Many Hands Working

Watergate illuminates what is happening in Washington these days, clearly showing one thing that is different: the unwillingness of the living to see what is before them. If you want to see it, we are once again ruled by a political mafia. I call them Fascists, because that 's what they are, according to Webster's. Whatever label applies, Bandit government doesn't operate according to the Constitution and laws, which reveals another difference: the "checks and balances" have stopped working. Congress is supine in the face of executive abuses. In a rash moment, Congress was quick to pass the Patriot Act and remains unwilling to limit its abuses, unlike the Jeffersonian Congress which rescinded John Adams' Alien and Sedition Act 200 years ago. After two centuries of improving liberty and democracy for the people, now we are in a period of throwing it all away.
 

All that was Watergate was not the work of one man. There was not one Supreme Criminal or Savior, or even a few. There were those who tried to bury the truth, those who tried to varnish it, and those who tried to dig it up. In the end, it was only a few words that brought Watergate to a climax: Alexander Butterworth inadvertently mentionned the White House taping system. There was the Saturday night massacre, eventually ended by Judge Bork carrying out the Bosses orders. Lots of people became life-time famous or notorious players on account of Watergate, such as Hilary Clinton, Woodward & Bernstein, Chuck Colson, John Dean and Gordon Liddy. The Watergate complex gave its name to history in endless "-gates" thereafter.

Once a few strands came loose, the weave of lies and deceit unravelled faster and faster. Truth was a solvent no fabric could resist. Watergate undid the ability of the government to continue the war in Vietnam, because that war was based on lies, deceit and propaganda. Watergate forever changed how we perceive government, and brought about the present division between "conservatives" and "liberals." Prior to Watergate, there was a national consensus about the conduct of the Nation's Business. Barry Goldwater and his coterie were generally considered far-out extremists. The anti-war protestors were considered leftist extremists (of which I was one). Gerry Ford and Jimmie Carter were amiable fellows who poured water on the embers of the Watergate blaze, but in the end they were consumed by it as well. Ford probably didn't get re-elected because he pardoned Richard Nixon. Jimmie Carter probably didn't get re-elected because he wasn't tough enough for the combative post-Watergate era.
 

The major feat of Watergate was ending the New Deal era, although it is not usually seen in that light. By reducing the people's trust in government from 2/3 to 1/3 of the electorate, the Watergate upheaval gave credence to the conservative premise that government is inherently bad or wicked. The conservative, Hobbesian State only exists because people fear each other, so they combine to control our predatory natures. The liberal notion embedded in the American Constitution, that we contract to benefit and improve ourselves, reached its recent apogee in the New Deal. Liberalism is built on faith and trust, especially in "We The People," the government. The Constitution, compromise that it is, also provides for the Hobbesian State in the military and police powers granted the government, but puts those powers firmly under "civilian control." Watergate, aided by Vietnam and the later Iranian Hostage Crisis, turned the Constitution inside out. All those events created a felt need for authoritarian government to keep the lid on.

It took a while for the conservative counter-revolution to take hold. But, it did take hold, and the country is still in its grip. Another ironic result of Watergate is the country being ruled by more greedy and corrupt politicians than ever before. Watergate seems to have ruined the careers of decent and idealistic politicians, but only put the crooks out of circulation for a short time. Now they are back, more criminal than ever, Republicans more so than Democrats. Even the Watergate criminals themselves have been busy taking revenge on their prosecutors during the last 25 years. They were quick to cast aspersions and shoot hot recriminations this last week against their accusers, after W Mark Felt unveiled himself. To them and their descendant Bandit loyalists, Felt is a despicable turncoat. For them, group loyalty - military discipline - far outweighs responsibility they may have to the law and the people.
 

Cynicism and loss of faith breeds the sort of disorder that has plagued our government for at least 25 years. I think it will take another JFK or FDR to restore confidence and rebuild the consensus, but this is unlikely to happen any time soon. When I ask myself the question - "how did we get into the terrible mess that we're in today?" - I do not doubt Watergate was the starting point which eventually put the Bandit in office. It shows that the people cannot stop a war without overthrowing the Imperial government. It implies the Bandit will have his way so long as he remains in office. Most importantly, Watergate is the lesson we did not learn. That is the main reason it is happening all over again.