This week marks the 50th anniversary of a group breaking into the Democratic National Committee offices in the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C.
This crime was funded and sponsored by the Committee to Re-Elect President Richard Nixon. The purpose was to plant bugs and steal papers that outlined Democratic National Committee strategies to unseat Nixon in the 1972 election.
The group was caught by a security guard. The break-in was completely unnecessary, since Nixon was way ahead in the polls and his opponent – George McGovern – had little chance of winning. A two-year process ensued, in which Nixon and his inner circle denied any responsibility.
However, relentless reporting by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein – aided by a snitch named “Deep Throat” – uncovered the truth.
Nixon was involved from the beginning. The institutions of our democracy worked.
Sen. Sam Ervin was a Democrat from Morganton, N.C. He was respected by both sides of the aisle. He chaired the Senate’s Watergate Committee that wrote the articles of impeachment. The evidence was irrefutable. Nixon resigned to avoid the inevitability of being convicted. He did the right thing.
Our constitutional processes were preserved. The system of checks and balances worked. Yet, the damage was done. Watergate began a downhill run in our trust in government that has not yet ended and may be declining at an even-faster pace.
Prior to Watergate – and after the Eisenhower era – a Pew Research study found that 72 percent of Americans – both Republicans and Democrats – trusted government. That number fell to 36 percent post-Watergate. The latest Pew study – released last week – showed the trust level at barely 20 percent.
Democracy’s long-term survival depends on the citizens trusting their government. You cannot have a candidate who lost by 7 million votes and a significant margin in the electoral college continue to falsely allege the election was stolen. You cannot incite a murderous crowd to storm the Capitol to stop the Senate from confirming the outcome of the election. The peaceful transition of power is a fundamental principle of our democracy. Lives were lost on Jan. 6, 2021 protecting that principle.
The legacy of Watergate must be reversed and reversed quickly. Here are a few measures that need to be done:
* Throw the moneychangers out of the temples of Washington politics. Votes in Congress are bought by the rich;
* Go back to an old idea: Bad acts are met with bad consequences. Our leaders must be made to pay for their misdeeds with non-partisan investigative processes;
* Most importantly, we need to understand and reject preposterous lies and flights of fantasy on social media. We need to reject candidates who run on baseless accusations about their opponents and never tell you what they, themselves, stand for.
* Finally, watch the Special Committee’s report on their investigation of the insurrection. If you don’t believe words, you might consider the videos.
Is our democracy worth two hours of your time?
Roger Carlton writes a bi-weekly column for The Graham Star. He can be reached via email, rcarlton57@hotmail.com.