Richard Nixon was a very savvy campaigner, but early on he

[hedgehog]

developed a paranoia that colored all of his actions. He took pride in calling himself an outsider even though he secretly resented the fact he would never be accepted as a member of the Establishment. When he lost an election, it was never because the voters preferred the other man, it was always because someone had pulled a dirty trick or the press had favored the other guy. In his paranoia, that justified his use of every dirty trick in the book and the invention of some new ones. His campaigns became less about selling his ideas and more about beating the other guy into the ground.

[eppur_se_muova]

1. Nixon once said "Politics would be great, if it weren't for all the people."

He wasn't what you would call a natural politician -- the kind who lives for a crowd.