Richard Nixion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Richard Nixion - Essay Example It is high time that the American masses must recognize the achievements of Richard M. Nixon as an astute president and a great leader. Presidents like other common people, simply cannot choose the families in which they should be born. Richard Nixon certainly had a troubled childhood lacking in any form of motherly love and affection (Powell, 1999). An ill-tempered father who did not hesitate from exposing his progeny to blatant abuse and intimidation further worsened this situation (Powell, 1999). The battered and gloomy childhood of Nixon was further burdened by his father's panache for endowing his children with grandiose names owing origins to the English kings (Powell, 1999). Hence, Nixon always had to face bitter circumstances on the personal side of his life, giving way to an anxiety driven mindset obsessed by a yearning to win acclaims and honors from the people he intended to serve. Analyzed in such a backdrop, the achievements of Nixon as a man and a leader definitely stand to be tremendous and remarkable. Primarily, Nixon was a polished politician. In fact, there is no denying the reality that Nixon was a politician par excellence, who started exhibiting his tact and ingenuity right from the start of his career (Small, 2003). The politics of Nixon was always a mix of passion and drive. He successfully fructified his very first campaign for a congressional seat by tactfully revealing the left wing affiliations of his opponent. He established himself as a worthy tactician and strategist who was known for his strong anti-communist leanings, a trait that secured his candidature for the vice-presidency in 1952 (Pious, 2002). In the presidential campaign in 1952, he singlehandedly turned the tables against Adlai Stevenson by projecting himself as a champion of integrity and uprightness through a nationwide television address (Pious, 2002). Nixon was a politician who always did his homework. No doubt, the opponents of Nixon always found him a tough and formidable competitor. Even a cursory perusal of Nixon's history as a politician and a campaigner leaves no doubt as to his genius and marksmanship. During the illness of President Eisenhower in 1955-1957, Nixon conducted himself with an exceptional restraint and aptly handled the day- to- day administrative activities. The conduct of Nixon as a vice president and the Eisenhower-Nixon succession agreement meant to handle possible eventualities even today serves as a guiding model for the administrators and politicians (Pious, 2002). As a vice president, Nixon successfully campaigned for many Republican congressional representatives in 1954-1958. The White House always forwarded Nixon as an antidote against the Democratic aspersions regarding being lax on communism (Small, 2003). Nixon stymied the Bricker Amendment intending unprecedented constraints on the presidential powers (Small, 2003). In 1960, Nixon successfully won the Republican presidential nomination. However, he lost to John F. Kennedy primarily owing to the weak economic policies of Eisenhower.