by Henry Falcone

Created on: December 30, 2006   Last Updated: April 19, 2007

President Ford, a man for history

It is quite amazing to me the accolades President Ford is receiving for his service as the President of the United States from 1974-1976. The media seems to be re-writing history about this man. I can remember a political cartoon drawn in 1977 with a badly broken White House being given to President Ford as he was handing over a repaired and glowing one to President Carter. The picture really did describe the tenure of President Ford.

What I am fascinated with is the "left" in this nation. I was a reporter for our college radio station in Providence Rhode Island, WDOM and was assigned to cover the Presidential race. My assignment was the campaign of President Ford. I was given tremendous access into the campaign in the state because I was a college student.

The campaign centered on continuing on with the politics of ""detante"" with the Soviet Union and a domestic policy that would "Whip Inflation Now." (WIN) I can remember the little buttons that they handed out for Americans to make it through the recession. The cry to buy American was being sounded as the price of gasoline began to skyrocket. Oh, to have those price now would be wonderful!

I remember how they were portraying Governor Carter at the time. One television news organization flashed a picture of John Kennedy and then flashed Jimmy Carters. The caption spoke Kennedy charisma, Carter charisma. The media elite and political left portrayed Jimmy Carter as the second-coming of President Kennedy. They were infatuated with his rhetoric, style and Southern charm. They spoke of his experience as a Southern Chief Executive verses the lack of experience of President Ford, since we was an un-elected President who was just a Congressman. They spoke of President Ford as being clumsy, stupid, out of touch with America, and to boring of a personality to be President. They declared that his worse sin was to pardon President Nixon. They tried to explain it to the electorate as political payback for Nixon choosing him as Vice President.

The media of that time could not speak ONE good word about President Ford, and many of those same pundits are on television this morning singing the praises of President Ford. It seems like they had a lobotomy or something, or better yet have become bi-polar in their assessment of this good man. History has proven that President Ford was the right man for the right moment in our nations history. The media-elites are beginning to acknowledge this fact

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