I Have Never Been A Quitter: The Impeachment of Richard Nixon
- Thread starter dartingfog
- Start date
I'm betting it wasn't just booze. "Drunk as a skunk and on a shitload of pills" is... not a pretty place to be.
Well, if nothing else, it's another example to those die-hard Constitutionalists that the constitution does not have all the answers.
Though I figure maybe doctors could escort him out if he began doing stuff immediately hazardous to his health (though I figure this would be addressed soonish. Probably sooner if Nixon accidentally started a fire or something.)
And it looks like the nightmare has become. I wonder who will end up with the poisoned chalice of being elected in 1976...
Though I figure maybe doctors could escort him out if he began doing stuff immediately hazardous to his health (though I figure this would be addressed soonish. Probably sooner if Nixon accidentally started a fire or something.)
And it looks like the nightmare has become. I wonder who will end up with the poisoned chalice of being elected in 1976...
I think the practical concerns of the ex-President throwing wing-dings in the White House finally got them to move.
"Wanna go throw out the guy who tried making you wear these new uniforms?"
Deleted member 83898
"In the name of law, order, and the Grand Archon Richard Nixon, I command you to halt!"
I think that would do it. While the Constitution doesn't go into it, I would imagine from a legal stand point once he's impeached he is no longer President and no longer has the authority to order the Secret Service or the military around. The new President could have the authority to order his removal.
Sorry for the long delay, but it took a long time to figure out where I wanted to go with this. My final post is below.
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Conclusion
After Nixon’s removal from office, President Ford sought a return to normalcy. In his first few weeks in office, he met with Congressional leadership and foreign officials to assure them of the peaceful transition of power in the United States. On April 1, Ford appointed Senator Nelson Rockefeller to be his Vice President [1].
But it was too late to save South Vietnam. In April 1975, it was clear that Saigon would soon fall. Unable to secure funding for aid to South Vietnam from Congress, Ford was forced to admit defeat in Vietnam. Seeing an imminent victory for the North Vietnamese, Ford ordered an evacuation of all U.S. personnel from South Vietnam. The ignominious end to the Vietnam War would haunt Ford for the rest of his Presidency.
Nixon’s physical and mental health gradually improved after leaving office, and he was released from the hospital in August 1975. His self-pardon was quickly struck down by the Supreme Court, leaving him no choice but to appeal to President Ford. Ford refused to pardon Nixon, believing that Nixon had squandered his chance at pardon by not resigning from office. After a year [2] of trying to find a fair and impartial jury, Nixon was subsequently brought up on several charges by a federal grand jury in March 1976 These charges included conspiracy to obstruct justice, perjury, and conspiracy to commit burglary. [3] [4]
In 1976, the Presidential election was one of the most dramatic in American history. On the Republican side, former California Governor Ronald Reagan challenged President Ford for the nomination. Ford won all of the early primaries, but Reagan won several states, beginning with North Carolina on March 23, followed by Texas, Georgia, Indiana, Nebraska, Arkansas, Idaho, Nevada, Tennessee, Montana, South Dakota, and California [5]. At the Republican National Convention, both candidates fell short of the 1130 delegates that they needed to win. After several ballots, Reagan came out on top, and thus became the first person in American history to successfully challenge a sitting President for the nomination. He chose former Senator Bob Dole to be his running mate [6].
Reagan’s victory can be attributed Ford’s perceived weakness on Vietnam. After the evacuation of Saigon, there emerged a belief among many Republicans that if Nixon had not been impeached, or if Congress had funded aid to South Vietnam, or if Nixon had been allowed to use the atom bomb on Hanoi, the war would have been won and South Vietnam would have remained an independent (and non-Communist) nation. During the primary campaign, Ronald Reagan made full advantage of this belief, blaming Ford and the Democrats for losing the war. “I believe the greatest blow to the power of the Presidency has resulted from Vietnam. The world today has a belief that a president of the United States cannot respond to a crisis or emergency as Presidents have in the past… We had helped the South Vietnamese put together an army of half a million men. We believed this army with the tanks, helicopters and artillery we left them could defend their country if North Vietnam violated the peace treaty and attacked. We promised that if this happened we’d provide the fuel and ammunition for the things we left behind... If there is one message that needs to be sent to all the Nations of the world by the next President, it is this: There will be no more Taiwans and no more Vietnams. There will be no more abandonment of friends by the United States of America.” [7]
The Democratic race was no less interesting. Several relatively obscure candidates entered the race. Two candidates quickly emerged as frontrunners in the primaries: former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter and Arizona Representative Mo Udall. Carter won several of the early primaries, but eventually lost momentum. After wins in Wisconsin and Michigan, Udall obtained enough delegates to win the Democratic nomination, dashing Carter’s hopes of clinching the nomination.
