John Ehrlichman and the Watergate Scandal

On June 17, 1972, there was a break-in at the Democratic National Headquarters. Located at the Watergate office complex in Washington D.C., the headquarters is on the sixth floor of the Watergate Hotel and office building. This break-in, known as the Watergate Scandal, was a political scandal involving the Committee for the Re-Election of the President. This group is the official organization of Nixon's campaign. When the Federal Bureau of Investigation became involved in the scandal, they discovered that cash found on the burglars was directly connected to a slush fund controlled by Nixon's administration. This scandal led to the resignation of Richard Nixon on August 9th, 1974.

Along with the resignation of Richard Nixon, was the incarceration of 43 people, 7 of whom were directly caught in the act of the burglary. These advisors are John N. Mitchell, H.R. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, Charles Colson, Gordon C. Strachan, Robert Mardian and Kenneth Parkinson. John Ehrlichman, more specifically, was a counsel and assistant to the President for Domestic Affairs under President Nixon. He was convicted of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and perjury. For his crimes, Ehrlichman served a year and a half in prison.

Prior to the Watergate Scandal, Ehrlichman was the leader of a secret White House unit known as "the plumbers". This group was created to find and plug the "leaks" of top secret government information. A former National Security Council aide,  Dr. Daniel J. Ellsberg, was identified for giving secrets to the press about America's involvement in the Vietnam War. To further investigate Ellsberg's behavior, The Plumbers illegally broke into his psychiatrist's office with the intent to discover information on Ellsberg's mental state that would aid the administration to discredit his story.

Watergate Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate_scandal 

Sources

Stout, David. "John D. Ehrlichman, Nixon Aide Jailed for Watergate, Dies at 73

New York Times 16 Feb. 1999: n. pag. Print. 

McLaughlin, Martin. "John Ehrlichman, Key Conspirator in the Nixon White House, 

     Dead at 73." World Socialist Web Site 17 Feb. 1999: n. pag. Print. 

Homework

1. Public opinion polls are beneficial in an election because they allow candidates to have a good feel on how they compare to their opponent. They can also be a burden though. Public opinion polls create stress in a politicians life because they are constantly concerned with whether they are leading or following in the election. The politician then focuses on less important things than the election itself. The politician will also change their views and beliefs in order to gain more popularity in an election.

2. The effect of political ideology on public opinion in America is to group people by their beliefs, morals and values. By creating two drastically different sides, people are forced to choose a side and defend it. Political ideology also helps young adults, who are new to politics, choose a side and make a difference in society by voting, Not many people (about 12%) can think in ideological terms. This representation of ideologues is directly dependent on how the questions are worded and presented. Overall, liberal and conservative views are less important than the candidate themselves.

Political Knowledge

Introduction/Test Post

I'm Alex Reininger. I have done dance team all four years of high school and track for three years. My hobbies are dancing, running, hiking, ice skating and diving. This summer I traveled to Fiji for a month where I received three college credits for shark studies. This was one of the highlights of my life. During the trip we were able to dive with bull sharks, white tip reef sharks, black tip reef sharks, grey reef sharks and tawny nurse sharks. This trip opened my eyes up to a hobby that I would have never seen myself doing before. I love diving, especially with sharks. An interesting fact about me is that I was almost a victim of a shark attack while diving off the coast of San Diego with a 6-foot short finned Mako. Luckily, I avoided becoming shark bait. Ask me about my trip! I love telling stories. :)