Machiavellian Analysis Analytical Essay

Kennedy Ellis
Mr. Comer
Honors Government
December 1, 2012
A Machiavellian Analysis: Nixon and Carter
In The Prince, Machiavelli reveals the qualities a man must have in order to be a good leader; some of these qualities are the ability to keep an honest front despite deceitful actions and to rule the people with meanness but not cruelty. In Star-Spangled Men, Miller reveals that Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter fail on both counts; Nixon failed to keep an honest front when his participation in the Watergate scandal were revealed while Carter failed to rule the people with meanness, deciding to rule the people as equals and friends.
The Watergate scandal not only made Nixon one of the worst presidents of all time but it also created a rift of trust between America and her people. In The Prince, Machiavelli states numerous ways for a prince to be successful, including keeping a virtuous front. For “it is unnecessary for a prince to have all the good qualities…but it is very necessary to appear to have them”(Machiavelli 6). Nixon appeared to be a great president; he repaired America’s broken relationship with the Soviet Union following World War II. He and his security adviser, David Henry Kissinger launched Vietnamization, a plan to slowly extract American troops from Vietnam, and they traveled to China and the Soviet Union to smooth over their strained and broken relationships. Nixon was also a dedicated husband and father, only adding to his seemingly sparkling image. However, the Watergate scandal led Nixon down a path of hatred, a path Machiavelli advises to absolutely avoid. Although a prince “is very often forced to do evil” in order “to keep his state,” he must “avoid those things which will make him hated or contemptible” (ibid. 7, 10). In order to ensure his victory in the 1972 election, Nixon hired to Gordon Liddy and Howard Hunt, two former CIA agents, to his Committee to Re-Elect the President, otherwise known as CREEP. Nixon assigned CREEP to the Gemstone Plan, where they were to bug the offices of George McGovern and Lawrence F O’Brien because Nixon feared that they might have evidence that Nixon was receiving money from billionaire, Howard Hughes. The plans to bug McGovern and O’Brein’s phone lines both failed; however, McCord and four others went to Watergate to fix the bugs placed on O’Brien’s phone at Watergate. When a security guard found duct tape on the door, McCord and the four others were arrested and Nixon was subject to the blame. As more details on the scandal were revealed, Nixon began to look more and more guilty and when Nixon refused to hand over the videos the Supreme Court subpoenaed, there was not a doubt in anyone’s mind that Nixon was the mastermind behind the whole affair. The Watergate scandal made Nixon one of the hated presidents in America and his lack of concern only made the Nixon failed to keep Machiavelli’s one golden rule—avoid being despised at all times; however, Nixon was not the only president that failed to meet the requirements of Machiavelli’s successful prince.
Carter’s lack of a backbone and his constant need to please the American people distracted him from his actual duties as a president. In The Prince, Machiavelli declares that in order for a prince to be successful, he “ought to inspire fear in such a way that if he does not win love, he avoids hatred” (ibid. 4). On his road to the White House, Carter served as a member of the Georgia Senate and as the state’s governor. While working in Georgia, Carter was a hard-working and diligent man; he achieved his goal of re-organizing that state government despite opposition stemmed from his own tactical errors. However, when he focused his attention on winning the White House, he became overly consumed with winning the hearts of the American people. In fact,  in an attempt to make he and the people feel as equals at his inaugural address, “the fifty-two-year-old Georgian wore a business suit instead of formal dress”(Miller 36). Carter got so involved in his campaign that once he won the presidency, he had no clue what to do. Not only did Carter fail to instill fear in his people but also he failed to do any of the duties of a president.
Both Carter and Nixon failed to adhere to the rules of Machiavelli’s successful prince; while Nixon allowed his virtuous cover to be blown on account of his truly deceitful nature, Carter got so consumed with being loved by his people that he ended up being despised by them for his lack of agenda and goals for America.

Ana