The Watergate Scandal and Its Aftermath Essay Example for Free

The Watergate Scandal and Its Aftermath EssayOn January 21, 1969, Richard Milhous Nixon was inaugurated as the 37th prexy of the United States and re-elected in January 3, 1973. On August 8, 1974, Nixon became the first US President to resign after(prenominal) impeach workforcet proceedings were initiated a make believest him over what has become kn sustain as The Watergate Scandal. (Watergate Chronology)The term Watergate has become similar with governmental cover-up, lies, crime skullduggery and filth in the United States and worldwide. The fact that a simple spoil burglary opened a prodigious can of worms makes it all the more mind-boggling. As people began to realize that they were in the midst of a conspiracy that reached all the way to the top, they began to wonder just how deep, and how widespread, the rot went.Nixon himself has denied either complicity in the matter, until evidence that this was not so become too compelling to ignore, hence the subsequent impeach ment articles and resignation. However, his motivations, aside from the mandate for the slap-up of the nation, was never satisfactorily explained. Regardless of the why, the effect of Watergate on the political status of Nixon is unexpected. It, of course, killed his Presidency, and although refilling President Gerald Ford extended him a full pardon and he did not go to jail, more believed that he embodied the essence of all that was wrong in American administration of that era. Watergate colors any good he may have through with(p) during his term of office.However, he was far from quietly melt into the good night. After his resignation and pardon, Nixon proceeded to quietly regain respectability in the eye of the American public. By the time of his death, he had managed to author nine books and served as adviser to US Presidents Bush Senior and Reagan.Whenever he spoke about American foreign policy before a crowd, people listened because he had do it his business to travel and trace a political feel of the various countries he toured and the mindset of the political leaders he visited. In fact, his last book, Beyond Peace, was a less than flattering summation of American foreign policy that was timely in the face of the political crises such as in Bosnia and Korea after the Cold War. (Stacks, 1994)Nixon failed in the midst of his success, and succeeded in the midst of his failure. Ruthless in his pursuit and determined in his endeavors, he managed to rise above the ashes of the Watergate Scandal that destroyed the carg unrivalledrs of at least 30 of the most owing(p) men of his time and died in 1997 regarded by many as an elderly statesman.What of the country he had, as many people still firmly believe, betrayed to further his own recreates and control? What has his abuse of power done to affect American policy?The Watergate incident succeeded in opening an Aegean stables of graft and corruption, throwing into sharp allayer the special come to gr oups that had bought their way into favor and prompted a US President to stake all. The cleansing course of public opinion and media criticism enabled the disheveled American government to rally around and expose the consequence of the problem. But the aftermath was more complicated than what was anticipated. quite a little started to lose confidence in their political leaders, eyesight them as untrustworthy and vulnerable to large corporations with deep pockets. Conspiracy theories cropped up that seemed increasingly probable, and suspicion of the men in black such as the FBI, CIA etc., agencies that served the will of people in power and not the American people increased. This may have been due to the fact of the FBIs involvement in the attempted cover-up. (Watergate)The bash was tightening around parkway finance, and at first the measures were stringent. Campaign contri scarceions could neither be from questionable sources nor more than $1,000.00.A feederal commission on el ections was formed to watch over the general election amidst Ford and Jimmy Carter. However, these measures could not last with clever politicians and court interpretations of the law backing the claim that campaign contributions were covered under the First Amendment. (Jackson, 1999) Soon, the amount of contributions from special interest groups and large corporations to both the Democratic and republican parties reached epic proportions, undreamed off during Nixons time.Tighter media vigilance also succeeded in promoting transp arency and accountability among the politicians. However, the never-ending skepticism of the spoken and written word became an integral part of this vigilance, lending material for many a stand-up comedy act that nevertheless undermine the efforts of politicians and statesmen to effect positive and progressive change in American policies, never mind if they be honest and morally upright.The media coverage of the Watergate hearings became the focal augur of interest for at least 85% of the population at any apt(p) time in the sign proceedings, at one time dominating airtime with 13 hours of coverage in the six days interest the first hearing on July 24, 1974. (Garay)While this kept people informed of what was happening, a change in the American psyche also resulted. The people post-Watergate lost their confidence in their elected officials and had adopted a passive, if not overtly hostile, attitude towards the whole process. This has filtered down to later generations and now less than 50% of the right to vote population actually bothers to vote. The general opinion is that all politicians and people in power are liars, or are not telling the whole truth, in pursuit of their own advancement and self-interests.This belief has translated into an overzealous, most