Ford called Carter a 'disaster'

AP on Yahoo ^ | 1/12/07 | AP

[COBOL2Java]

Soviet communism died as a result of the efforts of these two men:

[finnigan2]

Reagan was a President who remained focused on a global strategic vision; he left the day to day tactics to his subordinates. That is why Ford and others, who never had an overarching vision but were consumed by petty domestic politics, never understood or appreciated his management style.
To this day, that is why Reagan's lasting legacy will be on the international scene. Aside from "supply side economics",his domestic achievements were unremarkable.

[NordP]

ExACTly!

[Reagan Man]

You forgot, Lady Thatcher.

[COBOL2Java]

I think Paul Volcker became Chairman of the FED under Carter. Volcker proceeded to hold interest rates high & keep the money supply tight. This broke the back of an inflationary spiral that had gotten started under LBJ when he decided to fight Poverty & Vietnam by borrowing. Carter paid the political price for Volckers tight monetary policy.

Whip Inflation Now!

[COBOL2Java]

Good point! Well, I DID say "two men". ;0)

[lepton]

Aside from "supply side economics",his domestic achievements were unremarkable.

That's a pretty big "aside". :)

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

I like Ford for the most part, but he's not known for firing on all cylinders. Maybe I'm giving him too much credit. A simpleton with the common sense that the lord gave a billy goat knows that Carter was/is a disaster. And Jimbo sure didn't do anything to make the Russians or anybody else less of a threat. Under Carter, pissant Libya was bullying America around.

Reagan's policies no doubt brought an end to the cold war. Missile defense scared the pants off the Russians to the point that they were willing to put everything on the table if we didn't develop it. Reagan's funding of stealth technology was the deathblow.

[RushCrush]

Ford's comments about Reagan getting too much credit for the collapse of communism sound very much like the Euroweenies I have spoken to about it. Everyone claims that communism was bound to collapse.

I disagree. Ford may want to give credit to the America people, which is fine. They implemented the big plan. Whose plan? Reagan's.

[lawdude]

"Ford said Reagan, who challenged him unsuccessfully for the GOP nomination in 1976, was "a great spokesman for attractive political objectives" such as a balanced budget and defeating communism, "but when it came to implementation, his record never matched his words."

Reagan was "probably the least well-informed on the details of running the government of any president I knew," Ford said. In a separate interview, he said Reagan "was just a poor manager, and you can't be president and do a good job unless you manage."

--

sour grapes?"

None of these reported denegrating lines makes sense. Either he was senile or they are sliding away from the truth.

Ike was good but Howdy Doody would have been good in those days. None of todays current problems were threatening to crash around his shoulders. The only accurate statement is his saying Bunny Boy was a disaster.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Aside from winning 6 NBA championships in 8 years, Michael Jordan's contributions to the sport of basketball were unremarkable.

[CottShop]

someone said Ford was 98% nice guy, 2% Grizzly bear- sounds like he mighta been a bit vindictive as well.

The following link does not relate to this thread http://sacredscoop.com

[plain talk]

Ford contended his own negotiation of the Helsinki accords on human rights did more to win the Cold War than Reagan's military buildup

I take back any kind words I had for President Ford. This was an incredibly stupid statement to make.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

No doubt, Reagan was a poor manager? Before he got to be president, he ran the state of California's government. At the time, 1/9th of the U.S. population was located in California and it was the 8th largest economy in the world.

Ford got to be president by default, so his popping off about Reagan's qualities sure was warranted (NOT).

[Slump Tester]

"It makes me very irritated when Reagan's people pound their chests and say that because we had this big military buildup, the Kremlin collapsed," Ford told The Grand Rapids Press."

That's pretty harsh, coming from the guy who gave us all those "Whip Inflation Now" buttons.

More proof Gerald Ford wasn't anything to get excited about.

[Redbob]

"The best president of his lifetime, Ford said, was a more moderate Republican: Dwight D. Eisenhower."

I'm beginning to think I have spent far too much time defending Pres. Ford's intellectual capacity...

[Redbob]

"The best president of his lifetime, Ford said, was a more moderate Republican: Dwight D. Eisenhower."

I'm beginning to think I have spent far too much time defending Pres. Ford's intellectual capacity...

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

I'll second that motion. He complains about Reaganites puffing out their chest when talking about Cold War victory. Ford puffing out his chest about the Helsinki accords and claiming it to be a greater contribution is flat-out asinine.

[boop]

Yes, Brezhnev and the Soviets were just QUAKING in fear after Helsinki.

[LibWhacker]

"It makes me very irritated when Reagan's people pound their chests and say that because we had this big military buildup, the Kremlin collapsed,"

What about when Soviet generals say it? Because they did.