Watergate; Views of Authors Such

Watergate; views of authors such as Emile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons, J. Alexander, Dinesh D'Souza and C. Wright Mills

Society is an organism that functions according to its own rules and has the interconnected mechanisms that allow it to regenerate just like a human body. The collective consciousness enables it to function properly. In case of a crisis situation, the mechanisms represented by the public, the elites and the media collaborate, driven by solidarity, in order to eliminate the evil so that the social body can continue its normal existence. The Watergate scandal represents such a moment of crisis. The circumstances favored the common profane politics event to turn into a sacred moment, drawing the attention to the fact that the relationship between morality and power had been weakened, thus weakening the society. Driven by a social force (the civil religion), the public, the media and the elites coordinated their actions in a manner which led to Nixon's resignation. Symbolically, this represented the elimination of evil and the sacred regeneration of the society through a reinforcement of the principles that lay at the basis of its functioning. Within the realms of the American culture that is essentially supported by and based on what J. Alexander calls "civil religion," the political scandal actually represented an opportunity to eliminate the aspects that were no longer functional, as well as a chance to reinforce the moral principles of behavior.

The cultural approach of Emile Durkeim to power, as well as J. Alexander's perspective on the American culture provide the necessary arguments in order to demonstrate that society benefits from the mechanisms that regulate its proper functioning. According to Emile Durkheim, power represents a shared resource. The leading elites use it for the benefit of the public. The values of the society and the norms which support its functioning are actually agents that mediate power. The Watergate scandal shook the American society, but instead of weakening it, it made it stronger. If society is a moral phenomenon, than the individuals will act united, organically, driven by the desire to defend the principles of morality, since they are aware of the fundamental importance played by these principles. The Watergate scandal proves it. The media used its power in order to bring the matter to the eyes of the public. What it did was actually to draw the attention to the real significance of the event. By bringing it into the public space, making it available for all the citizens, the media helped create a new representation of the factual data. And it was this new representation that created the collective effervescence that ultimately led to a change.

Taking into consideration the strength of the civil religion in the American society, the frequency of the appeal to symbols, it can be easily understood how the event turned into a symbolical confrontation between good and evil. Nixon became a president that no longer fulfilled its righteous duties. Disobeying the moral principles that justified and supported his position, he no longer corresponds to the ideal of the public and therefore the public will punish him. If at first Nixon could have defended himself stating that he ordered the burglary because he was thinking about the long- term benefits of the American society, his further actions made it obvious that he did what was best for him. He was no longer assuming the role of the supreme authority, the President (designated to act in the best interest of the people), but a mere man in the skin of a President, acting against the principles and the well being of the people who helped him gain his position.

The Saturday Night Massacre deprives the President of the sacred aura of the ruler that the people loves and turns him into a tyrant. In "All the president's men," the atmosphere of tension suggesting that the lives of the Woodward and Bernstein are in danger contributes to the creation of the image of a president who would stop at nothing in order to keep himself safe, in a position of power. He will have to resign because he will no longer have the support of the people, nor the moral validity for him continuing his actions.

Not only did President Nixon act against the best interest of the people, but he also acted against the high authorities (the elites), trying to manipulate them. In a certain manner it could be stated that he "attacked" society at all its levels, believing that he was strong enough to deceive it.. This allowed the elites to unite with each other ("journalists frequently remarked on how congressmen rose to the sense of occasion, presenting themselves not as political representatives of particular interests but as embodiments of sacred civil documents and democratic mores" (Alexander, 199). And the masses in order to eliminate him, since he had become a symbolical enemy of society itself. Just like Durheim would put it, he no longer had the moral legitimation. The political process is characterized by three dimensions: moral, religious, legitimate. President Nixon no longer had any of these characteristics and this is why society had to eliminate him.

The Senate hearings that were shown on television played a crucial part in transforming the event from a regular political problem into a sacred event. The accent was shifted from the political issue to the one of morality. "Facts do not speak. Watergate was a story told by American society. It was the context of Watergate that changed, not the facts themselves." (Alexander, 181) The fact that the transmissions were repeated after a pattern gave the entire situation the feeling of a ritual. The intense media coverage not only drew and maintained the attention of the people, but it also created tension among the public (to create the collective effervescence), while the public put pressure on the authorities to find out the truth and act accordingly. The importance of the media is crucial. Just like the movie portrays it, it was the two reporters that started the entire story, drawing the attention to the things that could not be explained by the official declarations.

