Gerald Ford captained the University of Michigan football team winning two national titles. Forty years later, he became president. Instead of "Hail to the Chief", the marine band often played "Hail to the Victors."
The Victors:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnkOkraJXK4
Ford at U-M:
http://mvictors.com/?p=179
Showing posts with label Gerald Ford. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gerald Ford. Show all posts
Monday, October 4, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
All Time Michigan Wolverines Offensive Unit
C- Gerald Ford (1932-34)
C- Germany Schulz (1904-05; 1907-08)
OG- Steve Hutchinson (1997-2001)
OG- Reggie McKenzie (1969-71)
OG- Albert Benbrook (1908-10)
OT- Dan Dierdorf (1968-70)
OT- Jumbo Elliott (1984-87)
OT- Greg Skrepenak (1988-91)
OT- Jake Long (2003-06)
QB- Bennie Friedman (1923-26)
QB- Jim Harbaugh (1982-86)
QB- Rick Leach (1975-78)
RB- Tom Harmon (1938-40)
RB- Tyrone Wheatley (1991-94)
FB- Willie Heston (1901-04)
WR- Bennie Oosterbaan (1924-28)
WR- Anthony Carter (1979-82)
WR- Braylon Edwards (2001-04)
WR- John Kolesar (1985-88)
TE- Ron Kramer (1953-56)
C- Germany Schulz (1904-05; 1907-08)
OG- Steve Hutchinson (1997-2001)
OG- Reggie McKenzie (1969-71)
OG- Albert Benbrook (1908-10)
OT- Dan Dierdorf (1968-70)
OT- Jumbo Elliott (1984-87)
OT- Greg Skrepenak (1988-91)
OT- Jake Long (2003-06)
QB- Bennie Friedman (1923-26)
QB- Jim Harbaugh (1982-86)
QB- Rick Leach (1975-78)
RB- Tom Harmon (1938-40)
RB- Tyrone Wheatley (1991-94)
FB- Willie Heston (1901-04)
WR- Bennie Oosterbaan (1924-28)
WR- Anthony Carter (1979-82)
WR- Braylon Edwards (2001-04)
WR- John Kolesar (1985-88)
TE- Ron Kramer (1953-56)
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Presidential Legacies: 1969-1989
The Johnson Administration’s folly in Vietnam led to Republican Executive Branch dominance for the remainder of the century. The Cold War continued and the Republicans were enlisted to end it and fix an economy damaged by the Great Society. The presidents between 1969 and 1989 battled recession and Russians. In the end, both were conquered.
Richard Nixon benefited politically from Lyndon Johnson’s downfall. His political career was dead. However, he worked hard in 1966 and became the Republican nominee in 1968. Once in office, Nixon worked to thaw the Cold War and end the Vietnam conflict. It took almost four years for the Vietnam War to end. The North Vietnamese refused to negotiate in good faith through much of Nixon’s first term. They finally came around when it appeared he would be re-elected.
The war’s end coincided with two major Nixon diplomatic coups. He became the first president to go to China. This opened China to the United States, set in motion their economic renaissance, and isolated the Soviet Union. The Russians felt threatened and isolated by the U.S. and China. As a result, they welcomed Nixon’s diplomatic overtures. Détente has been criticized by the right, but there was no way for Nixon to know that the Soviet Union would collapse in his lifetime.
While Nixon was racking up the accomplishments, his administration became immersed in the Watergate Scandal. Basically, a group of White House operatives broke into and bugged Democratic Headquarters. The Johnson Administration bugged the Nixon Campaign, so this was nothing new. However, word of the break-in made it into the papers. Nixon made the mistake of attempting to cover it up. He should have fired those involved immediately and claimed ignorance. Instead, he waged war on the press. Events steam rolled and he was forced to resign.
Gerald Ford took over for Nixon. Initially, Ford was very popular. However, he pardoned Nixon and that popularity collapsed. The president from Michigan decided it was best to get beyond the Watergate Scandal. He wanted the country to heal and move forward. Ford did not want to put the country through the agony of a trial. Additionally, Nixon’s health declined dramatically and some worried the former president would not survive a trial. So, Ford pardoned Nixon and that cost him the election of 1976.
