Shadow Of Watergate Lying Analysis

As Barry Ritholtz, the CIO of Ritholtz Wealth Management, asserted, "Little white lies are told by humans all the time. Indeed, lying is often how we get through each day in a happy little bubble." Lying is woven into the fabric of society. Humanity spends so much time and energy justifying its actions and beliefs, that lying seems like the easy alternative, whether to themselves or to others, than simply delving into the "real reasons". That is at the heart of a lie and its mask may be used to gain power, as in the case with Richard Milhous Nixon. Harry Truman expresses his opinion by stating, "Nixon is one of the few in the history of this country to run for high office talking out of both sides of his mouth at the same time and lying out
Nixon maltreatment of the nation’s highest office, ultimately led to a vision of the President as a lying, cheating scoundrel. "The cover-up and Nixon's other lies and distortions cast doubt on whether any individual could be trusted to do the right thing in the nation's highest office" (Walsh, "Shadow of Watergate Hangs Over U.S. Politics"). Nixon created major setbacks between the people and the government. Now people cannot trust anyone, even the person they elected, to act ethically and according to their needs. This type of scenario is a major problem, especially in the short term. It creates less political activism and activity because the people cannot trust the government, at a time in which the need for people to vote is at its peak. Nixon not only defaced the image of the President, but anyone who was in a position of power-government officials, businessmen, and many more. "The Senate Watergate hearings' revelations resulted in several changes in public opinion that would be expected by common sense-Richard Nixon, the Republican Party, big business, and the very rich all suffered losses in public esteem"(Robinson 403). Watergate increased public cynicism to big and powerful institutions. Interestingly it is not just government that was under public scrutiny; it was the rich and powerful, even if they were independent of government. The lies that Nixon created harmed, not only America, but himself. His web of lies
In the long term, Watergate improved America as a whole. First, it increased transparency in the government. Before Watergate, the only transparency law this nation had was the Freedom of Information Act of 1966, and this law had very little mechanisms for enforcement. It was only after Nixon’s misconduct more provisions were added. "Although the first Freedom of Information Act passed in 1966, it lacked enforcement mechanisms to ensure that government agencies would follow through on their requirements to open their records. It wasn't until after Nixon's misconduct that the government amended the bill to introduce time frames for reporting, sanctions for wrongly withheld information, and more reporting requirements"(Sharnak "How Transparency Has Improved Politics Since Watergate"). As this quote stated, before Watergate, there was almost no enforcement of ethical behavior within the government. It was only because of Nixon did America reevaluate itself and its politicians and create more checks and balances. Even more provisions were acted after that law had enforcement provisions added. "For example, in 1974, the government passed the Federal Advisory Committee Act, allowing the government to monitor federal committees and make their actions public. Two years later, the government also passed the 'Government in the Sunshine Act,' which allows the public access to records from Congress,