Pressure
The Maundy Monday Newsletter - This Week in History July 22 - 28.
It takes high confidence to run for president of the United States. If you are fortunate to achieve your goal, you are rewarded with unimaginable pressure.
There is the pressure you would put upon yourself. One would want to stay in the job for as long as possible due to the free transportation, a big white house, 24-hour security, choice seats at sporting events, and access to famous people.
But what happens when pressure begins to mount for the president to resign or stop campaigning?
We look at two instances separated by fifty years.
President Joe Biden announced yesterday that he will no longer seek the Democratic presidential nomination and will instead back Vice President Kamala Harris for the job.
It was a stunning announcement, considering that for weeks after his poor performance at the first presidential debate on June 27, President Biden told everyone he was staying in the race, and the debate debacle was a mere blip.
But the pressure continued.
35 Democratic legislators called on Biden to “Pass the Torch,” an odd choice of words considering their opponent. Biden already suffered low approval ratings despite what many, including myself, believe to be a productive presidency. If Biden were 51 or 61, heck, even 71, rather than 81, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
Biden entered politics in 1972 by defeating an incumbent Republican Senator from his home state of Delaware. Right after the election, his wife and one-year-old daughter were killed in an automobile accident, while his two sons suffered injuries.
Biden felt pressure to quit to take care of his family. Instead, he chose to share his talents and passion, and over 50 years, he served as Senator, Vice President, and eventually the 46th President of the United States.
He ran for president in 1988 and 2008 and lost. The third time was a charm in the 2020 election after he was pressured to sit out 2016 in favor of Hillary Clinton.
I have no idea if this was a good or bad idea. Recent polls show that former president and convicted felon Donald Trump is leading in most states. Democratic donors appear to be holding back their money, adding pressure for Biden to drop out.
I can’t help but think this cycle of pressure, polls, and money was circular. The cause and effect of each played off each other, building anxiety to an already intense moment. We will see if this pressure works.
It wasn’t long ago when legislators of the Republican party applied pressure to their president. Back in 1974, President Richard Nixon was accused of covering up illegal activity during the previous presidential election when 61% of the country voted for him.
Like Biden, negativity around Nixon continued to build as more information emerged. Like Biden, Nixon remained defiant until the situation became unattainable.
The only difference is Biden is hailed as a selfless leader as he walks away, while Nixon tried to tell everyone he was not a crook as a helicopter carried him away.
Our other highlights for this week all focus on President Richard Nixon. Here’s what I got:
1. Vice President Richard Nixon debated the Soviet Union Premier on July 24, 1959. During a culture exchange program between the two countries, Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev held impromptu debates about which country was more awesome. Both politicians claimed that the other’s grandchildren would live under different economic systems, but Nixon proved correct, as Khrushchev’s grandson became a naturalized American citizen.
2. The Supreme Court told President Nixon to turn over evidence on July 24, 1974. In a unanimous decision, the Court ruled in the United States vs. Nixon that the president had to turn over tape recordings and other evidence to the federal courts. In a rare moment of ethical behavior by the Court, Associate Justice William Rehnquist recused himself because he served in the Nixon administration as an Assistant Attorney General.
3. The House Judicary Committee voted to impeach President Nixon on July 27, 1974. Having begun formal hearings on the Watergate break-in scandal back in May, the Democratic-led Judiciary Committee approved three articles of impeachment against the president. They included obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress. The last one always gets me because doesn’t every president hold Congress in contempt?
The Democratic National Convention is about a month away (August 19-22), and the world will watch how they proceed. Will Harris ultimately prevail? Will anyone run against her? What will be President Biden’s role?
Most importantly, whoever emerges from Chicago as the nominee will have to deal with the pressure to ensure there will not be another Trump administration. It’s going to be a wild 100-odd days until the election.
This week will be another busy one, but I will be back on Friday. I hope it’s a good one for you. No pressure.
Thanks for supporting Okay History.
Okay,
Chris
