How Watergate Ruined Everything

[@faeangel7649]

As a kid, all I ever heard were jokes about Watergate, I was never actually taught it. Not in school, not by any adults in my life. And, when I became a late teen/early adult, I was just expected to have suddenly known all about it. This was the first time I actually got a "lesson" on it

[@bobnolin9155]

Google is your friend

[@reverie8223]

Exactly what I was thinking

[@naturalbeauty25]

This is my first time hearing the explanation as well. Thank you Leeja!

[@Gusativo]

As a kid, it is probably too adult of a topic. But yeah, not being something taught and throughly discussed in school really is a failure of the educational system.

[@Greatmount]

My education in American history essentially stopped in the 1950s. I graduated high school 2008 btw.

[@mushroomsteve]

Pardoning Nixon is what really ruined everything. If Nixon had been held accountable, we wouldn't be in this mess today.

[@muc405]

Even Betty Ford was pissed off at her husband for pardoning Nixon, because she said it made him and their family look complicit in Watergate.

[@ttintagel]

It was a terrible precedent to set.

[@robinpage2730]

Exactly. Ford chose party loyalty and, ironically for a conservative, "civility politics" over justice fair and impartial. Nixon should have done time along with his accomplices.

[@Mrs.Deanna_Ember]

Yes, Ford and republicans basically sang "Let it go!!! Let it gooooo!!!" and still one of the most cowardly, dumbest decisions ever made in government history, especially since it was done solely to "appease" upset conservatives who were afraid of a possible spanking

[@mushroomsteve]

@@robinpage2730 Party over country. It's the Republican way.

[@reveur1782]

As a blood relative of Nixon, I thought I'd share that not even his own family like him. Though some still make excuses about Watergate, many use marijuana or smear mud on his name. When I asked my grandmother what he was like, she called him a selfish coward and said that he never cared about family. Even when our family tries to explain or understand his actions, none of us even LIKE him as a person.

[@davidstrelec2000]

That is a very shitty legacy to leave behind

[@eric2500]

He did not seem very likeable - but Trump knows how to seem likeable, and that' a big problem with our national culture. Remember Bush v Gore and who you'd rather have a BEER with? Bush did not even drink!

[@moralfortitude...2217]

Sad, when own fam, despises, him... Fam love is everything... can see the similarity between the two, nix&dtrump... nix, got fam love but didn't appreciate it... dtrump, never got it & never developed it, himself & doesn't realize it's important.

[@lanceash]

Is that why he turned down the chance to go to Harvard in order to help out the family store and thus had to go to the markedly inferior Whittier? Because he was so selfish and didn't care about his family?

[@Mikey-jv5fv]

@@eric2500 a lot of Trumps family members don’t like him either lol

[@markwilliams2620]

I watched the "I'm not a crook" speech live. I was 4. I knew he was lying. Sesame Street/Katain Kangaroo/Mr Rogers had taught me how to spot one.

[@AammaK]

That is both hilarious and adorable!

[@kennystrydom4964]

Difference with Watergate is that Congress actually held the executive branch accountable. Today, the GOP would have rallied behind Nixon and he would finish his term.

[@corujariousa]

Yes but the GOP resisted as much as possible. They finally came to their senses when there was no way to salvage the situation. Indeed, shame, responsibility, patriotism and morality were concepts still understood/adopted by most of Congress. I hope we can restore that.

[@foodconnoisseur4498]

@@corujariousa The funny thing is in 2023 we have literal audio of Trump confessing to the crimes he's being indicted for and yet the GOP still demonstrates unwavering faith and support for the former president.

[@corujariousa]

@@foodconnoisseur4498 Yeah... Politicians at least do it consciously for power but having millions of voters embracing the nonsense is what bothers me a lot more. Why be so partisan when you know you are being made a fool and the country is being destroyed? There is no gain for the average citizen with that, quite the contrary. I know people who used to laugh and make fun of Trump and even mention his many flaws and defeats in business. The same people became MAGA once he was appointed as the GOP candidate and still support the crook. They choose to ignore all facts, reason and morality. I can't explain that. It is like an invisible virus that affected millions.

[@wvu05]

​​@@corujariousan 1974, it took knowing that the tape existed forced.the dam to break. We've heard an actual Trunp confession on tape, and they _still_ rally behind him. Not to mention the fact that they stood behind him when he sent goons to kill them.

[@Vanderearden]

: Really, because the RNC rallied to save Trump from impeachment not once, but twice... Just as the DNC rallied around Clinton to save him from impeachment.

[@JoraAustin]

Justice for Martha Mitchell, holy crap. She probably sucked too, but she tried to do the right thing and was falsely imprisoned and forcibly sedated for days for speaking out. That's terrifying. And that's what they're willing to do to their own!

[@markdaniels7174]

If you wanted to keep a secret, don’t tell it to Mrs. Mitchell. She was a boisterous Party Gal with loose lips. Quite a character; there’s a documentary about her.

[@eh3000]

The worst crime of Nixon is his ruining of the peace deal LBJ negotiated to end the Vietnam War so Nixon can win his first term in office. LBJ knew and discussed it with Nixon on a recorded phone call that was never released until 50 years later by the LBJ library. Nixon committed treason to get elected and caused the Vietnam War to continue for more years, costing the lives of thousands US service men and likely over a million Vietnamese. The failure of LBJ to direct the DoJ to investigate this crime reverberates to today and the massive reluctance of our institutions to investigate the crimes of top political officials and leaders. The failure of our institutions to hold the treasonous actions of past GOP Presidents (Nixon, Reagan, Bush) should not surprise anyone why Trump believes he can get away with anything.

