President Gerald Ford - 1976 Republican National Convention

[mr19932001]

The last reasonable person to win the GOP nomintation. Since Ronnie and the Evangelicals took over the GOP in '80s and '90's, no sensable republicans have ever been elected to higher office.

[Chad3150]

If only President Ford had been elected over then Governor Carter on November 2, 1976 this country would have been spared the 4 miserable years of the Carter-Mondale administration. 

[FRSFreeState]

Along with his speech after being sworn in as President, these were President Ford's two best speeches.

[royaladam]

Damn check out the chick at 2:53.

[jaroland110]

President Ford was my favorite president because of his character. He was honest and was a humble man. He led our nation through very tough times and putting his popularity on the line by pardoning Nixon. It was a VERY courageous deed and showed grace and wisdom few leaders have today. We need another Gerald Ford.

[joeytrimble]

this was one of the cleaner elections we've had .. not as much mud slinging as others

[USACLINTEASTWOOD]

TEH BEST OF THE BEST PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. PRESIDENT GERALD FORD - GOD BLESS AMERICA

[hpmc9]

0:57m bet that's a young 30 year old diane sawyer, she was on his team

[americanidol510]

@hpmc9 That's not Diane Sawyer, it's Ford's daughter Susan. To the right is his son Steve and to the left is his son Jack.

[7980COOL1]

Great speech, however Gerald Ford LOST the 1976 election on Sept.9,1974 by pardoning Nixon !! P.S. Ford didn`t do himself no justice in their 1st debate, by saying that there was NO Soviet domination of eastern Europe includinding the Polish people !!!!

[joeytrimble]

@7980COOL1 bob dole didn't help either

[7980COOL1]

@joeytrimble Hey at least Dole was funny !

[michaelpc64]

Ford was stained by Nixon...the country needed a change and elected Carter. After Carter, we needed a bigger change, so we elected Reagan. After 8 years of Clinton's sleaziness, we elected Bush, who seemed to be a good, decent man...but turned out to be worse. Now we have Obama as a tonic for 8 years of Bush. Someone once said that if elections really changed anything, they'd have been outlawed years ago.

[brianclough]

He was a good and decent, the correct choice to replace Nixon and repair the damage done to the Presidency.

The then correct decision to pardon Nixon, probably was the death knell for his election, but he fought a good battle and nearly won it.

[Billyothon]

I was at that convention. I was 19 at the time. Ford was seen as Nixon's joke on America. He was bland, and uninspiring. His defeat by by the likes of Carter is commentary enough on his suitability as a candidate.

[gbcvn]

I hope the Republicans can wake up and find someone to fill Gerald Ford's shoes. He is the last fo the Eisenhower Republicans, and WE NEED MORE!

[stashnut73]

you got it, party sank when it nominated Raygun, and to think he tried to take the nomination away from President Ford that night

[fecalmatterofdeath]

I definitely agree with that statement.

[ycdtotv]

@gbcvn Agreed 100%. We need REAL Republicans back in office--pragmatic, problem solvers, ... not the religious yahoos of today.

[gamefreak1998]

Here was the last of the Eisenhower- Republicans. Great man and great politician.

[RevAlex]

Ask Indonesians how they feel about Ford's support of Suharto. Of course, you can't, because Suharto had them all killed.

[TrumanBarkley]

Ford gave a great speech that night...arguably his best ever...and went on to fight an equally great campaign, almost winning; had the good GOP operatives been out on parole as they were 4 years later, he very lkely would have won. Unfortunately too many of them were still in jail from Watergate related matters. Too bad;

[bittergunowner12]

If he had won the economy wouldn't have tanked.

[WestportRugby3]

An exceedingly good and decent man; a great speech at a critical time. Sometimes things happen for a reason, such as a soul-less and non-visionary technocrat like Carter winning in ' 76 to allow the necessary and desperately needed Reagan revolution to wake America up in 1980.

[jakster2]

oh come on sir. Cut the shit.Ford was a man of integrity and I agree with you that he was a decent man. Carter was a weak President but he turned out to be an excellent elder statesman and I think he was a good man who did not belong in the cutthroat world of Federal Politics. The so called Reagan Revolution gave us trickle down economics, business deregulation that you and I pay for with higher prices, not to mention scandal in 1987 with the Contra scandal.Cut the bullshit.

[thatsmrdouglas2u]

Thank you for shooting straight about Reagan. His economic decisions were a ticking time bomb that blew up in our faces twenty years later. Not to mention Iran-Contra, which was technically high treason.

[gurney50]

It was a close race in New York and if he had won there, He would've won the presidency.

[bittergunowner12]

Really? You think if Rockefeller stayed on the ticket he could of won?

[gurney50]

Well since he was Governor of New York before he became vice-president, yeah!!

[OZZAZIM74]

He lost to Jimmy Carter...this accidental president..he didnt have the qualities

[dougiefresh135]

i always discounted his ability to deliver a decent speech. boy was i ever stupid. ford is stupendous in his acceptance speech here. i miss the innocence of these times and the decency and honor of this good and honorable man.

[nurbSoldier]

The INNOCENCE of those times? What were you smoking back then?

[dougiefresh135]

you're 31 years old, i see. you weren't even living in 1976. compared to the era we live in today, those were innocent times. too bad you couldn't have experienced them.

[Mistachill]

I'm 46 and I don't know what "innocent times" you're referring to. You realize why Ford was in office in the first place, right? You realize the US just got out of a senseless war where a ton of soldiers lost their lives for no reason? Many of whom didn't even know what they were fighting for and returned to a country resented their sacrifice? And I haven't even touched on how "innocent" times were for minorities and women in 1976. Wow how memories fade over time!!!!