Gerald Ford: How will history judge him?

[devilgrrl]

He was a part of the Warren Commission, pardoned Nixon and was basically a clod but was he as evil as some of his collegues?

You tell me.

[Lautremont]

1. Depends how much SNL history watched in the late '70s.

I almost wonder more how history will judge Chevy Chase.

[Imagevision]

14. Gerald Ford: The spy placed within the Warren Commission to

feed J.Edgar Hoover the most recent developments of the day ++...

[liberaliraqvet26]

2. i wouldn't call him evil...

he was the last of the moderate "Goldwater" Republican party

[WI_DEM]

9. At one time the "Goldwater wing" was the conservative wing

now it is the moderate wing of the party.

[Sannum]

3. Husband of Betty.

[CatholicEdHead]

4. Depends on if they remember the SNL Tom Brokow skit

http://snltranscripts.jt.org/96/96dbrokaw.phtml

[Shoeempress]

5. He pardoned Nixon, what more needs to be said. Pure evil.

[Pepperbelly]

21. I think the pardon was the wisest thing to do ...

It was time to move on. Hell, I was glad to move on. I was so tired of the shit. I just wanted us out of Vietnam (which actually occurred under Ford rather than Nixon). I despised Nixon but I also despise kicking someone when they are down. That is what gops do.

And we did win the next election.

[IMSA]

24. Agreed about pardoning Nixon

hated the pardon at the time but it was the only way to close the Nixon chapter

IMSA

[WI_DEM]

6. History will judge him fairly kindly, imo

Historians generally agree now that he was right to pardon Nixon, so that the country could get back to work rather than enduring another three years of a Nixon trial, ect. He will generally be considered a "caretaker" president, but one who was basically honest and the last of the old guard republican presidents before the neo-cons took over. I also think history will also judge President Carter more generously than the voters of 1980.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

7. I'm guessing he'll be remembered as the guy who pardoned Nixon

I don't think he'll get the "Saint Ronnie" treatment with thousands of people lining the streets and the wailing and gnashing of teeth, but I don't necessarily think he'll be burned in effigy, either.

:shrug:

[saltpoint]

8. Elderly boy scout. Interim prez. Pleasant dunderhead.

The Pardon hurt him some and the iron curtain comment hurt him some and he got whupped by a southern governor no one had heard of a year prior.

Franklin Pierce will still rate more attention than Ford.

Betty's cool, though.

[tk2kewl]

10. If the NeoNaziCons and PNACers keep winning...

Ford will have saved nixon from the activist courts, turned back the rabid liberal press and begun the march toward freedom and riotousness throughout the world.

[merbex]

11. He made Cheney Chief of Staff @ the WH

and Rumsfeld Sec of Defense

For those 2 things he's got some "splainin to do"

[hfojvt]

12. W.I.N.

will GD catch up with the lounge?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=2673523

[devilgrrl]

26. wow! I haven't been to the lounge today - what a coincidence!

:scared:

[maveric]

13. He knows the truth about the JFK assasination.

Arlen Spector too.
Wouldnt it be nice if he came clean before hie goes to GOP heavan?

[Imagevision]

15. He knows the truth? -- that's cute

He pointed the direction in which the Warren Commission took it's cue.

[Melynn]

25. Ford once said of the Warren Commission

"we told the truth but not the whole truth". I always wonder what Ford meant by that statement.

I would like to see the members of the Warren Commission come out and tell about the secrets they know like Deep Throat did. It's time for the public to know the truth about that time in our history.

[Fozzledick]

16. Gerald who?

That's how!

[sinkingfeeling]

17. Who?

[Bluerthanblue]

18. 'walk and chew gum, ' and 'golf' mis-haps

he never intended to become president-
i actually feel sad for him- and proud of his wife, for her courage to 'come out' when coming out was NOT 'cool'

[DavidDvorkin]

19. Footnote

Minor one.

[amazona]

20. played too much football without his helmet

LBJ said it first and best.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[SmileyBoy]

22. He loves football. And he loves nachos.

And he likes watching the game and having some nachos. And then some beer.

[greendog]

23. History has more interesting things to do....

....He'll get mentioned in the final paragraph of Nixon's "judgement".

[UTUSN]

27. Gerald-who? Hopefully, Shrub-who? n/t