Gerald Ford

Jimmy Carter’s Post Presidency Unmatched By Any Other President!

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Jimmy Carter’s post Presidency of 44 years will, forever, remain unmatched.

Carter left office at the early age of 56, and survived health challenges to reach age 100, also highly unlikely, ever to be matched or surpassed.

Carter established the Carter Center to promote human rights in 1982, which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum was opened in 1986 in Atlanta, and this blogger and scholar visited the site two times, finding it a very impressive memorial to the President.

Carter also spent several years teaching at Emory University in Atlana.

Carter wrote a total of 33 books in his lifetime, more than any other President.

Carter participated in building housing for the poor through Habitat For Humanity.

Carter traveled the world, fighting disease, promoting free elections, and advocating resolution of various international conflicts.

Carter had varying relations with his successors and predecessors, becoming particularly close to President Gerald Ford, creating the closest friendship with a fellow President since John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

Other Presidents who were active after their Presidency included John Quincy Adams, who served in the House of Representatives for nearly 18 years, and wrote a diary from age 12 to age 80.

Also, Martin Van Buren, Millard Fillmore, and Theodore Roosevelt ran for the Presidency after their terms in office.

William Howard Taft served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for nine years after his Presidency.

Also, Herbert Hoover and Richard Nixon, along with Bill Clinton and Barack Obama presently, have been active, but none on the level of Jimmy Carter.

Carter’s historical ranking is sure to rise from the mid 20s to the top one third over time, as his passing makes the true Carter scholarship ever more expansive in the next generation!

Death Of Jimmy Carter A Tragic Moment In US HIstory

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The news of the passing of Jimmy Carter at age 100 is a shock, even though it was clearly expected.

It brings this blogger and author to tears, which he has rarely had about public figures, with the exception of Hubert Humphrey in 1978 being an exception.

This was a most decent, compassionate, genuine man, who was never appreciated in his time in office, due to the difficult circumstances that would have plagued Gerald Ford, had he remained in office.

Carter was a victim of events that no one could have predicted or reacted to in a different way, despite what the critics say.

Due to the emotional state the author is in right now, I will write more about this tragic event in future days.

I will just say that it is fortunate that Joe Biden, a decent man like Carter, will be in charge of eulogies at his funeral, as Donald Trump, likely, would not even show up, or have anything decent to say about the contributions of the 39th President.

Carter, despite his shortcomings in office, is rated in the mid 20s among Presidents, while Donald Trump is rated in the bottom few, and often as the worst President in American history.

And despite coming back to power, Donald Trump is likely to add to his evil stature historically, and do great harm to American domestic and foreign policy in the next four years, putting America into a weakened position.

The tragedy of Carter’s death and Trump’s election will be seen as one of the greatest tragedies of American history in the long run.

Democrats Have Cleaned Up Republican Economic Messes Since 1953!

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It is amazing how Republicans have lied incessantly for the past 70 years about the economy under Democratic Presidents, when it is such Democratic Presidents who have revived the economy after Republican Presidents managed to preside over economic recessions.

John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson presided over economic prosperity in the 1960s, after three recessions under Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Jimmy Carter presided over an economic recovery from the Recession of 1974-1975 under Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, but sadly had to deal with another short lived, six months, recession in 1980, which was one of the factors, but not the most important, in his defeat, as the only Democratic President who had an economic decline since 1953.

Bill Clinton presided over an economic recovery from the recession under George H. W. Bush in the early 1990s, having a long period of economic prosperity.

Barack Obama presided over a long economic recovery from the Great Recession of 2008-2009 under George W. Bush, over 75 months from 2010-2017.

Joe Biden presided over revival of the American economy, from a great economic recession in office in 2020 under Donald Trump, a time of dramatic economic loss due to the Covid 19 Pandemic.

While there were moments of high inflation under Joe Biden due to the aftermath of the Pandemic, as with all Democratic Presidents, there was job growth, with most jobs created under them, and the percentage under Republican Presidents being very few under Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and the Bushes, and a massive job loss under Donald Trump.

These are economic facts, no matter what Donald Trump and Republicans claim to be the truth!

Kamala Harris Being Judged Differently Due To Race And Gender

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This entry is being revised from the original entry, which accidentally was deleted by the author, for which I apologize. I will be brief in summarizing my ideas on this entry with the same title, and anyone who had commented on the original entry, I would ask to submit a similar comment, and again, my apologies for the blunder, which has never happened before today, and will not happen again!

John F. Kennedy (Catholic); Barack Obama (African American); and Hillary Clinton (female), all faced discrimination and bias due to their uniqueness as Presidential candidates in 1960, 2008, and 2016, respectively.

