Surprised no one has mentioned this....

[dryan]

This week marks the 30th anniversary of President Nixon's resignation. Today would have been my 30th wedding anniversary if I had stayed married to my first husband. We were driving back from our honeymoon in Key West and listened to President Nixon's speech stating that he was resigning. We stopped at a gas station and everyone was huddled around a small portable TV. It was almost surreal because it was twilight and there were no lights on except for that little TV. The next day, Friday we watched Nixon final appearance as president and I felt both sad and happy. I was desperately sad that it had all come down to this; and I was happy because it was finally over. I will never forget the look on Mrs. Nixon's face, she was really holding back tears.

[Racenut20]

1. And it is my 62nd birthday.

Also the day Jerry Litton, Congressman from Missouri who might have been president instead of Clinton, had not there been that 1976 plane crash on the way to his Senate primary victory celebration. I had spent the summer campaigning for him and was waiting in Kansas City for the big party.

I also campaigned for RFK in Calif. in 1968, and Mel Carnahan in Missouri in 2000.

Now before they announce, candidates call me and ask me not to campaign for them.

[Ripley]

3. Another plane crash?

I wonder how many Democrats have died in plane crashes over the years compared to the number of Republicans.

I know small planes crash all the time, but it seems to be always when a good guy is in them.

Hey racenut, stay away from Kerry K?

on edit: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :party:

[rooboy]

6. Happy Birthday...

and I'm going to start a website claiming you're a paid assassin for the republicans!! :)

[salvorhardin]

2. Cultural memory seems to have been obliterated

I myself was taken aback when I saw no mention of the 35th anniversary of Apollo 11 and the first moon landing. I think the New York Times did a section piece but I don't recall hearing anything about it in the mass media.

[Cooley Hurd]

4. I remember that night like it was yesterday...

I was 8, and we were watching "Good Times" when they interrupted with his statement. My whole family CHEERED (including 8 year-old me, who was still smarting from McGovern's loss).

[dryan]

7. Nixon and Watergate memories (or lack of same)

Here at UCF we had a "Watergate" seminar and sad to say it was not well-attended, Bob Woodward even came down. Nixon spoke at commencement here the same week he gave his famous "I am not a crook" speech. A lot of young people don't seem to care and watergate is slipping out of our collective memory.

[OneTwentyoNine]

5. Announced on August 8th 1974....

I was 21+ one day on that date. It was actually known in the late afternoon that he was going to resign and make the announcement on TV that evening.

As a voter who had pulled a handle for McGovern in 1972 only to see his dreams and ideas for this country wiped out by Nixon I was very happy indeed.

David

[dryan]

8. Nixon was hostage to his own demons....

its really sad because his grasp of international affairs was phenomenal. On Sunday, MSNBC had a special on about Kerry, Vietnam Veterans against the War, and the Nixon White House. Nixon set out to destroy Kerry. Haldeman found a "pro-Nixon" vet who spoke out against Kerry. Did anyone else see this documentary? I remember Kerry speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee--was it really over 30 years ago. Anyway, Nixon came to the Senate about a year before he died and Kerry met with him. They showed a photo of the two men shaking hands.

Another irony is that Chris Matthews interviewed McGovern and Dole last week and for once, Matthews acted like a gentleman. He said something about McGovern that I thought was classy. When Mrs. Nixon died, Senator and Mrs. McGovern went to her funeral. Later a reporter interviewed McGovern and said it was strange that he attended the funeral of the wife of his former adversary and McGovern said, "You can't campaign forever". I thought that said a lot about McGovern.