[@OceanusHelios]

Most Republicans are not even aware of this. Even though this was declassified around 2010? My memory is foggy on the date but not on the declassification. Odd though because world news could have covered his visit to South Vietnam and could have shown how Nixon derailed the peace talks, or perhaps not if it were done behind closed doors. The sad truth is the rest of the world is sometimes better informed on the USA's dealings than the USA is. Why? Because we make things top secret to the American people to ensure domestic peace even though many things might be plain as day to the rest of the world. Funny thing how ignorance is bliss, huh?

[@DanielinLaTuna]

You’re absolutely right. The GOP has given us traitor after traitor from Nixon onwards. Ford, who pardoned the crook, Reagan who did a replay of the ‘68 Vietnam “deal” - Iran Hostages, Bush and Bush (especially W), and most famously, Trump.

[@marcleviton5401]

This event was treason. Reagan did the same thing with the Iran Contra scandal.

[@Timothy.365]

You're spot on! I saw it on the Oliver Stone documentary and he had all those conversations on there. The double dealing was absolutely mind boggling.

[@Stephanie-we5ep]

Kissinger, imo, was guiltier than Nixon.... Kissinger was the guy on the ground whispering in all those ears. Talk about treason!! They should have been hanged, the US would be so much better off!

[@brianarbenz1329]

I was a 13-year-old precocious political junkie and passionate McGovern supporter when the Watergate scandal broke. And you laid it out clearly and vividly. It was like reliving it in 20 minutes. And yes, the similarities between Nixon and Trump were remarkable. Nixon an evil genius. Trump was too, except for the genius part.

[@thomasword5762]

Trump is a genius when it comes to conning.

[@adrianpalmer3077]

​@@thomasword5762The people that let themselves be conned make him a "genius," not the other way around! 😉

[@classicclassi6146]

Trump would use his money to get someone to be smart for him then not pay them

[@johnweigel9761]

But...but Trump himself said he is a very stable genius. :D

[@CraigKeidel]

Have you read Thompson's Campaign 72 book? If not, I highly recommend it!

[@scottplumer3668]

I remember my dad, a Republican, being glued to the TV during the hearings. I asked him what Watergate was, being a child of 7 at the time, and all he would say was "a big mess." Thanks for this concise explanation.

[@Colonel__Ingus69]

There was no peace deal. LBJ was a master wheeler dealer/bully in the Senate and thought he could negotiate his way out of his own big lie (Gulf of Tonkin) but he could never get the North Vietnamese to negotiate because they knew they just had to wait it out until the US got tired of fighting.

[@MaidenUtah1]

I was about that age too. Whenever I heard about Watergate, I actually thought “what’s the big deal…a gate where water passes through it, I mean who cares?”. Such innocent times (at least for me).

[@brianarbenz1329]

@MaidenUtah1 Nixon probably wished he had used that line, instead of “Third rate burglary.”

[@jasonryan3506]

The pardon of Nixon was the greatest crime of this scandal.

[@Death_By_Media]

Both crimes arguably inevitable symptoms of the superstructure perpetuating itself

[@mathewmcdonald3657]

@@Death_By_Media huh? What is that supposed to mean? Superstructure? Don’t try so hard be yourself.

[@Preciouspink]

That would further divide, a nation and not serve any material good. The Japanese Imperial Navy executed Amelia Earhart and her companion.Not disclosing this had served to heal nations and ensure a future friendship between the US and its people with the country of Japan and their people.

[@BuildLego]

Also the Bush 1st administration for Iran Contra pardons

[@jess_hinz]

⁠​⁠​⁠@@mathewmcdonald3657 superstructure encompasses cultural and political institutions, all things that uphold capitalism and the status quo - it’s a word you learn early on when studying sociology. you can have knowledge about certain things and be yourself at the same time haha

[@CarFreeSegnitz]

The worst effect by far is every scandal since has been labelled {arbitrary word}-gate.

[@quinnfarris]

but it did make it very funny that the sub company is called Oceangate

[@nas84payne]

Which I’ve hated 😀

[@dennismetzger9287]

Gate Gate

[@asagoldsmith3328]

​@@dennismetzger9287Watergategate

[@phineas81707]

You reckon the hotel hates it?

[@Juliett-A]

It says a lot about our country when "I'm not confident the former president is literate" is an honest and plausible reality.

[@nathanseper8738]

Trump's older sister complained about how Donald had someone take the SATs for him. It is disgusting when people have worked hard to pass those tests.

[@sloppyjoke6062]

Current one too😂

[@johnwright9372]

​@@sloppyjoke6062Joe did his own exams.

[@sloppyjoke6062]

@@johnwright9372 the history of plagiarism with Biden goes way back wouldn’t be so surprised

[@amehak1922]

I had so many people ask me why I don't agree with them that Trump was the best president ever. I told them because I'm not as gullible as they are.

[@Godd___]

my dad, generally speaking, is a pretty middle ground person when it comes to politics. he says stuff like "well we cant go too extreme on either side," "things were going fine when i was a kid," but more recently hes been turning further left. he said that in his 54 years, hes never been more worried about democracy in the US and he thinks if things keep going in the direction they are now its either revolution or allow fascists to plant themselves in the government. just makes me think, you know things are going to shit when people around you who are mostly apolitical are getting worried about the government.

[@shampowowowow6550]

It’s shocking how many older republican americans are beginning to become more democratic. My entire family is VERY republican, and my dad was a hardcore trumpism conservative. Throughout the past year, he’s slowly begun to question republican talking points & ideas. Still leans republican, but I genuinly never expected HIM of all people to do this. I hope this trend continues!

[@Purpleturtlehurtler]

​@@shampowowowow6550that gives me hope. I'm trying to get my Qmom to see the logical fallacies in the conspiracy theories, and it's not going well.

