Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress Reporting on the State of the Union January 15, 1975 

It has been said that no president had a better understanding of the US budget than president ford.

he probably would have lost reelection without the pardon. thr country was in such horrible shape and he was seen (inaccurately)as just another Nixon lackey. Carter came in as a new face who offered change and wasn't a part if the establishment. it would have been q loss for Ford with or without the pardon

Ford's administration was top-heavy with hold-over Nixon flunkies and toadies like Laird, Haig, and Kissinger, all of them intent on getting the cushiest deal possible for their former boss; and Ford let them manipulate him into the pardon. He was nothing if not manipulatable. At that time, the idea that he might actually run for president on his own had probably not even entered his mind. Prior to becoming vice-president he was strictly Grand Rapids, Michigan, and had never sought national or even state-wide office. In fact, according to some sources, he was thinking about doing one more term in the house and then retiring. Then those same Nixon hold-overs talked him into running, figuring that they could continue to manipulate him behind the scenes. By then, he was used to being surrounded by suck-ups and being waited on hand-and-foot, so he went for it. The republican "leadership" went for it too. After all--however he had gotten there--Ford was the sitting president; the nominal head of the party; and eligible to run, even if only for one term. By tradition, he was "entitled" to the nomination if he wanted it. The republican high-muckety-mucks figured that they couldn't be faulted for nominating him; and even if he lost, they would still retain their positions of power within the party, which for them was the most important thing. Most of them probably thought that the pardon would be the end of it. But the democrats and the media were furious that Ford had denied them their vengeance on Nixon, and they were never going to let it go away. Even if Ford had somehow been elected, "The Pardon" would have haunted his entire term. For four years, there would have been questions about it at every press conference, hecklers at every appearance, and critical editorials and columns in every newspaper. Fortunately for both Ford and the United States, they overestimated the positive effects of his being the "incumbent," and underestimated the negative effects of The Pardon. Edward Kennedy had similar problems in his 1980 campaign, and would have had similar problems as president if he had been elected. In his case, they overestimated the value of being a Kennedy, and underestimated the negative impact and staying power of Chappaquiddick (outside of Massachusetts, at least). And again, as it turned out, it was probably better both for him and for the country--but that's another story. Ford should have realized--but didn't--that the pardon had rendered him unelectable. He should have declined to run and endorsed the nominee of an open republican convention. I still wouldn't have agreed with the pardon--and still don't, to this day--but I could have respected that. If he was serious about running on his own, then the day he decided to do it he should have fired Kissinger; and by the time he went public with it, he should have fired everyone else even remotely connected to Nixon. He himself was the biggest Nixon hold-over, and that was bad enough.

Ford to city: Drop dead

Why do you sat that?

@@MichoelDobry Dons policies were great but his rhetoric was damaging, though i dont know if it matters since his political rivals have abandoned all decency when it comes to attacking him

@@MichoelDobry You have awful tastes in Presidents

He did join the America First Committee in the 1940s, so you could say he was sort of an "America First" president.