Nixon was a communist. 1972 was the first election I remember and I was for Schmitz.
I remember my father once called Nixon a Communist. When he ran for governor in 1962, my parents voted for his conservative opponent (Shell).
That was also the first election in which I voted. I was also quite bearish on Nixon and considered registering as a Democrat so I could vote for George Wallace. However, Wallace was the only conservative Democrat I would be able to vote for, and judging from remarks he made in an interview published in Newsweek in 1971, he doesn't seem to have been all that conservative. For example, he said he would consider AFL-CIO president George Meany for his Cabinet.
I would up registering Republican and voting for Rep. John Ashbrook (R-Ohio) in the primary and REp. John Schmitz (American Party-Calif.) in November.
Ah, newsflash, if Nixon were a communist, why would he play a key role in the McCarthy Hearings regarding taking DOWN Communists, especially the likes of Alger Hiss? If anything, had he been communist, he would have DEFENDED Alger Hiss, not condemn him.