[@Chasityolaf]

This has always been an issue. It’s just now effecting the average white family

[@Stephanie-we5ep]

I'm 54 too, and the one thing that makes me the angriest is that the GOP batshit lunacy has sent me into the Democratic camp. Most of my life I've been more of an Eisenhower Repub than anything... the GOP is just utterly crazy and completely divorced from reality. I went left in the aftermath of Bush's WMD lies and I don't see myself going back to the right anytime soon. I don't think I'm the only one either.

[@Mrs.Deanna_Ember]

All this is nothing new though, and things might have been fine for certain people back then but certaintly not for everybody. Mainstream society has always been more or less on the left side of things.

[@ttintagel]

I asked my mother what it was like living through Watergate. She said it changed everything for her. She never looked at any authority figure the same way again, with the total, unquestioning trust she used to have. (And yet, she voted for Reagan twice...)

[@bobblueford]

She wasn't alone - about 90% of the country voted for him twice.

[@hermitthefrog8951]

Obama too. Go figure...

[@garypage9515]

@@bobblueford And I have regretted it since!!

[@randyhilton6629]

@@bobblueford 50.7% Reagan, 41% Carter, 6.6 Anderson '84 Reagan 58.8%, Mondale 40.6%

[@Padraigp]

Yeah but the blur between reality and tv personailities was well being pushed into peoples homes to direct them.

[@chrisoneill3999]

It took the GOP fifty years to get from Richard Nixon to Donald Trump. But they made it.

[@annenelson5656]

And they had Reagan in between to keep the steamroller going.

[@Death_By_Media]

They’ve been working on it the whole time . From Goo goo politics to the federalist society all Dominion seven mountains mandate funded type shit . And Arguably since reconstruction .

[@Death_By_Media]

@@annenelson5656yep can’t forget the father of neoliberalism who engineered an election through literal treason

[@chrispychicken9614]

It was always going to go this way: the Great Replacement and Lost Cause Myths both are commonly found in their voter base.

[@moralfortitude...2217]

And that's the point, history always repeats its self, not bcuz they didn't learn from it but learning how to do it better w/o fail... if at first you don't succeed try try again. 🤔🤨

[@heronimousbrapson863]

I was never able to understand why Nixon did this. He won a huge electoral victory in 1972, before the public knew about the whole Watergate scandal. I can only surmise that he was extremely paranoid. That he was not held accountable was a terrible miscarriage of justice.

[@Laotzu.Goldbug]

It was definitely the paranoia. Nixon was an exceptionally skilled politician, and Watergate aside, a very good president, but he had a major character defect.

[@jacobvardy]

Nixon was a profoundly insecure man, with a deep seated sense of grievance. This made him an ambitious, hard working, and skilled politician but also susceptible to conspiratorial thinking. Like a Greek tragedy, the quality that brought him to power was also the cause of his fall. I'd disagree with the commenter calling themself "obergroupenfuhrer" that Nixon was a "very good president". He destroyed millions of lives to further his ambitions. Prolonging the US occupation of Vietnam, helping orchestrate genocide in Indonesia, starting the War of Drugs to suppress domestic opponents....

[@Laotzu.Goldbug]

@@jacobvardy and yet, in this fundamentally disingenuous comment you assert some completely unfounded accusations, and more importantly completely, and intentionally, Overlook the major positive actions that he took such as ending the Draft, starting the meaningful process to end the Cold War by opening China, bringing about Detente with the Soviet Union in a time when people were already exhausted by Vietnam - eventually leading to a major period of stagnation in the Soviet Union which was fundamental to its collapse, literally creating the EPA, and numerous others. and he was a good president not just because of some policies but because he was actually good at being the president, his diplomacy whether with the Soviets or with our allies was effective and he was both respected and feared as any effective president has to be.

[@matthewgagnon9426]

@@Laotzu.Goldbug You'll have to forgive me for not taking someone who has the name of a Nazi paramilitary rank seriously.

[@Laotzu.Goldbug]

@@matthewgagnon9426 tell yourself whatever story you have to to ignore the facts

[@ryantennyson7562]

Thank you. A fascinating account of the Watergate scandal when I was a teen. We watched the house hearings live on TV in Govrnment classes in high school, my jaw dropped. At times history does repeat itself, however this time a thief may be re-elected as President. Who's fooled again?

[@DLYChicago]

Looks like we got a case of meet the new boss, the same as the old boss.

[@koolkranny]

Trump has a framed letter from Nixon saying he would be president someday.

[@rickfeenstrastaff7409]

I was a teenager in high school when the Watergate scandal erupted. The press coverage seemed to leave info gaps that made it hard to follow the story. Thx to Leeja and this superb history lesson, there are No more missing parts or pieces of the full story. Thank you Leeja! Your work has no equal !

[@funnlivinit]

There are many, many of us that are as horrified as Leeja about what’s happening to our democracy due to 45 and the GOP.

[@hundykidhundy9603]

ya and joe biden and the democrats are so much better this country is a shit show and it will never get any better cuz ppl like me and you will never come together on the things that really matter instead we will continue fighting over pointless culture war bs

[@TwitchCaptain]

*republic

[@Notllamalord]

@@TwitchCaptainnerd

[@TheTilitus]

@@TwitchCaptain When the arrgument is lost point out the spelling misstakes. Its sad to see someone call themselfs Twitch captin and not even be someone on Twitch. Give the name to someone worth something.

[@TwitchCaptain]

@@TheTilitus What spelling mistake?

[@uncluckable6535]

Acceptance of a pardon is an admission of guilt, so Nixon's insistence on his innocence is nonsense

[@ajsmith4101]

Thats... that's just not how a pardon works though.

[@uncluckable6535]

@@ajsmith4101 go ahead and explain it to me then. Burdick v. US. Despite the fact that it is still disputed, past precedent implies some level of admission.

[@Chrischos]

@@ajsmith4101 Do u get pardoned if u did nothing ?! seems odd to me

[@ajsmith4101]

@@Chrischos since it's possible to be charged with a crime that you didn't commit, it's absolutely possible to then be pardoned for said crime, even if you never committed a crime.

