There is a good story I heard from an old lawyer in MO who was following the 1976 primaries. During the primaries Reagan looked like he would be competitive. As if on cue, the media stopped showing Ford falling down. Then, when Reagan lost, literally the next night the media had him falling down again.
Ford only lost to Carter by a million votes, which considering the circumstances under Nixon, was pretty well.
That being said, I think Ford was a weak Republican from a different era - the era of "Check Pants Republicans".
Have to agree with you on that synopsis. Carter any democrat only hurt America. Ford was just too laid back for me. I do wish he had beaten carter and we would still have the Panama Canal.