In the first two cases, the issue of Catholicism and of race were overcome, while Clinton, although winning the popular vote by 2.85 million, was unable to win the Electoral College.

Now, Kamala Harris who is the second woman to seek the Presidency and has Asian Indian and African-Jamaican heritage, is facing critics who are claiming she is unqualified on intelligence and on abilities and knowledge, to occupy the Oval Office.

Harris has had more government experience than most Presidents, more than all Presidents since 1900, except for Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald Ford, and Joe Biden.

Harris is also much more intelligent than some Presidents, including Warren G. Harding, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump since 1900; and also more qualified to be President than some Vice Presidents who succeeded to the Oval Office, including Andrew Johnson and Calvin Coolidge.

So the negativism around Harris in some circles should be seen as not worthy of being considered, and hopefully, she will break the barrier as the first woman President in American history!

Having Opposition Party In A President’s Administration A Tradition!

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It is quite common for a President of one party to select a leading figure of the other party to be part of his Administration.

The number of examples abound, as follows:

John F. Kennedy appointed Republicans including:

Robert McNamara as Secretary of Defense
C. Douglas Dillon as Secretary of the Treasury
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr as Ambassador to South Vietnam

Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Republicans including:

John W. Gardner as Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr as Ambassador to West Germany

Richard Nixon appointed Democrats including:

Sargent Shriver as Ambassador to France
John Connally as Secretary of the Treasury

Gerald Ford appointed Democrats including:

Daniel Patrick Moynihan as Ambassador to the United Nations

Jimmy Carter appointed Republicans including:

James Schlesinger as Secretary of Energy
William H. Webster as Director of the FBI

Ronald Reagan appointed Democrats including:

Mike Mansfield as Ambassador to Japan
Jeane Kirkpatrick as Ambassador to the United Nations
William Bennett as Secretary of Education

George H W Bush appointed Democrats including:

Robert Strauss as Ambassador to the Soviet Union/Russia

Bill Clinton appointed Republicans including:

William Cohen as Secretary of Defense

George W. Bush appointed Democrats including:

Norman Mineta as Secretary of Transportation

Barack Obama appointed Republicans including:

Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense
Jon Huntsman Jr. as Ambassador to China
Robert Mueller as Director of the FBI
Ray Lahood as Secretary of Transportation
Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense

Donald Trump appointed Democrats including:

Gary Cohn as Director of the National Economic Council

Joe Biden appointed Republicans, including:

Christopher Wray as Director of the FBI
Jerome Powell as Chairman of the Federal Reserve
Jeff Flake as Ambassador to Turkey
Meg Whitman as Ambassador to Kenya

50th Anniversary Of Gerald Ford Becoming President

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In the midst of commemorations of the 50th Anniversary of the Richard Nixon resignation from the Presidency, not as much attention is devoted to the accession of Gerald Ford to the Presidency for the next two years, five months and 11 days, as the only President NOT elected President or Vice President.

Ford was approved to be Vice President under the recently enacted 25th Amendment to the Constitution, upon the resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew, arguably the most corrupt, scandalous, and obnoxious Vice President in the history of that office.

Agnew’s involvement in scandals, corruption, and in attacks on the news media and common decency, was horrifying, and it was a great sense of relief that he was forced out in October 1973.

The selection by the compromised President, Richard Nixon, at a time when the Watergate Scandal was metastasizing, was a relief as Ford, the House Minority Leader, was well respected and admired by members of the House of Representatives and the Senate in both political parties.

Ford conducted himself honorably as Vice President for about eight months from early December 1973 until his elevation to the Presidency on August 9, 1974.

And while Ford would lose election for a full term to Jimmy Carter in 1976, looking back on Ford, it seems clear that he has been underestimated in history, and deserves a better shake from the American people and Presidential scholars.

His wife, Betty Ford, was a major contributor to the history of First Ladies, often considered the “best” Republican First Lady of modern times.

While many would not agree with all of Gerald Ford’s views and stands on issues and policies, he comes across as the most decent Republican President in the past six decades!

JD Vance Joins Controversial List Of Republican Vice Presidential Candidates!

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The Republican Party is infamous for selecting controversial Vice Presidential candidates, and some of them end up elected and become true disasters.

This history goes back to Richard Nixon being selected by Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952, as Nixon was a promoter of the “Red Scare” even before the nation heard of Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy. While Nixon ended up having some positive aspects to his later Presidency, he was involved in the Watergate Scandal, leading to his resignation in 1974, but thank goodness with Gerald Ford as his successor.