[@Chrischos]

@@ajsmith4101 I dont need to be pardoned if i did nmothing like this makes no sense for me. if i did nothing they just should drop the case against me isnt it ?! Edit: A pardon is a pardon for me means that only if u did something u can get pardoned, if i was alleged of a crime but didnt do it they just need to drop the case because why pardon me if i di d nothing liek for me a pardon is something that u do if someone did something that u didnt like but after talking about it ur ok and pardon him of the conseuqences ?!

[@eric2500]

No charges were filed, that was bad enough, but the pardon seemed like an assault on reality itself.

[@normlang1994]

💯% Nixon should have gone to JAIL!!!

[@easyalpha1]

Hillary should be in jail...

[@dontmisunderstand6041]

Prison. Jail is a temporary holding place for the accused, not for criminals.

[@gbickell]

This, and more scandal, would certainly contribute to the loss of faith in public institutions. It is very worrying.

[@DanielinLaTuna]

Thanks, Leeja, for reminding folks what happened and why it matters today. I was just entering college when the hearings were held; the criminality of the Nixon White House was understood by my elder peers, but I soon learned what they knew. A newer telling is HBO’s “White House Plumbers”, definitely worth watching. And of course the classic “All The President’s Men” (1976).

[@KiwiCatherineJemma]

Here in our little corner of the South Pacific Ocean, in New Zealand, we had just 2 partly government funded, semi-commercial TV channels. When "All the President's Men" first aired on TV (so a few years after 1976) reasonably strict censorship laws then, forbid the "F" word from being said out loud on TV, even late at night. They made an exception, on the basis that, although a scripted acted movie, because it was based on a true story and the "F" word was a quote of what was said at the time. So I guess you'd have to say that, President Nixon was personally responsible for New Zealanders being able to see and hear, the first Fux on our local television broadcasts !

[@galvatrontimewars]

E. Howard Hunt had his hands in all sorts of wrong doing. He was daddy Bush’s favorite go to for under the table tactics.

[@TheGriffintatt]

Up to and including JFK, according to some.

[@drstevej2527]

@@TheGriffintatt Yes according to conspiracy nuts.

[@eric2500]

@@TheGriffintatt He did more than enough without that. Let's stay real.

[@michaelheller8841]

All the crimes Trump has done would've made even Nixon blush. Watching your take on Watergate, makes me think most of that poor woman getting kidnapped, so crazy.

[@jasonquinlan1733]

Most major politicians from the 21st century are just as corrupt as trump and Nixon. It’s just that them 2 are the white whales when it comes to the government and media trying to take them down.

[@Mrbetsalot]

Who got kidnapped?

[@arnold-ho8kh]

Don't care still voting trump 😂

[@rickkroll]

​@@arnold-ho8khyall are going to lose again but good luck. If i were you guys i wouldnt even show up, waste of time for you

[@Saulgud23]

What about Joe Biden's crimes? Why is everyone so unable to see through their hypocrisy in these comments?

[@TheZinistra]

Honestly, this might be the best video you've ever created. Easy to follow, detailed, and thourough!

[@michaelpadilla6316]

“All the President’s Men” by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein is a great book that’s worth reading where I learned a lot more about the Watergate scandal. Their second book “The Final Days” is also worth reading.

[@somebodycomegether770]

i gotta say i never cared for history when i was in highschool but the way you present this typa stuff makes is so much easier to digest and more emjoysble

[@georgepruitt637]

Those who fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.

[@annenelson5656]

I was fixated on Watergate. I would watch the hearings all day. Then the L.A. Times published the transcripts of the Whitehouse tapes. It was so stupid. McGovern was like 20 points behind. Nixon had the election in the bag. Our country was irrevocably damaged and lives ruined. Then along came Trump. I’m glad I’m old.

[@fredriksundberg4624]

And in 1986 we had the Iran-Contras scandal of which the Swedish statetelevision televised of.

[@Lulu888666]

I'm so glad people are still around who remember this. I was discussing this with a buddy and he was like "Nixon did nothing wrong!" Boy howdy was I shocked.

[@eric2500]

The Plumbers were actively involved in pulling dirty tricks on the candidates for the Democratic nomination. They were all made to look bad, and they tried to "pys-ops" several of them. So they were out to make sure the Democrats were divided and stayed that way. Seargent Shriver and Hubert Humphrey were smeared, for example, as well as George McGovern before and after he won the nomination.

[@davidwright7193]

Nixon was sh!t scared that McGovern was going to accuse him of treason and prolonging the Vietnam War by 4 years and had the evidence to back those charges up (mainly because they were true). Nixon was running on a peace in Vietnam basis on the back of the negotiations in Paris while meaning to continue the war another 4 years. After the elections Nixon imposed unacceptable conditions in Paris and renewed US action against North Vietnam. It was only after a serious US defeat in the Christmas bombings that Nixon went back to the table in Paris and got a deal he could have had any day since 1968.

[@Padraigp]

Dont forget Reagan

[@cathyn7640]

I remember, being about eleven when the scandal broke, asking my Mom why Nixon wasn't going to jail, and my Mom saying it would be bad for the country to have a President jailed. I remember feeling like it just laid the groundwork for some future President to do something worse. I wish I hadn't been right.

[@jonathanwiliams4993]

I learned quite a bit from this video. Waaaay more than I understood previously, and I've always been fascinated by the Watergate scandal. I was born in October 1973 when this was all happening. As a holder of a BA in International Studies (a subset of Political Science), this case has always intrigued me.

[@Vanderearden]

And in your 50 years of intrigue and a college degree with some association to the subject matter, you never got more information on the topic than you did from a 23 minute video?

[@kirkgoshert7876]

@@Vanderearden Awesome.

