--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In post-Vietnam, post-Watergate America…" description: "\"In post-Vietnam, post-Watergate America, skeptical voters demand full disclosure of everything from candidates' finances to their medical records, and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a78/virginia-postrel-2867_accounts_in-post-vietnam-post-watergate-america-s_2654742.jpg" --- # In post-Vietnam, post-Watergate America, skeptical voters… ![“In post-Vietnam, post-Watergate America, skeptical voters demand full disclosure of everything from candidates' finances to their medical records, and spin-savvy accounts of backstage machinations dominate political coverage.” quote by Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a78/virginia-postrel-2867_accounts_in-post-vietnam-post-watergate-america-s_2654742.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a78/virginia-postrel-2867_accounts_in-post-vietnam-post-watergate-america-s_2654742.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a78/virginia-postrel-2867_accounts_in-post-vietnam-post-watergate-america-s_2654742.jpg) > “In post-Vietnam, post-Watergate America, skeptical voters demand full disclosure of everything from candidates' finances to their medical records, and spin-savvy accounts of backstage machinations dominate political coverage.” [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In modern America, voters demand transparency, and media focuses on behind‑the‑scenes politics, reflecting distrust and demand for accountability. **In simple terms:** Voters want full disclosure; media highlights political intrigue. Key Takeaway Demand transparency and critical media literacy. Themes politics transparency media trust accountability Mood analytical critical Type political journalistic When to use this quote - elections - campaign finance - public health disclosures - political scandals Key Concepts democratic theory media studies Questions to Reflect On - How can transparency be balanced with privacy? - What role should media play in informing voters? A Different Perspective Too much focus on scandal can erode trust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Backstage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backstage/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Disclosure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disclosure/) [Finances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finances/) [Medical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Skeptical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skeptical/) [Voters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voters/) ## Related quotes > [I was just as crazy as everybody else post-Watergate, post-Vietnam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-starlin/i-was-just-as-crazy-as-everybody-else-post-watergate-post-vietnam/) [Jim Starlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-starlin/) > [I was always a little skeptical of how voters would react to my name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raja-krishnamoorthi/i-was-always-a-little-skeptical-of-how-voters-would-react-to-my-name/) [Raja Krishnamoorthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raja-krishnamoorthi/) > [After Watergate, America was a ship without a rudder. Vietnam was left to its own devices, drifting along towards its fate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nguyen-cao-ky/after-watergate-america-was-a-ship-without-a-rudder-vietnam-was-left/) [Nguyen Cao Ky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nguyen-cao-ky/) > [The political lesson of Watergate is this: Never again must America allow an arrogant, elite guard of political adolescents to by-pass the regular party…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-r-ford/the-political-lesson-of-watergate-is-this-never-again-must-america/) [Gerald R. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-r-ford/) > [“The Army's new pitch was simple. Good pay, good benefits, a manageable amount of adventure... but don't worry, we're not looking to pick fights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-army-s-new-pitch-was-simple-good-pay-good-benefits-a-manageable/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [The classic war movies of the post-Vietnam era have generally taken on grand, philosophical themes: the meaninglessness of war, the grinding down of man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanna-rosin/the-classic-war-movies-of-the-post-vietnam-era-have-generally-taken/) [Hanna Rosin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanna-rosin/) > [In the post-Watergate atmosphere of 1975 and 1976, the just-plain-folks personalities of both Ford and Carter seemed the perfect antidote to Nixon's arrogant, isolated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-greenfield/in-the-post-watergate-atmosphere-of-1975-and-1976-the-just-plain/) [Jeff Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-greenfield/) > [The malaise and military decline of the post-Vietnam years under President Jimmy Carter set the stage for Russian aggression abroad and uncertainty among our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cook/the-malaise-and-military-decline-of-the-post-vietnam-years-under/) Paul Cook > [Forty years after the greatest scandal of the American presidency, Elizabeth Drew's account in Washington Journal remains fresh and riveting, instructive and evocative. Her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/forty-years-after-the-greatest-scandal-of-the-american-presidency/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [Post-Watergate morality, by which anything left private is taken as presumptive evidence of wrongdoing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/post-watergate-morality-by-which-anything-left-private-is-taken-as/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [Without medical records that he hasn't released, we can't know whether Gingrich may have inherited his mother's manic depression. Nevertheless, one observes in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-weisberg/without-medical-records-that-he-hasn-t-released-we-can-t-know-whether/) [Jacob Weisberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-weisberg/) > [And as a nurse, I know very well the importance, for example, of electronic medical records.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-capps/and-as-a-nurse-i-know-very-well-the-importance-for-example-of/) [Lois Capps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-capps/) > [Senator John McCain, who spent over five years in a Vietnamese POW camp, publicly releases 1,000 pages of medical records. Now people are left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/senator-john-mccain-who-spent-over-five-years-in-a-vietnamese-pow/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [ Hurricane Katrina reiterated the need for \[access to\] medical records, ... ... But there's going to be a lot more needed than $4 million. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carper/hurricane-katrina-reiterated-the-need-for-access-to-medical-records/) [Thomas Carper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carper/) > [Electronic medical records are, in a lot of ways, I think the aspect of technology that is going to revolutionize the way we deliver…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/risa-lavizzo-mourey/electronic-medical-records-are-in-a-lot-of-ways-i-think-the-aspect-of/) [Risa Lavizzo-Mourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/risa-lavizzo-mourey/) ## More by Virginia Postrel > [The low point for neon came in 1982, when Holiday Inn did away with its signature 'Great Sign,' replacing the neon extravaganza with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/the-low-point-for-neon-came-in-1982-when-holiday-inn-did-away-with/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > ['The Matrix' is a movie that is all about glamour. I could do a whole talk on 'The Matrix' and glamour. It was criticized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/the-matrix-is-a-movie-that-is-all-about-glamour-i-could-do-a-whole/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [Science is about exploring the unknown and cannot offer guarantees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/science-is-about-exploring-the-unknown-and-cannot-offer-guarantees/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [“Design is not style. It’s not about giving shape to the shell and not giving a damn about the guts. Good design is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/design-is-not-style-it-s-not-about-giving-shape-to-the-shell-and-not/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [Persuasion has become a kind of force. 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It was an impractical ambition, especially since the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/when-i-was-in-college-i-wanted-to-be-editor-of-reason-when-i-grew-up/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [A lot of consumers actively enjoy advertising, especially fashion print ads and clever TV commercials. The nostalgic cable channel TVLand features not only vintage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/a-lot-of-consumers-actively-enjoy-advertising-especially-fashion/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [“Functionality still matters, of course. But competition has pushed quality so high and prices so low that many manufacturers can no longer distinguish themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/functionality-still-matters-of-course-but-competition-has-pushed/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [Like the skyscraper, the automobile, and the motion-picture palace, neon signs once symbolized popular hopes for a new era of technological achievement and commercial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/like-the-skyscraper-the-automobile-and-the-motion-picture-palace-neon/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [When 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' premiered on the WB Network in 1996, American culture was in trouble. 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