Almost all of the commentary on Gearld Ford's passing has been positive, as is quite proper. He was an entirely decent man who became President through no fault of his own, and served during one of the most difficult episodes in the nation's history.
He was also in well over his head. I had the pleasure of meeting Ford when he came to campus at Claremont Graduate School. The Head of the Government Department, George Blair, managed to be myself and another Grad student into a "closed" talk that Ford gave. He could not answer any interesting questions and in fact got some basic stuff wrong. Lots of people said the same thing about Reagan, but Reagan had a quality of judgment that Ford lacked. Still, he made way for Jimmy Carter's presidency, and that in turn paved the way for Reagan. Maybe that alone is enough of an achievement.
Powerline mentions Ford's ridiculous Whip Inflation Now campaign. The idea that price controls and citizen spirit could alter basic economic facts is a pretty good indication of the low-watt thinking that characterized Ford's time in office. There was in fact no conservative wing yet in existence in government. The worse that one can say about President Ford on that score is that he was typical.
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