Checkers

In Paragraphs 26-27, Nixon shares the story of how his family received their dog, Checkers, as a gift from a supporter. He describes him as “a little cocker spaniel dog […] black and white, spotted” (Paragraph 27). His non-negotiable statement, “I just want to say this, right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we’re gonna keep it” (Paragraph 27), is what gave this dog such symbolic importance that it warranted the naming of his speech.

Nixon’s anecdote about Checkers accomplishes two of his key goals in the speech at once. It casts him as a loving father—someone who would sooner face accusations of corruption than break the hearts of his two daughters—and, in using such a seemingly trivial gift as a comic metonym for all the others, it makes the accusations of corruption against him appear frivolous. This also makes Nixon appear to be accommodating but not apologetic. He has shown full transparency, and not one accusation has held; thus, if anyone questions his choice to keep Checkers, they are the one who is out of line. Checkers symbolizes the absence of guilt or repentance on Nixon’s part. He isn’t retracting his statements, remedying his mistakes, or resigning in defeat.