[@Chrischos]

@@Vanderearden Shows how corrupt and misleading us politics can be to me

[@Vanderearden]

@@Chrischos: US politics is corrupt and criminal to its core, but isn't it the fault of the press that hasn't informed people about Watergate, more than a video does, over 50 years later?

[@mossydog2385]

Yep, we had a watch party with our next door neighbor's all through the hearings. Everyone was pretty disgusted and it was the topic of discussion from my math class, English, social studies...the works. Every Republican since Ike...who I have a foreign policy bone to pick with...have been creeps, perverts, thieves and crooks of all description, they have also been the death of the American middle class through the fantasy of "neoliberal economics", and have also been truly despicable as people, and yet people keep voting for them. I will never understand it. You should cover Spiro taking bags full of cash bribes IN the Whitehouse next time, that whole thing was pushed to the back because of Watergate.

[@tonyjones1560]

Yes! I’m from Maryland and I’m sure Agnew remains among the most corrupt politicians the state has EVER produced…

[@otoolio72987]

you do realize that most of the democratic party embarces neoliberalism economic policies as well. the only difference is that they cloak it in identity politics BS like non binary bathrooms. but the second you ask them to increase the minimum wage....crickets.

[@kat021171]

Thank you for this video, Leeja. I'm 51 years old, was seven months old when the break-in happened, and the Watergate Scandal (as it would be called on the nightly news in my childhood) was the dominant political story up until the Iranian Hostage Crisis. I still remember seeing pictures of the building with "WATERGATE" emblazoned over John Chancellor's shoulder as he talked about the latest trials or, by the early 80s, prisoner releases tied to the break-in; as well as having daily reports on the Church Commission. One of my first memories was when Nixon resigned and my Dad's glee at "Tricky Dick" getting what was coming to him. All of this to say; Iran/Contra went a long way toward Americans no longer caring about government corruption. Maybe it was because of their affection for Reagan blinding them to blatantly lawless activities. Maybe it was how "the ends justified the means" when the arms sales to "terrorists" got us both the release of hostages taken in Beirut by Hezbollah, and cash to fund anti-communist rebels in Nicaragua. Maybe it was the affable senile grandpa act that Reagan was pulling through it all. Whatever it was, suddenly congressional investigators were suspect, and the White House could do no wrong. This, even after GHW Bush pardoned anyone and everyone from the administration who could have implicated him or Reagan in the affair, because that barely registered on the outrage meter. Enter Bill Clinton; a man charismatic enough that he made a one-term president of a guy who had had a 90% approval just a year and a half before. The GOP sensed blood in the water, if only they could find a scandal that would stick. First they tried the land deal that went bust, Whitewater (even going to the extent of appending -gate to the end of the name, forever cementing the "-gate" suffix to indicate "SCANDAL" in the American lexicon), but that turned to be nothing. Then there was the White House Travel Office scandal, then a minor dust-up over invitations to donors to spend the night in the Lincoln Bedroom. And in 1994 they leveraged these minor scandals and Clinton's unfairly maligned attempts to fix the health care system into majorities in both houses, just months after Nixon's death. And let's talk about that. As I said, I was a baby when the break-in happened, and many of my peers with whom I was in university were raised in the post-Watergate era. To us, it was a 5 minute mention in the last week of class in our US History classes, and a three-syllable mention in "We Didn't Start The Fire". Republican and Republican-friendly peers got all upset at those of us on the left who celebrated and said "good riddance" to Nixon. They didn't understand why Watergate was such a big deal. "Just look at all of Clinton's corruption!" they would cry. But try as they might, nothing would stick to Clinton. Nothing, that is, until the story of an intern, and her relationship with the President, broke. Almost immediately the GOP were crying for impeachment, and Democrats were stuck in a Catch-22. We were already saying that such a relationship wasn't one that a junior staffer could freely consent to, and that this was the definition of sexual harassment. We wanted to stick up for Our President, but we also didn't want to downplay the seriousness of the abuse. Democrats started to distance themselves from Clinton. Gore refused his campaign assistance and chose for his VP running mate one of Clinton's most vocal critics. The GOP saw their chance for revenge for Nixon...and they fumbled it by having a series of leaders who were just as guilty of these things as Clinton was, so they couldn't go after him for the relationship, only for obstruction of justice and contempt of Congress for lying about it in his deposition. And so we find ourselves where we are today. The GOP governs by the principle of "tit-for-tat", and having to downplay their flaws and corruption while trying to play up anything potentially scandalous for Democrats and weaponizing that through their media propaganda outlets (Fox, Newsmax, OANN, etc.), and all because Nixon was paranoid and felt the need to spy on a disorganized DNC in the midst of a losing 1972 campaign.

[@gregpaspatis9425]

Your recap of the history of post-Nixon era scandals during the Clinton administration completely overlooked the 1994 "assault weapon " ban signed into law by Clinton and fueling rage by second amendment organizations like the NRA who poured campaign donations by the buckets to Republican candidates that helped in the mid-term election bludgeoning and bloodbath that saw Republicans for the first time in four decades retake Congress on the back of the campaign promise to fulfill all ten points that were a part of the "Contract With America" that elevated minority leader Newt Gingrich into house speaker leading to the moment when the current speaker Tom Foley was voted out of his own district by the voters there and forcing the new minority leader Dick Gephardt from Missouri to give over the gavel to Gingrich with a really disgruntled look on his face. Gingrich would be speaker for both the 104th and the 105th congresses before giving way to his successor Dennis Hastert as speaker.

[@isaacj.elliott2137]

Thanks! I wish more people understood our history like this! I'm new to the channel but I'll be here a while 🤙

[@mhd7832]

NÃO HA PHONE MAIS POR SEGURANÇA EU TIREI O PHONE . AQUI SO POR ESCRITO . VIU E TECNICO EM TECNOLOGIA #

[@gfs1970]

GOP shrunk the size of Congress member Staffs in the 80s using the argument that they were wasting taxpayers money. Afterwards a DEM Congressperson said the Watergate hearings would not have happened with Staffs this small.

