I wanted to go against the high-tech grain and have a simple picture done in Paint. It was pointed out later that it looked like my house, so when I painted my house, my avatar chaged colour too.
He's a big political hero of mine. I guess I'm attracted to the flawed genius and Nixon certainly was.
A working man from a working class background he was a firm believer in laissez faire economics, a man who constantly argued for smaller government with a strong liberal attitude to people , their aspirations and beliefs.
He was the bete noire of the Kennedys and Democrats and all those champagne socialists. He wasn't privileged, he didn't bullshit (well, not often for a politician) but deeply distrusted everyone and everything. The democrats talked about equality but it was Nixon that pushed through real reform for blacks and women voters. He got the US out of Vietnam, was the 1st to really talk about dialogue with China who he correctly predicted as the real 21st century enemy.
Ultimately, he was set up but I hope history will judge the man the last great political US president. A man who thought deeply and really cared about the office and his position and his country's place in the world.
If he were born British he would have been a one-nation Tory in the mould of Iain Macleod (Another hero of mine).
I love that photo of Nixon in my avatar. RIP Tricky Dicky.