Farewell to a President

As most of you know, the National funeral service for Gerald R. Ford, Jr., the 38th President of the United States of America, was held today at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. After the funeral, his body is to be transported to Grand Rapids, Michigan for burial.

Whether you are a republican, democrat, or something else, you have to give President Ford credit. As president he helped this country through a painful time of transition: the aftermath of Watergate and the end of the Viet Nam war. Historians can argue about whether pardoning Nixon killed Ford's chances of reelection. Certainly being challenged by Ronald Reagan in the 1976 primaries didn't help Ford's campaign any. (As history shows, most incumbent presidents challenged within their own party during the primaries tend to lose re-election. Just ask Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush, to name a few).

One can only speculate what might have happened if Ford/Dole had won in 1976. Although I am only an "arm-chair" historian, my guess is that the "Reagan Revolution" of the 1980's would not have happened if Ford had won reelection in 1976. Ford tended to be more of a moderate who was skilled in compromise and negotiation. He tended to fall in the middle between Reagan and Jimmy Carter. Thus, it was the sharp differences between Carter and Reagan that helped fuel the "Reagan Revolution". Four years of a moderate president (if Ford had won reelection in 1976), would have set a very different tone for the 1980 elections.

That's all in the past, especially now since both Presidents Ford and Reagan have passed away. And speculation about "what might have been..." may be an intriguing way to pass the time, but it really doesn't accomplish much. Instead, we must continue to learn from the past so that we can work together to make a better future.

So for the time being, we say: "farewell our dear departed comrade!"