President Ford indeed made this decision because it was the right thing to do. The alternative was to allow the deep pain created by Watergate and the coverup to go on ...and on...and on...and on...maybe for decades. The ugly passions created by Watergate would have continued to paralyze this nation for years. President Ford made a brave, though unpopular, decision that probably cost him the 1976 election. But it did hasten our national healing.
It's sad that people assumed that Ford made a deal with Nixon after this decision was made. Ford just wanted the nation to move on from Watergate, but everyone didn't get it back then. Ford knew how huge of a risk it was, and it takes real courage for a president to do something politically risky like that.
If you look at our constitution, specifically the explanation of authority to pardon given to the president, he simply had no right pardon nixon. Whether or not anyone considers it justified to overlook criminal acts or give special treatment to a government official, it was unconstitutional. Apart from that, what does it teach our children? Government is entitled to abuse of its power? That government figures are above the law and the citizenry? That's a priviledge given to kings, not president
@the86thcreator The President has constitutional authority to pardon ANYONE!! What about the multiple pardons gvien by /Clinton on his last day in office. He pardoned some criminals there too....But you guys on the left never want to complain about that.
@bigjohnmac On the left? I'm a registered republican, thankyou. And NO the president does not have the authority to pardon "ANYONE" moron, pickup the constitution and read it (Article 2, section 2). Every President grants pardons, thankyou for stating the COMPLETELY OBVIOUS. Some of you neocons are like mindless puppets. You really condone the idea of a President getting away with a crime simply because he was the President? You have no moral character and no sense of justice you tool.
@the86thcreator You don't even know me! How dare u accuse me of having no moral character and sense of justice! Neocon? 35 years a conservative is hardly a neocon! FYI--I have an earned master's degree so yes I do think for myself. I never condoned anything Nixon did. He was guilty! But the truth is Nixon didn't get away with anything! He was publicly humiliated and to this day is the only President to ever resign in disgrace.
@bigjohnmac Oh I dare. I also don't care about your master's degree. Being able to learn a field of study doesn't say anything about your ability to think independently. If he was guilty he should have been prosecuted. If I am guilty of a crime or you, are we not prosecuted? All American citizens should be equal in the eyes of the law and humiliation isn't a sentence handed out by any court but that of public opinion. You cut him a break becuase he was a president, that's not justice or characte
@the86thcreator You have showed your total ignorance. Article 2, Section 2 gave Ford and every other President the right to grant a pardon. Before you go running off at the mouth, you might want to check your facts. Go ahead read it for yourself. Nixon was never impeached. Articles of Impeachment were passed by the Huse Judiciary Committee but Nixon resigned before he was formally impeached. Not one Senator or Representative said Ford's pardon was unconstitutional.
@the86thcreator You have showed your total ignorance. Article 2, Section 2 gave Ford and every other President the right to grant a pardon. Before you go running off at the mouth, you might want to check your facts. Go ahead read it for yourself. Nixon was never impeached. Articles of Impeachment were passed by the Huse Judiciary Committee but Nixon resigned before he was formally impeached. Not one Senator or Representative said Ford's pardon was unconstitutional.
@the86thcreator You have showed your total ignorance. Article 2, Section 2 gave Ford and every other President the right to grant a pardon. Before you go running off at the mouth, you might want to check your facts. Go ahead read it for yourself. Nixon was never impeached. Articles of Impeachment were passed by the Huse Judiciary Committee but Nixon resigned before he was formally impeached. Not one Senator or Representative said Ford's pardon was unconstitutional.
@the86thcreator You have showed your total ignorance. Article 2, Section 2 gave Ford and every other President the right to grant a pardon. Before you go running off at the mouth, you might want to check your facts. Go ahead read it for yourself. Nixon was never impeached. Articles of Impeachment were passed by the Huse Judiciary Committee but Nixon resigned before he was formally impeached. Not one Senator or Representative said Ford's pardon was unconstitutional.
@the86thcreator You have showed your total ignorance. Article 2, Section 2 gave Ford and every other President the right to grant a pardon. Before you go running off at the mouth, you might want to check your facts. Go ahead read it for yourself. Nixon was never impeached. Articles of Impeachment were passed by the Huse Judiciary Committee but Nixon resigned before he was formally impeached. Not one Senator or Representative said Ford's pardon was unconstitutional.
@the86thcreator You have showed your total ignorance. Article 2, Section 2 gave Ford and every other President the right to grant a pardon. Before you go running off at the mouth, you might want to check your facts. Go ahead read it for yourself. Nixon was never impeached. Articles of Impeachment were passed by the Huse Judiciary Committee but Nixon resigned before he was formally impeached. Not one Senator or Representative said Ford's pardon was unconstitutional.
@the86thcreator Article 2, Section 2 paragraph 1 of the U.S. Constitution says "The President...shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment. " Nixon was never officially impeached because he resigned his office. You can disagree with Ford's decision but not his right to pardon. If he had done something unconstitutional, the Dems who controlled Congress would have called him on it.
@the86thcreator Article 2, Section 2 paragraph 1 of the U.S. Constitution says "The President...shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment. " Nixon was never officially impeached because he resigned his office. You can disagree with Ford's decision but not his right to pardon. If he had done something unconstitutional, the Dems who controlled Congress would have called him on it.
@the86thcreator Article 2, Section 2 paragraph 1 of the U.S. Constitution says "The President...shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment. " Nixon was never officially impeached because he resigned his office. You can disagree with Ford's decision but not his right to pardon. If he had done something unconstitutional, the Dems who controlled Congress would have called him on it.
@PC3900 You are absolutely correct!! Ford took a brave and wise step for this nation. Otherwise, the Watergate feeding frenzy would have gone on for years and years and this nation would probably have imploded.
All you knuckleheads thinking Ford's decision is wrong would have preferred seeing the country continued to be torn apart, all while the Soviet Union was on the march. You have no historical perspective. We had serious issue to deal with in the country and this needed to be ended. Gerald Ford made the right decision. Historians agree nearly to a person that it was the correct one. Get over it.
@Halgrim derrrrr...ok we knuckleheads...durp durp...dual treatment for elite ok...derrrrrr...that not set dangerous precedent for future generations durp d-durp d-durp der der
@Halgrim are you talking about the russians that never came, and never caused a problem in america? you fall for the same scare tactics as those that fell for it during the pardon. i bet you probably believe protestors are terrorists too! what an idiot.
What a freakin joke. Love how it was spun as Nixon being the victim. Ford swept this right under the rug along with the Kennedy assassination in which he was part of the Warren Commission. Check out Nixon's ties to the CIA and his hit squad buddies. All these guys (Nixon, Ford, LBJ, Bush, etc) were all knee deep in crap that would shock the nation. In the end, let's call this what it is. One good ol' boy looking out for another good ol' boy. Nothing more, nothing less.
"To justify the pardoning of man who made criminal use of the presidency with such trite is indefensible. Nixon was humiliated, but that's not a punishment for any U.S. crime."
Get a clue, there were precedents for many of Nixon crimes. Presidents Kennedy and Johnson had made secret recordings of own their conversations while in the WH. President Roosevelt had used the FBI for political purposes and made secret recordings as well. Why did they pick on Nixon, I don't know.
Teddy Kennedy and other democrats were baying for Ford's blood, but years later, he realised that had the prosecution continued, the nation would have taken many more years to get over Watergate. I think that's why Ford was later given the Profiles in Courage Award by the Kennedy Center - a very left leaning liberal body honoring a conservative Republican. So if the left of that era can understand and get over it, I suggest everyone does likewise.
I have never heard a single substantive argument made that demonstrates why "it was time to move on," namely because no such argument exists. This statement rings even more hollow when one takes into consideration the numerous and prolonged conflicts the American public has endured since times long before Nixon took office. To justify the pardoning of man who made criminal use of the presidency with such trite is indefensible. Nixon was humiliated, but that's not a punishment for any U.S. crime.
What mother fuckers. These mother fuckers all need to have been locked up. If you are pardoning a mother fucking crook then you should pardon all the other fucking crooks.
Look at it this way: the last thing the country needed was to continue to be torn apart by Dick Nixon and selecting an impartial jury would've been impossible. A Nixon trial would've dominated the headlines for months. Had Nixon been found guilty, whoever was President would have had to pardon him.
Besides, President Ford couldn't dispose of his official duties efficiently with that monkey on his back.
Now let's be honest, those of you who were old enough to live through that turbulent period, how many of you would have wanted to see a former POTUS, stricken with phlebitis, put in jail??