paranoid, eye for political corruption. Ethics committees and procedures, independent counsel law, public integrity sections and other such agencies are devoted solely t o having a weather eye cocked for the smallest misstep. What was once acceptable political give-and-take, such as free football tickets, is looked at askance as a symptom of much bigger largesse. (Jackson, 1999)This has not stopped any chicanery, however. There are many ways around a committee, and around the law, if one has enough resources to pull it off. Many use this vigilance to discredit a rival or to gain favor in the public eye, most probably charm doing the same thing or something else every bit or more unethical or even illegal. The important thing is, from a political point of view, is not to get caught, as Nixon so very openly was.All this reform, disclosure and transparency has given way to two very significant results One, those in politics bent on serving their own interests has become very good at fooling the watch dogs down paths that they want to expose while covering their own tracks and two, those who have the nations interest at heart has an uphill acclivity i n gaining the trust and confidence of the people.And what of the media? Many forget that the media is also a special interest group, but instead of currying favor from politicians to get special treatment by giving campaign contributions and other donations, the media uses politics and politicians to exploit whatever the issue of the moment is and sell.While many are legitimate publications with reliable sources or well-formed opinions, the great influence they have on public opinion are not eer used judiciously. Their motivation is to sell. The bigger the scandal, the better, never mind if it is not always in the public interest to know all. Bad news sells better than good news, and many times the public focuses only on whos doing what to whom rather than what good some have been doing, or trying to do.In the case of Watergate, media fed on the thirst of the public to know, but failed to provide a complete picture of what actually happened that 30 years down the line has provided to some extent. The damage has been done, the people no longer trust government, and are ready to believe the worst without giving benefit to doubt.What was most interesting to those who analyze the raison detre of the scandal was that it seemed almost pointless, as Nixon at the time was at the top of his form, having just been re-elected with a landslide victory, and familiar with the nation.Many asked what could be his reason for wanting to bug the offices of the Democratic Partys National Committee, housed because at the plush Watergate Hotel. policy-making spying and sabotage seemed to be the most obvious reason, as FBI investigators open in 1972, and it appeared reasonable what with the coming elections. However, the popularity he had gathered with his delivery of the Silent Majority speech on the Vietnam War seemed to make these efforts superfluous. (Watergate.info)To this day there has been no satisfactory answer as to the why as many closely involved with the scandal hav e died, and have taken the mystery with them.What is not a mystery today is the ripple-effect of Watergate on American politics and policy, and the establishment of Richard Nixon as a public figure. Political bashing and mud-slinging has become the order of the day, and the media has run true to form in exploiting the dollar value of a good scandal. Campaign financing has become big business, reaching astronomic levels, with the added bonus of being legitimate, thanks to chanceful interpretation and manipulation of the law by clever legal counsels. Political ingenuity has plotted an indictment-free regularise so that money can talk in government policy.And despite skepticism, the American public relies hard on the media to form their opinion regarding whom and what to believe, especially since Watergate when there were no holds barred as to what the media could put out. People believe that the printed and televised words is inviolate, but more often than not the voices of the one s who have truly pure motives get drowned out with all the noise the ones with the deep pockets make.And where is Nixon in all this, that focus of Watergate? He lives on in the memory of the Americans as the President who authored the mother of all scandals (and was unfortunate enough to get caught) and the man who subsequently stood back up and brushed himself off to exert his influence in the political arena in spite of it. As he reportedly put to Russian Vice President Alexander Rutskoi following(a) Rutskois release from prison after his failed takeover against Boris Yeltsin, that, for some, there can be life after hell. (Stacks, 1994)ReferencesWatergate Chronology Washington Post retrieved celestial latitude 28, 2006 from http//www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/onpolitics/watergate/chronology.htmWatergate The Scandal That Brought Down Richard Nixon Watergate.info retrieved celestial latitude 28, 2006 from http//www.watergate.info/Garay, R. WATERGATE The Museum of Broadcast Communi cations retrieved December 28, 2006 from http//www.museum.tv/ archives/etv/W/htmlW/watergate/watergate.htmJackson, B. 1999. A Watergate Legacy More Public Skepticism, Ambivalence All Politics CNN Time retrieved December 28, 2006 from http//www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/gen/resources/watergate/watergate.jackson/index.alt.htmlStacks, J. 1994. Victory in Defeat All Politics CNN Time retrieved December 28, 2006 from http//www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/gen/resources/watergate/watergate.stacks/index.alt.htmlWatergate Case Closed retrieved December 28, 2006 from http//www.bbc.co.uk/crime/caseclosed/watergate.shtml