Udall’s chances of becoming President seemed good, given the taint of the Watergate scandal on the Republican Party. But in the general election, Reagan won the popular vote by just 0.1% and had a majority of electoral votes, 273-265 [8]. Historians speculate that Udall was too progressive for most Americans at the time, and his Mormonism dissuaded Black voters from turning out to vote [9].
In December 1976, former President Nixon pled guilty to several lesser charges. While awaiting sentencing, he asked for a pardon from President-elect Reagan. On January 20, 1977, President Reagan was sworn into office. His first order of business as President was to pardon former President Richard M. Nixon. It was morning in America. [10]
THE END
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NOTES:
[1] As OTL. Ford might choose someone else, but I think Rockefeller is still a likely choice.
[2] “It is believed that a trial of Richard Nixon, if it became necessary, could not fairly begin until a year or more has elapsed.” From Proclamation 4311 (in which Ford pardoned Nixon)
[3] https://www.huffingtonpost.com/lyle-denniston/nixon-impeached-watergate_b_1596220.html
[4] https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/constitution-check-could-richard-nixon-have-been-tried-successfully-for-a-c
[5] As OTL, except for Tennessee, which Ford won.
[6] Dole is a former Senator due to his loss in the ’74 midterms ATL. From Wikipedia: “Reagan shocked the convention by announcing that if he won the nomination, Senator Richard Schweiker of Pennsylvania, from the northern liberal wing of the party, would be his running mate. The move backfired, however, as few moderates switched to Reagan, while many conservative delegates were outraged. The key state of Mississippi, which Reagan needed, narrowly voted to support Ford; it was believed that Reagan's choice of Schweiker had led Clarke Reed, Mississippi's chairman, to switch to Ford.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_presidential_primaries,_1976 The Ford
[7] Quotes from Reagan cobbled together from OTL radio broadcasts. See Reagan: A Life In Letters, pp. 36, 268, 535 and Reagan, In His Own Hand: The Writings of Ronald Reagan that Reveal His Revolutionary Vision for America, pp. 48-49 and 479
[8] The result was more or less identical to OTL, but Reagan wins two states that Carter won in OTL: Ohio and Mississippi. In OTL, Carter won both states by less than 2% of the popular vote, so they are vulnerable states for Udall. In the OTL Democratic primaries, Carter won 52% of the vote (versus Udall’s 21%). On the Republican side, Ford carried Ohio with 55%, but Reagan was closely behind at 45%. Udall’s weakness in the South (relative to Carter, at least) explains his loss in Mississippi.
[9] African-Americans weren’t allowed to be priests in the LDS church until 1978. Coleman Young, the mayor of Detroit, accused Udall of racism during the Michigan primary. I expect the Reagan campaign would make full use of this. See Mo: The Life and Times of Morris K. Udall, pp. 168
[10] You didn’t actually think an American President would go to prison, did you?
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Conclusion
After Nixon’s removal from office, President Ford sought a return to normalcy. In his first few weeks in office, he met with Congressional leadership and foreign officials to assure them of the peaceful transition of power in the United States. On April 1, Ford appointed Senator Nelson Rockefeller to be his Vice President [1].
But it was too late to save South Vietnam. In April 1975, it was clear that Saigon would soon fall. Unable to secure funding for aid to South Vietnam from Congress, Ford was forced to admit defeat in Vietnam. Seeing an imminent victory for the North Vietnamese, Ford ordered an evacuation of all U.S. personnel from South Vietnam. The ignominious end to the Vietnam War would haunt Ford for the rest of his Presidency.
Nixon’s physical and mental health gradually improved after leaving office, and he was released from the hospital in August 1975. His self-pardon was quickly struck down by the Supreme Court, leaving him no choice but to appeal to President Ford. Ford refused to pardon Nixon, believing that Nixon had squandered his chance at pardon by not resigning from office. After a year [2] of trying to find a fair and impartial jury, Nixon was subsequently brought up on several charges by a federal grand jury in March 1976 These charges included conspiracy to obstruct justice, perjury, and conspiracy to commit burglary. [3] [4]
In 1976, the Presidential election was one of the most dramatic in American history. On the Republican side, former California Governor Ronald Reagan challenged President Ford for the nomination. Ford won all of the early primaries, but Reagan won several states, beginning with North Carolina on March 23, followed by Texas, Georgia, Indiana, Nebraska, Arkansas, Idaho, Nevada, Tennessee, Montana, South Dakota, and California [5]. At the Republican National Convention, both candidates fell short of the 1130 delegates that they needed to win. After several ballots, Reagan came out on top, and thus became the first person in American history to successfully challenge a sitting President for the nomination. He chose former Senator Bob Dole to be his running mate [6].