Ford lost to Jimmy Carter. Carter was an inexperienced nobody in 1975. In 1977, he was president. Carter’s tenure was marked by disaster. He refused to work with Congressional Democrats. Carter did not see much of a difference between them and Nixon. Then, the economy collapsed. Unemployment and inflation each hit double digits. The country’s confidence was gone. On July 15, 1979, Carter went on national television and chewed out the country. Carter called it a “crisis of confidence.” However, Carter’s tone was that of a fire-and-brimstone preacher and it fell flat. At the end of the year, Iran kidnapped 52 Americans and held them hostage. This paralyzed the Carter Administration even further. The economy and Iran Hostage Crisis cost Carter the White House.
Carter left America searching for a white knight. Ronald Reagan literally came out of central casting. Reagan won two massive electoral victories. Upon taking office, it appeared his economic policy was D.O.A. Then, John Hinkley Jr. tried to kill him in an effort to impress Jodie Foster. Hinkley failed on both accounts. This was a turning point. Reagan got his economic policies through congress. The economy continued to struggle for a time before exploding. By 1984, it was “Morning in America.” In his first term, the economy turned around. In his second term, he would face down the Russians.
During his first term, Reagan had little diplomatic contact with the Soviets. The Soviet leaders kept dying. Additionally, the Russians had been trying to expand in a fashion similar to the Nazis before World War II. By the early eighties, the Soviets had invaded Afghanistan, declared martial law in Poland, and stepped up their proxy wars against American allies. People questioned whether democracy could survive. In response, Reagan began a massive arms buildup. The plan was to outspend the Russians. He succeeded.
By 1985, the Soviet economy was strained. By 1989, it had completely collapsed. The Soviets had overextended and now had to try and keep up with the American arms buildup. The Reagan arms buildup was only part of the reason. The other factor was the new Soviet Premier, Mikhail Gorbachev. Gorbachev attempted to reform the Soviet economy. He did not want to end communism. However, socialism is failed economic theory. Under Gorbachev's socialist reforms, the Soviet economy, and with it the military, collapsed. The Soviet Union itself ceased to exist in 1991.
In 1989, it looked like anything was possible. Communism was collapsing around the world. Dictatorships were on the wane. The world economy was expanding. Freedom was expanding. Would things continue to improve and would mankind enter into some new enlightened phase or would mankind blow it?
Richard Nixon benefited politically from Lyndon Johnson’s downfall. His political career was dead. However, he worked hard in 1966 and became the Republican nominee in 1968. Once in office, Nixon worked to thaw the Cold War and end the Vietnam conflict. It took almost four years for the Vietnam War to end. The North Vietnamese refused to negotiate in good faith through much of Nixon’s first term. They finally came around when it appeared he would be re-elected.
The war’s end coincided with two major Nixon diplomatic coups. He became the first president to go to China. This opened China to the United States, set in motion their economic renaissance, and isolated the Soviet Union. The Russians felt threatened and isolated by the U.S. and China. As a result, they welcomed Nixon’s diplomatic overtures. Détente has been criticized by the right, but there was no way for Nixon to know that the Soviet Union would collapse in his lifetime.
While Nixon was racking up the accomplishments, his administration became immersed in the Watergate Scandal. Basically, a group of White House operatives broke into and bugged Democratic Headquarters. The Johnson Administration bugged the Nixon Campaign, so this was nothing new. However, word of the break-in made it into the papers. Nixon made the mistake of attempting to cover it up. He should have fired those involved immediately and claimed ignorance. Instead, he waged war on the press. Events steam rolled and he was forced to resign.