"he did the right thing to do" really? i am so suprised how some people define right, so what i understand is that any ınmoral, criminal, inhuman action can be considered as right , after reading these comments.
A brave & correct decision, though very unpopular at the time. In 1974, I was angry w/ Nixon at his transgressions, and disappointed that Ford chose to pardon Nixon, after all he put us through. However, the passing of many years have shown that President Ford did the 'right thing' ~ even knowing that it might cost him re-election.
If my memory serves me correct, President Ford went on the air early on a Sunday morning (7 A.M. EDT??) to make this announcement, and that master-control personnel at TV stations in the West had to be roused out of bed to sign their stations on in time to take the network feed at around 4 A.M. PDT (since back then, few TV stations broadcast 24 hours a day)!
Most Americans didn't see this speech live; they saw a few clips of it later in the day.
President Ford was probably the most honorable man to hold the office. He did everything he did because it was the right thing to do. Not because it would help him win the next election. We made a mistake in not electing him to his own term.
@mjlink777 WHAT?! are you fucking retarded! Ford was a piece of shit that pardoned Nixon because he was also involved in the Watergate scandal and the Kennedy assassination cover up. Ford even admitted that he changed details and autopsy reports to try and make to ridiculous official story seem more accurate. Ford and Nixon should have been tried for and executed for treason not given a chance to be his own president. Do some damn research before you before you post such extreme bullshit!
@fuccderek You are a conspiracy theorist who sees boogeymen behind every rock. You don't have the ability to see good in anyone or trust anyone. And your use of profanity shows your immaturity. President Ford was a healer. You are a good candidate for assassin. God help you. Here endeth the lesson.
@mjlink777 lol yeah right. most people hate Ford and arent as stupid as you thats why he didnt win the 1976 election. if you did research on these people instead of believing everything you are told you would know this. i dont believe that there are "boogeymen behind every rock" but there are many things the government lies about like the JFK murder and Saddam Hussein being a threat to the US to start the Iraq war when we put him in power and Reagan sold him nukes in 1983. look it up
@fuccderek Have you ever read a book or do you do all your "research" by watching Oliver Stone movies? You are just parroting what paranoid freaks like him say. Try reading books by people who actually disagree with your opinion and open your mind to the possibility that life is not made in Hollywood. Ford was a good man. Oswald acted alone. God is on Israel's side. These are the truths. Stop listening to "scholars" like Oliver Stone and Bill Maher and get some real role models, kid.
watch and dont respond to me again. by the way, idk who Bill Maher is and ive never seen Oliver Stones movies I do read books just not ones written by professional liars
@fuccderek Since you have no authority over me, I'm going to go ahead and respond to you and not watch what you sent. :-) Thanks for the fun and I hope you find peace.
@rawrosaureins wow.....forget national matters.....stop the cameras and for the love of all that is good on this earth change out that awful tie so that those who are fashion sensitive may sleep peacefully.
@catclaw357 No he's not. Nixon was found guilty by the U.S. Congress for causing the Watergate scandal. He wasn't corrupt. He was doing the right thing, and that was to pardon nixon for the wrong he did.
Nixon was his own worst enemy. He was so paranoid it was ridiculous. He was worried he was going to lose in '72 when it was a foregone conclusion McGovern didn't have a prayer. I think Nixon was worried dead people might vote again as they did in '60 in Illinois. Ford, on the other hand, could have saved face by pardoning EVERYONE, NOT JUST NIXON, connected to Watergate but on the condition NONE of them EVER be allowed to hold ANY political office ever again!
It was even a good thing that President Gerald Ford even pardoned his own predecssor, don't you guys understand the goodness he showed even though Nixon left Ford a heap of problems and controversial accusations?!
i think it was right; Nixon was the best president of the 20th century until he resigned. americans lost sight of his achievements and concentrated on the hard core liberal destruction of a great leasder (look at what america ended up with! Mr. `Americans should hate themselves` Carter. Liberals tend to forget all their evils. God bless President Ford, Nixon and Reagan.
Anyone who let's himself become a President in exange for clemency to a crook has no integrity. This man was in the Warren Commission which in itself makes you doubt about the Warren Commission.
We didn't even have to pardon George bush jr. He just passed laws protecting him and his criminal war buddies. Nixon was a piece of shit who made drugs illegal because his peanut sized brain thought the scientists were lying to him about them being ok to use. Now many of our family and friends have went to jail over Nixon. Guantanamo should've been created for presidents like Nixon and bush.
um, no, it was not the right thing to do...nixon was one of the most raicist, ignorant, hypocritical presidents we ever had. He commited a crime, he should have done his time. If obama did this, people would be all over him and everybody would hate him to death.
@sandythebear No, he felt sorry for Nixon. If you hear this speech clearly and more neutral, he is clearly not bright. He's just speaking so slowly and not making any sense. My mother was living in Michigan when he was a Congressman and she met him during this period. My mother did not deny he was a nice guy but did make clear he was stupid as well.
Truman, Johnson and Ford .... vice presidents in our time that were crucial to the continuity of the US and yet they dont get the press they deserve for the achievements they made. Ford did the right and only thing he could do for the preservation of the office at a time when America was vulnerable. especially with cold war. Today would be different only because of the attitudes held by the populace. Dishonesty uncovered could be dangerous for the presidency, GWB may not necessarily escape that.
Ford was almost as bad a criminal as Nixon. Nixon was a war criminal he also broke U.S. law. He shpould have gone to gaol. He made a mockery of the law and the Constituion which pledged to uphold. He insulted the U.S. people every day he stayed in office after the Watergate break in became known to the public.
@Narutoza91 Ad hominem arguments along the line of "your statement is thereby devoid of all validity" do no0t change the fact, Ford was a criminal. If you cannot see that then your primary school teachers need a decent ass woopin.
@zapkvr In what ways was ford a criminal? He restored validity to the government, had Nixon been impeached we might not be enjoying the same lifestyle we have today. The society was on the verge of upheaval and nixon's trial would have made things worse. Its frustrating that Nixon got off scotch free, but at the same time I feel it was justified.
I've always said he should have pardoned everyone connected with Watergate on the condition none of them ever hold any political office at any level ever again.
Ford actually had legal precedence for this. Andrew Johnson pardoned certain ex-Confederates from treason in exchange they never hold any political office, elected or appointed. The same could have been done to Nixon and his administration who was involved in Watergate.
There are 24 hours in a day, and Ford was spending 16 of them dealing with the aftermath of Watergate. Ford should have done the same thing Andrew Johnson did with certain ex-Confederates. Johnson pardoned them on the condition they never hold any political office at any level ever again.
Ford should have done the same thing only pardon everyone connected with Watergate, not just Nixon.
It was an unpopular decision at the time, but it was right. Nixon accepting was a sign of admission.
He made a wise but unpopular decision. I beleive his heart was in the right place. It was time for the country to move on, and without a pardon it would have dragged on and on. His references to God reflect the history of our nation, ONE NATION UNDER GOD!!! If you don't like the fact that we are a nation founded on Christian principles then go somewhere else!!!
didnt he say EVERYONE derserves a fair trial. no exception. he is giving nixon a freeby just because they were FREINDS and because he was a PRESIDENT. who cares!? Arent we ALL supposed to be treated as equal in this country. just because he was a president, were supposed to just roll over and say, "yea ok, he's good to go." Im sure all of the former presidents would have been ashamed, hopefully. and whats up with all this "god" stuff. give me a break.
We are not equal and they consider us stupid slaves to be scanned naked in airports, taxed to poverty and killed in immoral wars based on pure lies.
Then they treat each other all high and mighty and call themselves "esteemed colleagues" and public "servants". We are the servants and we deserve it for not realizing both parties work for the same globalists.
They took over education and now they teach our kids the founding fathers were terrorists and the constitution isn't even mentioned.
This man was unfairly hounded by the Hilary Clintons of this world.He was a war hero.Her husband was/is an unzipped Lothario.How dare that she harrassed this war hero, a man who served his country better than most in high office.Yes, his human frailites and insecurities tragically overcame him at the zenith-but history will be kind to this man who shines way above his petty-minded detractors.Rest in Peace Mr President.
@fokjock Ford was an honorable man, but an unelected President who was in over his head. His lasting claim to fame: "Whip Inflation Now". I was only 16 at the time, but even then I knew he wasn't up to the job. When I turned 18, you better believe I voted for Jimmy Carter...
Thats funny Gateway, I would have said the exact opposite was the case.It was Jimmy Carter, an intelligent man but history proved him thoroughly incapable, out of touch, and incapable of achievement in high office-though doubtless a decent man.
