Slog Comments
I'm Glad Richard Nixon Will Never Call Me with Condolences
1
seems like a nice condolence call to me.
biden a senator since 1972? that's what's wrong with america. entrenched much?
biden a senator since 1972? that's what's wrong with america. entrenched much?
5
What a horrible attempt by Nixon to console a man whose wife & infant daughter just died & sons critically injured. That had to be painful for Joe.
7
@1,
What, we should replace all experienced people with rookies?
Get rid of all the doctors, pilots, and generals and replace them with med school students, kids who play flight simulators, and private Gomer Pyle.
Experienced politicians get shit done.
What, we should replace all experienced people with rookies?
Get rid of all the doctors, pilots, and generals and replace them with med school students, kids who play flight simulators, and private Gomer Pyle.
Experienced politicians get shit done.
8
@7, they sure do get shit done. Just look at Ted Kennedy. I mean in 1970 he worked to derail Carter's attempt to push through health insurance reform to further his plans to take the nomination from Carter in 1980. And you know what? He got that shit done! Well, derailing a large part of Carter's domestic agenda..the nomination not so much.
At least the nomination fight didn't hurt Carter against Reagan later that year.
At least the nomination fight didn't hurt Carter against Reagan later that year.
10
Holy shit - what an amazing historical artifact. @5, I'm sure Biden was in terrible anguish, and viewed receiving that call as his duty. I doubt he was surprised Nixon did such a shitty job of it. Nixon had used his power to get longtime Delaware Sen. Boggs to try for another term. It was Boggs whom Biden managed to squeak past, running (per Wiki) on "withdrawal from Vietnam, the environment, civil rights, mass transit, more equitable taxation, health care, the public's dissatisfaction with politics-as-usual, and 'change'". (Sound familiar?)
He'd become Senator just a few weeks before Nixon made this awful call. And he had just turned 30. Here's a picture of him then, from this article examining why new senators are now so fucking old. http://www.salon.com/2012/05/19/be_like_…
He'd become Senator just a few weeks before Nixon made this awful call. And he had just turned 30. Here's a picture of him then, from this article examining why new senators are now so fucking old. http://www.salon.com/2012/05/19/be_like_…
11
awkward - who doesn't feel awkward in giving condolences?
direct - well, most presidents and alpha-males are.
convinced that political power is the most important thing in the world - that's really milking it that Biden's wife was with him in a political victory and will be looking after him [e.g. from heaven]?
Your sentiments are a real stretch Paul Constant.
direct - well, most presidents and alpha-males are.
convinced that political power is the most important thing in the world - that's really milking it that Biden's wife was with him in a political victory and will be looking after him [e.g. from heaven]?
Your sentiments are a real stretch Paul Constant.
13
I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that Nixon was a hell of an introvert, which makes the awkwardness fit in a bit more.
Ahh, here it is!
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arch…
Ahh, here it is!
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arch…
14
This the last straw! I wanted to support a Nixon presidency but this has convinced me otherwise...
15
Nixon ended the Vietnam War, opened up relations with China and the U.S.S.R., gave us the EPA, OSHA, and the Clean Air Act, and defended desegregation. (He also destroyed Chile's democratic socialist government, replacing it with a murderous dictatorship, but...) I actually prefer Nixon to Kennedy, and I'd take him over Dubya or Romney, who are a thousand times worse, any time of day, any day of the week.
I don't think that was such a bad condolences call. He sounded rather sweet. We can't expect him to be Bill Clinton.
I don't think that was such a bad condolences call. He sounded rather sweet. We can't expect him to be Bill Clinton.
16
I wonder if George McGovern also had the courtesy to give Biden a condolence call?
Speaking of McGovern, a liberal icon, is in his final days. I really thought that The Stranger would have taken note of that. Do sloggers have to do everything around here?
Speaking of McGovern, a liberal icon, is in his final days. I really thought that The Stranger would have taken note of that. Do sloggers have to do everything around here?
20
@18: Actually, I didn't say that. I was commenting on Paul's interpretation. Nixon could very well have cursed Biden and the democrats upon hanging up and grumbled for the rest of the day at how Pat or Rosemary Wood put him up to making the call.
23
Re: Paul's dailykos link, I didn't tune in the veep debate, but I hope that in the post-event mikes-off handshake period Biden was all, like, "WTF, Munster?! Fuck you and the succubus that obviously crawled up your asshole last night!"
26
I couldn't listen past "...praying for you, and also, for your, uh, two children." Way to drive home the fact that he'd had three children until just recently. I mean, ouch. Jesus.
27
WTF is wrong with you people? BREAKING NEWS!!! Nixon was a bit awkward in placing a condolence call.
Give him some credit: he made a pretty decent attempt at drawing on something they had in common -- being elected to Congress at a young age.
Give him some credit: he made a pretty decent attempt at drawing on something they had in common -- being elected to Congress at a young age.
28
@15 Nixon was more liberal than Obama. No question about that. More racist homophobic and more left leaning. Sad.
29
@15 Sure, he ended the war, but only after an additional 21,000 American soldiers died on his watch, and who knows how many Vietnamese civilians. This was his "Secret Plan To End The War."
Please don't ever trust a Presidential candidate (*cough* Romney *cough*) with secret plans again.
Please don't ever trust a Presidential candidate (*cough* Romney *cough*) with secret plans again.
32
The Chinese mistress was observed with Nixon by a number of people. I doubt if anyone observed Nixon and Rebozo in bed.
33
Well, some people saw some things..... Maybe the mistress was a beard/spy...
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-12-…
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-12-…
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