6). Case Study: Watergate
Figure 3: (Nixonfoundation.org)
What Happened? The Watergate scandal was a series of criminal acts set in motion by Nixon and his presidential administration such as wiretapping and bugging that, when discovered in 1972, Nixon made attempts to cover up. These actions then in turn “disillusioned and…undermined his political base” (Kotlowski 2004, p.723).
6.1). What type of participation occurred?
Subsequent news of this scandal had a considerable impact on Nixon's image
and presidency and this fall in trust in the president is reflected in the type of
participation that occurred in the following 1974 presidential elections. Research
found that the uncovering of Watergate “cast a pall over the 1974 congressional
election races” (McLeod 1977, p.181). This is evident in a poll taken by US census
in 1976 which found that the “1974 elections had an abnormally low 36 percent
turnout, and the Republican Party did poorly at the polls.” (McLeod 1977, p.181).
Moreover, the impact of Watergate can be seen further in its effects on the
Republican Party. A Gallup poll from May of 1973 expressed that “31 percent of
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