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It got really bad towards the end of Watergate, to the point where some of the generals were putting out the word not to follow any nuclear launch order he might give out in a drunken fit of rage.
He was a great president until Watergate. I want alive then, but he was quite eloquent.
I would say Bush Jr. Was socially awkward. But not Nixon.
The biggest irony is his paranoia is what caused his downfall. Because he had recordings of everything that happened in the oval office. If those tapes didn't exist, no one would've found anything.
Bill Clinton had the highest approval rating of any president leaving office since they started polling.
His impeachment didn't hurt his polling much clearly.
I knew a family that met with him in 2006 after their son was KIA in Iraq. They said he was really nice polite and down to earth. The meeting was informal, and he was just there to learn about this young man's life and unfortunate death. They didn't have a beer with him, but they hung out with him all evening.
I met W and he was freakishly charismatic. I strongly disliked him at the time (he was sitting President) but still couldn't help but like the guy in the moment.
Read Tucker Carlson’s 1999 profile of Bush Jr. It was a real piece not the editorial style he’s now known for. Bush Jr was one of the most interpersonally charismatic guys to ever have the job. He made friends very easiky
Great president? I'll give you China, but don't forget Vietnam. And who can forget wage and price controls. I'm struggling to understand why anyone would consider him great, even aside from his ethical issues.
Idk if this is exactly true or not, but I remember reading once that he only gave two official speeches during his presidency. They were his two inauguration addresses.
everything nowadays is measured in social currency. during corporate interviews you have to give off a energetic and very social presence to even be considered. i can’t imagine how much worse it is in politics and to get to the top requires years of doing things like public speaking. I highly doubt we ever see it in our lifetime.
I would argue that it could happen. Last election proved that you don’t need to be a cult of personality to win. Depends on what is meant by “socially awkward.” Are we talking about a complete castoff? Then no. But even today I don’t think you need to be the MOST social to win
If your “brand” of social interactions appeals to enough people…that brand could be lots of things that aren’t necessarily the standard definition of “social, charismatic” etc. If you’re perceived as “charismatic” by enough people in a subset, the other subset(s) of people may not see you that way.
I think this is more true now than it once was, when culture/values were a lot more uniform.
And he got caught and scapegoated.
Edit: I guess I misused the word. What I meant was, he isn't the only US president who was corrupt. Just that he's seen as the worst of them because he's the one who got exposed and had to resign.
He was a fascinating figure. Love him or hate him. He's condemned for things other presidents did and hated for them—as those presidents he's compared to are not. He was brilliant and tragic, all wrapped up in one.
I'd say about 70% of the comments I see here reveal a profound ignorance of the man and the events that surrounded him. He's perceived to hate JFK, despite JFK and him having a deep mutual respect and admiration for one another and sharing their disdain for LBJ. He's charged with treason, but usually, those who make up that charge don't even realize he was convincing our ally, South Vietnam, to avoid the peace talks (so, at best, a violation of the Logan Act). Something they (SV) didn't even want and most likely would have rejected on their own. He's condemned for Watergate even though his predecessor (LBJ) won his early few elections by cheating and undoubtedly breaking election lies in the process.
The Silent Majority is often thought to refer to segregationists. But that is a modern myth. He was referring to a majority of Americans who were not out protesting Vietnam and wanted it to end honorably. He's charged with being responsible for the Vietnam War, even though LBJ is the one who practically began it. Nixon ended the draft and pulled 90% of the troops out of Vietnam.
He's accused of most likely not supporting the various civil rights acts even though he was the prominent, vocal advocate of forwarding federal civil rights legislation while VP. Hell, his presidency saw the implementation of the Philadelphia Plan -which enacted affirmative action for federal contractors - something none of his predecessors ever did. He also represented a more moderate Republican Party that didn't oppose progress. Reaganism would oversee the party shifting farther to the right, embracing the Christian right. I could go on and on.
I don't know how you can not be obsessed.