[@TheOicyu812]

You forgot to mention Forrest Gump's role in this.

[@davidminken4094]

When I lived in DC, I bumped into Bob Woodward waiting for an elevator in an underground parking garage. Did the polite nod thing, shared the elevator up to street level, and then, because I couldn't let the opportunity slip by, said: "Just can't stop hanging out in parking garages, can you?" He was laughing even before I finished the sentence.

[@samrevlej9331]

Epic line on your part, sir.

[@jeromemckenna7102]

As someone who voted in 1972, I think it was Reagan who ruined everything not Watergate. Both Ford and Carter were ethical men, Reagan administration was full men who were ethically challenged.

[@stevegruber4724]

distrust in government thanks to Nixon and Vietnam is why Reagan's "government is the bad guys, we need less of it" schtick worked

[@cindyeisenberg8367]

I agree.

[@muc405]

Watergate kicked if off though.

[@ey67]

Ethically challenged?. How about lying crooks, thieves, scum of the earth? Reptiles in suits. ?

[@bobblueford]

An ethical man would not have pardoned an absolute criminal.

[@davidsoule8401]

I don't know about anyone else, but I was Soooo pissed in the 4th grade that the Watergate trials were preempting Star Trek reruns in the afternoons after school! Thanks, Nixon!!

[@seasidescott]

I was quite young but remember the televising of hearings because the TV was usually only on for sports on weekends or Andy Griffith after we were in bed, but this time my extended family was watching for a bit and shaking their heads. I asked my uncle what was going on and he said that "Nixon thought he was a king and it's our fault for electing him." To this day I admire the taking of responsibility for their votes. Also that it was very hard for them to have heard the hippies saying how corrupt the gov't was for so long and then be proven correct in the most public of ways. Farmers and veterans losing faith in our country after all they'd been through and there was no hope given that anything was going to be different going forward. Soon the TV was switched off and it was like a funeral for America after that.

[@tonygilmour1842]

One item not mentioned is that the U.S. House Judiciary Committee voted 27-11 to send articles of impeachment to the full House floor, triggering Tricky Dick's resignation.

[@nas84payne]

You would never get a vote anywhere near that number now with the Republicans.

[@Juliett-A]

It's important to remind people that "gate" isn't just some random suffix that we use for scandals. The crime president and the crime political party did a bunch of crimes.

[@Padraigp]

What does the gate part mean?

[@noco7243]

@@Padraigp nothing. It was the name of the building.

[@cruelty6368]

You forgot to mention that Gerald Ford was on the Warren Commission.

[@USMarine75]

First time in 40 years I’ve ever heard them called CRP and not CREEP. 🧐

[@mikebronicki8264]

Committee to RE Elect the President. I too have always kniwn it as CREEP.

[@catherinecrawford2289]

Found myself recently becoming re-obsessed with Watergate, after falling down that rabbit hole once before. I kidded myself that it was the anniversary that made me look it all up again, with All the Presidents Men on streaming/repeat, the Final Days, the Martha Mitchell Story etc. But we all know it was the similarities to THIS FREAKIN TIMELINE that has me fondly wishing for a new Woodward/ Bernstein journalistic takedown, and the popcorn movie of Trump's impending trial ending in conviction. Great video! Thank you for so clearly summarizing everything.

[@fifteen8]

It's too bad the people around saint ronald reagan were competent enough to shield him from culpability for Iran-Contra. Oliver North testified that reagan new all. He should have been held accountable too.

[@bandotasif]

Ford should not have pardoned Nixon. I remember how it pissed me off then and still does. Had he not been pardon, perhaps it would slowed Trump down. Agnew was not going pardon Nixon. They had to get rid of Agnew. Good Times.

[@elfwoodadventures2103]

I can proudly say that the only state that did NOT vote for Nixon in 1972 was Massachusetts! ...and I was one of those proud voters!!

[@elfwoodadventures2103]

@madvocate0006 I wish I had kept my bumper sticker!!!..."Don't blame me, I'm from Massachusetts!"

[@brianarbenz1329]

My mom was a proud McGovern voter. For the rest of her life, she had no doubts about the candidate she supported in ‘72. Shame that the many Nixon voters in our area could not say that about their candidate!

[@gregpaspatis9425]

​@@brianarbenz1329 the '72 McGovern campaign was part of the reason that democrats weren't inaugurated as president seven out of ten times from January 1969 to January 2005. McGovern was too extreme for the masses of voters in America, especially for all those blue collar "Archie Bunker" types of voters everywhere.

[@gregpaspatis9425]

​@@elfwoodadventures2103Yes, Massachusetts did indeed vote for McGovern in 1972, though in most of the rural areas of western Massachusetts it was Nixon who had more votes. Then, perhaps from having seen the U.S. Olympic hockey team with several Massachusetts area players prevail in the semifinals over the juggernaut U.S.S.R. team and the finals over Finland to take their first gold medal since the 1960 Squaw Valley, Calif. games, those Massachusetts voters chose Reagan over impotent incumbent Jimmy Carter by 3,800 votes, then reelected him in 1984 by 71,000 votes over the former Vice president Mondale when it was once again "Morning In America" and if it hadn't been for Massachusetts Gov. Micheal Dukakis getting the 1988 nomination George H.W. Bush would have had a excellent chance of winning the state as well.

[@marklamora885]

I can't believe I lived through that. Great summary, as Leeja will do. As an aside, the CRP was called by everyone Republican or Democrat - CREEP. Yikes!

[@lisarochwarg4707]

Oh, yeah, I remember. CREEP. Lol.

