Continuation, if not an acceleration, of the trend toward more independence of party identification among voters – and, as a consequence, a threatened breakdown of the two-party system.
Former Attorney General Elliot Richardson puts it this way: "Watergate has made one significant contribution, at least to the extent that there are many officeholders who are becoming convinced that honest politics – open, candid politics – is the best politics."
Much the same thought comes from the Senate's No. 2 Republican, Robert Griffin, of Michigan: "I think we should have learned that we do have to have an open Presidency and that the people need to know what is going on."
It shattered America's respect for the President's office and ushered in a new era on cynacism about politics. What was the impact on the relationship between Congress and the President? It became more hostile. The president was brought down by Congress, who had threatened to remove him through impeachment.