As an ex-president he wrote a lot of books and gave interviews. Smart guy, highly respected on foreign policy and other matters. I think because of Watergate and party politics he’s been turned into a caricature.
It fell out of fashion after watergate to admit you liked him- as my Boomer dad jokes, “Nobody ever admits voting for Nixon yet somehow he got elected president…twice!”
Now, with fewer and fewer people alive actually present during his term, there are more people admitting they like certain aspects of his presidency, maybe not the whole thing, but he’s not without his positives.
I think he’s weird and studying him is fun. A lot of what he did is horrible, but the arc of his whole career is like a Shakespeare drama
I actually had a Nixon cardboard cutout in the house i used to rent. Me and my roommate would hide him in different locations to jumpscare houseguests lmfao
>he was convincing our ally, South Vietnam, to avoid the peace talks (so, at best, a violation of the Logan Act).
and which led to the deaths of thousands more Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian people not to mention the additional American soldiers who died. People call it treason as a rhetorical flourish but the reason it was bad was that it prolonged the war by almost 7 years and ultimately the South lost anyways so maybe LBJ was right to push them to the negotiating table.
You also leave out the other foreign policy misadventures he and Kissinger engaged in and the bloody wake they left behind in Asia and Latin America. He was certainly a complicated and interesting figure but I will always have him to kick around.
Nixon is fascinating, for sure. Here is my take: Eisenhower was told that Nixon would be the VP by the republican powers that be; he initially refused, claimed Nixon was brilliant, but, mentally unstable. He was convinced by others that he could control Nixon. Republicans always say that-but-no one can control a madman. IMO making Nixon VP was the beginning of the end for the Republican party. We are now witnessing the death throes of American Republicanism. Interesting times.
One's syntax is like a moon man just dropped on Earth. The language pattern is bizarre as hell (to say nothing on the content, which you'vealready mentioned).
Probably. Winning the Presidency is, or at least for the last 60 years or so, has been mainly about being the more charismatic individual. But socially awkward people end up in politics all the time. Think of how weird Ted Cruz is, or Ron DeSantis. Or even people like Gore or Kerry or even Hillary who were all even closer to the presidency. It's only a matter of time until two socially awkward weirdos go up against each other.
Kerry- “I’m just like YOU!”
Also Kerry: “I married a billionaire ketchup heiress!”
He had a harder time giving off the relatability “image” than W did, even though both were roughly the same amount of “Elite”. It’s possible someone isn’t relatable at all yet SEEMS relatable. The inverse is also true, with someone like Nixon: his background really did match that of most of America, but he didn’t come off as “guy id like to hang out with” a lot of the time.
apparently someone did a speech and it was the most intelligent, cogent, and sharp that we've ever seen from someone or at least that's what im told by the tv
the pixels in the gif form to make an animation of someone that isn't socially awkward. the pixels in the gif form to make an animation of someone whose brain is rotting in their own skull. that isn't socially awkward as much as it is just... decay.
I think people tend to over emphasize Nixon's "social awkwardness". At a personal level, yes he had his quirks but the guy was a successful VP under Eisenhower and darn near beat Kennedy for the presidency, who is routinely labeled as one of the most charismatic presidents in US history. Instead of disappearing like most VPs who fail to achieve the presidency, he came back and won, in the second time in an absolute landslide.
You don't have that political success by being the weird overly social awkward person people label him as. Few men out there in politics could give a more cogent or forceful speech on a matter than Nixon. He was a natural in the podium. He, along with LBJ and others, is on the Mount Rushmore of "pure politicians".
For the guy you called awkward, he crushed Gore on the relatability factor. He was at the time, and is still now, the kinda guy people say they'd like to have a beer with. He's certainly got some folksy speech, and perhaps he was in over his head as President. In the end, he comes off as much more of a common man than Obama or Clinton, which is odd as Bush grew up much wealthier than those two.
