Do you remember 1976? The dissatisfaction with Ford was intense. Many anti-Nixonites, who wanted a purge, hated him because he pardoned Nixon; and many conservatives were angry because he was viewed as a Nixon extension. Not that it wasn’t a well-deserved reputation.
And all that dissatisfaction accomplished was the election of the worst President in recent if not all American history - James Earl “Dhimmi” Carter.
We were ticked off in 1976 because of the Ford/Reagan battle. It was a pier nine brawl, with Ford taking uncommitted delegates on plane rides using Air Force One. He barely squeaked through, after insulting Reagan supporters all spring and summer.
Ford was a McCain. His appointments, such as Nelson Rockefeller and John Paul Stevens were uniformly awful. Ford was for abortion and the Equal Rights Amendment. He was one wretched candidate. There was no difference between him and Carter. But I don’t recall the word “Nixon” coming up once that year. That’s all retrospect. The issue of a pardon was never discussed in the debates.