More than any other public figure, Richard Nixon represents the popular conception of the politician. He has participated in and been at the center stage of every single Presidential election in this country since 1952 with the exception of the 1964 election. He has been pronounced politically dead and politically unbeatable: his political positions have shifted from being the leading anti-communist politician of the 1950’s to the first President since the advent of the Cold War, to change the policy towards Communist China.

When Richard Nixon ran for President in 1960 he had the advantage of having been in the public eye for 8 years as vice-president and having the support of Dwight Eisenhower a very popular President. However, Nixon had weathered a number of major storms in order to get into the position he was in a 1960.