Who's the new Nixon?
Slumping poll numbers have prompted political observers to compare politicians of all stripes to Richard Nixon. President Bush is now tied with Nixon in "the contest for 'Most Reviled President, Modern Era,'" said Eugene Robinson in The Washingt
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
What happened
President Bush dipped in the polls this week, with the percentage of Americans who “strongly disapprove” of his presidency slightly higher than the number who felt that way about Richard Nixon at the height of the Watergate scandal in 1974. But Hillary Clinton’s poll numbers are also sparking comparisons to the only president ever forced to resign. Does America have Nixon to kick around again?
What the commentators said
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.
One thing’s for sure, said Eugene Robinson in The Washington Post (free registraiton). George W. Bush has “reduced more of his fellow citizens to frustrated, sputtering rage than any president since opinion polling began,” or at least since Nixon. Bush will leave his successor with a nightmare in Iraq, “an unfinished war in Aghanistan,” a legacy of torture, and an economy with a record gap between the rich and the poor. No wonder a Gallup Poll shows him in a “statistical tie” with the only president ever to “resign in disgrace” in “the contest for ‘Most Reviled President, Modern Era.’”
But look closer, said Mark Murray in MSNBC’s First Read blog, and you’ll see it’s Hillary Clinton who is the new Nixon. Not the Watergate crook, but Nixon “circa 1968,” as NBC/Wall Street Journal pollster Richard Hart put it. That means that most Americans respect her for her knowledge and experience, but she’s polarizing. Only 34 percent of adults think she’s “likeable.” Still, being tagged the new Nixon isn’t all bad. “Do remember that Richard Nixon won two terms.”
Actually, the person who’s really wearing Nixon’s shoes isn’t president, and doesn’t want to be, said Kenneth F. Bunting in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. It’s Vice President Dick Cheney who has people looking to impeach him. But Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s proposal to impeach Cheney for allegedly lying to justify the Iraq war isn’t going anywhere—it’s impossible to prove such a charge, and Democrat leaders aren’t keen on pressing the matter. Which is good. Impeachment is serious business, not part of some “parliamentary chess game.”
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Trump surrenders in Georgia election subversion case
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries chosen to succeed Pelosi as leader of House Democrats
Speed Read
By Brigid Kennedy Published
-
GOP leader Kevin McCarthy's bid for House speaker may really be in peril
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Are China's protests a real threat for Beijing?
opinion The sharpest opinions on the debate from around the web
By Harold Maass Published
-
Who is Nick Fuentes, the white nationalist who dined with Trump and Kanye?
Speed Read From Charlottesville to Mar-a-Lago in just five years
By Rafi Schwartz Published
-
Jury convicts Oath Keepers Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs of seditious conspiracy in landmark Jan. 6 verdict
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
A look at the White House's festive and homey holiday decor
Speed Read
By Brigid Kennedy Published
-
Bob Iger addresses 'Don't Say Gay' bill, says inclusion is part of Disney's values
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published