Remember when Jack Bog proved himself an a$$ right after Gerald Ford died?

Ford was a good man.

Thank you for your service to this country Mr. President...I truly wish there were more Republicans like you.

Wolfe is right. Ford did at least one appearance with Chevy Chase (shown on a news tribute) where they joked around. Ford was a decent man who was more of a mature adult than many in Republican politics these days. A clip was shown from a fundraiser he did in Portland many years ago where the talked about the best way to solve problems. Not about ideology--about problem solving. What a concept!

Current Republicans could learn many lessons from him. And current Democrats should be smart enough to treat a gracious former president the way they would like their heroes to be treated. Remember how obnoxious some Republicans were at the Wellstone funeral? Democrats should set a better example than that.

In the 1976 Oregon democratic primary I passed up voting for Jimmy Carter and chose instead to write in Jerry Brown for President.

As I stood in the voting booth the following November I lingered over whether to vote for Jimmy Carter or Gerald Ford.

I liked Gerald Ford...a lot. He seemed honest, kind and, in spite of his pardon of Richard Nixon, honest.

I ended up voting for Jimmy Carter, but Gerald Ford remains the only republican candidate for President I have ever considered voting for.

He was adamantly pro choice, very critical of the current breed of right wing republicans and a man respected internationally.

I shook his hand in front of the Benson Hotel when he visited Portland in September, 1975. The next day, Lynette Alice (Squeaky) Fromme attempted to assassinate him in Sacramento, California.

Thank God she did not succeed.

I have often wondered what would have happened had not Jimmy Carter beat "Jerry" Ford in 1976. Would his moderate policies made it more difficult -or impossible- for a Ronald Reagan to be elected President? Would a re-elected President Ford have been followed by a democrat in office instead of a disastrous 12 year Reagan/Bush (the Sr.) run?

We will never know.

I do know that I always deeply respected him both in and out of office.

He truly was the man this country needed when he became President.

May he rest in peace.

sorry...one too many "honests" in the last post.

I should have said

He seemed sincere, kind and, in spite of his pardon of Richard Nixon, honest.

And you mean that you are surprised that Jack Bog showed a lack of class?

May he rest is peace.

It's interesting, but I had much the same reaction as Randy Leonard to Gerald Ford. The 1976 election was the first one that I was able to vote in, and I wrote in Jerry Brown for Prez as well.

The only difference was that I voted for Ford--the only Republican I've ever voted for President. But then, I had attended a Christian college at the time, and was heartily sick of ignorant comments that they were voting for Carter because he was "the Christian candidate." As if Ford wasn't sufficiently Christian in his own right. Some folks didn't even know Carter's name; they just knew that Pastor So-And-So had told them to vote for him.

Carter's election was the foundation for the buildup of the Moral Majority, and gave fuel to the Religious Right's takeover of the Republican party. It also contributed to a dangerous strength of the sort of political activist in the Democratic party who was ineffectual and was focused more on party control and emulating what was going on in the Republican Party than for grassroots action.

But this is about Gerald Ford. He was a breed of Republican that is, unfortunately, now scarce--honest, plain-spoken, not focusing on the concept of "greed is good" but on public service from a Republican perspective. He openly tried to emulate Harry Truman--and that was what we needed after Watergate, and what we need even now, instead of Imperial Presidencies.

We are poorer for his absence.

SNL loved him; he had the best prat fall of any president, ever. Nobody could fall from a flight of stairs and get up funny like a season vaudevillian, Charlie Chaplin would have been proud.

Gerald Ford’s pardoning of Nixon was part of the reason I voted a straight Democratic ticket on what was my first vote as an 18yr old on his way to serve in the Navy. It was not the best of times with double digit unemployment, interest rates, and OPEC squeezing us with a special delight.

Gerald Ford knew how to do only one thing as a president other than pardon Nixon, which was veto. He didn’t pass a bill, and I believe it was why he was never taken seriously as a presidential candidate. How honest or dishonest he was would hardly be the point, he made so little of his opportunity as president he deserveres so little recognition.

We can thank him for introducing Rumsfeldt & Chaney into the White House, I suppose we can thank him for that!!

I held Gerald Ford in high regard also and I think he was a good and decent person.

He was, unfortunately, the victim of one of the worst debate gaffes in history. Do you remember it? It was when he said that Poland was not under the domination of the Soviet Union. Carter was all over that one. Closest thing to "you sir are no Jack Kennedy" that I can remember. I think that may have hurt him more than the Nixon pardon.

Average President.

Great guy.

He wasn't as conservative as Barry Goldwater, but he was definitely not on the liberal side of the Republican party.

And, if he were a politician today he would either be an outcast Republican or a Democrat.

LT:

Remember how obnoxious some Republicans were at the Wellstone funeral? Democrats should set a better example than that.

