2. During Watergate, many Republicans distinguished themselves by standing up to Nixon. Senator Howard Baker famously asked, "what did the President know and when did he know it?"
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3. Reagan took a different task. Interestingly, prior to Watergate, Reagan had been quite critical of Nixon (for going to China & other liberal measures). But once Nixon was emerged as lawless president, Reagan loved him.
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4. Reagan in 1973/1974: Watergate was "lynching" & "witch hunt" comparable to KKK: "to watch the ‘night riders’ ignore the harm they are doing to our nation in these troubled times makes me a little sick.”
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5. Reagan continued to support Nixon even after White House tapes came out where Nixon said Reagan was “pretty shallow” and of “limited mental capacity.”
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6. Political analysts at the time & Reagan's own staff thought he was nuts. Why stick up for president mired in scandal. But Reagan's instincts were, in fact, right.
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7. What Reagan understood was that partisan Republicans (who he would need to win the primaries if running for president) would love his loyalty to Nixon, while less partisan voters would forget it.
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8. After Watergate, Reagan's star rose, while Howard Baker's more moderate version of Republicanism faded. Reagan had made the right bet: sticking to a sinking president makes sense in polarized, tribalist polity.
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9. Drawing on
@rickperlstein's excellent book Invisible Bridge &@MikeKoncewicz's fascinating forthcoming book They Said No to Nixon, I argue that we can't expect much GOP resistance to Trump:https://newrepublic.com/article/147558/trumps-loyalists-following-reagans-footsteps …14 replies 45 retweets 130 likesShow this thread -
Replying to @HeerJeet @MikeKoncewicz
Good stuff, friend. But Baker is actually a more complicated case. Stan Kutler always argued he sought to subvert the Ervin probe from within. I suspect he might v have started that way then changed his mind.
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Also RWR not quite anti-Nixon/detente. He figured out ways to justify it to himself. Helped him out on the China diplomacy. On Russia, note his praise in the piece! Only attacked FORD detente. https://www.stripes.com/news/gov-reagan-in-taipei-pledges-strengthening-of-ties-1.13025 …
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I thought Reagan had some criticism of China trip -- saw Nixon as too fawning? Or maybe I'm misremembering.
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