Can you imagine 24-hours without heartburn?
>>> CONGRESS IS SLATED TO without heartburn?
>>> CONGRESS IS SLATED TO IMPEACH PRESIDENT TRUMP THIS
WEEK.
WEEK. THAT’S RARE.
THAT’S RARE. ONLY TWO PRESIDENTS HAVE BEEN
IMPEACHED, A THIRD, NIXON, LEFT
OFFICE DURING AN ACCELERATED
PROBE.
PROBE. AND RIGHT NOW WE’RE GOING DIG
INTO SOME OF THE LESSONS FROM
THE FEW TIMES AMERICA’S HIT THIS
POINT AND THE LIMITS OF APPLYING
HISTORY TO SUCH A DIFFERENT
WORLD TODAY.
WORLD TODAY. CONSIDER HOW NIXON’S
INVESTIGATION BEGAN WITH
BIPARTISAN SUPPORT TO FIND THE
FACTS.
FACTS. IT DID GET QUITE PARTISAN IN THE
MIDDLE, BUT ULTIMATELY, IT ENDED
WITH THE FACTS CHANGING
EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING. >> THE SENATE TONIGHT VOTED 77-0
TO ESTABLISH A SELECT COMMITTEE
TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGED POLITICAL
ESPIONAGE IN LAST YEAR’S
ELECTION CAMPAIGN.
ELECTION CAMPAIGN. >> THE COUNTRY TONIGHT IS IN THE
MIDST OF WHAT MAY BE THE MOST
SERIOUS CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS IN
ITS HISTORY.
ITS HISTORY. THE PRESIDENT HAS FIRED THE MAN
YOU JUST SAW, THE SPECIAL
WATERGATE PROSECUTOR, ARCHIBALD
COX.
COX. >> WASHINGTON HAS BEEN INUNDATED
BY ANOTHER MASSIVE SET OF
WATERGATE TRANSCRIPTS.
WATERGATE TRANSCRIPTS. >> THE TRANSCRIPTS AND THE
TESTIMONY AND THE EVIDENCE, IT
MATTERED THEN.
MATTERED THEN. TODAY THERE ARE SOME SIGNS THESE
THINGS FEEL LIKE THEY MATTER
LESS.
LESS. SO IN OUR SPECIAL BREAKDOWN,
LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT WHY SOME OF
THESE OLD RULES DON’T SEEM TO
ALWAYS APPLY.
ALWAYS APPLY. ONE OF THE CENTRAL FEATURES OF
WATERGATE IS HOWEVER SLOWLY AND
EVEN PAINFULLY, THE FACTS
ULTIMATELY MOVED PEOPLE.
LET ME SHOW YOU SOME REMARKABLE
EVIDENCE OF THAT, EVEN
ACROSS-PARTY LINES.
ACROSS-PARTY LINES. HERE IS AN APPLES TO APPLES LOOK
AT RICHARD NIXON’S JOB APPROVAL
NUMBERS FROM GALLUP BROKEN UP
BETWEEN THE TWO PARTIES.
LIKE BOTH, NIXON HIGHER SUPPORT
AMONG HIS PARTY, RED, LOWER
SUPPORT, BLUE IN THE OPPOSING
PARTY.
PARTY. THAT CONTINUES IN ’69 THROUGH
REELECTION, THROUGH SECOND TERM
WHEN IT WAS GETTING GOING IN ’73
WITH THE UPS AND DOWNS OFTEN
MATCHED WITHIN THOSE POLITICAL
GROUPS YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN.
THOSE WERE DIVIDED TIMES ON
POLITICS, FOREIGN POLICY, CIVIL
RIGHTS.
RIGHTS. BUT ON KEY STORIES, MANY PEOPLE
REACTED TO THE SAME COMMON
FACTS.
FACTS. AS THE BOTTOM BEGAN TO FALL OUT
OF THE WATERGATE STORY WITH
FACTS SHOWING NIXON FIRING
PROSECUTORS IN THAT SATURDAY
NIGHT MASSACRE, HIDING EVIDENCE,
LOSING SUPREME COURT BATTLES,
ULTIMATELY GETTING EXPOSED,
DURING THOSE DEVELOPMENTS WERE
PRESENTED TO AMERICANS THROUGH
THE AP, THE WIRE SERVICES, AND
THE BIG THREE BROADCAST
NETWORKS.
NETWORKS. POLITICO NOTING 85% OF AMERICANS
SAW PART OF THE NIXON
IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS ON THOSE
FOUR TV CHANNELS.
