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Women, Abortion, Helen Thomas and Richard Nixon
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One hundred fifty four hours of Nixon tapes were released yesterday and as usual they do not disappoint. The two of the more controversial issues on the recordings are Nixon’s statements regarding abortion and women in Republican politics.
On the abortion issue, Nixon is pretty matter-of-fact about the impact abortions would have on the family, however, the racially tinged statement about abortions being necessary for rape and in his words, “There are times when an abortion is necessary. I know that. When you have a black and a white” shines a light into the dichotomy of the heart of a President who supported affirmative action in the workplace but held to the tradition of keeping the races separate in the bedroom.
The second issue is his statement to then-RNC Chairman George H.W. Bush concerning the need for getting women to run as Republicans for local and state offices. In his words, “Understand, I don’t do it because I’m for women, but I’m doing it because I think maybe a woman might win someplace where a man might not.” President Nixon does not care about equality of the sexes; he cares about winning elections for the party with candidates that happen to be women.
President Nixon must have been a very interesting person to cover as a White House beat. It would be interesting to find out what AP White House reporter Helen Thomas, the only woman reporter to travel to China with Nixon, thought of the former President. Wait a minute… I have her book right here. “For myself, the man was like a roller coaster of contradictions that I am still trying to sort out. In the twenty-four years since he left office, every now and then I feel a twinge of pity. Then another Watergate tape gets released and I get ticked off all over again.”
I wonder which mood Mrs. Thomas feels today…