[@GrahamBrownell]

Between this and the "Southern Strategy" I am convinced Nixon mortally wounded US democracy and institutional inertia has kept us going like methamphetamine fueling a storm trooper though the terms of Regan, Clinton and both Bushes but now we are crashing. This is a fantastic and important element of the road that lead to our current end, I would also put in reading Rick Pearlstein's trilogy on the rise of conservativism in this country, there are a lot, way too many, familiar names that thread through the last 50 plus years.

[@juioploski4063]

Don't forget about The War on Drugs

[@nas84payne]

You can see the trajectory downwards started with Nixon.

[@danielgertler5976]

If a president is above the law, the the US is screwed. Even if that professor ends up being benign in the end, the president needs to be beholden to the law like any other citizen, because the president is not a Monarch.

[@bobgreene2892]

This thumbnail potrait of the Watergate scandal is amazingly comprehensive-- a reminder the GOP lost whatever remained of its integrity as it scratched and clawed its way back into power after Nixon. The years following Watergate show a small army of GOP party leaders, from Gingrich through Boehner, following a Nixon-style playbook of self-derving attacks on press critics and Democrats. Such tactics polarized all political discourse, and made collective, truly bi-partisan legislation nearly impossible. Those of the GOP who took exception to Nixon, chief among them, Lowell Weicker and Howard Baker, displayed the same moral stature Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger show against Trump's continuing abuse of democratic norms and process. This essay could not be more important as Trump and co-conspiators are brought to justice. Eternal vigilance is the price of democracy

[@philarmstrong3765]

Just found this channel today and can't stop watching. Smart, articulate, fact-dense... I think i'm falling in love!

[@mikebronicki8264]

Maybe you can cover the Nixon tape recordings where Tricky Dick talks about "that Bay of Pigs thing." Speculation being "Bay of Pigs" was code for "Kennedy Assassination."

[@julietfischer5056]

It was Lee Harvey Oswald, on his own, with no aid, assistance, prodding, payment, or any other outside inducement.

[@jimschnase]

Ford’s pardon changed history had he not done that we wouldn’t have had Iran Contra or a trump presidency.

[@DLYChicago]

Watergate fun fact: The Committee to Re-Elect the President was referred to as "CREeP".

[@Master_Blackthorne]

The Watergate scandal happened at the same time of the 1973 energy crisis. One my way to work, I saw a billboard which read, "NIXON IS RUNNING OUT OF GAS." One of my favorite political cartoons by Conrad shows a shifty-eyed Nixon standing next to a car whose license reads FORD and whose sticker reads IMMUNITY FROM PROSECUTION! The caption reads: "Have I got a deal for you!"

[@kiman6]

I love these political history dives!

[@gingerseed123]

Got to meet Bob Woodward this year and he was making so many comparisons to Nixion and Trump. Scary how similar they are

[@goofusmaximus1482]

Watergate set in motion the notion that there is no sin without punishment.

[@grapeshot]

Everytime I think of Nixon I immediately think of Futurama AROO!!!!!!

[@pangolinwu1269]

Leela and Leeja? My favorites too.

[@AxelQC]

The delicious taste of Charleston Chew.

[@themurdernerd]

Put down your Crack pipes and your beer bongs!

[@dananash4375]

Let’s not forget we just don’t know how much money is really pumped into these disinformation campaigns.

[@jacocharo]

Pay attention, class! This will be on Ms. Leeja’s final examination this semester!

[@BeeKay5150]

Let's not act like Gerald Ford is totally innocent, either. He pardoned Nixon in order to "help ease the pain of the country". Ford could have held him accountable, also.

[@bobblueford]

He's just as responsible.

[@VeteranVandal]

For lack of better words, he was a lilbitch.

[@paradoxmo]

That’s one of the major reasons Ford wasn’t re-elected

[@Sutton_Bea_Still]

THANK YOU FOR THIS!! I hear of this allllll the time but no one can ever explain it😂

[@Ruder6163]

She’s a leftist shill who makes hit pieces.

[@tomcurl8034]

History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme and many of Nixon’s shenanigans have a rhyme in trumps shenanigans

[@sankimalu]

Ah yes, the ‘good’ old days that many of us harken back to… Excellent video, thanks for the history lesson.

[@wirebrushofenlightenment1545]

"I'm not certIain that Trump is literate" I swear, you are my Spirit Animal!

[@billyb7852]

This is so cool to learn about. I’m British so I don’t know much about recent US history - we didn’t study it beyond the civil rights movement. I think a lot of the Watergate tactics happen in Westminster too.

[@lovelydeedee0]

Thank you for making this video, for a period of my life I was online taught by a digital right wing Christian school named Abeka and when they started discussing the topic of Watergate the teacher simply said “it was just a robbery and no one really cared about it cause of how normal it is in politics” so that quote always stuck out with me cause of how I would hear other people say that every new scandal gets named with a Gates at the end cause of the huge deal it has caused and never got around to hear the full extent of the events that occurred

[@MoarCheeseBirb]

the stolen classified documents makes watergate look like kiddie playtime

[@dritemolawzbks8574]

Nixon didn't send a mob of his cultist to breach the capitol and pressure Congress and GOP state legislatures to overturn an election either.

[@Vanderearden]

True, but how is that all these people continually get away with it? Hillary, Pence, Biden, Obama, Trump.

[@MoarCheeseBirb]

@@Vanderearden one of these guys is not like the others

[@Vanderearden]

@@MoarCheeseBirb: Really? What's the difference? And be specific, I'm interested in how you quantify criminality.

[@MoarCheeseBirb]

@Vanderearden the fact you know exactly who tells a lot, don't it

[@pauljimerson8218]

Its also been diluted by adding the Gate suffix to all further scandals, too many too list...

[@zarplex2003]

Let's not forget about the Southern Strategy implemented by Nixon! Trump used that too! This is why I don't just cite Reagan as one of the worst presidents we ever had.