NOW AS ALL THAT HAPPENED, LOOK
HOW PEOPLE RESPONDED TO THOSE
FACTS.
FACTS. PUBLIC OPINION SHIFTING BECAUSE
OF THE PARTIES.
YOU’RE GOING SEE DEMOCRATIC
SUPPORT FOR NIXON DROPPING
FURTHER FROM A HIGH POINT OF 50%
IN ’73 TO JUST DOWN TO 13%.
THAT MIGHT SEEM LIKE THE EASIEST
NUMBER TO MOVE.
BUT TAKE A LOOK AT THIS OTHER
SIMILAR SHIFT AMONG
INDEPENDENTS.
INDEPENDENTS. THEY SAW THE FACTS AND TURNED ON
NIXON.
NIXON. INDEPENDENT APPROVAL CRASHING BY
A WHOPPING 50%.
AND NOW, AS WE PREPARE THIS FOR
YOU, I WANT TO SHOW YOU THE MOST
STRIKING PART.
STRIKING PART. NIXON’S OWN PARTY INCLINED TO
MAYBE GIVE HIM THE BENEFIT OF
THE DOUBT, DROPPING BY A
STUNNING 41% IN APPROVAL.
NOT QUITE AS LOW AS THE OTHER
GROUPS, BUT A GIGANTIC SHIFT,
REVEALING THAT MANY PEOPLE HEARD
THOSE FACTS, AND DESPITE ANY
PARTISAN FILTERING, THEY REACTED
TO THE FAX.
AND WATERGATE IS OFTEN CITED AS
AN EXAMPLE OF THE SYSTEM WORKING
IN THE COURTS OR CONGRESS OR
JOURNALISM.
JOURNALISM. IT’S ALSO AN EXAMPLE OF THE
PUBLIC OPERATING AROUND THE
SYSTEM, WORKING, GETTING
INFORMED, PROVIDING A CHECK ON
POWER AND A LEVEL OF
REASSESSMENT THAT HAS CLEARLY
NOT REOCCURRED IN THE SCANDALS.
HERE YOU HAVE TRUMP’S APPROVAL
FROM THE INAUGURATION TO THE
BEGINNING OF THE UKRAINE
SCANDAL, STEADY ACROSS THOSE
DIFFERENT GROUPS.
DIFFERENT GROUPS. WHILE MANY SAY THE DIFFERENCE IN
WATERGATE IS WELL, THERE WERE
TAPES.
TAPES. IN THIS STORY, I HAVE TO REMIND
YOU, THERE ARE SOME TAPES THAT
ARE AS INCRIMINATING AS NIXON’S
SECRET WHITE HOUSE RECORDINGS.
THEY JUST HAVE BETTER SOUND
QUALITY.
QUALITY. >> BY THE WAY, LIKEWISE, CHINA
SHOULD START AN INVESTIGATION
INTO THE BIDENS.
>> TO BE CLEAR, WHAT YOU JUST
DESCRIBED IS A QUID PRO QUO.
>> WE DO THAT ALL THE TIME WITH
FOREIGN POLICY.
FOREIGN POLICY. >> WAS THERE A QUID PRO QUO?
>> AS I TESTIFIED PREVIOUSLY,
WITH REGARD TO THE REQUESTED
WHITE HOUSE CALL AND THE WHITE
HOUSE MEETING, THE ANSWER IS
YES.
YES. >> THE ANSWER IS YES.
THAT GUY STILL WORKS FOR
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
PRESIDENT TRUMP. SO ARE THOSE TAPES CHANGING
MINDS?
MINDS? WELL, SUPPORT FOR IMPEACHMENT
HAS NUDGED UP, BUT MOST PEOPLE’S
VIEWS ARE PRETTY STEADY AS TRUMP
HAS UNCORKED MORE DAMNING
EVIDENCE AGAINST HIMSELF THAN
MOST PRESIDENTS.
MOST PRESIDENTS. ONE FACTOR MAY BE HOW EVERYONE
GETS INFORMATION.
GETS INFORMATION. THE GALLUP NUMBERS ARE DRAWN
FROM A WIDER POLITICAL LAWRENCE
LESSIG.
LESSIG. MANY FACTS ARE QUARANTINED INTO
THESE SMALLER NICHES FOR
INFORMATION IN CONTRAST TO WHAT
SOME SCHOLARS CALL THE BROADCAST
DEMOCRACY OF EARLIER ERAS WITH
FEWER NARRATIVES AND MORE
AGREEMENT ON COMMON FACTS.
SO AS CONGRESS MARCHES TOWARDS