RIP: Gerry Ford

In the 1970s he lost to Jimmy Carter and inflation. Former Warren Commission member Gerald Ford is gone.

Gerald R. Ford, who picked up the pieces of Richard Nixon’s scandal-shattered White House as the 38th president and the only one never elected to nationwide office, has died. He was 93.

“My family joins me in sharing the difficult news that Gerald Ford, our beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather has passed away at 93 years of age,” former first lady Betty Ford said in a brief statement issued from her husband’s office in Rancho Mirage. “His life was filled with love of God, his family and his country.”

He wasn’t a great president. Many of his economic policies made it possible for Jimmy Carter to defeat him. But unlike Carter, he was smart enough to know when to keep his mouth shut.

Back when he was president, the press and comics called him stupid. He banged his head a few times getting in and out of the president’s copter. But Ford wasn’t a dummy. He was a well connected politician who got into power by showing certain people behind the scenes he knew how to get things done. Conspiracy theorists of the day said he got6 the vice president’s job under Nixon has a favor for his work on the Warren Commission. But ford was a moderate Republican like Nixon and well placed. He was also easy to work with.

I was in high school when he was president. So I remember his short term well. It’s said people voted for Carter as payback for Ford pardoning Nixon. That may be true in part, but he was also not a very inspiring leader and his economic policies continued the economic decline America saw in the 70s. But there’s something to be said about the fact that after the animosity people had for Nixon, he was generally liked as being a easy going, Charlie Brown type character.

Hopefully, the next president, whoever that may be, will help end, or at least lower the level of acrimony we’re seeing these days. Like Gerry Ford.

‘76 was the first election in which I voted.  I voted for Mr. Ford.

I’ll stand by that…

Posted by  on  12/27  at  06:41 AM

You made a good choice. We’ve all seen what a mess Carter made.

Posted by James Hudnall  on  12/27  at  09:39 AM
Page 1 of 1 pages

<< Back to main