You’re right. He did come across that way. But I’ll maintain that the person I’d “like to have a beer with” is a terrible gauge for President. I’ll take competency over a brewski any day.
Of course we would prefer competency, but that's a gross oversimplification. How can you tell who is competent? Political competency does require some level of connections though. We aren't just working with unthinking machines. People have real feelings. You need to connect not only with voters but other politicians.In an era where the government is increasingly run by the elites and for the elites, I can see where people place some value in relatability. It's a tacit connection that the elected official may do something about their issues.
I'm not saying that line of voting has worked out, but I understand why it exists.
I think Clinton came off as more relatable in 92 than he does now, after 30 years in a sort of “DC/NYC bubble”. In 92, he wasn’t as far removed from his very modest roots and had spent relatively less time around the millionaires/billionaires, having to do retail politics in Arkansas. It really would be a challenge, to stay “relatable” the longer you’re in the “elite” circles.
Clinton was absolutely more relatable in 92 than he is now. He's stayed in the Washington circles more than GWB has as well. GWB seems much happier away from it all. I think you make a good point about the relatability in 92 though. I would say for the elections in my lifetime the relatable guy has almost always won. People might like to think they have some real highbrow reasons, but the numbers say people are voting on who they find common ground with.
Neither. I firmly believe his "aww shucks" good ole boy persona is all a well played facade. I think that's even the source of his many gaffes - he's a well educated rich boy trying to talk like a folksy cowboy and sometimes it comes out weird.
The widespread belief that he's dumb as a box of rocks basically got him off the hook for everything. It's like Reagan's dementia - it's a very convenient excuse.
I think you’re close but his social outwardness did come from his past party boy days.
Rove said it best - Dubya was going to get elected by being the guy more people would want to sit down and have a beer with so yes he played up being this good ol’ boy when in fact he was a rich kid born in Connecticut. But that persona was very rooted in him - it wasn’t a total facade.
But was he playing to who he knew were “his people” - oh yes definitely.
no, he was the opposite of socially awkward. He was a fun loving frat bro(who grew up). That was his appeal. Being socially awkward only works in politics if you're sharp as hell.
I don’t think you’ll even see socially awkward Comgresspeople soon. Modern campaigning takes relatability on and off the screen. The difference in social skill level I’ve seen even jumping from day City Council members to State level representatives is striking. With party bosses and insiders losing more and more sway in selecting nominees, charisma is King
We JUST had one? Remember his “are you making us look skinny?” 🥴 comment? Or the fast food buffet statements? The way he stands next to people. The way he shakes hands.
No. Telegenicity and online presence have become important traits for every president to have, and any lack thereof is picked out and relentlessly mocked as an ad hominem by their opposition.
Optics and spin are everything. Current president is awkward as hell, but is confident and has a die hard team. Guys like Nixon left so much on the field, with less actual engagement, that the modern media would eat them alive.
The most Shakesperean story of any president I can think of, his rise and fall and rise and fall filled with so much drama, intrigue, psychology, villains, heroes, world events, disarray, war, setbacks. comebacks, etc. and in its center our very own King Lear, breaking apart by the seams. Whatever you think of him, he still looms large as presidents go, for good and bad, and almost all his successors seem like lightweights in comparison.
His social awkwardness, as you describe it, was something that plagued him since youth, and likely contributed to his dark view of the world. What was it he said, "you won't have Nixon to kick around anymore", after an election loss?
Truthfully, I think many presidents would be socially awkward if you were to say, casually have a hangout with them at the mall. It's contextual. These are high level professionals with no real engagement with general social situations anymore.
I’ve been reading Evan Thomas’s Being Nixon. I’m fascinated by him. I’m not sure how socially awkward he truly was or if his perception of how others saw him made him more awkward. Like, if he truly didn’t care about how others saw him, he’d probably carry himself completely differently.
