It is clear that Richard Nixon was elected conservative. He promised themes of “law and order” (lesson 24, November 14), pandered to what he called the “silent majority” (Silent Majority Speech, 1969), and promised to end the unpopular Vietnam War, itself a product of liberal policies and ideals. He offered a stark rhetorical contrast between the growing “we can do it all” language perpetuated by Kennedy and Johnson (Lecture 25, November 19). But how conservative was “Tricky Dick”'s presidency really? Did the man who was specifically elected to end the seemingly endless chaos of the 1960s actually prolong the national nightmare? In terms of economic policy, Richard Nixon's legacy as a conservative or liberal is somewhat mixed. By the time of Nixon's election, Great Society programs that provided economic aid to African-Americans and the poor had become increasingly unpopular due to the ever-increasing costs of financing such programs along with the costly war in Vietnam (lesson 25, November 19). Nixon charted an economic path along the middle ground between the conservatism of the new right and the liberalism that had previously dominated the decade (lecture 25, November 19). On the one hand, Nixon recognized the need both symbolically and practically to scale back the various Great Society programs. One such program that suffered cuts was the space program. While Nixon allowed Kennedy's dream of a moon landing to become a reality in 1969, he soon after placed limits on the space program that had more symbolic value than anything else. The space program was a neo-liberal hallmark of the “we can do anything” philosophy aimed at achieving new heights in a promising future that promised a “new frontier” (Lecture 25, November 19). By cutting ba... in the middle of the paper... he promised to end up as a candidate. Nixon's run as an international swindler finally caught up with him in 1972, when thieves were caught and arrested within the Democratic Party. national headquarters at the Watergate hotel complex in Washington. Nixon attempted to cover it up, but ultimately found himself trapped in his own web of lies and was forced to resign in 1974 (Lecture 30, December 12). Nixon's promises of a return to normalcy were dashed by these revelations. The trust in the Presidency that he hoped to re-establish was even lower than when he took office. If the 1960s were characterized by political and social instability, then Richard Nixon simply continued the 1960s into the 1970s. The 1960s truly ended with President Ford's pardoning of Richard Nixon in 1974. After doing so, Ford declared, “our long national nightmare is over”.”.