CARTER AND THE

PRESIDENCY
Ben Owens
On Ford
Jimmy Carter was no fan of Gerald Ford. As we all know, Ford took over for Nixon upon
his resignation. This inherently meant that Fords presidency would have a cloud
hanging over it, especially considering he pardoned Nixon. Carter believed that Ford
lacked leadership skills and perceived him as weak. He thought others did as well.
In a debate preceding the presidential election of 1976, Carter pulled no punches in
telling Ford exactly how he felt about him:

And the last point I want to make is this. Mr. Ford Mr. Kissinger have continued on with
the policies and failures of Richard Nixon. Even the Republican platform has criticized the
lack of leadership in Mr. Ford. And they criticized the foreign policy of this administration.
This is one instance where I agree with the Republican platform. And I say this in closing,
and that is as far as foreign policy goes, Mr. Kissinger has been the president of this
country. Mr. Ford has shown an absence of leadership and an absence of a grasp of
what this country is and what it outta be. Thats gotta be changed, and that is one of
the major issues in this campaign of 1976. (1, See last slide for link to video)
On Ford
It is clear that Carter was less than fond of Fords presidential style.
There are several factors that likely played into this.
First off is that Ford pardoned Nixon. It is not a particularly bold, or rather strong, move
to pardon the man you served under as Vice President. From an optics perspective it
looked weak, and realistically it is weaker in terms of presidential behavior than
prosecuting Nixon to the full extent of the law. Carters belief that Ford was weak
stemmed from Fords actions. Pardoning Nixon did not earn Ford any praise at the time,
even if views of that act have shifted in recent years. By pardoning Nixon, Carter saw
Ford as lacking leadership skills. It is no wonder he attacked Ford by calling him weak.
(2)
Another factor was the prominence of Henry Kissinger. Kissinger was a hugely influential
figure during the Nixon administration, and remains one to this day. Due to this tie to
the Nixon administration, it was easy for Carter to paint Ford as Kissingers whipping boy
who took orders and displayed no real leadership. You know how late night talk show
hosts used to make for of Bush because Cheney was the real president? Or how
currently they say Bannon is running the show? That is similar to the way Carter views
Kissingers relationship with Ford. (3)
On The Presidency
Well, I think it was also Kierkegaard who said that every man is an exception. And the multiplicity of responsibilities
that a President has, the same issues that our Nation has to face, I think, causes some lack of a central focus quite
often.
We're dealing with the question of a strong national defense, some concern about the good intentions of potential
adversaries like the Soviet Union on the one hand. At the same time we are struggling valiantly to find common
ground on which we can assure peace between us and better friendship and a minimization of the distrust.
We, at the same timewe're with SALT, are trying to bring peace to the Mideast, to Cyprus, to Namibia, to
Rhodesia, to Nicaragua, exerting a leadership role in our country that the rest of the world sometimes expects. And
then, of course, on domestic issues, they are so broadtrying to have a strong farm economy, increase exports,
stabilize prices with an anti-inflation program, meet the necessary demands of many interest groups in our Nation
who are quite benevolent. So, to bring some tightly drawn, simplistic cohesion into this broadly diverse responsibility
is almost impossible.
I think in some cases previous Presidents have had their thrust identified with a simple slogan only in retrospect. I
know that Roosevelt's New Deal was identified well into his term, and when he used the expression in a speech, he
had no idea that it would categorize what he'd brought to the country. So, I think that only when an administration
is looked at in maybe at least a recently historical perspective can you get a central theme.
We are trying to restore trust in government. We're trying to have enhancement of world peace, focusing on
human rights, and at the same time exemplify what I tried to express in the campaign, and since I've been in
office, as well, that my party and what I stand for is a proper blending of both compassion and competence.
In the past we've not been able to bridge that gap adequately. I think we've made a step in the right direction,
but how to bring one or two phrases or a slick, little slogan to identify an administration in its formative stage or
even in its productive stage is almost impossible. (4)
On The Presidency
It is obvious that Carter is a thoughtful, nuanced man who took the presidency very seriously.