I well remember at the end of his Presidency jogging and looking 110% the tired old man that he was.The electorate knew it as well.
Compare him with Nixon's achievements in both Sino and Soviet relations, playing one against the other
@fokjock I agree, Nixon wasn't a total trainwreck. The detente overtures were very successful. Other ideas, like letting the Japanese dump their cheap TVs here caused the collapse of the US home electronics industry (that we have yet to regain).
Sorry, yes I was being a bit dense today, -I thought you said Nixon was unelected-my mistake-of course Ford was unelected-however, I think he made a wise decision on Nixon who as far as I can see was an American patriot with very human failings.If he had won against Kennedy-and in all fairness should have-Kennedy might still be alive-but sometime you get what you wish for, and not always for the best.I'll take Trickie Dickie anytime notwithstanding his failures.
@GatewayGhettoProd Thats pretty racist and ignorant of you to call Sony Tv's cheap. They are still the best tv ever made, you can tell you research buy high end audio or video products or you would know this. American products have always been overpriced trash. Look at those crappy cars ford and Chevy make, they look like a mangled piece of trash when new from the factory, and theyll break the next day.
@HorrorAngel666 Excuse me, but you are the one who is ignorant. By cheap, I meant not the quality, but the price. Its pretty well documented that the Japanese were engaging in the practice of "dumping" their TVs in the US at costs well below market value. The intent was to drive competitors (who couldnt match the price) out of business, then taking the market for themselves (and raising the price back to profitable levels). Thats why there is no RCA, Magnavox, etc anymore.
@GatewayGhettoProd But all RCA products and magnavox products were trash. They were the Aldi brand of electronics, but they cost more? Yet again the american system rips americans off and enslaves each other more than they kill and enslave the rest of the world.
@HorrorAngel666 As long as American workers keep the jobs, thats the point. American workers.... that's what makes the American economy move. Not imported products. Why do you think everyone is so broke now? We aren't talking about Quality, here, we are talking about Nixon's blunder that cost many many American workers their jobs...
@fokjock Well, simply put, Ford was not elected, he was appointed by Nixon. And Rockefeller was appointed VP by Ford. For the first (and so far) only time in American history, we had leaders who were not voted into office. As for Carter, I always give him a pass due to the fact that the mess Nixon left behind was something that would have taken 2 terms to turn around. Indeed, Reagan was credited with some of the earliest turnarounds in the economy (like the Chrysler bailout) that Carter approved
@brianclough No it wasn't the right thing to do. Nixon should have been tried by the US justice system and dealt with according to the evidence produced like any other American.
@brianclough Pardoning a war criminal is the right thing to do? Then why didn't the US just forgive the Nazi regime and moved on? Oh yeah, for many, this is the United States of Amnesia, where great atrocities are committed and its citizens remain willfully ignorant.
@brianclough it was wrong; it set a precedent. From then on it implied that no matter what a president does, he will never be held accountable before the law.
@jerzy862 I don't think so, after all Clinton did get impeached and Reagan had to basically apologise for his judgment call in the Iran Contra scandal. A pardon doesn't imply innocence, instead it confirms guilt but shows magnimity. Ford held this view until his death, and that's what he's remembered for amongst other things. For those who clamour for Nixon's head, calling him a war criminal etc and lambasting Ford, I suggest they read what Ted Kennedy said later about the pardon. It was right.
@brianclough are you serious? if i go rob my neighbor tomorrow.....can i get pardoned so we can just move on? hell no, i would go to prison...just like he should have. obstructing justice is one of the lighter charges he was charged with, and that carries a mandatory minimum.
@neoncrazy2002 Why do some people get away with lighter sentences for the same offences? Why do others get away altogether, when some pay the full price? It's called pardon and prosecutorial discretion. The price for co-operation or circumstances in certain cases allow certain people to get a far lighter or no punishment, as opposed to others. Is it fair? Well is life fair? Sure putting Nixon on trial and seeing him jailed would appear fair to some, but at what price?
A pardon still recognises a wrong done. No pardon would mean that all Ford would have been doing after taking over would be putting Watergate fire after Watergate fire. The whole Govt would be in paralysis, finger pointing and suspicion would be the order of the day. Ford wanted to get on with running the country, and the national interest trumped a Nixon indictment. Resigning in disgrace was a sufficient penalty. Btw unless you know where Al-Zawahiri is, don't go robbing your neighbour
Finally, the greatest response to cries of injustice would appear to be Sen Kennedy's response to it decades later. He and many others were appalled at the time of the pardon, but decades later, he admitted he was wrong and acknowledged Ford did the right thing, and he was thankful for that.
@sergiovalle21 .... proving that the majority of American people wanted Nixon and his actions dealt with through the justice system instead of receiving Ford's preferential treatment using double standards.
I have nothing but respect for all men who have held that office. Despite differing views and contempt I might have towards our former presidents, I have respect. I am a moderate democrat from Michigan (President Ford's state). If I were alive in 76' I would've voted for Ford. His pardoning of President Nixon was uncalled for however. Dignity is important yes. But what dignity did Richard Nixon show when he did what he did? No president is perfect. Clinton get a BJ, but at least he fessed up.
I agree with you, the cover-up is far worse then the crime. I think Ford did that right thing though because we had to move on past Nixon. I also like your opening statement, we need more people like you in this country. I'm a conservative for Missouri living 30 minutes for President Truman's Library and he's one of my political idols. Nobody can truly appreciate the sacrifice these men have taken. God Bless America.
I appreciate your reply. Ironically as a democrat I'm not a fan of President Truman so much. Mainly for Korea. I think he did the right thing though to end WWII; it's terrible what happened to the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (not to mention it pretty much ushered in the Cold War). One thing I admire in politics are moderates. I will give Ford's successor a few things. He did a lot to reach a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt; he's had a wonderful post-presidency as a humanitarian.
I think Ford pardoned Nixon because he wanted America to move on. I, myself wasn't alive back in that day so I don't know what Ford wanted, but, I think he wanted the story about Nixon to be over one way or another so that America could focus once again on the future of country.
Really? Think about it, Nixon himself is quoted as saying "If the president does it, it's not illegal" and Ford slapped his seal of approval on that mentality, which didn't exist up 'till then.
If Ford pardoned the former presidents who were guilty as sin he would have written a lot more then just the one for Nixon. They just weren't stupid enough to tape them.
@hd26R601 " This pardon set a horrible precedent, with presidencies such as Bush and Cheney, who viewed themselves as above the law. " Not true, when Ford won JFK Profiles In Courage Award, Ted Kennedy said what you said but years went by and he had to admit that President Ford's Pardon was the right one for the country to get pass Nixon.
As much as i loathed Nixion, Ford's Pardon was right.
election in '76 was assured. That is why he did not bother trying to nominate his own cabinet. But he was the bicentenniel head of state, that he should be happy over..
face congress head on in regards to them cutting off funding to the war effort of any presidnt period. Thats a sign that the former legislature was a weak leader. Couldnt even reason with his own boys in the house.. Now to the cabinet issue. The biggest speed bump for any acting, interim, or cartaker government is the hour glass. I believe the proper thing for Ford would had been to say by 01/01/75 he'd be making nominations. A time date would prevent akward firings. I think i was rediculous
I think without a doubt to me and a sizeable amount of others the biggest debacle in his 3 years was the final collapse of The Republic of Vietnam. I think S. Vietnam could had been bolstered up one more time with air support and I think a definitive military offensive could had taken place. The N. Vietnames today even tell us they couldn't win based on their skils, weapons, or numbers. Diahards, military oficials, the people. No frontin' what so ever. I think morally he was in a position to
Ford in lightning speed climbed the latter of the exec. branch. I believe that under no other circumstances could the congressman from Michigan ever be put into the presidency. I believe Nixon would resign to avoid the discrace of losing his office. The much fabled prid quo pro could had very well been at Ford's request to a very unsure Richard Nixon. I do not believe the pardonwas selfless in motivation nor should it undermine his other short comings. Now to another point, Vietnam.
nor a skilled foreign diplomat. Even though I agree with the pardon because I stil feel the merits of a Nixon trial are shaky, I believed the main reason for the pardon was not to qual the nation disturbance and allow focus on other topics but to aid him into getting comfertable into his appointed office. I do not believe legal precedence was nessaceraly nessasry. Even though Nixon could pardorn himself I do believe that would had led to a national crisis. Through the misunfortues of others
Outlaw I se you have strong opinions on this, so do i. I will start out by saying I am not gonna be dishonest. Even though me and Richard Milhouse Nixon occupied the same time frame for only 6 years I hold to the belief that he was one of the greatest, most powerfl, and efective presidents in U.S. history. Likewise even with the passing of time, which shold never be used as an outright crutch to fight controversy or infamy, I do NOT believe Ford was an effective president, a strong leader
Richard Nixon a Paranoid President for a Paranoid Time.