I honestly know nothing about any presidents really. I’ve learned so much interesting facts about the presidents from this sub over the last couple weeks. I appreciate everyone who posts in here 🙏
Nixon ain’t socially awkward bud. He’s way more charismatic than the average population (almost all modern presidents are). He just isn’t compared to Kennedy
LBJ I always got the feeling that a lot of people were embarrassed for him. And that people thought he was vulgar and ill mannered. But, I don’t know if he even cared what anyone thought. Except at the end of his term, when he was so worried about Vietnam. I don’t know if that’s actually what you’re looking for
If I’ve learned anything over the last few years, anything is possible as far as who we elect president. I don’t put anything past the American electorate.
Although, “socially awkward” is kind of a best case scenario when it comes to issues with Presidents.
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Nixon wasn't so much socially inept as he was paranoid out of his mind.
The fifth of vodka he drank every day certainly didn't help with that.
Was he an alcoholic? I didn’t know about his drinking
It got really bad towards the end of Watergate, to the point where some of the generals were putting out the word not to follow any nuclear launch order he might give out in a drunken fit of rage.
Generals always say stuff like that when they want to distance themselves from an administration.
“Sounds like someone’s breaking in!”
*It’s just a storm dick*
Sit down.
Funny that I was playing BO1 Zombies this morning lol
He was a great president until Watergate. I want alive then, but he was quite eloquent. I would say Bush Jr. Was socially awkward. But not Nixon. The biggest irony is his paranoia is what caused his downfall. Because he had recordings of everything that happened in the oval office. If those tapes didn't exist, no one would've found anything.
I don’t know about W being socially awkward, isn’t he the go-to example for a “you could have a beer with him” president?
I would want to have a beer with Bill Clinton back in the 1990's.
Bill Clinton had the highest approval rating of any president leaving office since they started polling. His impeachment didn't hurt his polling much clearly.
I don't know if I could hang with 90s Clinton. His brother basically said he was an unstoppable party machine.
Add Boris Yeltsin sneaking out his accommodations in DC to join you and that’d be a fun night.
I knew a family that met with him in 2006 after their son was KIA in Iraq. They said he was really nice polite and down to earth. The meeting was informal, and he was just there to learn about this young man's life and unfortunate death. They didn't have a beer with him, but they hung out with him all evening.
Even though he very famously doesn't drink.
More for me!
Well, yes, you could have a beer with him. With LBJ, it was stronger liquors.
Good point. And I still wouldn't put Nixon in that category.
I met W and he was freakishly charismatic. I strongly disliked him at the time (he was sitting President) but still couldn't help but like the guy in the moment.
You're not the first person I've heard say that.
Read Tucker Carlson’s 1999 profile of Bush Jr. It was a real piece not the editorial style he’s now known for. Bush Jr was one of the most interpersonally charismatic guys to ever have the job. He made friends very easiky
Not sure about this but I think Nixon was continuing a practice that had been done before with LBJ.
Great president? I'll give you China, but don't forget Vietnam. And who can forget wage and price controls. I'm struggling to understand why anyone would consider him great, even aside from his ethical issues.
I heard that him losing to JFK made it worse somehow. Anyone know if that’s true or not?
Thomas Jefferson had bad stage fright when giving speeches and would often pretend to be sick to get out of them
He started a tradition of the state of the union being a written letter to congress. Woodrow Wilson began the tradition of making it a speech.
'I can not stand speaking to everyone' - Thomas Jefferson 'Yes, but think about all the slurs you can yell' - Woodrow Wilson
If any president had it, *that* man had the 'Tism.
There are many who speculate that Thomas Jefferson was autistic.
There is enough of his correspondence to make that pretty certain
That explains why he was always running around singing and rapping
Idk if this is exactly true or not, but I remember reading once that he only gave two official speeches during his presidency. They were his two inauguration addresses.
That's a good question and sadly I think it's an emphatic no
everything nowadays is measured in social currency. during corporate interviews you have to give off a energetic and very social presence to even be considered. i can’t imagine how much worse it is in politics and to get to the top requires years of doing things like public speaking. I highly doubt we ever see it in our lifetime.