Reagan’s victory can be attributed Ford’s perceived weakness on Vietnam. After the evacuation of Saigon, there emerged a belief among many Republicans that if Nixon had not been impeached, or if Congress had funded aid to South Vietnam, or if Nixon had been allowed to use the atom bomb on Hanoi, the war would have been won and South Vietnam would have remained an independent (and non-Communist) nation. During the primary campaign, Ronald Reagan made full advantage of this belief, blaming Ford and the Democrats for losing the war. “I believe the greatest blow to the power of the Presidency has resulted from Vietnam. The world today has a belief that a president of the United States cannot respond to a crisis or emergency as Presidents have in the past… We had helped the South Vietnamese put together an army of half a million men. We believed this army with the tanks, helicopters and artillery we left them could defend their country if North Vietnam violated the peace treaty and attacked. We promised that if this happened we’d provide the fuel and ammunition for the things we left behind... If there is one message that needs to be sent to all the Nations of the world by the next President, it is this: There will be no more Taiwans and no more Vietnams. There will be no more abandonment of friends by the United States of America.” [7]
The Democratic race was no less interesting. Several relatively obscure candidates entered the race. Two candidates quickly emerged as frontrunners in the primaries: former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter and Arizona Representative Mo Udall. Carter won several of the early primaries, but eventually lost momentum. After wins in Wisconsin and Michigan, Udall obtained enough delegates to win the Democratic nomination, dashing Carter’s hopes of clinching the nomination.
Udall’s chances of becoming President seemed good, given the taint of the Watergate scandal on the Republican Party. But in the general election, Reagan won the popular vote by just 0.1% and had a majority of electoral votes, 273-265 [8]. Historians speculate that Udall was too progressive for most Americans at the time, and his Mormonism dissuaded Black voters from turning out to vote [9].
In December 1976, former President Nixon pled guilty to several lesser charges. While awaiting sentencing, he asked for a pardon from President-elect Reagan. On January 20, 1977, President Reagan was sworn into office. His first order of business as President was to pardon former President Richard M. Nixon. It was morning in America. [10]
THE END
---------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES:
[1] As OTL. Ford might choose someone else, but I think Rockefeller is still a likely choice.
[2] “It is believed that a trial of Richard Nixon, if it became necessary, could not fairly begin until a year or more has elapsed.” From Proclamation 4311 (in which Ford pardoned Nixon)
[3] https://www.huffingtonpost.com/lyle-denniston/nixon-impeached-watergate_b_1596220.html
[4] https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/constitution-check-could-richard-nixon-have-been-tried-successfully-for-a-c
[5] As OTL, except for Tennessee, which Ford won.
[6] Dole is a former Senator due to his loss in the ’74 midterms ATL. From Wikipedia: “Reagan shocked the convention by announcing that if he won the nomination, Senator Richard Schweiker of Pennsylvania, from the northern liberal wing of the party, would be his running mate. The move backfired, however, as few moderates switched to Reagan, while many conservative delegates were outraged. The key state of Mississippi, which Reagan needed, narrowly voted to support Ford; it was believed that Reagan's choice of Schweiker had led Clarke Reed, Mississippi's chairman, to switch to Ford.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_presidential_primaries,_1976 The Ford
[7] Quotes from Reagan cobbled together from OTL radio broadcasts. See Reagan: A Life In Letters, pp. 36, 268, 535 and Reagan, In His Own Hand: The Writings of Ronald Reagan that Reveal His Revolutionary Vision for America, pp. 48-49 and 479
[8] The result was more or less identical to OTL, but Reagan wins two states that Carter won in OTL: Ohio and Mississippi. In OTL, Carter won both states by less than 2% of the popular vote, so they are vulnerable states for Udall. In the OTL Democratic primaries, Carter won 52% of the vote (versus Udall’s 21%). On the Republican side, Ford carried Ohio with 55%, but Reagan was closely behind at 45%. Udall’s weakness in the South (relative to Carter, at least) explains his loss in Mississippi.
[9] African-Americans weren’t allowed to be priests in the LDS church until 1978. Coleman Young, the mayor of Detroit, accused Udall of racism during the Michigan primary. I expect the Reagan campaign would make full use of this. See Mo: The Life and Times of Morris K. Udall, pp. 168
[10] You didn’t actually think an American President would go to prison, did you?
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Scoop Jackson, to balance out the ticket ideologically. He's really the only choice aside from Carter among the major 1976 contenders. As in OTL, Brown and Church were strongly opposed to Carter, which I think would prevent them from getting the party's blessing. And Wallace had obvious baggage from '68.
Oh god, that's going to mess things up for Reagan isn't it. I guess we can forget about a Reagan decade starting in 1976. Wonder who'll win in 1980 election now.
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1976 was going to be murder on him without it. With a Nixon pardon hanging over him?
One and done.
@dartingfog --have the Democrats remained in control of both chambers of Congress?