History has and will again show how much a great man he was. Richard was beat down so often but kept getting up. He at least kept honor in the office unlike others that have been impeached.
For what it's worth the old saying is right "Only Nixon could go to China"
and a shame that he did. other thn that little tourand taiwan losing its seat at the UN I'd say he was one of the greatest presidents in U.S. and even North American history. He was a very strng leadership and there is warmth and safety in such a grip.
As I listen to Ford's speech,and all of the considerations he articulated, I believe his reasoning was sound, and that history has vindicated him for his decision to pardon Richard Nixon.
There were no "good answers", or "right answers" to Ford's dilemma. The damage to
The US Constitution had already been done.
Allowing the legal system run it's course would be viewed by some as "preserving, protecting, and defending" The US Constitution of The United States of America.
Yet, our Constitution was threatened even more by external circumstances which didn't necessarily involve The Constitution as a document or an ideology, but factors that threatened Ford's ability to govern soundly.
Consider:
The economy was in a shambles. Ford assumed office in the midst of the worst recession since The Great Depression, coupled with "stagflation"; double digit inflation in a recessed economy, and unemployment was rampant in most parts of the nation.
Added to those problems, energy prices had doubled due to the Arab oil embargo, the Alaska Pipeline was not completed, and domestic oil production was dropping, and being hampered by regulation.
Our relations with The Middle East were shakey at best, with The Shah of Iran as our only oil producing ally in the Middle East.
The South Vietnamese proved to be unable to defend itself against N.V. and the Soviets. The world was watching The US closely.
If that wasn't enough, our balance of trades was another problem, with cheap imports hurting our manufacturing capacity. The dollar was weakened, and whatever light appeared at the end of the tunnel was likely to be a freight train.
Ford had all of these issues to deal with, as well as the wounds of Watergate. The White House was still inundated with protesters, America needed to move past the scandals, the American people drained from H2OGate, the press remained (understandably) fixated upon it, H20Gate trials still loomed, thee were other pressing issues to address, and as a nation, we had become locked in irons.
Ford was also having to govern with Nixon Administration cabinet members and personnel.
Ford assumed office during a Constitutional crisis unlike any this nation had ever experienced. There were no clear precedents to follow. Laws?? Legal theories?? Rulings?? Nothing.
Ford's decision ultimately boiled down to making a judgment call based in what he perceived as being in the best interest of the nation. In the end, he relied upon his sense of personal and Spiritual conscience.
I believe he acted properly, and I think history supports that belief.
T. Roosevelt - Square Deal
F. Roosevelt - New Deal
H. Truman - Fair Deal
G. Ford - Crooked Deal
densaner77 1 week ago
Nixon should have been executed under high treason. Same for Ford for this rigged pardon.
hangingtree23 2 weeks ago 2
Nixon was a remarkable president, but should of been jailed
IMMAEDEDDNEDDY 2 weeks ago
President Ford indeed made this decision because it was the right thing to do. The alternative was to allow the deep pain created by Watergate and the coverup to go on ...and on...and on...and on...maybe for decades. The ugly passions created by Watergate would have continued to paralyze this nation for years. President Ford made a brave, though unpopular, decision that probably cost him the 1976 election. But it did hasten our national healing.
bigjohnmac 1 month ago
good job Ford.
CharitonWeed 1 month ago
It's sad that people assumed that Ford made a deal with Nixon after this decision was made. Ford just wanted the nation to move on from Watergate, but everyone didn't get it back then. Ford knew how huge of a risk it was, and it takes real courage for a president to do something politically risky like that.
thefightmaster3000 1 month ago
If you look at our constitution, specifically the explanation of authority to pardon given to the president, he simply had no right pardon nixon. Whether or not anyone considers it justified to overlook criminal acts or give special treatment to a government official, it was unconstitutional. Apart from that, what does it teach our children? Government is entitled to abuse of its power? That government figures are above the law and the citizenry? That's a priviledge given to kings, not president
the86thcreator 2 months ago
@the86thcreator The President has constitutional authority to pardon ANYONE!! What about the multiple pardons gvien by /Clinton on his last day in office. He pardoned some criminals there too....But you guys on the left never want to complain about that.
bigjohnmac 1 month ago
@bigjohnmac On the left? I'm a registered republican, thankyou. And NO the president does not have the authority to pardon "ANYONE" moron, pickup the constitution and read it (Article 2, section 2). Every President grants pardons, thankyou for stating the COMPLETELY OBVIOUS. Some of you neocons are like mindless puppets. You really condone the idea of a President getting away with a crime simply because he was the President? You have no moral character and no sense of justice you tool.
the86thcreator 1 month ago
@the86thcreator You don't even know me! How dare u accuse me of having no moral character and sense of justice! Neocon? 35 years a conservative is hardly a neocon! FYI--I have an earned master's degree so yes I do think for myself. I never condoned anything Nixon did. He was guilty! But the truth is Nixon didn't get away with anything! He was publicly humiliated and to this day is the only President to ever resign in disgrace.
bigjohnmac 1 month ago
@bigjohnmac Oh I dare. I also don't care about your master's degree. Being able to learn a field of study doesn't say anything about your ability to think independently. If he was guilty he should have been prosecuted. If I am guilty of a crime or you, are we not prosecuted? All American citizens should be equal in the eyes of the law and humiliation isn't a sentence handed out by any court but that of public opinion. You cut him a break becuase he was a president, that's not justice or characte
the86thcreator 1 month ago
@the86thcreator You have showed your total ignorance. Article 2, Section 2 gave Ford and every other President the right to grant a pardon. Before you go running off at the mouth, you might want to check your facts. Go ahead read it for yourself. Nixon was never impeached. Articles of Impeachment were passed by the Huse Judiciary Committee but Nixon resigned before he was formally impeached. Not one Senator or Representative said Ford's pardon was unconstitutional.
bigjohnmac 1 month ago
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@the86thcreator You have showed your total ignorance. Article 2, Section 2 gave Ford and every other President the right to grant a pardon. Before you go running off at the mouth, you might want to check your facts. Go ahead read it for yourself. Nixon was never impeached. Articles of Impeachment were passed by the Huse Judiciary Committee but Nixon resigned before he was formally impeached. Not one Senator or Representative said Ford's pardon was unconstitutional.
bigjohnmac 1 month ago
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@the86thcreator You have showed your total ignorance. Article 2, Section 2 gave Ford and every other President the right to grant a pardon. Before you go running off at the mouth, you might want to check your facts. Go ahead read it for yourself. Nixon was never impeached. Articles of Impeachment were passed by the Huse Judiciary Committee but Nixon resigned before he was formally impeached. Not one Senator or Representative said Ford's pardon was unconstitutional.
bigjohnmac 1 month ago
@the86thcreator You have showed your total ignorance. Article 2, Section 2 gave Ford and every other President the right to grant a pardon. Before you go running off at the mouth, you might want to check your facts. Go ahead read it for yourself. Nixon was never impeached. Articles of Impeachment were passed by the Huse Judiciary Committee but Nixon resigned before he was formally impeached. Not one Senator or Representative said Ford's pardon was unconstitutional.
bigjohnmac 1 month ago
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@the86thcreator You have showed your total ignorance. Article 2, Section 2 gave Ford and every other President the right to grant a pardon. Before you go running off at the mouth, you might want to check your facts. Go ahead read it for yourself. Nixon was never impeached. Articles of Impeachment were passed by the Huse Judiciary Committee but Nixon resigned before he was formally impeached. Not one Senator or Representative said Ford's pardon was unconstitutional.
bigjohnmac 1 month ago
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@the86thcreator You have showed your total ignorance. Article 2, Section 2 gave Ford and every other President the right to grant a pardon. Before you go running off at the mouth, you might want to check your facts. Go ahead read it for yourself. Nixon was never impeached. Articles of Impeachment were passed by the Huse Judiciary Committee but Nixon resigned before he was formally impeached. Not one Senator or Representative said Ford's pardon was unconstitutional.
bigjohnmac 1 month ago
@the86thcreator Article 2, Section 2 paragraph 1 of the U.S. Constitution says "The President...shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment. " Nixon was never officially impeached because he resigned his office. You can disagree with Ford's decision but not his right to pardon. If he had done something unconstitutional, the Dems who controlled Congress would have called him on it.
bigjohnmac 1 month ago
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@the86thcreator Article 2, Section 2 paragraph 1 of the U.S. Constitution says "The President...shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment. " Nixon was never officially impeached because he resigned his office. You can disagree with Ford's decision but not his right to pardon. If he had done something unconstitutional, the Dems who controlled Congress would have called him on it.
bigjohnmac 1 month ago
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@the86thcreator Article 2, Section 2 paragraph 1 of the U.S. Constitution says "The President...shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment. " Nixon was never officially impeached because he resigned his office. You can disagree with Ford's decision but not his right to pardon. If he had done something unconstitutional, the Dems who controlled Congress would have called him on it.
bigjohnmac 1 month ago
For those of us alive then, Watergate in 1973-1974 was a living hell, paralyzing the country. So glad this decent man put it behind us in one stroke.