I would argue that it could happen. Last election proved that you don’t need to be a cult of personality to win. Depends on what is meant by “socially awkward.” Are we talking about a complete castoff? Then no. But even today I don’t think you need to be the MOST social to win
If your “brand” of social interactions appeals to enough people…that brand could be lots of things that aren’t necessarily the standard definition of “social, charismatic” etc. If you’re perceived as “charismatic” by enough people in a subset, the other subset(s) of people may not see you that way. I think this is more true now than it once was, when culture/values were a lot more uniform.
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Can someone explain that rule? I always see allusions to it here. I assume it has something to do with non-mentioning the most recent presidents?
Yeah if we mention Boe Jiben or Ronald Dump the comment gets auto-removed
Thank you, so specifically the last two presidents? Or is it just the people currently running for president?
Yes, specifically those two. I've asked the mods about it and we can still discuss HRC, but neither of the main candidates from 2020/24
Correct
Neither rule 3 guy is socially awkward?
Both tend to make the occasional gaff every now and then
Does nobody remembers HW? The guy who puked in the Japanese PM's lap?
https://youtu.be/OpihMTi7lEc
Tbf, HW had food poisoning
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Both have a certain kind of charisma
This sub has a weird obsession with Nixon 😆.
Because he was so unique, he was brilliant strategic thinker ,with a paranoia added in.
And he got caught and scapegoated. Edit: I guess I misused the word. What I meant was, he isn't the only US president who was corrupt. Just that he's seen as the worst of them because he's the one who got exposed and had to resign.
Not a scapegoat if you actually did the thing
He was a fascinating figure. Love him or hate him. He's condemned for things other presidents did and hated for them—as those presidents he's compared to are not. He was brilliant and tragic, all wrapped up in one. I'd say about 70% of the comments I see here reveal a profound ignorance of the man and the events that surrounded him. He's perceived to hate JFK, despite JFK and him having a deep mutual respect and admiration for one another and sharing their disdain for LBJ. He's charged with treason, but usually, those who make up that charge don't even realize he was convincing our ally, South Vietnam, to avoid the peace talks (so, at best, a violation of the Logan Act). Something they (SV) didn't even want and most likely would have rejected on their own. He's condemned for Watergate even though his predecessor (LBJ) won his early few elections by cheating and undoubtedly breaking election lies in the process. The Silent Majority is often thought to refer to segregationists. But that is a modern myth. He was referring to a majority of Americans who were not out protesting Vietnam and wanted it to end honorably. He's charged with being responsible for the Vietnam War, even though LBJ is the one who practically began it. Nixon ended the draft and pulled 90% of the troops out of Vietnam. He's accused of most likely not supporting the various civil rights acts even though he was the prominent, vocal advocate of forwarding federal civil rights legislation while VP. Hell, his presidency saw the implementation of the Philadelphia Plan -which enacted affirmative action for federal contractors - something none of his predecessors ever did. He also represented a more moderate Republican Party that didn't oppose progress. Reaganism would oversee the party shifting farther to the right, embracing the Christian right. I could go on and on. I don't know how you can not be obsessed.
Thanks
Are there people who love him? I’m not being sarcastic. Is there a notable enough percentage of Nixon fans for that statement?
As an ex-president he wrote a lot of books and gave interviews. Smart guy, highly respected on foreign policy and other matters. I think because of Watergate and party politics he’s been turned into a caricature.
It fell out of fashion after watergate to admit you liked him- as my Boomer dad jokes, “Nobody ever admits voting for Nixon yet somehow he got elected president…twice!” Now, with fewer and fewer people alive actually present during his term, there are more people admitting they like certain aspects of his presidency, maybe not the whole thing, but he’s not without his positives.
