historical problem about the evolution of US politics and policy: a) Was Nixon the last of the liberals or the first of the conservatives?; b) Was Nixon’s Presidency the last phase of Post-WW II liberalism?; c) Or was Nixon's Presidency the onset of conservatism, which in part featured diverting government money and resources from the public to the private sectors.
Nixon did appear to be somewhat liberal, in that he doubled the budgets of the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Nixon proposed a guaranteed income for all citizens, he signed into law the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and he approved affirmative action. The regulatory state increased under Nixon, in that federal agencies monitored almost every aspect of US life.
Nixon signed into law the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and he instituted peacetime wage and price controls for the first time in US History. Nixon was even quoted as saying that he was a Keynesian in economics, arguing that the federal government was responsible for managing the economy. Nixon even ended the Gold Standard, the most reassuring symbol of fiscal conservatism. By 1971, most conservatives were not pleased with Nixon, with Patrick Buchanan even warning Nixon that conservatives thought that the President had betrayed them.
However, Nixon was cunning, and in reality he was really the first conservative President, years before Reagan. Nixon involved the federal government in school districts in the South, slowing the pace of desegregation. Nixon replaced liberal Supreme Court justices (Abe Fortas and Earl Warren) with conservatives (Warren Burger and
William Rehnquist); Nixon had unsuccessfully tried to steer through to Southern conservatives to those Supreme Court openings. Nixon dismantled, or at least tried to do so, liberal federal agencies such as the Office of Economic Opportunity, which in essence ran LBJ’s “War on Poverty”. Nixon also established the practice of economic cost-benefit reviews for all environmental regulations, making it clear that economic growth was a greater priority than the environment.
Nixon signed into law the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and he instituted peacetime wage and price controls for the first time in US History. Nixon was even quoted as saying that he was a Keynesian in economics, arguing that the federal government was responsible for managing the economy. Nixon even ended the Gold Standard, the most reassuring symbol of fiscal conservatism. By 1971, most conservatives were not pleased with Nixon, with Patrick Buchanan even warning Nixon that conservatives thought that the President had betrayed them.
However, Nixon was cunning, and in reality he was really the first conservative President, years before Reagan. Nixon involved the federal government in school districts in the South, slowing the pace of desegregation. Nixon replaced liberal Supreme Court justices (Abe Fortas and Earl Warren) with conservatives (Warren Burger and
William Rehnquist); Nixon had unsuccessfully tried to steer through to Southern conservatives to those Supreme Court openings. Nixon dismantled, or at least tried to do so, liberal federal agencies such as the Office of Economic Opportunity, which in essence ran LBJ’s “War on Poverty”. Nixon also established the practice of economic cost-benefit reviews for all environmental regulations, making it clear that economic growth was a greater priority than the environment.
Nixon pioneered what became known as devolution, which was transferring authority from the federal government to state/local governments, and from the public to the private sector, using very complicated strategies such as block grants and revenue sharing. Nixon gave increasing authority to states for programs that had been in the exclusive province of the federal government. When Nixon left office in 1974, CBS Evening News claimed that devolution had been Nixon’s #1 achievement as President. By the end of this first term, Nixon had embraced smaller government as one of his main campaign themes in running for re-election in 1972, figuring that reducing the size of government would be a winning strategy.
“Tricky Dick” was an apt nickname for Nixon, in that he pursued his conservative agenda and his assault of public life using the federal government in devious ways. Unlike Senator
Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan, Nixon did not take on “Big Government” directly, rarely attacking the liberal agencies and the Establishment he so hated and openly resented. Instead, Nixon cunningly and subtly undermined targeted liberal agencies such as the NEA and NEH, stripping them of their bases of support and sources of revenue.
Contempt for federal support for the arts was a basic tenet of conservatism. Most liberals expected Nixon to gut federal support for liberal programs, given his hostility towards intellectuals and artists. JFK celebrated the arts, bringing in all sorts of talent to perform in DC. LBJ created and spearheaded the funding for many liberal federal agencies in the Great Society, so it was logical for liberals to be wary of Nixon. The media attacked Nixon for committing the sin of not being a gracious host, and for not pulling out all the stops in feting the media during White House functions, such as official dinner parties. The media’s charges of “Philistinism” stung Nixon so much that his administration quickly arranged a “Jazz Evening” to try and dispel the dour image, even bringing in Duke Ellington to speak in support of Nixon.
“Tricky Dick” was an apt nickname for Nixon, in that he pursued his conservative agenda and his assault of public life using the federal government in devious ways. Unlike Senator
Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan, Nixon did not take on “Big Government” directly, rarely attacking the liberal agencies and the Establishment he so hated and openly resented. Instead, Nixon cunningly and subtly undermined targeted liberal agencies such as the NEA and NEH, stripping them of their bases of support and sources of revenue.
