Norman Cousins Quotes
The justification for those actions was that we were living in a very hard, predatory, cloak-and-dagger world and that the only way to deal with a totalitarian enemy was to intimidate him. The trouble with this theory was that while we live in a world of plot and counterplot, we also live in a world of cause and effect. Whatever the cause for the decision to legitimize and regularize deceit abroad, the inevitable effect was the practice of deceit at home.
Cousins, Norman. Human Options: An Autobiographical Notebook. W. W. Norton & Company, 1981, p. 143.
Accusing her of being a fellow traveler with Communist sympathies, Nixon called her "the Pink Lady" and said she was "pink right down to her underwear." See {627826} and {619498}. Douglas and her campaign thought the accusations were so absurd that at first they did not even bother to respond. Nixon repeated the them and stayed “on message” and by the time that Douglas, who had opposed communism all her life, was believed to be one or at least a “fellow traveler” by most Californians—and finally she responded with statements like this, but it was way too late to turn public perception around. She awarded Nixon the derogatory nickname “Tricky Dick” which the majority of the public used for him throughout his career--{600036}.
Haldeman had actually called the network executives on several occasions regarding Cavett’s show. Nixon was particularly furious when Cavett interviewed John Kerry, the decorated soldier who had thrown his medals away in protest to the handling of the Vietnam War. Nixon wanted some stronger actions taken.
This quotation was extremely damaging to Russian Communism at the time. Goldman had been extremely supportive of the initial Russian Revolution and was an enthusiastic Marxist. She was not the typical conservative who would attack the revolution no matter what the outcome.
Norman Cousins was an American political journalist, author, professor, and world peace advocate.