PC3900 2 months ago
@PC3900 You are absolutely correct!! Ford took a brave and wise step for this nation. Otherwise, the Watergate feeding frenzy would have gone on for years and years and this nation would probably have imploded.
bigjohnmac 1 month ago
i'm doing my research project on him
gamecocksrule2001 2 months ago
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The constitution is the supreme law UNLESS it affects those in high or wealthy places, then we pardon them for their corrupt actions!
shpadua 3 months ago
There should be a transcript of this broadcast under the video so that you could read in 60 seconds what it takes him 10 minutes to say.
avq5 3 months ago
All you knuckleheads thinking Ford's decision is wrong would have preferred seeing the country continued to be torn apart, all while the Soviet Union was on the march. You have no historical perspective. We had serious issue to deal with in the country and this needed to be ended. Gerald Ford made the right decision. Historians agree nearly to a person that it was the correct one. Get over it.
Halgrim 4 months ago in playlist Speeches
@Halgrim derrrrr...ok we knuckleheads...durp durp...dual treatment for elite ok...derrrrrr...that not set dangerous precedent for future generations durp d-durp d-durp der der
kkocses 3 months ago
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@Halgrim Fuck you and Fuck Nixon.
JRCrowley 3 months ago
@Halgrim are you talking about the russians that never came, and never caused a problem in america? you fall for the same scare tactics as those that fell for it during the pardon. i bet you probably believe protestors are terrorists too! what an idiot.
neoncrazy2002 2 months ago
The Warren Commission and the Nixon pardon are two of the biggest cover ups in the history of the USA. Thanks Jerry.
mpjgbx 4 months ago
it was time to move on we had to deal with vietnam
guntz12 4 months ago
What a freakin joke. Love how it was spun as Nixon being the victim. Ford swept this right under the rug along with the Kennedy assassination in which he was part of the Warren Commission. Check out Nixon's ties to the CIA and his hit squad buddies. All these guys (Nixon, Ford, LBJ, Bush, etc) were all knee deep in crap that would shock the nation. In the end, let's call this what it is. One good ol' boy looking out for another good ol' boy. Nothing more, nothing less.
toeazy34 4 months ago
Do you like football and nachos and beer?
bigpoppa1234 5 months ago
IF Nixon had his hands clean, he will continue finish his 2nd term.
royaladam 5 months ago
Hard decision. But it was right.
JoesRambles 5 months ago
You cocksucking republican. I am so glad you are fucken dead. fuck the fords.
fran9860 5 months ago
hey this guy last week killed my son but I am going to tell the judge that it is time to move on
zunigavideo 5 months ago
Why July 20, 1969 and not January 20?
jesusthroughmary 5 months ago
"To justify the pardoning of man who made criminal use of the presidency with such trite is indefensible. Nixon was humiliated, but that's not a punishment for any U.S. crime."
Get a clue, there were precedents for many of Nixon crimes. Presidents Kennedy and Johnson had made secret recordings of own their conversations while in the WH. President Roosevelt had used the FBI for political purposes and made secret recordings as well. Why did they pick on Nixon, I don't know.
harley55100 6 months ago
The question that begs to be asked:Will Joe Biden ever be in this position?
ImDavidGurney 6 months ago
@ImDavidGurney i sure hope not...he is worse than that Magic Negro
gopconservative78 6 months ago
@gopconservative78 Racist idiot.
Suprkit 5 months ago
@Suprkit and your a lazy Negro.......go back and eat your Fried Chicken and Watermelon
gopconservative78 5 months ago
@gopconservative78 and you're racist idiot...go back and cling to your guns and religion.
Suprkit 5 months ago
Teddy Kennedy and other democrats were baying for Ford's blood, but years later, he realised that had the prosecution continued, the nation would have taken many more years to get over Watergate. I think that's why Ford was later given the Profiles in Courage Award by the Kennedy Center - a very left leaning liberal body honoring a conservative Republican. So if the left of that era can understand and get over it, I suggest everyone does likewise.
brianclough 6 months ago
This nation has withstood the assassination of four presidents; there is no reason why it could not have withstood the imprisonment of one.
gulshabbo 6 months ago
Ford may have done the unpopular thing, but he did the right thing.
djwolf12 6 months ago
He never pardoned him for that "Bay of Pigs Thing" ;)
PopsDizzy 6 months ago
President Ford was not President for very long but he was a good one. This pardon was needed at the time in order for the country to move ahead.
SuperAtlantis1 7 months ago
ok, watergate began on the day of the moon landing?
MCEProd22 7 months ago
I have never heard a single substantive argument made that demonstrates why "it was time to move on," namely because no such argument exists. This statement rings even more hollow when one takes into consideration the numerous and prolonged conflicts the American public has endured since times long before Nixon took office. To justify the pardoning of man who made criminal use of the presidency with such trite is indefensible. Nixon was humiliated, but that's not a punishment for any U.S. crime.
fizzer420 8 months ago 12
When "anyone" breaks the law, they "must" face the Court. Only one system for "all" Americans is just and fare. "Shame" on you Mr Ford!!
48alfaone 8 months ago
Great speech and explanation!
follownicholas 8 months ago
Nixon should have got the chair!
densaner77 9 months ago
What mother fuckers. These mother fuckers all need to have been locked up. If you are pardoning a mother fucking crook then you should pardon all the other fucking crooks.
metaalchemy 9 months ago
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Ford is a corrupt bastard for pardoning Nixon.
catclaw357 2 months ago
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nope, he was not.
Look at it this way: the last thing the country needed was to continue to be torn apart by Dick Nixon and selecting an impartial jury would've been impossible. A Nixon trial would've dominated the headlines for months. Had Nixon been found guilty, whoever was President would have had to pardon him.
harley55100 10 months ago
cont.....
Besides, President Ford couldn't dispose of his official duties efficiently with that monkey on his back.
Now let's be honest, those of you who were old enough to live through that turbulent period, how many of you would have wanted to see a former POTUS, stricken with phlebitis, put in jail??
harley55100 10 months ago
"he did the right thing to do" really? i am so suprised how some people define right, so what i understand is that any ınmoral, criminal, inhuman action can be considered as right , after reading these comments.
bumin1982 10 months ago
A brave & correct decision, though very unpopular at the time. In 1974, I was angry w/ Nixon at his transgressions, and disappointed that Ford chose to pardon Nixon, after all he put us through. However, the passing of many years have shown that President Ford did the 'right thing' ~ even knowing that it might cost him re-election.
unclejeffj 10 months ago
@unclejeffj It's hard to say whether the pardon of Nixon cost Ford the 1976 election.
If the economy had been stronger with low inflation, Ford might well have won his own term.
altfactor 4 months ago
If my memory serves me correct, President Ford went on the air early on a Sunday morning (7 A.M. EDT??) to make this announcement, and that master-control personnel at TV stations in the West had to be roused out of bed to sign their stations on in time to take the network feed at around 4 A.M. PDT (since back then, few TV stations broadcast 24 hours a day)!