The reporters (symbols for the mass media) act as a connection element between the individuals (the public) and the elites (CIA, FBI, the Supreme Court, etc.). Thus, different organs of society collaborate like the organs of the body, driven by the survival instinct (the survival of the principles that support the existence of society). The collective consciousness of what was good and what was evil underlines the unity of the American people. Put in terms of good and evil, the political fight gains a moral, sacred character.

Considering the aspects involved by the Watergate scandal, it can be started that all the five elements of a ritual (Alexander, 183) were completed. The media coverage drew the attention to the fact that something was not working normally (social consensus that something is polluting). The fact that the president himself was acting against the law made it clear to everybody that the sacred center of society was threatened (the Constitution). The institutional forces intervened (such as the Senate Watergate Committee) and counter centers were established (such as the Special Prosecutor's Office). The sacred center had to be cleaned of the deviant factor, the President and it was all the public tension and pressure that led to his resignation. "The hearings revivified the civic religion of the people" (Alexander, 189) and "Watergate was legitimated as a real crisis since the issues were defined as being above politics and involving fundamental moral concerns" (Alexander, 190).

Under these circumstances, it can be stated that the political scandal served as an interruption of the profane every day living and it inserted the sacred dimension. This sacred dimension did nothing but renew the forces of the society, since it managed to identify the evil and eliminate it. At the same time, the basic principles of its functioning were remembered and reinforced.

Just like Durkheim who speaks about the irrational drive (the feelings) that unites the people of a country, D'Souza speaks about the importance of the inner voice and the ethic of authenticity. People are not angelical creatures to live in harmony and peace without laws and this is why the norms are needed I order to embody the values of a people; such an embodiment is the Constitution. And since it contains the fundamental principles that must be obeyed in order for the society to function properly, it is easy to comprehend how it can be symbolically considered the sacred center of society and defended at all costs when the situation claims it. Furthermore, national morality can not function outside any connection with the religious dimension.

The political area itself is a sacred area (the president himself is an institution and a sacred one too) and this is proven by the rituals that it uses on each occasion. "Although matter of personal religious belief, worship and association are considered to be strictly private affairs, there are...certain common elements of religious orientation that the great majority of Americans share....and [these still] provide a religious dimension for the whole fabric of American life, including the political sphere

The inauguration of a President is an important ceremonial event in this religion. It reaffirms, among other things, the religious legitimation of the highest political authority." (Bellah, p.3-4) Relevant examples in this regard can include the speeches that Nixon held in order to justify the situation, the entire ceremony of the hearings and even the forgiveness that President Ford granted to the "guilty party." Again, an action that is largely based on feelings which at its turn, stirs up feelings. It seems that D'Souza is right and that the connection between feeling and morality in the American society is very strong and makes itself present at every social level. The American society listens to the ideal of authenticity that Rousseau spoke about. The resolution of the Watergate scandal, the attitude adopted by the people underline the extreme importance that the American people give to the principles of morality. Consequently it proves the belief according to which America is a great and noble country.

The American society gives a lot of importance to the moral legitimating of the political regime. It is not only the Watergate scandal that proves it, but also other scandals involving presidents, such as the one involving Bill Clinton. In the case of President Clinton, the most serious mistake that he made was not that he had an affair (even if this too represents an action against the moral principles and reflects an unhealthy attitude towards family). The most serious mistake that both Nixon and Clinton did was to lie to the American people, denying their guilt. Nixon even tried to manipulate the cultural, military and political elites. This is something that a people such as the American one can not tolerate.

Furthermore, the engine that led to the change (Nixon's resignation) was in fact the public opinion. The Watergate scandal proves that the key element in determining the outcomes of politics is the American public, just like Durkheim claims, and not the power elite. President Nixon had all the means available and still could not hide the truth from the public. And here, the role of the media is crucial. Had it not been for the two reporters that, just as it can be observed in the movie "All the President's men," were driven by the desire to get to the truth (the truth being a superior moral value) and did not abandon the inquiries despite feeling threatened, the whole situation may have never had the social and cultural impact that it eventually had (through the intervention of the mass media). It is important to underline that the people who contributed to the truth being discovered (the two reporters) did it for the sake of an ideal (a higher moral purpose).