Rule 3
I think he’s weird and studying him is fun. A lot of what he did is horrible, but the arc of his whole career is like a Shakespeare drama I actually had a Nixon cardboard cutout in the house i used to rent. Me and my roommate would hide him in different locations to jumpscare houseguests lmfao
>Are there people who love him? Fascists, American Imperialists, EPA directors, forehead dabbers.
>he was convincing our ally, South Vietnam, to avoid the peace talks (so, at best, a violation of the Logan Act). and which led to the deaths of thousands more Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian people not to mention the additional American soldiers who died. People call it treason as a rhetorical flourish but the reason it was bad was that it prolonged the war by almost 7 years and ultimately the South lost anyways so maybe LBJ was right to push them to the negotiating table. You also leave out the other foreign policy misadventures he and Kissinger engaged in and the bloody wake they left behind in Asia and Latin America. He was certainly a complicated and interesting figure but I will always have him to kick around.
Nixon is fascinating, for sure. Here is my take: Eisenhower was told that Nixon would be the VP by the republican powers that be; he initially refused, claimed Nixon was brilliant, but, mentally unstable. He was convinced by others that he could control Nixon. Republicans always say that-but-no one can control a madman. IMO making Nixon VP was the beginning of the end for the Republican party. We are now witnessing the death throes of American Republicanism. Interesting times.
Lol true.
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The other rule 3 definitely has an awkward old guy vibe, but you're right. It's comparing apples to sexual assault.
One's syntax is like a moon man just dropped on Earth. The language pattern is bizarre as hell (to say nothing on the content, which you'vealready mentioned).
Probably. Winning the Presidency is, or at least for the last 60 years or so, has been mainly about being the more charismatic individual. But socially awkward people end up in politics all the time. Think of how weird Ted Cruz is, or Ron DeSantis. Or even people like Gore or Kerry or even Hillary who were all even closer to the presidency. It's only a matter of time until two socially awkward weirdos go up against each other.
Kerry- “I’m just like YOU!” Also Kerry: “I married a billionaire ketchup heiress!” He had a harder time giving off the relatability “image” than W did, even though both were roughly the same amount of “Elite”. It’s possible someone isn’t relatable at all yet SEEMS relatable. The inverse is also true, with someone like Nixon: his background really did match that of most of America, but he didn’t come off as “guy id like to hang out with” a lot of the time.
I wouldn't say Cruz is weird. I've watched a couple of his podcasts. Dude is kind of witty for a politician. DeSantis is definitely dull, though.
OP \*really\* wants us to violate Rule 3.
Nixon wasn't socially awkward... whatsoever. He was paranoid, though.
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I feel like you're talking about one but should be talking about the other lol
No :(
Didn’t we just have one?
Do we not have one now?
apparently someone did a speech and it was the most intelligent, cogent, and sharp that we've ever seen from someone or at least that's what im told by the tv
https://i.redd.it/3au532o1b3rc1.gif
the pixels in the gif form to make an animation of someone that isn't socially awkward. the pixels in the gif form to make an animation of someone whose brain is rotting in their own skull. that isn't socially awkward as much as it is just... decay.
I think people tend to over emphasize Nixon's "social awkwardness". At a personal level, yes he had his quirks but the guy was a successful VP under Eisenhower and darn near beat Kennedy for the presidency, who is routinely labeled as one of the most charismatic presidents in US history. Instead of disappearing like most VPs who fail to achieve the presidency, he came back and won, in the second time in an absolute landslide. You don't have that political success by being the weird overly social awkward person people label him as. Few men out there in politics could give a more cogent or forceful speech on a matter than Nixon. He was a natural in the podium. He, along with LBJ and others, is on the Mount Rushmore of "pure politicians".
Have you seen the last guy??? It's like watching an alien pretend to be human!
Was dubya socially awkward or was he just a braindead moron
Yeah I’m not saying he isn’t like able I’m just saying he wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer
For the guy you called awkward, he crushed Gore on the relatability factor. He was at the time, and is still now, the kinda guy people say they'd like to have a beer with. He's certainly got some folksy speech, and perhaps he was in over his head as President. In the end, he comes off as much more of a common man than Obama or Clinton, which is odd as Bush grew up much wealthier than those two.