Contempt for federal support for the arts was a basic tenet of conservatism. Most liberals expected Nixon to gut federal support for liberal programs, given his hostility towards intellectuals and artists. JFK celebrated the arts, bringing in all sorts of talent to perform in DC. LBJ created and spearheaded the funding for many liberal federal agencies in the Great Society, so it was logical for liberals to be wary of Nixon. The media attacked Nixon for committing the sin of not being a gracious host, and for not pulling out all the stops in feting the media during White House functions, such as official dinner parties. The media’s charges of “Philistinism” stung Nixon so much that his administration quickly arranged a “Jazz Evening” to try and dispel the dour image, even bringing in Duke Ellington to speak in support of Nixon.
When Nixon took office in 1969, the NEA had an annual federal appropriation of $7.7m; in 1970 the agency received $8.2m, and for the 1971 budget, Nixon asked Congress to increase the amount to $16.3m, and $30m-plus for 1973. By the time Nixon left office, the federal appropriation for the NEA was over $61m, and he had requested even more for 1975. Even now, Nixon’s actions concerning the NEA are astounding, but his method was a fairly easy way for Nixon to blunt the charges of “Philistinism”.
On the surface, Nixon’s support of the NEA appeared to benefit the Elites/Intellectuals, the very crowd that Nixon so hated, and who hated Nixon. In fact, Nixon’s goal was to strip the cultural elite of its power and perks, but he knew that there would be loud howling and opposition focused against him if he cut federal spending for the NEA. Nixon’s strategy was to defund the NEA while at the same time insulating himself from criticism; so how did Nixon accomplish this seemingly impossible goal?
Nixon expanded federal funding, but he also shifted where the funding actually went. Before Nixon, federal funding for the arts was distributed almost entirely to the established institutions of high culture in major cities, for example museums, symphony orchestras, and to leading avant-garde artists or up-and-coming artists.
On the surface, Nixon’s support of the NEA appeared to benefit the Elites/Intellectuals, the very crowd that Nixon so hated, and who hated Nixon. In fact, Nixon’s goal was to strip the cultural elite of its power and perks, but he knew that there would be loud howling and opposition focused against him if he cut federal spending for the NEA. Nixon’s strategy was to defund the NEA while at the same time insulating himself from criticism; so how did Nixon accomplish this seemingly impossible goal?
Nixon expanded federal funding, but he also shifted where the funding actually went. Before Nixon, federal funding for the arts was distributed almost entirely to the established institutions of high culture in major cities, for example museums, symphony orchestras, and to leading avant-garde artists or up-and-coming artists.
The panels that awarded NEA grants were the city’s cultural elite and/or artists. These groups almost entirely awarded grants to recipients that were fellow members of the cultural elite, since it reinforced their notions of who was deserving as well as what was “real art”. Nixon reallocated federal dollars in support of the arts in part by shifting the money away from the Northeast Elites (e.g. NYC) to the nation’s heartland. Nixon also shifted the focus to more popular/populist forms of art, away from the avant-garde such as commemorative sculptures, folk art, folklore, and folk music. Nixon also focused on spending federal money on the youth, trying to keep kids off the streets to promote “correct” and productive use of leisure time, instead of protests/riots.
Nixon also wanted to advance his administration’s ideological agenda, such as sending Blood, Sweat, and Tears on a concert tour in communist Eastern Europe to showcase American artistic freedom, rubbing it in the face of the communists. So then, despite the great increases in federal funding for the arts, Northeastern Elites received a far smaller share of the federal appropriations, seeing most of the money and resources go to areas it despised and held in contempt. Perhaps more importantly, the control of federal spending on the arts shifted to conservative Republican interests. The Northeastern Elites couldn’t cry foul, however, since no other President in US History had wanted Congress to spend so much federal money on the arts: “Tricky Dick” was the perfect nickname for Nixon.
Nixon also wanted to advance his administration’s ideological agenda, such as sending Blood, Sweat, and Tears on a concert tour in communist Eastern Europe to showcase American artistic freedom, rubbing it in the face of the communists. So then, despite the great increases in federal funding for the arts, Northeastern Elites received a far smaller share of the federal appropriations, seeing most of the money and resources go to areas it despised and held in contempt. Perhaps more importantly, the control of federal spending on the arts shifted to conservative Republican interests. The Northeastern Elites couldn’t cry foul, however, since no other President in US History had wanted Congress to spend so much federal money on the arts: “Tricky Dick” was the perfect nickname for Nixon.