In 1973 Richard Nixon was fresh off a landslide victory for a 2nd term. As summer began, we heard about a break-in at Watergate, a “mixed use facility” in the parlance of people today who run Indy for the benefit of builders and developers. The 1973 iteration of the GOP was 1/6

progressive. Nixon was proud of achievements that occurred during his first 4 years in office. EPA was created & oversaw workings of the Clean Air & Clean Water acts. Schools were made to integrate. He “opened” communications w/China. Watergate hearings began to show 2/6

a sick side of Nixon. He’d prolonged the Vietnam War, first by interfering (described privately as treason by LBJ) peace negotiations & then by massive bombing, each time to benefit Nixon’s political campaigns. But w/Watergate revelations, public support for Nixon shrank. 3/6

SCOTUS 8-0 (w/3 Nixon nominees) said he had to hand over tapes fr his Oval Office. The tapes disclosed Nixon obstructed justice. On 08/07/74 Senators Scott (GOP leader) & Goldwater & Rep Rhodes (GOP House leader) met w/Nixon at the WH & said he had to resign. He did. 4/6

Those GOP leaders valued principles over party loyalty. Today trump will be arraigned. That he called his former AG “gutless pig” is special. Andy Jacobs called people like trump, who dodge military service but promoted aggressive military policies, ”chicken hawks”. Too bad 5/6

the GOP was hacked, gradually & badly, to where GOP members of Congress quake in fear if they do not follow this would-be dictator. The worst are those in the GOP who gladly march in lock-step. These are the RINOs. They & their “fearless leader” are the gutless pigs. 6/6