The previous quote was given 18 months into his presidency, and was in response to a
question that accused the Carter presidency of lacking a theme, or a sense of coherence.
(4)
Carters response perfectly displays how he viewed the presidency. He understood the
gravity of the responsibility he had. By listing the numerous (perhaps endless is a better word)
problems and issues the President had to oversee, he was expressing that he fully knew the
immense pressure presidents are under. Unlike other presidents, he chose to embrace the
multitude of struggles he faced, rather than coining a defining slogan and sticking to one
problem area.
Carter did not believe that a presidential term could be properly defined unless looked back
upon with some historical perspective. He shows this by bringing up FDR and the New
Deal. Carter explains that FDR was not attempting to label his time as president under the
New Deal mantra. Rather, that label was given after some time to reflect on what FDR
had actually accomplished. Carter understood that the presidency is such a complex job
with so vast a pool of responsibilities that it could not be properly defined unless examined
later down the road.
I think we've made a step in the right direction, but how to bring one or two phrases or a
slick, little slogan to identify an administration in its formative stage or even in its productive
stage is almost impossible.
On The Presidency
Nixons resignation and Fords presidency clearly shaped the way Carter viewed his
term.
It is undoubtedly true that Nixons actions and Fords pardon of Nixon for those actions
eroded public trust in Government. Carter the first president to be free of major ties to
the Watergate scandal, and he was fully aware of the pressure this put on him.
We are trying to restore trust in governmentwhat I stand for is a proper blending of
both compassion and competence.
Carter saw himself as tasked with saving the legitimacy of the office of the President.
He believed that in order to regain public confidence he had to focus on maintaining
an open administration the exemplified compassion and competence.
He took a number of steps acting on the belief that the presidency must be respected:
Mr. Carter understood that, after Watergate, trust in government needed to be
restored. He imposed gift limits and financial disclosure rules on his appointees; slowed
the revolving door of officials departing to lobby their former departments; and
appointed inspectors general to root out fraud and mismanagement. (5)
Carters belief that the presidency should be a respectable office that acted in good
faith and served the American public is exemplified in those actions.
Aside
Something that is just as interesting as the way Carter viewed his term is the way he has
viewed his post-presidency. His post-presidency gives us insight into his motivations as
President.
Carter is a devoted activist. He has become a diplomat, brought in to help precarious
situations. He advocates for developing nations. He has even taken steps to help
eliminate deadly diseases and parasites globally.
He did lead a quiet life after left office. Rather, he continued to work hard and try to
help people. While he may not have had a second term, the accomplishments he has
made since his first are still quite extraordinary. (6)
From this knowledge it is easy to put together a pretty clear picture of the way Nixon
viewed the presidency. He was a hard worker who believed that the President held an
incredibly amount of responsibility, including ensuring the public kept its faith in
governmental institutions. He believed in helping, and did not stop simply because he
lost his reelection campaign.
Cheers to you, Jimmy.
Sources
1. "Jimmy Carter- Debate with President Gerald Ford (Foreign and Defense Issues) (October 6,
1976)." YouTube. YouTube, 20 July 2010. Web. 28 June 2017.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfBKQxhlRi4>.
2. Roberts, Joel. "Nixon Pardon Defined Ford Presidency." CBS News. CBS Interactive, 27 Dec.
2006. Web. 28 June 2017.
3. Dallek, Robert. "The Kissinger Presidency." The Hive. Vanity Fair, 06 June 2016. Web. 28 June
2017.
4. "Jimmy Carter: Interview With the President Question-and-Answer Session With Bill Moyers of
the Public Broadcasting Service. - November 13, 1978." The American Presidency Project.
N.p., n.d. Web. 28 June 2017.
5. Eizenstat, Stuart E. "Jimmy Carter's Unheralded Legacy." New York Times. N.p., 25 Aug. 2015.
Web. 28 June 2017.
6. Dillon, John. "The Record-Setting Ex-Presidency of Jimmy Carter." The Atlantic. Atlantic
Media Company, 09 Sept. 2012. Web. 28 June 2017.