Nixonian

The term Nixonian, or "Nixonite" is a term used to signify extreme secretiveness or corruption. It can also refer to liberal Republicans.

The term is used to refer to a regime of dirty election tricks or abuses of power for political gain.

Other usage

It can also refer to Republicans who, rather than being conservative, tend to promote high domestic spending and an active regulatory regime, along with an aggressive foreign policy. This term is somewhat akin to "Rockefeller Republican", but with an even more pejorative tone; one never self-identifies as a Nixonian. The term is most frequently used by Republicans to attack self-described moderates; when used by Democrats it is more apt to be used in the context of the Watergate scandal and the suggestion of Republican corruption.

This moniker is based upon the administration of Richard Nixon, who ran in 1968 and 1972 as a conservative, only to enact unprecedented amounts of new regulations and government agencies, and expand federally provided social services. Among these were the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, implementation of price and wage controls to try to reduce inflation, and an unsuccessful attempt to provide a guaranteed minimum income to taxpayers.

"In a field of Nixonians, he [Steve Forbes] will offer some Reaganite hope. A centerpiece will be the flat tax - to spur growth, and to clean out the Beltway lobbies that plumb the tax code for advantage."

– Paul A. Gigot, Wall Street Journal (9/15/95)^[1]

This term has been increasingly applied to George W. Bush, because of a domestic spending and regulatory regime more expansive than that of his predecessor, as well as his interventionist foreign policies.^[2]

In popular culture

"Nixonian" was a word "removed from the dictionary" according to the Simpsons season 20 episode "Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words".

"Nixonian also refers to one who voices an opinion as to whether a game they have played is better than a game they haven't played, based upon its usage by Usenix"

See also

• Log Cabin Republicans
• Rockefeller Republican
• Republican In Name Only
• South Park Republican
• Republican Liberty Caucus

References

1. ^ http://home.pacbell.net/rsdotson/misc/morequotes.htm
2. ^ What if Bush is a Nixonian Liberal?, The Decembrist

External links

• Nixonian Socialism by Murray N. Rothbard
• What if Bush is a Nixonian Liberal?
• The GOP's Nixonian Secret...