American presidents, like Gerald Ford, used to be decent | Opinion

It’s not a book I intended to read until a publicist sent me a copy suggesting I interview the author. As I read a few introductory pages of “Inside the President’s Team: Family, Service, and the Gerald Ford Presidency,” I was struck by author Bob Barrett’s praise of Ford as “the most decent, honorable, trustworthy person I ever met.”

Barrett was Ford’s military attaché, carrying the briefcase always within reach of the president. It was dubbed the political football with codes to unleash nuclear weapons that could destroy the planet as we know it. Barrett ended up becoming a close personal assistant to the Fords even after the Ford Presidency.

Ford’s brief presidency is not one that caught much of my attention, except for his decision to pardon Nixon, much to my dismay. I found myself in those days among the 53% of Americans who thought the newly-sworn-in Ford should not have used his pardoning power on Nixon.

Sen. Ted Kennedy also thought Ford made a mistake with the pardon, but years later, Kennedy took the stage at the JFK Library where Ford was honored and admitted he was wrong. Kennedy said he now understood that Ford pardoned Richard Nixon so a deeply divided nation torn apart by the tenor of the times could move on without a trial that would have prolonged America’s agony over Nixon and Watergate. That makes a lot more sense with the lens of history widening over time.

It’s that word “decent” that caught my eye and reminded me of days gone by when you could find it in the White House. Ford grew up in middle America, emerging as an All-American football player for the University of Michigan and captain of his team. An early indication of the man’s decency occurred when Michigan was set to play Georgia Tech, and its coach told the Michigan coach not to bring Willie Woods, the only black player on the Michigan team. Ford informed his coach that he wasn’t playing if Willie Woods was not playing for Michigan in Georgia. Barrett tells us that Woods played, and Michigan won.

Ford’s upbringing molded his character and defined his commitment to public service. He volunteered for the Navy during World War II and came home with ten battle stars. A considerable contrast to the phony diagnosis of bone spurs to help a privileged New Yorker steer clear of the Vietnam War.

A family man, Ford was a loyal and loving father to his children and a devoted husband to his wife, Betty. The author, Barrett, claimed that of all the marriages he had seen and witnessed in his years of public service, he never saw a healthier one than Jerry and Betty Ford’s marriage.

At a time when many Americans are searching for leadership willing to stand up to brazen efforts to trash the rule of law and wreck the guardrails in the U.S. Constitution that prevent a president from assuming dictatorial control over the federal government, Ford’s presidency reminds us that America had the strength in its people to produce a president who could heal the nation’s wounds after Vietnam and Watergate. And we must never lose hope that it can happen again.

This accidental president, who was literally thrust into the presidency without warning when Nixon resigned over Watergate, chose four-term New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller to serve as his vice president. But in 1976, when Ford decided to run for a full term, he dumped Rockefeller and chose Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas as his running mate. Later in life, Ford called his decision to replace Rockefeller an act of cowardice, caving into the ultraconservatives in the party. Are there any of those moments in today’s White House when the president admits a mistake? Instead, the current incumbent glorifies his every move as though it is ordained by the hand of God.

Early in his new presidency, Ford’s courage was on full display when he addressed the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) at the Conrad Hilton in Chicago in 1974. The Hilton was the site of violent confrontations over the Vietnam War six years earlier, and here were the most patriotic voters in America about to hear a message they would find hard to handle. Ford stood before the VFW to inform them that he would pardon 50,000 young Americans who refused to serve in the Vietnam War but now deserved a second chance to rebuild peace in America and abroad.

According to Barrett, you could hear a pin drop from what had to be the toughest crowd in America for Ford to announce it was time to forgive draft dodgers. A sizable contrast to pardoning the thugs who were convicted and sentenced for plundering America’s house of democratic worship on January 6, 2021.

In Ford’s day, first ladies were not expected to reveal as much as they were to serve as the loyal partner who keeps her views to herself. But Americans didn’t know Betty Ford, the genuine article for telling it like it is. She submitted to a 60-Minutes interview and proclaimed her support for Roe v. Wade, the 1972 decision granting a woman’s right to an abortion.

She also said that her kids probably tried marijuana, and she wouldn’t doubt her 18-year-old daughter Susan had already had an affair. Returning home from the interview, she asked her husband who was reading the newspaper at the time, if her statements during the interview would cause any problems politically. Without lowering his paper, Ford, with his wry sense of humor, said, “No. Only if I want to get elected, Betty.” Not another word was uttered, quietly showing the love and respect Ford had for Betty.

Betty Ford stepped out of the traditional First Lady role again when her family invited her to an intervention to acknowledge her alcoholism and the immediate need for treatment. Betty Ford not only honored the wishes of family and friends to seek help, but she also emerged as a national spokesperson for people battling chemical dependency and created the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California, a nonprofit, residential treatment facility for those suffering from substance abuse.

Ford chose to run for a full term in 1976, but with opposition from former California Gov. Ronald Reagan whose appeal to ultra-conservative Republicans would present a considerable challenge to the more moderate Ford. He would win the Republican nomination but then lose the general election to Jimmy Carter.

Ford’s presidency serves as an inspiration for those who long for a return to normalcy. A time when America’s bench strength of Republican presidential contenders will once again be courageous enough to challenge those who soil the United States Constitution. Even though Jerry Ford didn’t stay long, his legacy must never be forgotten. He believed in the power of government to improve the lives of Americans, protect individual rights and he honored our long-time alliances in standing up against tyranny.

It was, indeed, a time when decency prevailed and role models like Ford encouraged others to public service. In the absence of such leadership in today’s White House, we can remember the Ford legacy, share the story of this American patriot and hope for the return of humility, sacrifice and honor in the White House.