Why You Can’t Beat City Hall at Washington, D.C.

It was a wiser Nixon who made his third run for the Presidency, in 1972. The last four years had given him what the previous 22 had not—a practical (as opposed to verbal) knowledge of how Washington works (or doesn’t) and a personal stake in doing something about it. Prodded by advisors and by accumulating experience, he had backed policy reforms designed to redistribute federal power, and structural reforms intended to make it more efficient. Neither had succeeded—most of the policy reforms had faltered in Congress, while the structural reforms had either done likewise, or failed when put into practice.

To resolve his political difficulties, Nixon planned to harness the electoral clout of the Silent Majority. In this he was half successful: George McGovern was to the Nixon campaign what Johnstown, Pa. had been to the flood. At the same time, the Republicans gained a mere 13 seats in the House, and lost two in the Senate. Nixon had aimed for glory and gotten it; but glory has no votes in Congress. The second largest majority in American history would become meaningless the day after the election; while Democratic majorities on the Hill could be counted on to frustrate his policy reforms at least until 1974.

About the Author

Richard Brookhiser

Historian Richard Brookhiser is a senior editor of National Review and a senior fellow at the National Review Institute.

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It was a wiser Nixon who made his third run for the Presidency, in 1972. The last four years had given him what the previous 22 had not—a practical (as opposed to verbal) knowledge of how Washington works (or doesn’t) and a personal stake in doing something about it. Prodded by advisors and by accumulating experience, he had backed policy reforms designed to redistribute federal power, and structural reforms intended to make it more efficient. Neither had succeeded—most of the policy reforms had faltered in Congress, while the structural reforms had either done likewise, or failed when put into practice.

To resolve his political difficulties, Nixon planned to harness the electoral clout of the Silent Majority. In this he was half successful: George McGovern was to the Nixon campaign what Johnstown, Pa. had been to the flood. At the same time, the Republicans gained a mere 13 seats in the House, and lost two in the Senate. Nixon had aimed for glory and gotten it; but glory has no votes in Congress. The second largest majority in American history would become meaningless the day after the election; while Democratic majorities on the Hill could be counted on to frustrate his policy reforms at least until 1974.