[@renealexander2703]

Good point.

[@crazyman8472]

2024 SCOTUS: “Guardrails? Rule of law? Never heard of them.” 😵‍💫

[@MarcusXD100]

11:01 bork as in the NOMINATED justice who got "Borked"? THAT BORK?! Lmao thats fascinating And depressingly explains a lot of stuff

[@tonyjones1560]

Yeah…THAT Bork!

[@Susanviolet3322]

Yeah that’s why he got borked. Not because he was “honest” about his intentions on the court but because he was involved in all these scandals .

[@MarcusXD100]

@@Susanviolet3322 yeh i agree I saw his nomination video and bruh many defending him at his "bluntness" But as few said The saturday massacre lwft him as a sketchy guy AT BEST Doesnt help that of ALL justices and potential nominees They picked REHNQUIST of all people to succede Burger (Like the OTHER NIXON justice, and one of the few critical of the Brown decision) Who was loosely tied with watergate -No new nominee -THE most conservative member from the burger court -Staying with nixonesque republicans -It was reagan who ascended him Like they wanted to keep the court on the 70s (Kinda schadenfreudesque that 2 republican justices ended up being key members to weaken for a while the nixon ideas (Blackmun (Roe's author) and Kennedy (Obergefell's author))

[@Royalleague45]

The way you described it genuinely enthralled me. You made it sound like possibly the best drama show ever.

[@HausofLane]

Leeja! YOU’RE AWESOME! Love your videos and in my government classes we watch your videos and talk about them all the time! LOVE THEM! Thanks for your work! 🥰🙌🏼

[@tatersalad76]

I wouldn't say Trump could "run". I think "waddle" is the best verb

[@Biblioholic1993]

The fact that they dropped the impeachment after he resigned was a poor practice. The point of impeachment is barring them from further office. That is the last carried out impeachment that has occured in this country.

[@leftcoaster67]

Always a good watch. Thanks Leeja!

[@mcb187]

I honestly didn’t know a whole lot about watergate before this. But it’s kind of interesting knowing about it now! The Apple television series “For All Mankind” has a story arc remarably similar to the watergate scandal, but because in the alternate timeline the show is set in, Nixon never gets re-elected, and thus, the watergate scandal never occurred. Instead, a scandal occurs in the 1990s, and the premise is actually kind of neat. I totally missed the connection until I saw this video. Thanks for this, super interesting!

[@hendsonpassagi2721]

Im glad that I found this channel. Thank you Leeja for providing us with eye-opening content!

[@sufranklin4439]

I had a poster showing all the Watergate criminals with Xs on their faces, showing that they had been arrested, except for Nixon's face. And there was another poster at the time that had a picture of Nixon and the headline "Would you buy a used car from this man?"

[@peteradaniel]

what's crazy is that this is real life, it isn't a film.

[@kevinhay7073]

The 18 minute gap in the tape was Nixon listening to the Close To The Edge LP that Yes left him in a hotel room he chased them out of.Nobody wants to hear Nixon singing along with And You And I.

[@jesuslegrand8469]

Whats more shamefull, that we; the people will still support clear corrupt politicians, or that we are so willingly blind to support crooks, knowing that they are so. What a shame have we become. Sad sad sad.

[@Death_By_Media]

We’ve been forcibly and insidiously indoctrinated into defending the status quo . Government corruption is in service to the wealthy remaining the wealthy and insulating them from accountability to the rest of humanity .

[@bobblueford]

Do we have a choice?

[@markieman64]

And yet...some people just can't learn from the past.

[@zeek2636]

Thank you for doing these videos, history does repeat itself, and a lot of the same players at that time were very young that are party leaders today.

[@JeffCloutier]

Talk! I love everyone involved in this beautifully compiled accurate account of history.

[@fmlazar]

According to legend, the original acronym stood for Commitee to REElect the President. e.g. CREEP.

[@RayKosby]

Loved this but around 16:10 Leeja states that the AG appointing their own Special Counsel is what the Watergate reforms were meant to avoid. It would have been nice to know how the Watergate reforms did that. The best I can surmise is the special counsel was chosen by a three judge panel called the Special Division formed by the Courts of Appeals.

[@voyeurchamp]

You come up with great stories to share. Bravo, Leeja ! ❤

[@finonyaj]

truly grateful for this video- I've tried to understand watergate for so many years and haven't been able to absorb it for some reason, but this really helped. cheers

[@pscar1]

You forgot to mention that Roger Stone was also a part of this as a young staffer. If you did and I missed it, I apologize.

[@AgitpropPsyop]

I can’t stop watching your videos! I appreciate all the time and effort you very obviously put into them.

[@lesliedavid1244]

I watched Whitehouse Plumbers on Max and wondered if it was a comedy.

[@Evilandretarded]

It is, lmao

[@AammaK]

Absolutely phenomenal overview of these events and how they are reflected in modern day culture and politics! For someone who's not american but is greatly interested in this history due to the immense cultural and political influence the US has over a lot of the world (and the majority of media we consume here being american with all the references and such), this is one of the most approachable yet detailed videos I've seen on the topic. Some aspects really clicked for me here. Great job, Leeja!

[@ThisTrainIsLost]

A very concise yet comprehensive condensation of the pertinent events. It could only have been improved, in my opinion, if you had slotted in somewhere the acronym CREEP, because it may well be the most appropriate acronym of all time in the English language. Apart from my wee wish I thoroughly enjoyed your video; it triggered a tsunami of nostalgia. I will always recall the tiny 4" portable tv and the even tinier Nixon giving his farcical resignation address. Thanks again for your great presentation!

[@grantm902]

It makes me blush and go "tee-hee" when you say "bye bye!"

[@thomashugus5686]

Organized,informative and impressive presentation!