On Sat, 2 Mar 2002 23:53:32 +0200 "Hakki Alacakaptan"
<nucleus at superonline.com> writes:
>
> || -----Original Message-----
> || From: Jim Farmelant
> ||
> ||
> ||
> || On Sat, 02 Mar 2002 16:01:34 +0000 "Justin Schwartz"
> || <jkschw at hotmail.com>
> || writes:
> || >
> || >
> ||
> || >
> || > I miss Richard Nixon. For all his creepy personality and
> attacks on
> || > the
> || > Constitution he did more good for this country in any week in
> office
> || > than
> || > Clinton did in eight years.
> ||
> || It is a sad fact but the two most progressive presidents during
> my
> || lifetime
> || have been Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. Despite these two
> || presidents' many faults and outright criminality, none of their
> || successors comes
> || even close to measuring up to them.
> ||
> || Jim F.
> ||
>
> A lucid geopolitical crap player he most certainly was but
> progressive?
> That's one I haven't heard before. If Nixon was progressive, who was
> the
> bigot speaking below?
>
> Hakki
>
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20361-2002Feb28.html
>
As I said Hakki, a sad fact. But it was under Nixon, that the EPA was established, and most of the major Federal environmental legislation was passed and enacted into law. It was Nixon who initiated affirmative action by executive order. Nixon's Justice Department successfully pursued the desegregation of schools in the South. It was Nixon who proposed a guaranteed annual income, as a way of reforming welfare (as opposed to Clinton's later abolishing AFDC). Nixon also proposed a national health insurance program that was far more progressive than what Clinton later proposed. Under Nixon, important strides were made in regards to civil rights, women's rights, environmental protection. Also, the draft was ended.
Of course none of this is to deny that Nixon's basic reactionary instincts or the fact that he was at heart a bigot. As has already been pointed out, one reason for Nixon's progressive moves, was the fact that back then there existed strong progressive social movements like the civil right movement, the women's movement, the student movement etc. which were able to keep pressure on the Nixon Administration. Nevertheless, the fact still remains that Nixon was a more progressive president than any of his successors. It may well be the case that his successors did not engage in the kind of bigoted outbursts that Nixon was inclined to in private (although I personally doubt this) but the important thing is his deeds as president. None of his successors can measure up to him.
Jim F. ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.