Most Americans didn't see this speech live; they saw a few clips of it later in the day.
altfactor 10 months ago
President Ford was probably the most honorable man to hold the office. He did everything he did because it was the right thing to do. Not because it would help him win the next election. We made a mistake in not electing him to his own term.
mjlink777 11 months ago 3
@mjlink777 WHAT?! are you fucking retarded! Ford was a piece of shit that pardoned Nixon because he was also involved in the Watergate scandal and the Kennedy assassination cover up. Ford even admitted that he changed details and autopsy reports to try and make to ridiculous official story seem more accurate. Ford and Nixon should have been tried for and executed for treason not given a chance to be his own president. Do some damn research before you before you post such extreme bullshit!
fuccderek 1 week ago
@fuccderek You are a conspiracy theorist who sees boogeymen behind every rock. You don't have the ability to see good in anyone or trust anyone. And your use of profanity shows your immaturity. President Ford was a healer. You are a good candidate for assassin. God help you. Here endeth the lesson.
mjlink777 1 week ago
@mjlink777 lol yeah right. most people hate Ford and arent as stupid as you thats why he didnt win the 1976 election. if you did research on these people instead of believing everything you are told you would know this. i dont believe that there are "boogeymen behind every rock" but there are many things the government lies about like the JFK murder and Saddam Hussein being a threat to the US to start the Iraq war when we put him in power and Reagan sold him nukes in 1983. look it up
fuccderek 1 week ago
@fuccderek Have you ever read a book or do you do all your "research" by watching Oliver Stone movies? You are just parroting what paranoid freaks like him say. Try reading books by people who actually disagree with your opinion and open your mind to the possibility that life is not made in Hollywood. Ford was a good man. Oswald acted alone. God is on Israel's side. These are the truths. Stop listening to "scholars" like Oliver Stone and Bill Maher and get some real role models, kid.
mjlink777 1 week ago
@mjlink777 /watch?v=-eZfS-oly10
watch and dont respond to me again. by the way, idk who Bill Maher is and ive never seen Oliver Stones movies I do read books just not ones written by professional liars
RON PAUL 2012! thats real honesty
fuccderek 1 week ago
@fuccderek Since you have no authority over me, I'm going to go ahead and respond to you and not watch what you sent. :-) Thanks for the fun and I hope you find peace.
mjlink777 1 week ago
@mjlink777 fine dont watch the video dont learn the truth have fun living with your head in the sand
fuccderek 1 week ago
This is the most manipulative speech I ever heard...
Arghira 11 months ago
That tie is the most godawful thing... I can't take him seriously with that tie on.
rawrosaureins 11 months ago
@rawrosaureins wow.....forget national matters.....stop the cameras and for the love of all that is good on this earth change out that awful tie so that those who are fashion sensitive may sleep peacefully.
mohmog33 10 months ago
Ford is a corrupt bastard for pardoning Nixon.
catclaw357 1 year ago
@catclaw357 No he's not. Nixon was found guilty by the U.S. Congress for causing the Watergate scandal. He wasn't corrupt. He was doing the right thing, and that was to pardon nixon for the wrong he did.
rdsxluvrynkyhatr 11 months ago
@rdsxluvrynkyhatr False. Nixon was not even impeached, much less convicted.
jesusthroughmary 5 months ago
Nixon was his own worst enemy. He was so paranoid it was ridiculous. He was worried he was going to lose in '72 when it was a foregone conclusion McGovern didn't have a prayer. I think Nixon was worried dead people might vote again as they did in '60 in Illinois. Ford, on the other hand, could have saved face by pardoning EVERYONE, NOT JUST NIXON, connected to Watergate but on the condition NONE of them EVER be allowed to hold ANY political office ever again!
vccstudents 1 year ago 2
It was even a good thing that President Gerald Ford even pardoned his own predecssor, don't you guys understand the goodness he showed even though Nixon left Ford a heap of problems and controversial accusations?!
Raymund925 1 year ago
i think it was right; Nixon was the best president of the 20th century until he resigned. americans lost sight of his achievements and concentrated on the hard core liberal destruction of a great leasder (look at what america ended up with! Mr. `Americans should hate themselves` Carter. Liberals tend to forget all their evils. God bless President Ford, Nixon and Reagan.
1973mazdarx4coupe 1 year ago
Ford was a BORING IDIOT...
tmattrope 1 year ago
Anyone who let's himself become a President in exange for clemency to a crook has no integrity. This man was in the Warren Commission which in itself makes you doubt about the Warren Commission.
93rardo 1 year ago
im doing this for national history day!
xXxEmogal999xXx 1 year ago
Just get on with it Ford! Pardon the guy! We don't need a lot of bullshit rhetoric in between. Get on with it!
pluto4847 1 year ago
This pardon didn't have as much to do with helping the country "move on" as it did with trying to help "untarnish" the republican party.
mediamadman747 1 year ago
This guy even sounds like a mental retard.
HorrorAngel666 1 year ago
@HorrorAngel666 what made you think he is a mental retard in the first place
Davis4037 1 year ago
/watch?v=whaGST64Bo4&feature=sub
LiBlub1 1 year ago
correction *dont* research *or* buy high end
HorrorAngel666 1 year ago
We didn't even have to pardon George bush jr. He just passed laws protecting him and his criminal war buddies. Nixon was a piece of shit who made drugs illegal because his peanut sized brain thought the scientists were lying to him about them being ok to use. Now many of our family and friends have went to jail over Nixon. Guantanamo should've been created for presidents like Nixon and bush.
HorrorAngel666 1 year ago
Ford Pardons Nixon for farting in public.
swankrecords 1 year ago
um, no, it was not the right thing to do...nixon was one of the most raicist, ignorant, hypocritical presidents we ever had. He commited a crime, he should have done his time. If obama did this, people would be all over him and everybody would hate him to death.
69ballsackarian 1 year ago
He wanted the country to move on to healing from the 60's, great guy Ford
sandythebear 1 year ago 6
@sandythebear No, he felt sorry for Nixon. If you hear this speech clearly and more neutral, he is clearly not bright. He's just speaking so slowly and not making any sense. My mother was living in Michigan when he was a Congressman and she met him during this period. My mother did not deny he was a nice guy but did make clear he was stupid as well.
hulkyone 4 months ago
Check out those 1970s era orange drapes!!!!
DoubleL2 1 year ago
Truman, Johnson and Ford .... vice presidents in our time that were crucial to the continuity of the US and yet they dont get the press they deserve for the achievements they made. Ford did the right and only thing he could do for the preservation of the office at a time when America was vulnerable. especially with cold war. Today would be different only because of the attitudes held by the populace. Dishonesty uncovered could be dangerous for the presidency, GWB may not necessarily escape that.
MrDoublehappy 1 year ago
What's the reason for the subtitles?
67nairb 1 year ago
an absolute moron!!!
atfatw 1 year ago
NO president deserves to stand trial, Pres. Ford did the right thing, fuck what the rest of yall dumb fucks think
BXKID52 1 year ago
Ford was almost as bad a criminal as Nixon. Nixon was a war criminal he also broke U.S. law. He shpould have gone to gaol. He made a mockery of the law and the Constituion which pledged to uphold. He insulted the U.S. people every day he stayed in office after the Watergate break in became known to the public.
zapkvr 1 year ago
Ford was in no way a criminal...he had no criminal record and was simply helping the country to begin to trust their government again.
Your statement is thereby devoid of all validity, as there is no evidence to support your argument.
Narutoza91 1 year ago
@Narutoza91 Ad hominem arguments along the line of "your statement is thereby devoid of all validity" do no0t change the fact, Ford was a criminal. If you cannot see that then your primary school teachers need a decent ass woopin.
zapkvr 1 year ago
@zapkvr In what ways was ford a criminal? He restored validity to the government, had Nixon been impeached we might not be enjoying the same lifestyle we have today. The society was on the verge of upheaval and nixon's trial would have made things worse. Its frustrating that Nixon got off scotch free, but at the same time I feel it was justified.
potatofairy 1 year ago
I've always said he should have pardoned everyone connected with Watergate on the condition none of them ever hold any political office at any level ever again.
Ford actually had legal precedence for this. Andrew Johnson pardoned certain ex-Confederates from treason in exchange they never hold any political office, elected or appointed. The same could have been done to Nixon and his administration who was involved in Watergate.
vccstudents 1 year ago
There are 24 hours in a day, and Ford was spending 16 of them dealing with the aftermath of Watergate. Ford should have done the same thing Andrew Johnson did with certain ex-Confederates. Johnson pardoned them on the condition they never hold any political office at any level ever again.
Ford should have done the same thing only pardon everyone connected with Watergate, not just Nixon.
It was an unpopular decision at the time, but it was right. Nixon accepting was a sign of admission.
vccstudents 1 year ago
He made a wise but unpopular decision. I beleive his heart was in the right place. It was time for the country to move on, and without a pardon it would have dragged on and on. His references to God reflect the history of our nation, ONE NATION UNDER GOD!!! If you don't like the fact that we are a nation founded on Christian principles then go somewhere else!!!