Gerald Ford took over for Nixon. Initially, Ford was very popular. However, he pardoned Nixon and that popularity collapsed. The president from Michigan decided it was best to get beyond the Watergate Scandal. He wanted the country to heal and move forward. Ford did not want to put the country through the agony of a trial. Additionally, Nixon’s health declined dramatically and some worried the former president would not survive a trial. So, Ford pardoned Nixon and that cost him the election of 1976.
Ford lost to Jimmy Carter. Carter was an inexperienced nobody in 1975. In 1977, he was president. Carter’s tenure was marked by disaster. He refused to work with Congressional Democrats. Carter did not see much of a difference between them and Nixon. Then, the economy collapsed. Unemployment and inflation each hit double digits. The country’s confidence was gone. On July 15, 1979, Carter went on national television and chewed out the country. Carter called it a “crisis of confidence.” However, Carter’s tone was that of a fire-and-brimstone preacher and it fell flat. At the end of the year, Iran kidnapped 52 Americans and held them hostage. This paralyzed the Carter Administration even further. The economy and Iran Hostage Crisis cost Carter the White House.
Carter left America searching for a white knight. Ronald Reagan literally came out of central casting. Reagan won two massive electoral victories. Upon taking office, it appeared his economic policy was D.O.A. Then, John Hinkley Jr. tried to kill him in an effort to impress Jodie Foster. Hinkley failed on both accounts. This was a turning point. Reagan got his economic policies through congress. The economy continued to struggle for a time before exploding. By 1984, it was “Morning in America.” In his first term, the economy turned around. In his second term, he would face down the Russians.
During his first term, Reagan had little diplomatic contact with the Soviets. The Soviet leaders kept dying. Additionally, the Russians had been trying to expand in a fashion similar to the Nazis before World War II. By the early eighties, the Soviets had invaded Afghanistan, declared martial law in Poland, and stepped up their proxy wars against American allies. People questioned whether democracy could survive. In response, Reagan began a massive arms buildup. The plan was to outspend the Russians. He succeeded.
By 1985, the Soviet economy was strained. By 1989, it had completely collapsed. The Soviets had overextended and now had to try and keep up with the American arms buildup. The Reagan arms buildup was only part of the reason. The other factor was the new Soviet Premier, Mikhail Gorbachev. Gorbachev attempted to reform the Soviet economy. He did not want to end communism. However, socialism is failed economic theory. Under Gorbachev's socialist reforms, the Soviet economy, and with it the military, collapsed. The Soviet Union itself ceased to exist in 1991.
In 1989, it looked like anything was possible. Communism was collapsing around the world. Dictatorships were on the wane. The world economy was expanding. Freedom was expanding. Would things continue to improve and would mankind enter into some new enlightened phase or would mankind blow it?
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Media Bias: 1963-1980
The press loved Massachusetts aristocrat John Kennedy. When he died and was replaced by a (gasp) Texan, it was yet another politician without the right pedigree. As a Texan, Johnson was another outsider. He was a pretender to the throne and a vulgar man. He had a ranch. LBJ was everything the press hated. They turned on him the first chance they had. The press even printed pictures of LBJ holding his dog up by its ears. It reaffirmed their image of Johnson as a vile and uncultured man. In 1964, the press pulled for the Republican Rockefeller. However, the GOP nominated Barry Goldwater. Goldwater was worse than Johnson, so they went after him with full fury. Goldwater lost and then the press went back to criticizing Johnson. When Georgetown burned during the urban uprisings, someone told LBJ that Georgetown was on fire. Many press insiders lived there. Johnson's responded "I've waited 35 years to hear that!" The press helped drive him from office.
They also helped drive Richard Nixon from office. Had Nixon been an insider, they would have ignored Watergate. But, Nixon defeated good establishment liberals in his run for the house, the senate, and the presidency. He also brought down Alger Hiss. What drove them the craziest was his use of media to get his message across. Whether it was the “Silent Majority” speech or the trip to China, Nixon used the press images for favorable coverage while reporters seethed. The press never forgave him for that.
