No Tubbies

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Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub provides an excellent roundup of all the celebrations planned around the 13th President’s birthday on January 7th.

As a special bonus attraction, the writer explains the blog’s name origin in H.L. Menken’s invention of the Fillmore First Whitehouse Tub myth, and links to a vast and sprawling guide to the endless replication of First Tubbaldry, including the Reagan Library’s falling for the story. “The Ronald Reagan Foundation wouldn’t lie to us, would it?

Unlucky in Kentucky

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Out of tragedy, new insight nixon-rec-center.jpg

Or in the case of the fire at Hyden Kentucky’s Richard M. Nixon Recreation Center, new opportunities to enjoy part of Nixon’s sunset years, early edition.

nixon-hyden-ky-rec-center-dedication.jpg To recap, the 1978 dedication of the building bearing Nixon’s name was one of the first public appearances by the Disgracedformerpresidenttrademark2.gif after his 1974 resignation.

Nixon entertained the recreation-seeking locals with a forty minute speech. He called for strengthening the CIA to confront “aggressive dictatorships,” presumably Cuban intervention in Africa, attracting the attention of Ronald Reagan, then plotting his 1980 run.

The Recreation Center fire prompted a local TV station to put a 25 year retrospective on the event up on their web-page. Sadly the only sound from Nixon is him commenting on how hot it is, but the era’s immense cars provide some excitement.

A sample of how Hyden’s youth spend their time these days can be found here.

Reaching Today’s Youth

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From the Journal of vikisu202:

 

“the last few days have been essentially uneventful

monday: I went to the Richard Nixon Library with Neel, oliver, and michael. Michael was making completely inappropriate sexual jokes as usual. We only went for the extra credit for gov. Ironically, the only exhibit we wanted to see was watergate and it was “under construction”. It was one of the most boring museums ive ever been to. There were a billion random christmas trees everwhere though. At night, we went to austins house and ate a lot of food. We watched some tennis and hannah montana. then onto 2008!”

Richard Nixon’s Path of Destruction Halted?

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Spawning Ground of Jerry Voorhis’ Defeat?

His final place of exile nixon-saddle-river-demo-tractor.jpg in New Jersey is destroyed, the Key Biscayne nixon-key-biscayne.jpg “Florida White House” torn down, but a little piece of Richard Nixon still stands near Baltimore.

A building containing the apartment once rented by Lieutenant Richard Nixon in 1946 in being considered for landmark status.

After Market

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My recollections of the Kennedy Library are that it’s about average for the category – Oval Office repo, press conference excerpts where he knocks ’em out of the park. But this ad campaign is pretty fabulous.

And half a century later, Nixon still can’t compete.

“Situated in southern California just 15 minutes from Disneyland, the Nixon Library is a dramatic roller coaster ride through half a century of California, U.S. and world history!”

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