Richard Nixon selected Spiro Agnew as his Vice President in 1968, and Agnew became extremely controversial in that office over nearly five years, coming to be known as “Nixon’s Nixon”, until he was forced out in 1973 for corruption charges, resigning and saving the nation from his potential Presidency.

George H. W. Bush selected Dan Quayle as his Vice President in 1988, and the nation had to pray for Bush’s good health, as Quayle came across as not very bright, amid concern that despite his ignorance and stupidity, that he might become President.

John McCain selected Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential nominee in 2008, but the nation was saved from this ignorant, not very bright, and divisive woman being a heartbeat away when Barack Obama won the Presidency over McCain.

And now, we have JD Vance in 2024, who is a “chameleon”, who has changed his views on Donald Trump, and now can be seen as a threat, based on his lies and deception, if Trump becomes President, and cannot finish his term. Vance’s right wing leanings connect him to the evils of the John Birch Society.

Vance is a backer of Project 2025, and wrote the preface for this 922 page document, and must be seen as “a clear and present danger” to American democracy and the rule of law!

JD Vance: Another Horrendous Republican Vice Presidential Nominee!

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The Republican Party, historically, has often selected horrendous Vice Presidential nominees, and unfortunately, some of them end up as Vice President, making one concerned even more than normally, about the health and safety of the Republican President.

JD Vance of Ohio adds to a list of such nominees, including:

William E. Miller, running mate of Barry Goldwater in 1964
Spiro Agnew, running mate of Richard Nixon in 1968 and 1972
Dan Quayle, running mate of George H. W. Bush in 1988 and 1992
Sarah Palin, running mate of John McCain in 2008

Also, others, such as Jack Kemp, running mate of Bob Dole in 1996; Dick Cheney, running mate of George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004; Paul Ryan, running mate of Mitt Romney in 2012; and Mike Pence, running mate of Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020, while all “qualified” and experienced, had many negative aspects to their candidacies.

The only exceptions one could claim were fully qualified and acceptable were Nelson Rockefeller as Vice President to Gerald Ford, and George H. W. Bush as Vice President to Ronald Reagan, and also Bob Dole as running mate of Gerald Ford in 1976.

And now we have JD Vance, who has only served 18 months as a Senator from Ohio, and who has completely changed his views on Donald Trump from what they were in 2016. And Vance comes across as a MAGA extremist who is unwilling to support Ukraine in its war with Russia; wants no exceptions for rape or incest with a total ban on abortion; and is clearly perceived as a “mini Trump”, who could carry on the Trump views in the future Republican Party.

And realize Vance called Trump a potential Adolf Hitler eight years ago, and now embraces him! If that is not a danger sign to voters, then such voters have no principles or conscience!

Project 2025: War On Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, FDA, Affordable Care Act

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This author and blogger will delineate over the next days and weeks just how destructive the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 would be if enacted, with Donald Trump fully aware of the details, despite his false claim that he has no knowledge of the ideas organized by his own supporters and allies.

Regarding basic social programs that have long existed, and are basic to the lives of tens of millions of Americans, Project 2025 promotes the following:

Privatization of Social Security
Raising the Retirement Age for Social Security
Cut Social Security benefits
Cut Medicare benefits
Repeal the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare)
Raise Prescription Drug Prices
Dismantle the Food and Drug Administration
Threaten Medicaid Coverage for hundreds of thousands of Americans
Privatize veterans’ healthcare
Reduce funding for public health programs

This is a declaration of war on Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive Era; Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal; Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society; the reforms promoted by Barack Obama and Joe Biden; and on the Democratic Party promoted reforms that became law under Republican Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and George H. W. Bush (all having to deal with Democratic controlled Congresses).

The Massive Dangers Of Project 2025 And The Heritage Foundation

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Project 2025, promoted by the Heritage Foundation, is a warning sign to America and the world!

It is an attack on everything decent that has occurred in the 20th and 21st century to expand democracy and freedom in America and the world at large!

If left to their evil intentions, the Heritage Foundation and its Project 2025 would repeal the reforms of the Progressive Era, the New Deal, the Great Society, the Obama-Biden reforms, and the massive efforts of Democrats to promote and pass significant reforms under Republican Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and George H. W. Bush.

The reason for some significant reforms under Republican Presidents was due to Democratic control of Congress, a situation that was not the case under Republicans Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump.

Over the next days and weeks, this author and blogger will make clear the massive threats and dangers presented by extremist right wing forces, which if enacted, would bring America back to the late 19th Century Gilded Age era!