(3 of 3)
In domestic affairs, Agnew would make a highly divisive President. He apparently would be eager to employ tough police power to stifle protest demonstrations, as he showed in handling civil rights protests while Governor of Maryland. Although he has publicly pushed Nixon's welfare reforms, he has privately criticized them as not tough enough on "chiselers and loafers." He precipitated a row over federal legal services for the poor and has shown little concern about injustices against blacks. His most notable service has been his work among mayors and Governors on behalf of Nixon's revenue-sharing program, which at one point seemed virtually dead in Congress.
Yet Agnew's greatest liability as President might be one of temperament. He is excessively proud, righteous and unwilling to compromise; he has been so miffed by what he considers cool treatment by the U.S. Senate that he now presides over that body only when his vote might be needed. Although the vice presidency is a frustrating and humbling job, Agnew has shown little capacity for growth in it. The President must know that, and his central concern should have been what kind of an insurance policy or a legacy he wished to leave the nation.