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- November 16, 1962California: Career's End
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- In some ways Richard Nixon symbolized the American dream. Of
- humble beginnings, he almost won the highest honor the U.S. can
- offer. He was elected a U.S. Representative at 33, a Senator at
- 37, Vice President at 39, and at 47 he became the Republican
- nominee for President. And yet, barring a miracle, his political
- career ended last week. He was only 49. But something had gone
- wrong. Perhaps he had risen too far too fast.
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- There could be little question about Nixon's abilities --
- yet they earned him almost as many enemies as admirers. He came
- to national attention as the House investigator who caught Alger
- Hiss; for that very achievement, he was to suffer much abuse. As
- Vice President, he served with energy and dignity, often
- representing the U.S. abroad with courage beyond the call of
- duty. In his 1960 drive for the presidency, he began as the
- candidate of experience, but his once-sure political touch left
- him and he ran a bad campaign. His worst enemies agreed that he
- was capable, yet they insisted that his character was flawed. As
- of last week, his admirers could only agree.
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- Ridiculous Issue. Nixon's political death came not in his
- defeat for Governor of California by incumbent Democrat Pat Brown
- but in his manner of meeting it. Brown is neither a great
- personality nor a great statesman, but he makes the most of what
- he has. Against him, Nixon decided to make domestic Communism the
- big issue; but the notion that Brown was soft on Communism was
- ridiculous. Sensing defeat, Nixon flailed out in a last-minute
- fury. On election eve, he appeared on television -- with his wife
- and two teen-age daughters at his side -- claimed in persecuted
- tones that he had been the victim of the worst smear campaign in
- California history.
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- As of that moment, the election results were foregone. The
- next day, while Republican Senator Thomas Kuchel was winning by
- some 700,000 votes, Nixon was losing by nearly 300,000. And the
- morning after the election Nixon wrote his own political
- obituary. His press secretary, Herb Klein, had called a press
- conference to announce that Nixon was conceding defeat. Klein
- said that Nixon himself would not appear -- whereupon Nixon
- strode into the room and started talking.
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- Petulant Praise. Said Nixon, in words that were too small of
- spirit to make for real tragedy: "Now that all the members of the
- press are so delighted that I have lost, I'd like to make a
- statement of my own." He spoke in petulant praise of his
- opponent: "I believe Governor Brown has a heart, even though he
- believes I do not. I believe he is a good American, even though
- he feels I am not." For 17 minutes he went on, talking about
- national issues, but returning repeatedly to his feelings about
- the press. Almost incoherently, he concluded:
-
- "As I leave you I want you to know -- just think how much
- you're going to be missing.
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- "You won't have Nixon to kick around any more, because,
- gentlemen, this is my last press conference, and it will be one in
- which I have welcomed the opportunity to test wits with you. . .
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- "But, unlike some people, I've never canceled a subscription
- to a paper, and also I never will.
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- "I believe in reading what my opponents say, and I hope that
- what I have said today will at least make television, radio and
- the press first recognize the great responsibility they have to
- report all the news, and second, recognize that they have a right
- and a responsibility, if they're against a candidate, give him
- the shaft, but also recognize if they give him the shaft, put one
- lonely reporter on the campaign who will report what the
- candidate says now and then.
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- "Thank you, gentlemen, and good day."
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- As Nixon, walked from the room, he said to Klein: "I know
- you don't agree. I gave it to them right in the behind. It had to
- be said, goddammit. It had to be said." That in itself left
- little more that had to be said about Richard Nixon.
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