{"id":12668,"date":"2018-09-25T13:14:24","date_gmt":"2018-09-25T17:14:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phillyhistory.wpengine.com\/?p=12668"},"modified":"2018-09-25T14:05:03","modified_gmt":"2018-09-25T18:05:03","slug":"bedfellows-not-so-strange-richard-m-nixon-and-frank-l-rizzo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.phillyhistory.org\/index.php\/2018\/09\/bedfellows-not-so-strange-richard-m-nixon-and-frank-l-rizzo\/","title":{"rendered":"Bedfellows Not So Strange: Richard M. Nixon and Frank L. Rizzo"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Mayor Frank L. Rizzo with President Richard M. Nixon at the White House, Washington, D.C., January 24, 1972. Photograph by Lou Zacharias. (PhillyHistory.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1952, as candidate for vice president during the Korean War, Senator Richard M. Nixon traveled the country stoking fears delivering his anti-communist message<\/a>. \u201cAt a time when millions of young Americans are fighting and dying, fighting Communists overseas, we need a fair, a sane, but an absolutely effective program of dealing with the Communists right here in the United States of America.\u201d In Philadelphia on February 5, Nixon sharpened his message before a live television audience (WFIL \u2013 Channel 6) moderated by the team that founded Meet The Press.<\/em><\/p>\n

The subject: \u201cHow Can We Best Fight Communism within the USA?\u201d<\/p>\n

In order to wage his fight, Nixon needed like-minded allies in law enforcement. In Philadelphia, that\u2019s where Frank Rizzo would come in. Rizzo was officer responsible for the police motorcade ushering Nixon\u2019s limousine from the airport to Center City. And for a spell, the two men, \u201cAmerica’s foremost anti-Communist politician of the Cold War<\/a>\u201d and a cop known as \u201cThe Cisco Kid<\/a>\u201d sat talking, and agreeing about the Red Menace.<\/p>\n

Sixteen years later, Nixon returned, this time campaigning for President. The Republican candidate asked to meet with the new Police Commissioner. The meeting between candidate and cop, also in a limousine, reportedly lasted five, or even as long as ten minutes. According to Tom Fox, \u201cFrank Rizzo jumped into Richard Nixon\u2019s limousine at the airport that day and he and Richard Nixon had this . . . conversation in whispers. When Frank Rizzo got out of the limousine, the newspaper people wanted to know what he said\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAw,\u201d said Frank Rizzo, \u201cI was just giving him Carmella\u2019s recipe for meatballs and spaghetti.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nixon had a more believable explanation: \u201cRizzo\u2019s record has met with the approval of all law enforcement officers across the United States. He has an effective record. I wanted to get his views. As I see it, other cities could use Rizzo\u2019s ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n

S. A. Paolantonio, Rizzo biographer, provides a third explanation: Nixon \u201capproached Rizzo about running for mayor\u2014as a Republican.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rizzo would<\/em> run for mayor in 1971\u2014as a Democrat\u2014and took office in January 1972 facing a massive deficit\u2014about $100 million. For help, Rizzo turned to his friend in the White House. \u201cWe did very well indeed,\u201d Rizzo told reporters on the White House lawn, grinning broadly after the 45-minute meeting.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
President Richard M. Nixon and Mayor Frank L. Rizzo on the occasion of the signing of the Revenue Sharing Bill – Independence Hall, October 20, 1972. (PhillyHistory.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe want the Bicentennial City to be well taken care of,\u201d assured Nixon. \u201cPhiladelphia will get its fair share\u201d of federal aid. Nixon then \u201cwinked broadly\u201d and said he\u2019d be making a \u201cnonpolitical visit\u201d to Philadelphia later that year, a visit that happened to be in the midst of Nixon\u2019s re-election campaign.<\/p>\n

