It is ironic that Hillary Clinton began her political life as a staff attorney for the Democrat controlled House Committee on the Judiciary in 1973, arguing in a brief that Nixon had no right to counsel in regard to a House committee considering articles of impeachment, because the similarities between Nixon and her as politicians, and as individuals, are striking.
In a profession for extroverts both Nixon and Clinton share the traits of introverts who have political careers: ill at ease campaigning, giving rote, passionless, speeches and obviously detesting the necessary glad-handing that goes with being a politician.
Politicians have ever been regarded as honoring truth by using it as sparingly as possible. Even in such an assemblage both Nixon and Clinton developed reputations for raising bold faced mendacity to an art form.
Like Nixon, Clinton has a distrust of the normal channels of authority in regard to the position she held as Secretary of State, and preferred to exercise her power through her personal staff.
As in the case of Nixon, Clinton is distrusted by the dominant ideological faction in her party.
Clinton, like Nixon, would walk on her knees over any amount of broken glass for the sake of obtaining power.
Nixon was ever noted for the hatred he aroused in his political adversaries, a capacity Clinton shares to the full.
Paranoia and self-pity are essential elements in the psychological makeup of Clinton as they were in the case of Nixon.
Nixon could never conceal the raw contempt he felt for those who disagreed with him politically, and Clinton does not lack in that capacity to project disdain.
Nixon could, and Clinton can, inspire political devotion but not an ounce of the affection that charismatic politicians like Ronald Reagan and Theodore Roosevelt could excite.
No one would buy a used car from either of them.
There are of course obvious differences: from a hard-scrabble background, Nixon made his way on his own, while Hillary Clinton, if she had not married Bill, would now probably be a retired attorney, at most having served a few terms in a state legislature, or, at best, having been in Congress for a few obscure years. Nixon despised Ivy League elites, while Clinton is one of them. However, the surface differences merely highlight the deeper similarities between two suspicious, loner spirits willing to engage in the, for them, unnatural activity of politics for the sake of attaining power. Superficially opposites, they are two of a type: lives devoted to the pursuit of power, no matter the great personal cost to themselves.
Two smart, despicable people distinguished by their lack of self-awareness.
Pat Nixon was a nice lady.
.Anzlyne, exactly. Pat Nixon was quite an accomplished woman despite her humble beginnings. She is remembered as a kind person, loving wife and mother and a tireless worker. As a First Lady she was very involved but because of her quiet demeanor her legacy was not reported on as much as her predecessor, Jackie Kennedy, Mrs Nixon was the first First Lady to travel to a war zone (Viet-Nam), and was the most travelled in support of the US until Mrs. Clinton. She acquired 600 artifacts for the White House unlike the Clintons who removed White House furnishings to their DC home.
When Richard Nixon lost a close race (with possible irregularities) to John Kennedy, Nixon was encouraged by his wife and others to demand a recount. He demurred saying that it would not be good for the country. The couple were regular church goers, The Nixon-Ryan marriage was a love match. Meanwhile Bill Clinton has been known as a sexual predator for most of his public life.
It seems to me that there is no comparison between Nixon and Hillary other than they are both lawyers and members of the human race. Before Watergate Nixon was a practicing lawyer, a naval officer, congressman, senator,two term vice president and had served his first term as president during which he ended the Viet-Nam war and brought the POWs home. Post Watergate some would say that he had been rehabilitated. Hillary was investigated (Whitewater) for actions while she was Arkansas’ First Lady; elected senator running on her husband’s name and was a lackluster SecState. The investigations with cause continue.