You’re right. He did come across that way. But I’ll maintain that the person I’d “like to have a beer with” is a terrible gauge for President. I’ll take competency over a brewski any day.
Of course we would prefer competency, but that's a gross oversimplification. How can you tell who is competent? Political competency does require some level of connections though. We aren't just working with unthinking machines. People have real feelings. You need to connect not only with voters but other politicians.In an era where the government is increasingly run by the elites and for the elites, I can see where people place some value in relatability. It's a tacit connection that the elected official may do something about their issues. I'm not saying that line of voting has worked out, but I understand why it exists.
I think Clinton came off as more relatable in 92 than he does now, after 30 years in a sort of “DC/NYC bubble”. In 92, he wasn’t as far removed from his very modest roots and had spent relatively less time around the millionaires/billionaires, having to do retail politics in Arkansas. It really would be a challenge, to stay “relatable” the longer you’re in the “elite” circles.
Clinton was absolutely more relatable in 92 than he is now. He's stayed in the Washington circles more than GWB has as well. GWB seems much happier away from it all. I think you make a good point about the relatability in 92 though. I would say for the elections in my lifetime the relatable guy has almost always won. People might like to think they have some real highbrow reasons, but the numbers say people are voting on who they find common ground with.
Neither. I firmly believe his "aww shucks" good ole boy persona is all a well played facade. I think that's even the source of his many gaffes - he's a well educated rich boy trying to talk like a folksy cowboy and sometimes it comes out weird. The widespread belief that he's dumb as a box of rocks basically got him off the hook for everything. It's like Reagan's dementia - it's a very convenient excuse.
I think you’re close but his social outwardness did come from his past party boy days. Rove said it best - Dubya was going to get elected by being the guy more people would want to sit down and have a beer with so yes he played up being this good ol’ boy when in fact he was a rich kid born in Connecticut. But that persona was very rooted in him - it wasn’t a total facade. But was he playing to who he knew were “his people” - oh yes definitely.
I dont think he was awkward. He was a tad obnoxious, but apparently, people loved that. They "could have a beer with him." Stupid metric imo.
Morons don’t graduate from Harvard
no, he was the opposite of socially awkward. He was a fun loving frat bro(who grew up). That was his appeal. Being socially awkward only works in politics if you're sharp as hell.
Lol we shall never know!
He was very competent while he was President.
Eh. He had global sympathy, but as time wore on, the facade wore off. Especially as the right began saying he was above criticism due to 9/11.
Okay 👍
He played golf the first 6 months in office. He was inept. It’s embarrassing he was elected to a second term after cheating into a first.
>He played golf the first 6 months in office. No fucking way, that BASTARD!!!
Glad we can agree.
Lmao the sarcasm
Yeah, the current one lol 😂.. Can’t give one speech without stuttering, losing his thoughts, or going off course. Just my two cents ✌️.
Yuh me
I would also like to express my fondness for this particular subject.
Boooooooh! The man never drank a Duff in his life!
Me
I don’t think you’ll even see socially awkward Comgresspeople soon. Modern campaigning takes relatability on and off the screen. The difference in social skill level I’ve seen even jumping from day City Council members to State level representatives is striking. With party bosses and insiders losing more and more sway in selecting nominees, charisma is King
Most Presidents are socially awkward. I'd say "cool" presidents are more exception than the rule.
Oooh boy, really taking that rule three to the next level
We JUST had one? Remember his “are you making us look skinny?” 🥴 comment? Or the fast food buffet statements? The way he stands next to people. The way he shakes hands.
Gawd yes. You have to be off too want the job to begin with.
The rules forbid me from mentioning a certain someone that already fills this requirement.
I mean yea there’s a good chance that’ll happen in 2028. Harris vs desanctimonious
What makes you think either of them will be the nominee? That's far from a given.
