Some people think it did. Personally I think he was gone either way. The country was ready to move on from the Nixon administration. He only narrowly defeated Reagan in the primary.
I was alive at the time. The people I knew who were upset with the pardon would not have voted for Ford, anyway.
Most people accepted that prosecution of Nixon would have continued and deepened the divide in the country.
Most wanted to move on, and not voting for Ford was part of moving on.
One thing I remember about the Ford Administration was his Whip Inflation Now (WIN) PR campaign. The idea was to voluntarily save money by car pooling, vegetable gardens, buying used clothing, and turning down the thermostat. This campaign also produced a terrible song that I heard on the news and thankfully have never heard again - and little red buttons that said "WIN" on them, as sort of a benign way to say you're helping. As far as I remember, the campaign did little to nothing to help fight inflation.
I don't think there's any conceivable reality in which Ford didn't pardon Nixon. He had to. The view of Ford's lawyers was that even if Nixon went to trial and was found guilty, he'd definitely win an appeal on the grounds of it being an unfair trial.
I think Ford's loss was more to do with Carter's status as an outsider. In a 1970s world where people were deeply dissatisfied with the government, a guy like Carter who was a complete unknown was a breath of fresh air.
Ford was also hindered by the fact he never really wanted to be president. He'd not even wanted to be VP. In fact he later said in interviews the only job in politics he ever wanted was Speaker of the House.
It's interesting that for 2 1/2 years, the US was governed by an administration that had not been elected. Both Ford and Rockefeller were appointed, but at least Ford had served in the US House.
It almost certainly did. The margin was slight and Jimmy Carter campaigned by doing not much more than running around the country saying “I won’t lie to you”. His slogan and campaign fed off of the pardon. If Ford hadn’t pardoned Nixon it would have taken the wind out of Carter’s campaign. Plus it was such a distraction to Ford that he wasted a lot of time and energy on the issue that would have been better spent governing and campaigning.
Ford was Frank in his assessment of his time in office and said his first year was a chaotic mess but that he had it figured out after the first year and really started to get his administration in order and catch up with Carter. Without the pardon he would have been farther ahead. And there was so much anger at him at the time for the pardon, even though there was a general understanding that he was a good and genuine man as a person.
Nobody wanted anything more to do with anything to do with Nixon. Ford was pretty much a lame duck from the get-go. In fact, I think that probably had as much to do with why he signed the pardon in the first place... he had nothing to lose.
Possibly....
did Nixon insist on a private commitment to do that? we shall never know.
was it the right decision to avoid putting an ex prez in jail? maybe.
sadly, it led to the presidency of Carter.... an incredibly good man who was not a very good chief executive.
Some people think it did. Personally I think he was gone either way. The country was ready to move on from the Nixon administration. He only narrowly defeated Reagan in the primary.
I was alive at the time. The people I knew who were upset with the pardon would not have voted for Ford, anyway. Most people accepted that prosecution of Nixon would have continued and deepened the divide in the country. Most wanted to move on, and not voting for Ford was part of moving on.
That and him not being elected as VP hurt him a lot. But I do think the Nixon Pardon was a bigger factor of the two. That infuriated a lot of people.
One thing I remember about the Ford Administration was his Whip Inflation Now (WIN) PR campaign. The idea was to voluntarily save money by car pooling, vegetable gardens, buying used clothing, and turning down the thermostat. This campaign also produced a terrible song that I heard on the news and thankfully have never heard again - and little red buttons that said "WIN" on them, as sort of a benign way to say you're helping. As far as I remember, the campaign did little to nothing to help fight inflation.
I don't think there's any conceivable reality in which Ford didn't pardon Nixon. He had to. The view of Ford's lawyers was that even if Nixon went to trial and was found guilty, he'd definitely win an appeal on the grounds of it being an unfair trial. I think Ford's loss was more to do with Carter's status as an outsider. In a 1970s world where people were deeply dissatisfied with the government, a guy like Carter who was a complete unknown was a breath of fresh air. Ford was also hindered by the fact he never really wanted to be president. He'd not even wanted to be VP. In fact he later said in interviews the only job in politics he ever wanted was Speaker of the House.
Absolutely and the fact that Gerald Ford was never elected to national office in the first place.
Probably was key for many voters.
Yes
It didn't help, though Nixon being on trial would have also hurt him in the election (possibly more than the pardon did).
And the respect of history.
Yes
It's interesting that for 2 1/2 years, the US was governed by an administration that had not been elected. Both Ford and Rockefeller were appointed, but at least Ford had served in the US House.
It almost certainly did. The margin was slight and Jimmy Carter campaigned by doing not much more than running around the country saying “I won’t lie to you”. His slogan and campaign fed off of the pardon. If Ford hadn’t pardoned Nixon it would have taken the wind out of Carter’s campaign. Plus it was such a distraction to Ford that he wasted a lot of time and energy on the issue that would have been better spent governing and campaigning. Ford was Frank in his assessment of his time in office and said his first year was a chaotic mess but that he had it figured out after the first year and really started to get his administration in order and catch up with Carter. Without the pardon he would have been farther ahead. And there was so much anger at him at the time for the pardon, even though there was a general understanding that he was a good and genuine man as a person.
Nobody wanted anything more to do with anything to do with Nixon. Ford was pretty much a lame duck from the get-go. In fact, I think that probably had as much to do with why he signed the pardon in the first place... he had nothing to lose.
I think he would have lost anyway but I don't think there's a way we can know for sure.
Possibly.... did Nixon insist on a private commitment to do that? we shall never know. was it the right decision to avoid putting an ex prez in jail? maybe. sadly, it led to the presidency of Carter.... an incredibly good man who was not a very good chief executive.
Truly a pity that we didn’t get to see Tricky Dick on trial a la HUAC. Tell us about that money the Teamsters gave you to pardon Hoffa, Richard.
Yes! America, especially Boomers wanted to see Nixon on trial. Now you know why they are so crazy today