Nixon’s successor, Gerald Ford, came from Michigan. He even graduated from the University of Michigan. The press accepted him at first, but quickly went after him. Ford pardoned Nixon to get Watergate behind the country. The press began to work to undermine his presidency. They portrayed Ford as dimwitted and clumsy. Press coverage of Gerald Ford can be summed up with the headline: Ford to City: Drop Dead.
The press sided with Ford’s opponent, Jimmy Carter, in 1976. Carter was not Nixon. He was also a feel good story. The press played up Carter and attacked Ford (Ford did help doom himself with a debate gaffe). Carter made some silly mistakes in the press when he admitted he lusted in his eyes, saw a UFO, and by claiming to have been attacked by a killer rabbit (not making this up). Carter’s novelty disappeared quickly. The press enjoyed making Carter’s brother look like a fool. When all was said and done, Carter was another outsider. He was from Georgia. The press hoped he’d be one of them, but he wasn’t. The press did not rally to him until Ronald Reagan became the Republican Nominee.
The New Right scared the press. They were the ultimate outsiders. These Goldwater-ites were everything the press was not. They were not East Coast. They were not Ivy League. They were not Elites. They distrusted government. They distrusted power. They distrusted liberalism. The press pumped the candidacy of George H.W. Bush. Bush failed. Reagan won the GOP nod. They attacked Reagan as dumb, unsophisticated, and simple. They claimed he’d start World War III and civilization would end with a Reagan Presidency. The press went nuts. Then, Reagan won. The Reagan Revolution changed the dynamic. The press changed its tone and went after Republicans and gave Democrats a free ride. The GOP epicenter was no longer the East Coast. It had moved to the heartland while the Democratic epicenter remained elitist. The press sided with the East Coast while the GOP sided with the heartland and the blue collar voter.
They also helped drive Richard Nixon from office. Had Nixon been an insider, they would have ignored Watergate. But, Nixon defeated good establishment liberals in his run for the house, the senate, and the presidency. He also brought down Alger Hiss. What drove them the craziest was his use of media to get his message across. Whether it was the “Silent Majority” speech or the trip to China, Nixon used the press images for favorable coverage while reporters seethed. The press never forgave him for that.
Nixon’s successor, Gerald Ford, came from Michigan. He even graduated from the University of Michigan. The press accepted him at first, but quickly went after him. Ford pardoned Nixon to get Watergate behind the country. The press began to work to undermine his presidency. They portrayed Ford as dimwitted and clumsy. Press coverage of Gerald Ford can be summed up with the headline: Ford to City: Drop Dead.
The press sided with Ford’s opponent, Jimmy Carter, in 1976. Carter was not Nixon. He was also a feel good story. The press played up Carter and attacked Ford (Ford did help doom himself with a debate gaffe). Carter made some silly mistakes in the press when he admitted he lusted in his eyes, saw a UFO, and by claiming to have been attacked by a killer rabbit (not making this up). Carter’s novelty disappeared quickly. The press enjoyed making Carter’s brother look like a fool. When all was said and done, Carter was another outsider. He was from Georgia. The press hoped he’d be one of them, but he wasn’t. The press did not rally to him until Ronald Reagan became the Republican Nominee.
The New Right scared the press. They were the ultimate outsiders. These Goldwater-ites were everything the press was not. They were not East Coast. They were not Ivy League. They were not Elites. They distrusted government. They distrusted power. They distrusted liberalism. The press pumped the candidacy of George H.W. Bush. Bush failed. Reagan won the GOP nod. They attacked Reagan as dumb, unsophisticated, and simple. They claimed he’d start World War III and civilization would end with a Reagan Presidency. The press went nuts. Then, Reagan won. The Reagan Revolution changed the dynamic. The press changed its tone and went after Republicans and gave Democrats a free ride. The GOP epicenter was no longer the East Coast. It had moved to the heartland while the Democratic epicenter remained elitist. The press sided with the East Coast while the GOP sided with the heartland and the blue collar voter.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
The Average Joes
Continuing my categorization of the 42 (43 if you count Cleveland twice) presidents. These are the Average Joes. They did not do a bad job, but were not great either. As a result, they are lumped together here. Once again, they are listed chronologically.
