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."
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sour grapes?
.. or just ap wringing every little bit of what they can out of the Ford passing? or both. :-}
He's right. Ronnie didn't know anything about taking lobbyist money and making back room deals. He had his big three ideas and he got them implemented, the rest really didn't matter. Simple, but very effective.
Exactly.
An historical footnote's cheap shot at a great man.
But of course, it's sour grapes.
Well... this is no doubt why, in the late seventies up to the 1980 election many intellectuals ruminated about the presidence being "just too big for one man." For Carter, yes - it was too big. Carter managed everything down to scheduling of the White House tennis courts. His rather dour re-election TV ads tout this as an asset (see 4president.tv).
Reagan succeeded because he didn't try to micromanage every minute detail. No, he didn't have Carter's IQ but he had a different kind of smarts: inspired leadership, getting the most from people by making us feel good about ourselves as Americans. Reagan didn't HAVE TO do it all precisely because of his leadership skills.
Ford took a relatively good economy into the toilet and Carter finished the job by flushing it into the sewer.
Ford has confirmed my suspicions that he was not too bright. You know the old saying, it is better to keep silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and confirm it. Ford has confirmed it. Too bad.
Yes--sour grapes. [How did Ford have any knowledge of how well informed Reagan was?] Ford will be forgotten--except for being unelected and then pardoning Nixon.
Nobody mentions that countries were falling to communism like dominoes during Carter's term, but Reagan stopped that cold, then reversed it. His bold move in Grenada did much to sober up the Kremlin, and to hearten the anticommunist forces in Central America, South America, Africa and Asia. His call to the Kremlin to tear down the wall was heard loud and clear by the people of Eastern Europe, who proceeded to rise up and make their voices heard.
"was just a poor manager, and you can't be president and do a good job unless you manage."
The difference between Reagan and Ford:
Reagan was a LEADER and Ford was a manager. Ford never understood the difference.
I personally like Gerald Ford, but he couldn't hold Reagan's jock strap.
"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.
Reagan was the 2nd president who understood the power of electronic media, the 1st to use it en masse effectively.
Ford did not understand and, as a consequence, was unable to assess RR's presidency in its true effect.
Ford's perspective, values, and style were all rooted in - and only understood by him - in what were essentially linear 1940 terms.
It's obviously sour grapes---Reagan is the one President in my lifetime who people who dismissed him at first come to re-evaluate as far better, and smarter than they originally thought he was. I for one am glad the endless Ford eulogizing is over---the constant theme that was struck was "decency", which should be a starting point for a President, not the entire resume.
Anywhere his record didn't match his words is because "managers" in Congress were kissing Tip O'neil's donkey, instead of fighting and leading.
If Newt adopted Ford's philosophy, there never would have been a revolution in 94.
Worse than sour grapes... Envy and jealousy. Gerry Ford was a poor president relative to Reagan. He was lucky to be followed by the worst president of our lifetime.
So long, Gerry. Anything good that I thought about you will now be filed away and never brought back to see the light of day.
Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter were both third-rate minds who were incapable of understanding economics. Their confusion was the result of laziness (all they had to do was read Milton Friedman), and hanging out with beltway liberals.
Their habit of publicly criticizing the Republican presidents who followed them showed they were brothers under the skin.
The only useful thing either of them ever did was pave the way for Ronald Reagan through their gross incompetence.
And, of course, neither of them ever forgave Reagan for succeeding.
LOL!
Ford was angry that Reagan didn't select him for Vice-President in 1980. Reagan didn't want him, but was about to agree as a political compromise until Ford insisted that he would have significant powers as Vice-President. I was never that impressed with Ford, and considered him an okay guy. I became a Republican because of Reagan, and I'm trying to figure out why I'm still one now.
So there ya have it! A moderate and a dope! The seventies sucked in America compared to most other decades in the twentieth century!!!