“You’re going to get a concept that maybe this really is one world and why the hell can’t we learn to live together like decent people.” ~ Astronaut Frank Borman, on seeing the entire earth from outer space as he and the crew of the Apollo 8 returned from orbiting the moon.
After his defeat to John F. Kennedy in the 1960 presidential election, and another loss in the 1962 California gubernatorial election, Richard Nixon regrouped and reorganized. In 1968, Nixon was ready to try again. Winning the Republican nomination didn’t come easy, though – Nixon faced challenges from Michigan Governor George Romney, New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, and California Governor Ronald Reagan. At the Republican National Convention, Nixon named Maryland Governor Spiro Agnew as his running mate.
Nixon’s theme during the campaign was “law and order.” He ran well ahead of his opponent, Hubert Humphrey, but he refused to participate in presidential debates. In the end, Nixon was the winner, and was inaugurated the 36th President of the United States.
In his speech at the Republican National Convention, Nixon blamed the Democrats for the Vietnam debacle. “Never has so much military and economic and diplomatic power been used so ineffectively,” he declared. “The time has come for the American people to turn to new leadership not tied to the mistakes and policies of the past.” He pledged that he’d seek “an honorable end to the war in Vietnam.”
BONUS MUSIC!
Here’s the #27 song from Billboard’s Year-End Top 100 Singles of 1968
“Love Child” by The Supremes
I was young during the Nixon years. I’m married to a polo-sci graduate from Norrhwestern Univerdity. He said Nixon got a bad deal. He thinks he’s was one of our smartest presidents. We’ve been happily married going on 39 years now and I want to keep it that way so I just listen and respect his opinion. I know he’s studied and read and written (because I typed the papers) so much about the Watergate years. I did my own research and I have learned there is two sides to every story. Great job and good topics for discussion.
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Nixon was flawed, besieged by his own demons. Thank you for commenting, Patti.
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Which of us are not flawed and everyone has demons.
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America is still haunted by the Civil War in the 1800’s……….how long will the Vietnam War terrorize Us?
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Retrospect is 20/20, as they say. Law and order in retrospect seems a cruel joke.
Thanks for covering important matters, Martha.
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Thank you, Silvia
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This is why history is important. Sigh.
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Sure is, Jacqui.
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Worked for me too. My Diana Ross ‘oops moment’ came when I was working at the hospital in the 70’s. I was going on about how her daughter was fathered by Barry Gordy and everyone knew it despite their denials. When I got back into my lab one of my co-workers came and told me that another of my friends was Diana’s first cousin and his wife heard everything I said. OOPS. No one had ever mentioned it to me.
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Oops!
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interesting how varied the A-Z challenge is….would not let me listen to the Supremes at the end tho.
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Thanks, and I’m sorry! It did work for me.
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