A GERALD FORD TRIBUTE
By H. Scott Prosterman
The passing of President Gerald R. Ford calls to mind the
evolution of American politics
since he served.When
“Accidental President” succeeded Richard Nixon, many Americans thought,
“What are the odds?”Nixon selected Ford to replace the disgraced Spiro
Agnew as Vice-President, in part, because he offered a refreshing candor and
honesty, in contrast to Agnew and Nixon himself.
For some, Ford’s most memorable act was the pardon of Nixon. But
that memory must be balanced by the fact that he also pardoned ALL the draft
resisters and evaders from the
may have cost him re-election in 1980.
The rise of Ronald Reagan and the Far Right-wing politics was a
reaction against Ford’s thoughtfulness and elements of liberalism.During
Reagan’s preliminary run for President in 1976, he
trotted out the
Canal jingoism and a promise of Gunboat Diplomacy.Ford’s sober-minded
presidency presented a stark contrast, and made Reagan look scary to most
Americans.
While Ford worked with the Soviets to finalize Détente, and with
Presidency was a gross over-reaction to liberalism of the 1970’s, and the
moderate politics of Ford.Because Ford did not serve enough raw meat to
Republicans, Reagan became their guy in 1980.One commentator noted,
“Reagan ran against Détente.”
This represented the transition from bi-partisanship in American
politics, to the politics of alienation that Reagan perfected, and which
Bush Jr. has carried even further.Regrettably, the current President Bush
has taken ONLY from the playbooks of Nixon and Reagan, engendering an even
greater sense of alienation for many Americans.When Bush Jr. marketed his
“compassionate conservatism” during his first campaign, many American were
duped into believing that Ford was to have been the role model.Other
Republicans seemed to know they were getting recycled Nixon advisors,
ideology and secrecy.Once again, the political pendulum is swinging the
other way, as Americans have seen the destruction and unprecedented mistrust
of government that Bush Jr. has wrought.
Ford was also known for a few boneheaded comments in his day,
but 1000’s fewer than Bush Jr. has uttered.During the 1980 Presidential
Debate, he made the comment that the Poles didn’t mind being occupied by the
Tip O’Neil once said that Ford had “played too much football
without a helmet.”While this was delivered in a sense of bi-partisan,
collegial jest, it wrongly morphed into a condemnation of Ford’s
intelligence.But Ford was not above self-deprecation over this.In 1973,
I served as an intern in the House.One day, all pages and interns were
assembled to hear a welcoming speech from Ford, who was House Minority
Leader.At one point in his talk, he mentioned O’Neil’s remark about too
much football without a helmet.For the next sentence, he pretended to lose
his train of thought, and most of us stood up and applauded with laughter.
To his credit, Ford initiated a badly needed healing process in
the wake of Watergate and
facilitated that.While many people would have preferred to have Nixon
subjected to the Justice System, historical hindsight indicates the pardon
may have been the right move.
Ford’s passing also reminds us that there actually used to be a
liberal branch of the Republican Party called the Ripon Society.That has
become such an anachronism that the Ripon Society’s website now sheepishly
states that it “seeks to be the conscience of the Republican Party.”Is it
too cynical to ask, “How can you be the conscience of a party that has
none?”
If there ever IS to be a moderate wing of the Republican Party
again, it might be called the Gerald R. Ford Society.