Nixonland
by Rick Perlstein · first published 2008
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6recommended by
7HN commenters
2013–2025first – last mentioned
86% recommend14% neutral
Richard Nixon's political history, from Congress to the White House, with an emphasis on his political strategies.
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I've been greatly enjoying Rick Perlstein's Nixonland [http://www.amazon.com/Nixonland-Rise-President-Fracturing-Am...], which traces the rise of modern Republicanism and is full of interesting anecdotes about this deeply weird man. I'd recommend it to…
on “How much we still don’t know about Watergate and the Nixon Administration” ↗The idea of "tough on crime" was born from the political elites though. Read the Rick Perlstein trilogy, particularly the first two books "Before the Storm" and "Nixonland", which go into this depth. It was used to exploit racial resentment in the civil rights era as part of the "Southern Strategy" as Democrats began accepting civil rights into their political program (and…
on “Too many prisons make people worse” ↗If you're interested in learning more, "Nixonland" by Rick Perlstein goes into some depth on these and other shenanigans.
on “The Lyndon Johnson tapes: Richard Nixon's 'treason'” ↗I'm too young to know Nixon and I've read Nixonland at the suggestion of someone who is old enough to remember him. Very interesting read, not just about Nixon but about the Republican party as you mentioned. Not nearly as dry as I had feared.
on “How much we still don’t know about Watergate and the Nixon Administration” ↗People were talking about this nonsense polarization during Nixon’s term. Read Nixonland to get an idea. Listen, guys, all of you have an external locus of control. Facebook is doing things to you that you are unable to control. You have a paternalistic view of people. Grandpa is too dumb…
on “Facebook keeps recommending political groups” ↗…fundamentally understand the situation, and you may be undereducated in this area? What do you think are the root causes of that “senseless partisan drive”? I’d suggest starting with Rick Perlman’s book “Nixonland” if you’re interested.
on “Grok3 Launch [video]” ↗…locust plagues that suddenly disappeared near the end of the 19th century. By Peter Brannen: The Ends of the World. A great primer on mass extinctions and their often geologic causes. By Rick Perstein: Nixonland. Still working on this one, but a deep dive into that era of American politics feels quite relevant at the moment, except that everything today feels stupid in comparison. Fiction By N.K. Jemisin: The…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