“Nixon now! Nixon now! More than ever we need Nixon now!” It's the 5th of November 1968, and Richard M. Nixon is on tenterhooks, alone in his dark hotel room. He watches as the final states are called in the presidential election. Will he fall at the same hurdle as he did in 1960? Off the back of losing to JFK eight years prior, Nixon is running as the Republican presidential candidate. This time not only does he face Democrat Hubert Humphrey, but the independent segregationist candidate George Wallace threatens to split Nixon’s votes. A west coast outsider who embraces modern media, Nixon aims to capture the hearts of Middle America. But will he succeed this time around? Join Dominic and Tom for the final instalment of our series on America in 1968, as they dive into the political campaign that would go on to become the prototype for all future campaigns, as traditionally blue states turn red… _______ *The Rest Is History LIVE in the U.S.A.* If you live in the States, we've got some great news: Tom and Dominic will be performing throughout America in November, with shows in San Francisco, L.A., Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Boston and New York. Tickets on sale now at TheRestIsHistory.com _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Did you know that our Sunday Times bestselling book, The Rest Is History Returns, is now out in paperback? From finding out who British history's biggest lad was to tracing the admittedly hazy ancient origins of Raiders of the Lost Ark, it's filled cover to cover with more curious historical moments than you can crack a lasso at, plus puzzles and a pub quiz.
The Rest Is History Returns, available now in all good bookshops. I see another child tonight. He hears the train go by at night, and he dreams of faraway places where he'd like to go. It seems like an impossible dream, but he is helped on his journey through life. A father who had to go to work before he finished the sixth grade, sacrificed everything he had so that his sons could go to college.
A gentle Quaker mother with a passionate concern for peace, quietly wept when he went to war. But she understood why he had to go. A great teacher, a remarkable football coach, an inspirational minister encouraged him on his way. A courageous wife and loyal children stood by him in victory and also in defeat. And in his chosen profession of politics, first there were scores, then hundreds.
then thousands, and finally millions worked for his success. And tonight, he stands before you, nominated for President of the United States of America. The unmistakable tones, one might say, Dominic, of Richard Milhouse Nixon. Your great hero, accepting the Republican presidential nomination of Miami Beach on the 8th of August, 1968. And how do you think I did with that?
I think you did well, actually. You did very well. I don't think Nixon broke down at all while doing that speech. So it's an impressionist impression. Yes, it is. I'm evoking the sense of the maudlin, the self-pity, the melodrama inherent within Nixon's oratory. You captured the inner man.
That's what I was trying to do, yes. So that is textbook Nixon, isn't it? Because some people listening to that may consider that excruciatingly... Manipulative. Yes, I might. Indeed, nauseating. But other people might think it brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Brilliantly crafted. He kept out checkers, his dog, this time, didn't he? He didn't mention checkers.
And the thing is, there were always more of the latter, the people who thought it was brilliant, than the people who thought it was nauseating. And that is why Richard Nixon was one of American history's great winners. You know, he doesn't just win the presidency once, he wins it twice. And we've gone all through this story of 68 without really talking about Nixon.
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