As the Watergate investigation began to reveal the details of the break-in and scandal to the American people, public opinion of President Nixon plummeted compared to the approval ratings from earlier in his presidency. Based on the graph created by Pew Research Center from Gallup polls from January 1973 to August 1974, Nixon’s approval ratings peaked at 68% in January 1973 (right after his second inauguration on January 20, 1973) and began to steadily decline until late 1973 when his approval rating rested between 25-30%. These approval ratings have largely remained negative even years after the Watergate Scandal, with Gallup results between 1990 to 2002 ranging from 31% (February 2000) to 37% (November 1993). These approval ratings demonstrate that not only was the Watergate Scandal a huge political spectacle, but it also had a major impact on the public’s perception of Nixon and his administration.
“Watergate in the Eyes of…” serves as way to balance the subpoenas from the Rufus Edmisten Papers and the letters from the Sam Ervin Papers—both of which are were created to be placed within the public record. This section looks at the personal viewpoints and positions of political figures, academics, activists, and private citizens as they relate to the Watergate Scandal.
This section includes:
- A radio broadcast of a 1972/1973 event with Ron Dellums,
- A radio broadcast of a 1974 event with Bobby Seale,
- James Reston’s diary of the impeachment proceedings, entitled “How It Felt: The Impeachment Diary of James Reston, Jr., 27 June-13 August 1974,”
- “Watergate Blues,” a 1978 song by Big Joe Williams, and
- A recording of a 2012 event with Rufus Edmisten.
References:
How Watergate Changed Public Opinion of Richard Nixon. (2019, June 7). Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/09/25/how-the-watergate-crisis-eroded-public-support-for-richard-nixon/ft_14-08-08_nixonresignation_2x/
Kohut, A. (2019, September 25). From the archives: How the Watergate crisis eroded public support for Richard Nixon. Pew Research Center. (Original work published August 8, 2014) https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/09/25/how-the-watergate-crisis-eroded-public-support-for-richard-nixon/
Saad, L. (2002, June 17). Thirty Years Later, Americans Still Believe Watergate Was Serious Matter. Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/6208/thirty-years-later-americans-still-believe-watergate-serious-matter.aspx