5111pt 1 year ago
@5111pt
Amen to that.
BlueOsito 1 year ago
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Lowallyn 1 year ago
The nation's founders were deists, dude.
mmjahink 1 year ago
Read the declaration. We're founded on religious freedom. If you don't like that, go to the Vatican.
thehoaxbuster 1 year ago
Fuck you all!!! Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon, you both sucks!!! Damn it!!
joseisabeles 1 year ago
didnt he say EVERYONE derserves a fair trial. no exception. he is giving nixon a freeby just because they were FREINDS and because he was a PRESIDENT. who cares!? Arent we ALL supposed to be treated as equal in this country. just because he was a president, were supposed to just roll over and say, "yea ok, he's good to go." Im sure all of the former presidents would have been ashamed, hopefully. and whats up with all this "god" stuff. give me a break.
brosa114 2 years ago
We are not equal and they consider us stupid slaves to be scanned naked in airports, taxed to poverty and killed in immoral wars based on pure lies.
Then they treat each other all high and mighty and call themselves "esteemed colleagues" and public "servants". We are the servants and we deserve it for not realizing both parties work for the same globalists.
They took over education and now they teach our kids the founding fathers were terrorists and the constitution isn't even mentioned.
holajim 1 year ago
It was the right thing to do. It was time to move on.
brianclough 2 years ago 38
It sent a clear message that you can tamper with the entire electoral process in pursuit of power without penalty.
It was a terrible thing to do. Lawyers suck.
holajim 1 year ago
This man was unfairly hounded by the Hilary Clintons of this world.He was a war hero.Her husband was/is an unzipped Lothario.How dare that she harrassed this war hero, a man who served his country better than most in high office.Yes, his human frailites and insecurities tragically overcame him at the zenith-but history will be kind to this man who shines way above his petty-minded detractors.Rest in Peace Mr President.
fokjock 1 year ago
@fokjock Ford was an honorable man, but an unelected President who was in over his head. His lasting claim to fame: "Whip Inflation Now". I was only 16 at the time, but even then I knew he wasn't up to the job. When I turned 18, you better believe I voted for Jimmy Carter...
GatewayGhettoProd 1 year ago
@GatewayGhettoProd
Thats funny Gateway, I would have said the exact opposite was the case.It was Jimmy Carter, an intelligent man but history proved him thoroughly incapable, out of touch, and incapable of achievement in high office-though doubtless a decent man.
I well remember at the end of his Presidency jogging and looking 110% the tired old man that he was.The electorate knew it as well.
Compare him with Nixon's achievements in both Sino and Soviet relations, playing one against the other
fokjock 1 year ago
@fokjock I agree, Nixon wasn't a total trainwreck. The detente overtures were very successful. Other ideas, like letting the Japanese dump their cheap TVs here caused the collapse of the US home electronics industry (that we have yet to regain).
GatewayGhettoProd 1 year ago
@GatewayGhettoProd
Sorry, yes I was being a bit dense today, -I thought you said Nixon was unelected-my mistake-of course Ford was unelected-however, I think he made a wise decision on Nixon who as far as I can see was an American patriot with very human failings.If he had won against Kennedy-and in all fairness should have-Kennedy might still be alive-but sometime you get what you wish for, and not always for the best.I'll take Trickie Dickie anytime notwithstanding his failures.
fokjock 1 year ago
@GatewayGhettoProd Thats pretty racist and ignorant of you to call Sony Tv's cheap. They are still the best tv ever made, you can tell you research buy high end audio or video products or you would know this. American products have always been overpriced trash. Look at those crappy cars ford and Chevy make, they look like a mangled piece of trash when new from the factory, and theyll break the next day.
HorrorAngel666 1 year ago
@HorrorAngel666 Excuse me, but you are the one who is ignorant. By cheap, I meant not the quality, but the price. Its pretty well documented that the Japanese were engaging in the practice of "dumping" their TVs in the US at costs well below market value. The intent was to drive competitors (who couldnt match the price) out of business, then taking the market for themselves (and raising the price back to profitable levels). Thats why there is no RCA, Magnavox, etc anymore.
GatewayGhettoProd 1 year ago
@GatewayGhettoProd But all RCA products and magnavox products were trash. They were the Aldi brand of electronics, but they cost more? Yet again the american system rips americans off and enslaves each other more than they kill and enslave the rest of the world.
HorrorAngel666 1 year ago
@HorrorAngel666 As long as American workers keep the jobs, thats the point. American workers.... that's what makes the American economy move. Not imported products. Why do you think everyone is so broke now? We aren't talking about Quality, here, we are talking about Nixon's blunder that cost many many American workers their jobs...
GatewayGhettoProd 1 year ago
@GatewayGhettoProd
Excuse me, you have me confused.What do you mean by "unelected President"?
fokjock 1 year ago
@GatewayGhettoProd
And sorry, for Ford read Carter
fokjock 1 year ago
@fokjock Well, simply put, Ford was not elected, he was appointed by Nixon. And Rockefeller was appointed VP by Ford. For the first (and so far) only time in American history, we had leaders who were not voted into office. As for Carter, I always give him a pass due to the fact that the mess Nixon left behind was something that would have taken 2 terms to turn around. Indeed, Reagan was credited with some of the earliest turnarounds in the economy (like the Chrysler bailout) that Carter approved
GatewayGhettoProd 1 year ago
Of course, Johnson/Humprey were not intitally elected, but were later...
GatewayGhettoProd 1 year ago
@brianclough No it wasn't the right thing to do. Nixon should have been tried by the US justice system and dealt with according to the evidence produced like any other American.
Msunbird02 1 year ago
@brianclough Nixon needed to tried. NOBODY SHOULD BE HELD ABOVE THE LAW
hulkyone 1 year ago
@brianclough
"The most sacred of the duties of a government is to do equal and
impartial justice to all its citizens." --Thomas Jefferson
JohnTheCoolDude 1 year ago 2
@brianclough Pardoning a war criminal is the right thing to do? Then why didn't the US just forgive the Nazi regime and moved on? Oh yeah, for many, this is the United States of Amnesia, where great atrocities are committed and its citizens remain willfully ignorant.
underthebox 6 months ago
@brianclough it was wrong; it set a precedent. From then on it implied that no matter what a president does, he will never be held accountable before the law.
jerzy862 6 months ago
@jerzy862 I don't think so, after all Clinton did get impeached and Reagan had to basically apologise for his judgment call in the Iran Contra scandal. A pardon doesn't imply innocence, instead it confirms guilt but shows magnimity. Ford held this view until his death, and that's what he's remembered for amongst other things. For those who clamour for Nixon's head, calling him a war criminal etc and lambasting Ford, I suggest they read what Ted Kennedy said later about the pardon. It was right.
brianclough 6 months ago
@brianclough are you serious? if i go rob my neighbor tomorrow.....can i get pardoned so we can just move on? hell no, i would go to prison...just like he should have. obstructing justice is one of the lighter charges he was charged with, and that carries a mandatory minimum.
neoncrazy2002 4 months ago
@neoncrazy2002 Why do some people get away with lighter sentences for the same offences? Why do others get away altogether, when some pay the full price? It's called pardon and prosecutorial discretion. The price for co-operation or circumstances in certain cases allow certain people to get a far lighter or no punishment, as opposed to others. Is it fair? Well is life fair? Sure putting Nixon on trial and seeing him jailed would appear fair to some, but at what price?
brianclough 2 months ago
A pardon still recognises a wrong done. No pardon would mean that all Ford would have been doing after taking over would be putting Watergate fire after Watergate fire. The whole Govt would be in paralysis, finger pointing and suspicion would be the order of the day. Ford wanted to get on with running the country, and the national interest trumped a Nixon indictment. Resigning in disgrace was a sufficient penalty. Btw unless you know where Al-Zawahiri is, don't go robbing your neighbour
brianclough 2 months ago
Finally, the greatest response to cries of injustice would appear to be Sen Kennedy's response to it decades later. He and many others were appalled at the time of the pardon, but decades later, he admitted he was wrong and acknowledged Ford did the right thing, and he was thankful for that.
brianclough 2 months ago
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all kennedys except bobby sucked, johnson sucked, and carter sucked, period, end of story
sandythebear 2 years ago
this pardon cause him the elections
sergiovalle21 2 years ago 25
@sergiovalle21 maybe but just like the 2008 election people were brainwashed by liberal horse shit
sandythebear 2 years ago
@sergiovalle21 .... proving that the majority of American people wanted Nixon and his actions dealt with through the justice system instead of receiving Ford's preferential treatment using double standards.
