[Mase]

At the 1980 convention, Reagan was counting on Gerald Ford being his running mate. He had begun laying the groundwork for that very thing months prior. At the convention, and during an interview with Walter Cronkite, Ford started rambling on about him not just being VP, but serving more like a co-president. Reagan wants nothing to do with this and at the 11th hour, picks Bush. No vetting, no interviewing, just a phone call and then walking out on the stage together.

This choice had little to do with uniting the party. It was more about convenience and safety in a guy with executive experience, a long time of military service and name recognition. How differently the world might be today had Reagan not wasted his time with Ford and made the right choice with Jack Kemp.

[Brilliant]

You’re right about him offering Ford first. But Reagan did not want Ford. He thought he needed Ford. But Ford wanted to be more than a normal VP. He wanted a co-Presidency and Reagan refused. He went to the next logical choice Bush. And what I described is what happened next. The establishment did not foist Bush on Reagan. He just recognized that it was the best move politically.