1. John Tyler (1841-1845): Tyler took over when Harrison died after one month. He had two major accomplishments. Firstly, Tyler was the first Veep to assume the presidency upon the death of his predecessor. He asserted the right of a Vice President to be President and not just serve as an interim president. This was highly controversial. Second, he annexed Texas on his way out of office. On the downside, Tyler ran as a Whig, but was really a Democrat. When the Whigs passed legislation and sent it to him, he vetoed it. His cabinet resigned and he became a man without a party. After leaving office, he supported the Confederacy during the Civil War.
2. Zachary Taylor (1849-1850): Taylor did not do much in office. He died about a year and a half into office. When California wanted to enter the Union a free state, he supported their petition which caused a firestorm. Despite owning slaves, he opposed the expansion of slavery and the Compromise of 1850. Taylor also threatened to hang anyone that threatened secession from the Union.
3. Rutherford B Hayes (1877-1881): Due to the nature of his elevation to the presidency, he did not get much done and promised to serve only one term. He ended Reconstruction as part of the deal to get the White House, busted the Railroad Strike of 1877, signed a bill to allow women to argue cases before the Supreme Court, and arbitrated the end of The War of Triple Alliance between Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay against Paraguay. His decision made him a hero in Paraguay.
4. Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929): After the corrupt administration of Warren Harding, Coolidge was a breath of fresh air. He kept spending down and cut taxes. Coolidge also signed immigration reform measures. Additionally, he gave citizenship to American Indians and oversaw the first regulations on transportation and radio. Coolidge's Secretary of State, Frank B. Kellogg, negotiated the Kellogg-Briand Pact which renounced and outlawed war. He was elected in his own right in 1924, but declined to run again in 1928.
5. Gerald R. Ford (1974-1977): Ford entered office as a result of Watergate. He started out with a very high approval rating, but decided to pardon Nixon which ended his honeymoon. His rationale was two-fold. First, he feared Nixon's health would continue to deteriorate and he'd die if the pressure was not released. Second, he felt it was better to spare the country the pain of a trial. It was a profile in courage, but cost him the 1976 election. For this, he is known as the "Great Healer." During his term, the economy faltered as a result of government welfare programs and an end of the Vietnam War. Ford's WIN program attempted to fix inflation, but it raised unemployment. Ford admitted it was "too gimmicky." The Vietnam War came to a crashing end as the Communists illegally entered Saigon and the US mounted a day and night rescue mission (you can see the ladder to the helicopter at the US embassy at the Ford Museum). Most importantly, he got the USSR to sign the Helsinki Accord which bound the Soviets to maintain human rights. This treaty sparked Solidarity and signalled the beginning of the end for the Soviets.
1. John Tyler (1841-1845): Tyler took over when Harrison died after one month. He had two major accomplishments. Firstly, Tyler was the first Veep to assume the presidency upon the death of his predecessor. He asserted the right of a Vice President to be President and not just serve as an interim president. This was highly controversial. Second, he annexed Texas on his way out of office. On the downside, Tyler ran as a Whig, but was really a Democrat. When the Whigs passed legislation and sent it to him, he vetoed it. His cabinet resigned and he became a man without a party. After leaving office, he supported the Confederacy during the Civil War.
2. Zachary Taylor (1849-1850): Taylor did not do much in office. He died about a year and a half into office. When California wanted to enter the Union a free state, he supported their petition which caused a firestorm. Despite owning slaves, he opposed the expansion of slavery and the Compromise of 1850. Taylor also threatened to hang anyone that threatened secession from the Union.
3. Rutherford B Hayes (1877-1881): Due to the nature of his elevation to the presidency, he did not get much done and promised to serve only one term. He ended Reconstruction as part of the deal to get the White House, busted the Railroad Strike of 1877, signed a bill to allow women to argue cases before the Supreme Court, and arbitrated the end of The War of Triple Alliance between Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay against Paraguay. His decision made him a hero in Paraguay.
4. Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929): After the corrupt administration of Warren Harding, Coolidge was a breath of fresh air. He kept spending down and cut taxes. Coolidge also signed immigration reform measures. Additionally, he gave citizenship to American Indians and oversaw the first regulations on transportation and radio. Coolidge's Secretary of State, Frank B. Kellogg, negotiated the Kellogg-Briand Pact which renounced and outlawed war. He was elected in his own right in 1924, but declined to run again in 1928.
5. Gerald R. Ford (1974-1977): Ford entered office as a result of Watergate. He started out with a very high approval rating, but decided to pardon Nixon which ended his honeymoon. His rationale was two-fold. First, he feared Nixon's health would continue to deteriorate and he'd die if the pressure was not released. Second, he felt it was better to spare the country the pain of a trial. It was a profile in courage, but cost him the 1976 election. For this, he is known as the "Great Healer." During his term, the economy faltered as a result of government welfare programs and an end of the Vietnam War. Ford's WIN program attempted to fix inflation, but it raised unemployment. Ford admitted it was "too gimmicky." The Vietnam War came to a crashing end as the Communists illegally entered Saigon and the US mounted a day and night rescue mission (you can see the ladder to the helicopter at the US embassy at the Ford Museum). Most importantly, he got the USSR to sign the Helsinki Accord which bound the Soviets to maintain human rights. This treaty sparked Solidarity and signalled the beginning of the end for the Soviets.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
The Man from Georgia: 1976
The Republican Party was in tatters. Watergate decimated the G.O.P. Although personally honest and likeable, President Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon had amplified voter anger. On top of this, the right wing had decided to make its move. Ronald Reagan launched an insurgency that cut into Ford even further. On top of all this, Ford had been appointed to the Vice-Presidency and ascended to the Oval Office upon Nixon's resignation. So, he was not elected to either of the top two offices.
The Democrats were delighted and looked forward to recapturing the White House. They nominated Jimmy Carter. Carter was a one term governor of Georgia and former peanut farmer. Carter ran as an outsider that would clean up Washington and jumped to a 33 point lead in the polls.
Despite his immense lead, Carter made several mistakes that brought him back to Earth. Carter remained vague on the issues and Ford hammered him for his inexperience. Additionally, Carter's mother gave an interview with Playboy that was less than complimentary to the candidate.
Despite Carter's problems, Ford made the biggest gaffe of all during a debate. In it, he claimed the Soviet Union did not dominate Eastern Europe. Carter responded, "Tell that to the Poles." Ford failed to retract the blunder and it reinforced the media's image of him as dumb. It also brought up visions of a shifty Nixon.
On election day, Carter pulled out a narrow victory 50-48%. The electoral college was 297-240. Carter would go on to be the worst president since James Buchanan. He'd even get attacked by a rabbit. Ford would go golfing. Ronald Reagan would lead a revolution that would redefine the terms of debate in American politics to this day.
The Democrats were delighted and looked forward to recapturing the White House. They nominated Jimmy Carter. Carter was a one term governor of Georgia and former peanut farmer. Carter ran as an outsider that would clean up Washington and jumped to a 33 point lead in the polls.
Despite his immense lead, Carter made several mistakes that brought him back to Earth. Carter remained vague on the issues and Ford hammered him for his inexperience. Additionally, Carter's mother gave an interview with Playboy that was less than complimentary to the candidate.
Despite Carter's problems, Ford made the biggest gaffe of all during a debate. In it, he claimed the Soviet Union did not dominate Eastern Europe. Carter responded, "Tell that to the Poles." Ford failed to retract the blunder and it reinforced the media's image of him as dumb. It also brought up visions of a shifty Nixon.
On election day, Carter pulled out a narrow victory 50-48%. The electoral college was 297-240. Carter would go on to be the worst president since James Buchanan. He'd even get attacked by a rabbit. Ford would go golfing. Ronald Reagan would lead a revolution that would redefine the terms of debate in American politics to this day.
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