Final answer:
To counter critics, Nixon appealed to the 'silent majority' and proposed a secret plan for 'peace with honor' in Vietnam, while also focusing on law and order. He addressed the concerns of those fearing social changes and used coded language to appeal to Southern whites, all while maintaining a moderate image.
Step-by-step explanation:
President Richard Nixon responded to critics of his Vietnam policies through various strategies that included appealing to the silent majority, promising a secret plan to achieve peace with honor in Vietnam, and taking tough stances on law and order and anti-war protests. By invoking the fears and sentiments of the white middle class, Nixon courted northern, blue-collar workers and other constituents who felt threatened by social changes and marginalized by government attention to civil rights issues. Moreover, Nixon's moves, such as ending the draft, increasing bombing missions, and seeking ostensibly to limit Supreme Court decisions that were seen as permissive towards criminals, were aimed at rallying support among the populace who desired a more conservative approach to governance and the war effort.
Nixon also deftly addressed Southern voters, using coded language that subtly catered to racial biases, while at the same time maintaining a public image of a moderate, avoiding alienation of the broader electorate. Despite growing antiwar protests and his own secret escalations of the conflict including bombings in Laos and Cambodia, Nixon maintained the narrative of working towards an honorable conclusion to the war, which was instrumental in both quieting his detractors and fortifying his political standing among his supporters.