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- Title
Retelling Watergate: Apologia, Political Eulogy, and Richard Nixon's “Final Campaign”.
- Authors
Prasch, Allison M.
- Abstract
In this article, I analyze the text of the Nixon Library's original Watergate exhibit as Richard Nixon's final attempt to speak in his own defense and to eulogize his political life. To do this, the gallery narrative divided the events of Watergate into a series of small, seemingly unrelated events that the liberal media and congressional Democrats used to undermine the president. At the same time, the text portrayed Nixon as an active leader defending the executive branch from congressional and judicial overreach. This analysis shows how Nixon relied on rhetorical strategies of differentiation and transcendence to resuscitate his status as an elder statesman. It also suggests that critics should consider the apologic potential of other memorial sites, particularly presidential libraries.
- Subjects
RICHARD Nixon Library &; Birthplace; WATERGATE Affair, 1972-1974; NIXON, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913-1994; PRESIDENTS of the United States; DEMOCRATS (United States); STATESMEN; CRITICS
- Publication
Southern Communication Journal, 2015, Vol 80, Issue 4, p271
- ISSN
1041-794X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1080/1041794X.2015.1045622