In return, Nixon would get Rizzo\u2019s support. \u201cI\u2019m a Democrat but I\u2019m very fond of President Nixon, Rizzo said. He is one of the greatest Presidents this country ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the election approached, Nixon made another promise, that Philadelphia \u201cwould be the exclusive host for the Bicentennial celebration.\u201d In mid-September, Rizzo traveled again to the White House \u201cto find out what I can do to help re-elect the President.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now he is building a strange new political power base and he is doing it with a foot in both parties,\u201d wrote Tom Fox of the mayor in the Daily News.<\/em> \u201cI cannot remember a politician making this kind of daring move and landing on his feet, but Frank Rizzo gets away with it because he is a singular man. Amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Less than three weeks before the election, Nixon did come to Philadelphia to sign the State and Local Fiscal Assistance Act of 1972 at Independence Hall<\/a>. The bill, according to Daughen and Binzen, \u201cpumped hundreds of millions of dollars into cities and towns in all fifty states. There were hardly any strings attached\u2026 Most of the local jurisdictions used it to pay operating costs, thus holding down taxes.\u00a0 \u2026Philadelphia got $70,000,000 of this manna from Washington in Rizzo\u2019s first year as mayor. That was nearly 10 percent of the city\u2019s operating budget.\u201d\u00a0The city actually ended up with a surplus.<\/p>\n

As expected, George McGovern, the Democratic candidate for President, carried Philadelphia. According to Paolantonio, \u201cNixon lost the city by a mere 88,000 votes, despite the Democratic party\u2019s 302,000-voter registration edge. [The president] carried South Philadelphia by a near two-to-one margin” and he won Pennsylvania. In all, it was “a landslide reelection victory.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFrank Rizzo had delivered.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was more thrilled by the President\u2019s reelection that I was by even my own victory,\u201d Rizzo told reporters on November 8, \u201cbecause yesterday\u2019s election meant so much to the people of America. They have rejected the Democratic Party as the party of radicals\u2026 The liberals and radicals are out of business\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Rizzo maintained an unflagging loyalty to Nixon. After the President\u2019s second Watergate speech<\/a>, August 15, 1973, Rizzo commended the president \u201cfor his courage in presenting his case before the American people\u201d and urged Americans to \u201cclose ranks behind him and the great office he holds.\u201d But Watergate led to Nixon\u2019s resignation and\u00a0the funds to make Philadelphia \u201cthe exclusive site of the Bicentennial celebration never materialized.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rizzo ran for re-election the year following Nixon\u2019s resignation. His campaign slogan: “He held the line on taxes.” Soon after the election, Rizzo faced up to reality and convinced City Council there was no choice, the city’s wage tax needed to be increased as much as 4.31%. That would be among the highest in the nation.\u00a0More than 250,000 angry citizens signed the recall petition.<\/p>\n

In 1986, Rizzo would finally leave the Democratic party and formally declare himself a Republican\u2014again. Actually, Rizzo’s original registration was\u00a0 Republican. His years with the Democrats was a marriage of convenience.<\/p>\n

[Sources: \u201cTonight, on TV, Keep Posted.\u201d Inquirer<\/em>, February 5, 1952; Tom Fox, \u201cThe Big Bambino Renews an Old Friendship\u201d Inquirer<\/em>, January 25, 1972; Dan Lynch \u201c\u2019Bicen City Will Be Well Taken Care of,\u2019 Nixon Tells Rizzo in 45-Minute Visit.\u201d Inquirer<\/em>, January 25, 1972; Jon Katz, \u201cNixon Assures Rizzo: City Will Get Its Share,\u201d Philadelphia Daily News<\/em>, January 25, 1972; Tom Fox, \u201cBig Money Talk in the White House\u201d Philadelphia Daily News<\/em>, September 15, 1972; Donald Janson, \u201cRizzo Bolstered by Nixon Victory: President Sends ‘Warmest Thanks’ to Democrat,\u201d The New York Times<\/em>, November 12, 1972; \u201cRizzo Hails Nixon\u2019s Talk,\u201d Inquirer, August 16, 1973; S. A. Paolantonio,\u00a0Frank Rizzo: The Last Big Man in Big City America<\/em>\u00a0(Philadelphia: Camino Books, 1993, 2003); Joseph R Daughen and Peter Binzen,The Cop Who Would Be King: The Honorable Frank Rizzo <\/em>(Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1977)]<\/span><\/p>\n

More\u00a0PhillyHistory<\/em>\u00a0posts on Frank Rizzo\u00a0here<\/a>,\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0and here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 1952, as candidate for vice president during the Korean War, Senator Richard M. Nixon traveled the country stoking fears delivering his anti-communist message. \u201cAt a time when millions of young Americans are fighting and dying, fighting Communists overseas, we need a fair, a sane, but an absolutely effective program of dealing with the Communists […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.phillyhistory.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12668","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.phillyhistory.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.phillyhistory.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.phillyhistory.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.phillyhistory.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12668"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.phillyhistory.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12668\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.phillyhistory.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.phillyhistory.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.phillyhistory.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}