News coverage of political history from 1970-1979


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OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Budget & Economy     Richard Nixon: 1971: "We are all Keynesians now"; end the gold standard.     Richard Nixon: 1971 price & wage freeze helped only for the short-term.     Richard Nixon: 1971: I am now a Keynesian in economics: gov't creates jobs.     Mike Gravel: Make Office of Scientific Assessment to avoid cost overruns.     Gerald Ford: Balance government & individual; cut government growth to 5%.

Civil Rights     Richard Nixon: 1960: Declined to commit to a black Cabinet member.     Richard Nixon: Should not glorify homosexuality on television.     Gerald Ford: Would choose woman V.P. if he could do it over.     Jimmy Carter: Established Martin Luther King Day in Georgia.

Drugs     Richard Nixon: Strong stand against legalizing marijuana.

Energy & Oil     Mike Gravel: Nuclear energy is unwise because of nuclear waste.     Gerald Ford: Let Big Three automakers collaborate on reducing emissions.     Ayn Rand: Politics caused 1973 oil shortages, not Arab oil embargo.

Environment     Gerald Ford: OpEd: consistently reduced pollution enforcement.

Families & Children     Hillary Clinton: 1970s: Learned child law theory at CDF and at Yale.     Hillary Clinton: 1973: Create legal scale of graduated maturity for children.     Hillary Clinton: 1973: Legal parallels between marriage and slavery.     Hillary Clinton: 1973: Researched "Beyond the Best Interest of the Child".     Hillary Clinton: 1979: Child's future shouldn't be unilaterally by parents.

Foreign Policy     Richard Nixon: New world order of 5 major power centers.     Richard Nixon: 1971: Control Latin America as model for rest of world.     Richard Nixon: Security interest in China overrides ideology.     Richard Nixon: Shanghai Communique established "One China" policy.     Richard Nixon: Work with Japan to shape international order in the Pacific.     Richard Nixon: I did not "sell" ambassadorships; but I did appoint donors.     Richard Nixon: 1971: Initiative came after years asking "Who lost China?".     Richard Nixon: 1972 China trip: "The week that changed the world".     Ronald Reagan: Consoled Taiwan when Nixon went to China.     Gerald Ford: Eastern Europeans don't concede Soviet domination.     Gerald Ford: Soviets dominate economy in Poland but not Polish spirit.     Jimmy Carter: Treat Arab oil embargo like declaring economic war.     Jimmy Carter: Carter 1977: Focus on human rights; give back Panama Canal.

Free Trade     Richard Nixon: Initiated the dollar as basis of world trade.     Gerald Ford: Suspended then reinstated grain sales to Soviets.

Government Reform     Mike Gravel: Start with public financing of campaigns.     Mike Gravel: Replace electoral college with direct election.     Hillary Clinton: 1973: Researched Nixon's White House tapes.     Walter Mondale: Role as V.P. was as generalist and troubleshooter.

Gun Control     Gerald Ford: Ban Saturday Night Specials, but no regulations nor licenses.

Health Care     Richard Nixon: 1970s: first proposed "employer mandate".     Richard Nixon: 1970s: Supported national health insurance.

Homeland Security     Gerald Ford: 1976 themes: limited government; strong defense.     Richard Nixon: 1970: Developing ABM system led to ABM treaty with USSR.     Mike Gravel: Government secrecy creates 1984-style state.     Jimmy Carter: Opposed Vietnam, but very late.     Jimmy Carter: B-1 bomber was a gross waste of money.     Jimmy Carter: Steady increase in defense to offset 37% drop since 1969.     Walter Mondale: Opposed Nixon's plans for antiballistic missile systems.

Immigration     Gerald Ford: More southern border patrol to stop heroin traffic.

Principles & Values     Gerald Ford: Chosen by Nixon as safe choice for V.P.     Richard Nixon: 1971: "Enemies list" tallied 47,000 people.     Richard Nixon: OpEd:1971 Pentagon Papers drove Nixon to secrecy & Watergate.     Richard Nixon: 1974: Watergate tapes had deliberate 18-minute gap.     Richard Nixon: Nixon's opponents wanted revenge; Ford sought healing.     Richard Nixon: Resignation from NY Bar not accepted, so they could disbar.     Richard Nixon: I was wrong: accepted Ford's pardon on Watergate.     Richard Nixon: Watergate was wrong; I should have set moral tone.     Richard Nixon: I did not deliberately lie at Watergate press conferences.     Richard Nixon: The myths of Watergate brought me down, not the facts.     Richard Nixon: Watergate was a crime as well as a political blunder.     Richard Nixon: No one in the Nixon administration profited from Watergate.     Richard Nixon: OpEd: Problem of Watergate wasn't cover-up, but lying.     Richard Nixon: 1972: Bugged offices of Democratic Party in Watergate hotel.     Richard Nixon: 1973: Existence of tapes was fatal blow to presidency.     Richard Nixon: 1973: Resignation would be hammer-blow to future presidents.     Jimmy Carter: Oct. 1975: Choice of 1% of voters; others said, "Jimmy Who?".     Jimmy Carter: Nothing wrong with ethnic purity in neighborhoods.     Jimmy Carter: Lusted in his heart & feels forgiven by God.     Gerald Ford: North Vietnam must account for US MIAs or bar from UN.     Hillary Clinton: 1970s: Editorial board of Yale Review of Law & Social Action.     Walter Mondale: Carter touted Mondale as better V.P. than Bob Dole.     Walter Mondale: Counseled against Carter's "Malaise" speech.

Technology     Richard Nixon: I did not illegally wiretap; but I did order wiretaps.     Lyndon Johnson: LBJ's FBI never wiretapped MLK.

War & Peace     Richard Nixon: Sent Israel 550-plane airlift during 1973 war.     Richard Nixon: 1975 loss in Vietnam led to Communism in Laos & Cambodia.     John Kerry: US soldiers committed atrocities in Vietnam, including me.     John Kerry: Vietnam didn't threaten US; US war crimes did.     John Kerry: Vietnam war was criminal hypocrisy and tore apart US.     John Kerry: O'Neil: Kerry's VVAW comments are libel against veterans.     John Kerry: VVAW says what's wrong so we can put out country right.     John Kerry: War crimes by leadership policy, not personal atrocities.     John Kerry: Vietnamization just changed the color of the bodies fighting.     John Kerry: US actions in Vietnam were counter to Geneva Conventions.     John Kerry: Objected to war policy while in Vietnam, and after.     Jimmy Carter: No US war in Yugoslavia even if Soviet Union sent in troops.     Richard Nixon: Vietnam goals: de-Americanize; pacify; then withdrawal.

Welfare & Poverty     Ronald Reagan: As CA Governor, opposed AFDC as rewarding lack of work.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Ayn Rand Gerald Ford Hillary Clinton Democratic Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter John Kerry Cabinet Climate Envoy Lyndon Johnson Mike Gravel Democratic challenger for president Richard Nixon Ronald Reagan Walter Mondale Former Democratic Challenger and Vice President (1981) Minnesota