While this article was obviously published in an ultra-leftist periodical who just like the Tea Party opposes everything Obama does except because he’s a corporatist imperialist rather than a Moslem socialist, and uses it largely to portray the President as a tyrant, I’ve always found the presidencies of Richard M Nixon and Barack H Obama to have uncanny parallels. Indeed I find the presidency of Obama more comparable to Nixon’s (besides the former’s lack of Nixon’s Machiavellian ruthlessness) than to John F Kennedy’s to whom Obama has been compared more often:
-Both came from relatively middle-class origins rather than being born into wealthy, established families
-Both were moderate and centrist in their government policies but both aroused extreme partisan hatreds
-Both were elected on vows to end wars started by previous administrations and while largely keeping their promises, at the same time controversially launched military interventions elsewhere-Cambodia for Nixon, and Libya along with expanded drone strikes for Obama. In addition both have preferred low-key methods involved covert operations rather than outright displays of conventional military force.
-Both Nixon and Obama proposed health care reforms which were criticized by many for not being enough
-Both Presidents have pursued economically interventionist policies to combat economic crisis (albeit Nixon’s being characterized by chronic inflation and Obama’s by the lack of inflation)-Nixon by ordering the US off the gold standard and ordering price and wage freezes while Obama pursued an economic stimulus programme and new banking regulations
Note that I don’t consider simply “dogged by accusations of misconduct” a real parallel since Reagan, Clinton, and Bush the Lesser also suffered similar accusations in the aftermath of Watergate.
I actually think he’s more like Reagan. Not corrupt like Nixon, but a bystander in his own administration. Except he doesn’t have oncoming senility and a naive belief in the goodness of people as an excuse. So I think it’s more that he chooses to not want to know, just so long as his people are doing what he’d want done.
For example, the IRS thing, that was known by his administration in June 2012, but apparently no one deigned to tell him. That’s the kind of thing you would have expected out of the Reagan administration.
-Both came from relatively middle-class origins rather than being born into wealthy, established families
And both had a parent from Kenya, but were raised mostly by their grandparents. Oh wait, that’s a more important thing and only applies to Obama.
-Both were moderate and centrist in their government policies but both aroused extreme partisan hatreds
Nixon aroused extreme partisan hatred because he was a vicious and corrupt politician who grossly abused presidential powers.
-Both were elected on vows to end wars started by previous administrations and while largely keeping their promises, at the same time controversially launched military interventions elsewhere-Cambodia for Nixon, and Libya along with expanded drone strikes for Obama. In addition both have preferred low-key methods involved covert operations rather than outright displays of conventional military force.
Obama was not elected to end the Iraq war- it was already over before he took office. All he did was execute the plan to exit that was negotiated between Bush and the Iraqis.
-Both Nixon and Obama proposed health care reforms which were criticized by many for not being enough
Every piece of legislation gets criticized. But both were successful in getting HCR passed. Oh wait, that is the more important issue and only applies to Obama.
-Both Presidents have pursued economically interventionist policies to combat economic crisis (albeit Nixon’s being characterized by chronic inflation and Obama’s by the lack of inflation)-Nixon by ordering the US off the gold standard and ordering price and wage freezes while Obama pursued an economic stimulus programme and new banking regulations
Obama simply signed into law the legislation that was started under Bush. He was only in office for a month when the Stimulus Package was passed.
One can always find superficial similarities between presidents (or almost anyone, for that matter). The difference between Nixon and Obama are much, much more pronounced than their similarities.
Eh, I don’t really think so, if you’re referring to Clinton. She went from a polarizing figure to a very popular figure while Secretary of State. Kissinger was always, well, Kissinger, respected but not very well liked.
Now that I think about it, we don’t have many of those types in politics anymore. Must have been a generational thing, where a competent public figure didn’t feel the need to be liked.
I see Obama as more Carter ineffective than Reagan ineffective.
Reagan had more of the attitude of wanting to be a figurehead and encouraging people to take over policy. Carter was a policy wonk who wanted to micromanage the government but ended up getting so wrapped up in little details that he lost control of the big picture. Reagan lost control of his administration because he had too little interest in management. Carter lost control of his administration because he had too much interest in management. And I see Obama as being more like Carter.
Obama has a dog named “Bo”; Nixon had a dog named “Checkers,” which is the Armenian word for “Bo”!!!
Seriously, I don’t understand how anyone could see any comparison between the backgrounds of the two. Even the manner of conducting the presidency can’t be compared with anyone since Clinton, because the circumstances have changed so much. It’s silly.
Obama doesn’t really micromanage, but he is like Carter in one respect: he hasn’t built up relationships with Congressmen, surprising given that he wasn’t an outsider like Carter.
It’s just hard for me not to see the parallels given that Reagan and Obama both pleaded the “I have no knowledge of what my administration is doing” excuse.
Reagan sold weapons to a hostile foreign power, and directed the proceeds to support a war Congress specifically and directly forbade him to support. Not a non-binding resolution, not a sense of Congress. Against the law, period, full stop.
Yeah, Benghazi gate is just the same. Uh huh. Right. Gothca.
It’s the management style that’s the same, not the results. Although it’s early yet. If no one actually responsible gets fired for the IRS thing, some people in the administration might take that as a green light to do anything necessary to help their boss, just so long as they let him maintain plausible deniability.
Showing your age if you think there is anything comparable between the two.
BTW, Nixon grew up poor. He didn’t come from middle class families.
and the last comparison, chronic inflation vs lack of inflation (but not deflation). Christ on a pogo stick, could one get more diametrically opposite and claim to be equivalent. Ie, “both grew up as young men, one white and one black.” Color me unimpressed with superficial bullshit, but feel free to have it boys.
Do you really believe that? Granted, there is no evidence yet that he knew it anytime before but I have a hard time believing his chief of staff knew and never bothered to tell his boss.