Bob T:

You mean the way Repubs got to the podium and spoke like one is supposed to at a service, while the Dems set an example by giving political speeches trashing the Repubs? That example?

Bob Tiernan

Dan Grady:

SNL loved him; he had the best prat fall of any president, ever

Bob T:

Sadly, Chevy Chase, unlike Murray, Ackroyd etc, had no ability to imitate anyone he was portraying.

The mainstream media showed its stupidity again this morning on the top of the hour radio news when they announced Ford had dies, and oh, "here's an audio clip of him flubbing a word in a debate".

Bob T

Bob is getting partisan already! Look out! (Some conservatives just can't blame themselves for their loss in this last election.... they are ANGRY, ANGRY little people)

Ford was a solid guy and just what this country needed at the time. Best wishes to his family.

Anonymous:

Bob is getting partisan already! Look out! (Some conservatives just can't blame themselves for their loss in this last election.... they are ANGRY, ANGRY little people)

Bob T:

What's partisan about what I wrote: It was really petty on the part of a news service to give us, or all thing, a Jerry Ford blooper on the news.

Anonymous:

Ford was a solid guy and just what this country needed at the time

Bob T:

I agree. My beef was with the mainstream news media, not Ford. Did you have a point to make that was accurate?

Bob Tiernan

LT,

Remember how obnoxious some Republicans were at the Wellstone funeral? Democrats should set a better example than that.

To what are you referring? The Wellstone funeral was largely criticized as a campaign fundraiser for the Democrats. Speeches were given in place of a eulogy at Wellstone's funeral. Look it up...

Iownkarichisholm.com,

Best fake name ever!

Representative Tiernan,

Hello sir....For what it is worth not every Democrat here hates all republicans viscerally.

But can I give you a small piece of advice...the best way to keep these heartless, numb-nut, lefty wackos from attacking a good man right after he died is not to have a former State Representative come on and call out there transgressions...it only fuels there fire.

But it is nice to see you visit the community.

Uh--Wolfe?

This isn't Republican Bob Tiernan.

This Bob Tiernan is a Libertarian--or thinks he's one, anyway, although of late he's sounding more and more like his Republican counterpart.

THE WOLFE:

Iownkarichisholm.com,

Best fake name ever!

Representative Tiernan,

Hello sir....

Bob T:

I hope you're not implying that I posted as "I own Kari Chisolm". I don't do that sort of thing. Since I've been using e-mail since 1994 I've always had my name appear as identifier.

And I'm not the former Rep.

Bob Tiernan

jrw:

This Bob Tiernan is a Libertarian--or thinks he's one, anyway, although of late he's sounding more and more like his Republican counterpart.

Bob T:

Some people have been throwing that line around for a few years without thinking. You have any examples? If I agree with 95% of the LP platform, what does that make me?

Bob Tiernan

If I agree with 95% of the LP platform, what does that make me?

Bob Tiernan

Selfish, to a flaw!

Dan Grady

"There was no deal!" // Gerald Ford

No deal, right! In the course of 8 months Gerald was a rubber stamp Minority Leader in the House that couldn't get remembered outside his district no matter what he did, whom never had an original idea off the golf course to become the Vice President, and then the President! The only thing this visionary ever signed was the Pardon for a man the nation sourly needed prosecuted!

I pray the day comes for George & Dick that does not include a Gerald in the mix!

Happy Thoughts;

Dan Grady

Bob--

I'll refer anyone to your Usenet posting record of the last year, especially on or.politics for details.

While you think you're a Lib, fact is that the Lib party is more and more a stalking horse for the Rs. And not the good Rs, either.

Enough on this subject! Stop nitpicking. It degrades the honor of a politician who at least tried to be straightforward and decent, rather than pushing the politics of greed is good.

jrw:

I'll refer anyone to your Usenet posting record of the last year, especially on or.politics for details.

Bob T:

Sure, so long as people know tyhe difference between making devil's advocate arguments and trying to smoke out someone's actual motives (i.e. being anti-Iraq war because of Bush hatred or actual opposition to it, which is fine).

Few do that. None, perhaps. Newsgroups trigger quick typo-ridden messages and equally quick reading lacking in comprehension.

jrw:

While you think you're a Lib, fact is that the Lib party is more and more a stalking horse for the Rs. And not the good Rs, either.

Bob T:

I'm not the LP. I'm me.

Bob Tiernan

SHUT UP!!! Seriously....you guys are bumming everyone out I guarantee it.

I have fond thoughts of Ford,Carter and Nixon for that matter.I was young my family was swept away with the Jehovah's Witnesses Watchtower bogus prediction of the end of the world in 1975 when Ford was in office.

<h2>Gerald Ford was a good man in a difficult time~Danny Haszard</h2>