Msunbird02 1 year ago
@sergiovalle21
Cost him you mean
nateplaya88 5 months ago
I have nothing but respect for all men who have held that office. Despite differing views and contempt I might have towards our former presidents, I have respect. I am a moderate democrat from Michigan (President Ford's state). If I were alive in 76' I would've voted for Ford. His pardoning of President Nixon was uncalled for however. Dignity is important yes. But what dignity did Richard Nixon show when he did what he did? No president is perfect. Clinton get a BJ, but at least he fessed up.
genxdude1991 2 years ago
I agree with you, the cover-up is far worse then the crime. I think Ford did that right thing though because we had to move on past Nixon. I also like your opening statement, we need more people like you in this country. I'm a conservative for Missouri living 30 minutes for President Truman's Library and he's one of my political idols. Nobody can truly appreciate the sacrifice these men have taken. God Bless America.
Mizzou4life1985 2 years ago
I appreciate your reply. Ironically as a democrat I'm not a fan of President Truman so much. Mainly for Korea. I think he did the right thing though to end WWII; it's terrible what happened to the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (not to mention it pretty much ushered in the Cold War). One thing I admire in politics are moderates. I will give Ford's successor a few things. He did a lot to reach a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt; he's had a wonderful post-presidency as a humanitarian.
genxdude1991 2 years ago
@genxdude1991
I think Ford pardoned Nixon because he wanted America to move on. I, myself wasn't alive back in that day so I don't know what Ford wanted, but, I think he wanted the story about Nixon to be over one way or another so that America could focus once again on the future of country.
NintendoMage 2 years ago 2
wonderful lesson of democracy.
mahvachcheidani 2 years ago
This pardon set a horrible precedent, with presidencies such as Bush and Cheney, who viewed themselves as above the law.
hd26R601 2 years ago
this has nothing to do with bush & cheney.
mahvachcheidani 2 years ago
Really? Think about it, Nixon himself is quoted as saying "If the president does it, it's not illegal" and Ford slapped his seal of approval on that mentality, which didn't exist up 'till then.
hd26R601 2 years ago
How about Clinton's pardons that he sold? You forget them?
bigjoetube 2 years ago 2
He didn't pardon any former presidents who were guilty as sin of crimes. A little different.
hd26R601 2 years ago
If Ford pardoned the former presidents who were guilty as sin he would have written a lot more then just the one for Nixon. They just weren't stupid enough to tape them.
bigjoetube 2 years ago
@hd26R601 what the fuck are you saying
sandythebear 2 years ago
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@hd26R601 " This pardon set a horrible precedent, with presidencies such as Bush and Cheney, who viewed themselves as above the law. " Not true, when Ford won JFK Profiles In Courage Award, Ted Kennedy said what you said but years went by and he had to admit that President Ford's Pardon was the right one for the country to get pass Nixon.
As much as i loathed Nixion, Ford's Pardon was right.
norr4636 2 years ago
With Ford's death went the last of the members of the Warren Commission - and therefore to the grave with Ford went all the commission's secrets.
ajb1776 2 years ago
Ford is a man of integrity, and was a great president, he made the right choice to pardon Nixon, The country didn't need any other problems
BusterBunker 2 years ago 2
election in '76 was assured. That is why he did not bother trying to nominate his own cabinet. But he was the bicentenniel head of state, that he should be happy over..
anotherD3MISE 2 years ago
face congress head on in regards to them cutting off funding to the war effort of any presidnt period. Thats a sign that the former legislature was a weak leader. Couldnt even reason with his own boys in the house.. Now to the cabinet issue. The biggest speed bump for any acting, interim, or cartaker government is the hour glass. I believe the proper thing for Ford would had been to say by 01/01/75 he'd be making nominations. A time date would prevent akward firings. I think i was rediculous
anotherD3MISE 2 years ago
I think without a doubt to me and a sizeable amount of others the biggest debacle in his 3 years was the final collapse of The Republic of Vietnam. I think S. Vietnam could had been bolstered up one more time with air support and I think a definitive military offensive could had taken place. The N. Vietnames today even tell us they couldn't win based on their skils, weapons, or numbers. Diahards, military oficials, the people. No frontin' what so ever. I think morally he was in a position to
anotherD3MISE 2 years ago
Ford in lightning speed climbed the latter of the exec. branch. I believe that under no other circumstances could the congressman from Michigan ever be put into the presidency. I believe Nixon would resign to avoid the discrace of losing his office. The much fabled prid quo pro could had very well been at Ford's request to a very unsure Richard Nixon. I do not believe the pardonwas selfless in motivation nor should it undermine his other short comings. Now to another point, Vietnam.
anotherD3MISE 2 years ago
nor a skilled foreign diplomat. Even though I agree with the pardon because I stil feel the merits of a Nixon trial are shaky, I believed the main reason for the pardon was not to qual the nation disturbance and allow focus on other topics but to aid him into getting comfertable into his appointed office. I do not believe legal precedence was nessaceraly nessasry. Even though Nixon could pardorn himself I do believe that would had led to a national crisis. Through the misunfortues of others
anotherD3MISE 2 years ago
Outlaw I se you have strong opinions on this, so do i. I will start out by saying I am not gonna be dishonest. Even though me and Richard Milhouse Nixon occupied the same time frame for only 6 years I hold to the belief that he was one of the greatest, most powerfl, and efective presidents in U.S. history. Likewise even with the passing of time, which shold never be used as an outright crutch to fight controversy or infamy, I do NOT believe Ford was an effective president, a strong leader
anotherD3MISE 2 years ago
Richard Nixon a Paranoid President for a Paranoid Time.
History has and will again show how much a great man he was. Richard was beat down so often but kept getting up. He at least kept honor in the office unlike others that have been impeached.
For what it's worth the old saying is right "Only Nixon could go to China"
dtt1900 2 years ago
and a shame that he did. other thn that little tourand taiwan losing its seat at the UN I'd say he was one of the greatest presidents in U.S. and even North American history. He was a very strng leadership and there is warmth and safety in such a grip.
anotherD3MISE 2 years ago
My Views: Part 1
As I listen to Ford's speech,and all of the considerations he articulated, I believe his reasoning was sound, and that history has vindicated him for his decision to pardon Richard Nixon.
There were no "good answers", or "right answers" to Ford's dilemma. The damage to
The US Constitution had already been done.
Allowing the legal system run it's course would be viewed by some as "preserving, protecting, and defending" The US Constitution of The United States of America.
Outlaw1257 2 years ago
My Views: Pt. 2
Yet, our Constitution was threatened even more by external circumstances which didn't necessarily involve The Constitution as a document or an ideology, but factors that threatened Ford's ability to govern soundly.
Consider:
The economy was in a shambles. Ford assumed office in the midst of the worst recession since The Great Depression, coupled with "stagflation"; double digit inflation in a recessed economy, and unemployment was rampant in most parts of the nation.
Outlaw1257 2 years ago
My Views Pt 3:
Added to those problems, energy prices had doubled due to the Arab oil embargo, the Alaska Pipeline was not completed, and domestic oil production was dropping, and being hampered by regulation.
Our relations with The Middle East were shakey at best, with The Shah of Iran as our only oil producing ally in the Middle East.
The South Vietnamese proved to be unable to defend itself against N.V. and the Soviets. The world was watching The US closely.
Outlaw1257 2 years ago
My Views Pt 4:
If that wasn't enough, our balance of trades was another problem, with cheap imports hurting our manufacturing capacity. The dollar was weakened, and whatever light appeared at the end of the tunnel was likely to be a freight train.
Outlaw1257 2 years ago
My views, Pt 5:
Ford had all of these issues to deal with, as well as the wounds of Watergate. The White House was still inundated with protesters, America needed to move past the scandals, the American people drained from H2OGate, the press remained (understandably) fixated upon it, H20Gate trials still loomed, thee were other pressing issues to address, and as a nation, we had become locked in irons.
Ford was also having to govern with Nixon Administration cabinet members and personnel.
Outlaw1257 2 years ago
My Views Pt 6:
Ford assumed office during a Constitutional crisis unlike any this nation had ever experienced. There were no clear precedents to follow. Laws?? Legal theories?? Rulings?? Nothing.
Ford's decision ultimately boiled down to making a judgment call based in what he perceived as being in the best interest of the nation. In the end, he relied upon his sense of personal and Spiritual conscience.
I believe he acted properly, and I think history supports that belief.
Outlaw1257 2 years ago
u can read my reply if youtube lets me add it.
anotherD3MISE 2 years ago