Nixonian

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Nixonian, or "Nixonite" is a term used to refer to Republicans who, rather than being conservative, tend to promoted high domestic spending and an active regulatory regime, along with an aggressive foreign policy. This term is somewhat akin to "Rockefeller Republican", but with an even more pejorative tone; one never self-identifies as a Nixonian. The term is most frequently used by Republicans to attack self-described moderates; when used by Democrats it is more apt to be used in the context of the Watergate scandal and the suggestion of Republican corruption.

This moniker is based upon the administration of Richard Nixon, who ran in 1968 and 1972 as a conservative Republican and yet increased domestic regulatory and entitlement programs more than his liberal Democratic predecessor, Lyndon Johnson.

"In a field of Nixonians, he will offer some Reaganite hope. A centerpiece will be the flat tax - to spur growth, and to clean out the Beltway lobbies that plumb the tax code for advantage."

– Paul A. Gigot, Wall Street Journal (9/15/95)

This term has been increasingly applied to George W. Bush, because of a domestic spending and regulatory regime more expansive than that of his predecessor, as well as his interventionist foreign policies[1].

The term is also used, less frequently, to simply refer to a regime of dirty election tricks or abuses of power for political gain, in which context both Bill Clinton [2] and George W. Bush [3] have been repeatedly painted with the term.