Hand to Hand History :: Andrew Jackson v. Richard Nixon
Tom Elrod
Battle of the Great Campaigners of American History
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson achieved fame as the hero of the War of 1812 for his victory over the British at the Battle of New Orleans. This was a particularly crushing victory since the war was already over when the battle was fought: news of the treaty simply didn't reach New Orleans in time. Jackson first ran for president in 1824 against John Quincy Adams, son of Paul Giamatti and the first president who was not a “founding father.” The race was close and Jackson won the popular and electoral votes, but Adams ending up winning due to a vote in the House of Representatives. This would not be the last time the son of a president won an election on a technicality.
In 1828, Jackson ran again on a populist campaign. The two sides attacked each other viciously. Among other things, Jackson accused Adams of gambling, Adams accused Jackson of being an adulterer, and they both blamed each other for incendiary statements made by their pastors. Adams responded with an eloquent speech on race relations that put all of the blame on the Irish.
The campaign was so intense it completely changedthe fabric of American political life. It also gave Jackson's wife lots of stress, and she died of heart trouble in December of 1828. Jackson, always the gentleman, blamed Adams for his wife's death.
Richard Nixon Richard Nixon has a long history of sneaky presidential campaigns. In the 4th grade, he won the class election for hall monitor by setting up a secret slush fund culled from energy lobbyists, using it to finance a private organization of campaign consultants, and then ordering them to break his opponet's kneecaps during recess.
He won his early campaigns in the House of Representaives by accusing his opponets of being communists. Since this was during the Red Scare, his tactics proved effective. He accused one female opponet of being “pink right down to her underwear.”
One of his most famous moments came in his first run for the presidency in 1960 against John F. Kennedy. In the first televised debate in the nation's history, Kennedy remained cool and composed while Nixon sweated like a dog. But it's not fair to blame Nixon or hold him up for ridicule: apparently the camerman told him “Good evening,” and since he hails from the planet Zorgax, he is allergic to the smell of human deceny.
In 1972, Nixon felt bad for The Washington Post . With such a blow-out of an election ahead of them that year, there was hardly any interesting news for the paper to cover. So, Nixon humbly sabotaged his political career and entered historical infamy by spying on his opponets and covering it up. He is an American hero.
Advantage: Nixon. Not often does Oliver Stone compare your life to a Shakespearean tragedy and cast Anthony Hopkins to play you. Other presidents Hopkins has portrayed: John Quincy Adams. Suck on that, Jackson! |