Politics: Is Obama becoming ‘Nixonian’?
There is growing discomfort with President Obama’s recent attempts to “marginalize and ostracize” his adversaries.
So much for the “post-partisan’ president,” said Charles Krauthammer in The Washington Post. Like every occupant of the White House before him, President Obama has a right, even a duty, to “debate and criticize opposition voices.” But Obama’s recent attempts to “marginalize and ostracize” critics call to mind one particular predecessor: Richard M. Nixon. First there was the bizarre, self-declared war on Fox News. Then came attacks on the motives of health-insurance companies. Now the administration insists that the venerable U.S. Chamber of Commerce no longer speaks for the business community. It’s as if Obama has his own version of Nixon’s infamous “enemies list” and is out to “undermine, delegitimize, and destroy” any dissent. As somebody who worked for and then was appalled by President Nixon, said Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander in the St. Paul, Minn., Pioneer Press, I don’t employ phrases like “enemies list” lightly. But “I have an uneasy feeling that we’re beginning to see the symptoms of this same kind of animus developing.”
Then you must have forgotten just how noxious Nixon’s tactics really were, said Steve Benen in WashingtonMonthly.com. The problem with Nixon was less that he kept an “enemies list” than that he used the power of the federal government to “try to destroy” the people on it, including journalists who dared to question his honesty. Obama is merely responding promptly to critics of his policies and calling out those who spread falsehoods about them. If that’s “Nixonian,”
then we are really “defining Nixonian down.” Sooner or later, all presidents have “enemies,” said Walter Shapiro in Politicsdaily.com. But when Nixon tried to use the FBI, the IRS, and other agencies against them, he took the presidency to a new low. He would have gone to jail were he not pardoned. “You better have strong evidence of criminal wrongdoing if you are going to play the Nixon card.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Nixon comparison is certainly a stretch, said Clarence Page in the Chicago Tribune. But there has been something petty and vindictive about the White House’s recent handling of its critics—especially the attempted freeze-out of Fox News. Obama’s flair for the speedy, well-placed counterpunch proved invaluable on the campaign trail, but a president—especially this president—is supposed to be above all that. Obama “doesn’t have to cave in to his adversaries,” and of course he’s entitled to fight back. But it’s fair to ask what happened to the man who promised to “bridge Washington’s culture wars, not fire them up.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What should you be stockpiling for 'World War Three'?
In the Spotlight Britons advised to prepare after the EU tells its citizens to have an emergency kit just in case
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Carnivore diet: why people are eating only meat
The Explainer 'Meatfluencers' are taking social media by storm but experts warn meat-only diets have health consequences
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human blood
Under the radar Drugging the bugs
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff Published
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: who are the billionaires backing?
The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published