Two words. Dub. Yuh.
have a hard time believing a frat bro party animal was socially awkward. he was loved behind doors by friends and most people who worked with him.
The saying goes, shame on you if you fool me once. If you fool me twice... Won't get fooled again. YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! DUN. DUN. DUN NUH.
ahhh the W’isms. Truly a man of words.
Goof balls still have rizz
We have one now……. “I took a train across the bridge in Delaware” oh boy😳
No. Telegenicity and online presence have become important traits for every president to have, and any lack thereof is picked out and relentlessly mocked as an ad hominem by their opposition.
are you serious
Certainly hope not
Maybe, if they can spin it in a relatable, non cringey way.
Hopefully not another Nixon
I mean if DeSantis ever wins a presidential race than possibly?
Optics and spin are everything. Current president is awkward as hell, but is confident and has a die hard team. Guys like Nixon left so much on the field, with less actual engagement, that the modern media would eat them alive.
Jeb Bush, “Please clap”
Like one accused of sexually assaulting 24 women ? That’s more socially awkward than Nixon ever was
We just had two in a row
Other than the one we have right now? #ICECREAM
I know we’re not supposed to talk about the current guy in the last guy but…. Look at the current guy and the last guy…
Yeah and it’s going to be me.
I think Boomers sorta socially awkward to begin with, so I think he may have only appeared relatively awkward
The most Shakesperean story of any president I can think of, his rise and fall and rise and fall filled with so much drama, intrigue, psychology, villains, heroes, world events, disarray, war, setbacks. comebacks, etc. and in its center our very own King Lear, breaking apart by the seams. Whatever you think of him, he still looms large as presidents go, for good and bad, and almost all his successors seem like lightweights in comparison. His social awkwardness, as you describe it, was something that plagued him since youth, and likely contributed to his dark view of the world. What was it he said, "you won't have Nixon to kick around anymore", after an election loss?
Rule 3 blocks my response. Twice….
Truthfully, I think many presidents would be socially awkward if you were to say, casually have a hangout with them at the mall. It's contextual. These are high level professionals with no real engagement with general social situations anymore.
I’ve been reading Evan Thomas’s Being Nixon. I’m fascinated by him. I’m not sure how socially awkward he truly was or if his perception of how others saw him made him more awkward. Like, if he truly didn’t care about how others saw him, he’d probably carry himself completely differently.
me
You don’t think the two senile men that have last held that seat weren’t/aren’t pretty socially awkward?
I heard stories about Nixon walking the beach below his house in San Clemente, and chatting it up with the surfers.
I honestly know nothing about any presidents really. I’ve learned so much interesting facts about the presidents from this sub over the last couple weeks. I appreciate everyone who posts in here 🙏
With the way the younger generations are shaping out yes probably
I mean the past 2 have been pretty squirrel turds
Im still hoping to get elected, so ill let you know.
Nixon ain’t socially awkward bud. He’s way more charismatic than the average population (almost all modern presidents are). He just isn’t compared to Kennedy
We will see come November
The current one around children is hard to watch.
We’ve had two incredibly socially awkward presidents recently and we’re gonna have one of em again.
Boe Jiden
W. He was awkward AF.
How soon we all forgot W
LBJ I always got the feeling that a lot of people were embarrassed for him. And that people thought he was vulgar and ill mannered. But, I don’t know if he even cared what anyone thought. Except at the end of his term, when he was so worried about Vietnam. I don’t know if that’s actually what you’re looking for
LBJ was a master at talking people into doing what he wanted, so I wouldn’t call him socially awkward at all. He knew how to handle people very well.
If I’ve learned anything over the last few years, anything is possible as far as who we elect president. I don’t put anything past the American electorate. Although, “socially awkward” is kind of a best case scenario when it comes to issues with Presidents.
Are we ignoring the current and previous? If so my answer is still yes
The last one straight up admitting he wanted to bang his own daughter was pretty awkward.