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In the popular memory, Watergate has long stood as a tale of democracy in action: a corrupt president brought to account, checks and balances asserted, and public faith reaffirmed. In this narrative, the system worked – as Gerald Ford famously declared, “Our Constitution works” – and honest governance was restored. But half a century of hindsight shows that this sunny mythology masks a much darker trajectory. In fact, the aftermath of Watergate marked the beginning of a long decline in public trust and a sea‑change in American politics. As historian Dan Balz notes, the era after 1974 “usher[ed] in a…