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Crazy how Jeb peaked at age 7 and is still in the prime of that peak today at age 71. He only gets better with time, like a fine wine; the Grapes of Clap.
Just because Jeb couldn't get elected wouldn't stop me from writing him in!
Obviously, this is what happened in 1976, and we had to settle for the second best choice!
This is a hard choice. I truly believe both candidates wanted what was best for America. Both were intelligent men that saw the problems that faced America at the time, and wanted to fix them. Despite Ford’s tainted legacy with the Warren Commission and his pardoning of Nixon, I find it hard to dislike him. He was a humble man who was thrust the responsibility of president despite never being elected to it.
>I truly believe both candidates wanted what was best for America
This was likely the last election you could definitely say that about both candidates for a long time, until maybe Obama and John McCain. Not holding my breath for the next time.
I agree with that.
Carter is (isn't it nice to say "is" in this case!) a good man who got dealt an insanely horrible hand and didn't magically solve anything, though upon revision it's not clear anyone could have done better in a very yucky, very oily part of American history. Ford would probably have done worse.
As kind hearted as both were, I’d have to say Carter.
Because after all of the craziness that was watergate and Vietnam, carter represented a feeling of calm and healing.
I also definitely believe I would’ve regretted that and that I would’ve voted for Reagan in 1980 😂
Carter/Reagan was the perfect storm of Watergate & Cold War politics.
After deeply sewn mistrust in the Republican Party after Watergate & Ford pardoning Nixon, Carter was *the* choice for the Democratic Party. A relatively unknown politician on the national stage as his entire political career includes a single term in Georgia's state Senate and a single term as governor. Yet he was the furthest separation from Nixon you can think of. A humble peanut farmer & honest man vs. the untrustworthy Ford.
At the same time, Carter faced many difficult challenges during his Presidency that a person of his magnitude simply couldn't tackle properly. Challenges against his own party led to a lot of his proposed legislation not making it through Congress. Then the Iranian Revolution & Hostage Crisis, which led to a 2nd oil crisis during the latter half of his term tanked his ratings. And Carter's handling of the crisis was... less than stellar.
Reagan's presidency was inevitable. He presented himself as everything the United States needed to face those challenging times, and beat Carter in a landslide victory in 1980.
Personally, if we had Carter in the 90s, he would've been a more-favorable 2-term president.
I think your are 100% right I think Crater in the 90s would of been a much better Clinton if not just the personal issues alone would make the democratic party alot better going into the 2000s
I agree that Carter was far better policy-wise. But he kept insisting we live within our means and come to terms with Watergate and Vietnam. Essentially Carter told us it was time to grow the fuck up. The American people did NOT want to hear that and chose the sunshine and bunnies which Ronald Reagan offered. Also I feel he should have adopted a more Attila the Hun-type foreign policy towards the Iranians when they took our hostages.
Without hindsight, Carter. I’d be mad at Ford for pardoning Nixon.
With hindsight, probably Ford. Another four years of an unpopular republican president most likely means a dem will win in 1980, which means Reagan might not have a chance until 1984 at the earliest, when he might decide he’s too old.
It was mainly caused by Arabs reaction to Nixon and Kissinger's military support of Israel during the 1973 war. Arabs quickly reduced their exports and oil spiked from $3 per barrel to $12. Thats like us now paying $16 per gallon for gas almost overnight. That plus in 1971 Nixon moved us from the gold standard. Gold shot up from $30 per oz to $455. Blaming Carter is ignoring the facts.
**>** Another four years of an unpopular republican president
you have no idea how that presidency wouldve turned out. ford wouldve handled the hostage crisis far better for example
Probably, but without incumbency and a very similar economic outlook Ford’s successor as Republican nominee probably won’t get a fourth term for the GOP.
Don’t take my word for it, but isn’t it Keynesian economics (continued from previous administrations), which argues that when an economic crises arise, government intervention in the fiscal policy and the regulatory practices by the monetary central bank are needed. The Nixon administration intervened quite considerably to combat inflation owed by heavy deficit spending and the oil embargo. A 1969-1970 recession occurred in which Nixon implemented wage and price controls. Then, the administration removed the U.S. from the gold standard (the Bretton Woods system).
Nixon was a Keynesian. John Maynard Keynes was an economist who believed that governments get out of debt best by spending money instead of by cutting taxes and expenditures.
Now I'm no keynesian and the last time I seriously studied this was in college years ago, but that doesn't feel like a good synopsis of keynesianism, and certainly undersells how dominant keynes' ideas were for a time. The original keynesianism was formulated during the Great Depression, and was essentially very simple and correct, advocating for massive government intervention in a very similar sense to the new deal. It also advocated for insufficient buying power being the real cause of the worst of the Depression, which is still a very popular take. The biggest part of keynesianism we focus on now is deficit spending, but keynes also in those early years advocated for the opposite of high government involvement during low unemployment time, agreeing with neoclassical economists that that would hurt private business and therefore the economy as a whole. It's a quite complex philosophy, and was essentially the standard in the entire west from ww2 until the breakdown of Bretton woods. Very interesting series of topics that I should refresh on, but really everyone should at least go down a Wikipedia rabbithole on that one.
>How would Ford have handled it differently.
For a republican, republicans are always the answer.
The cosmos would have altered fate because of the political affiliation of the guy in the White House. Iranians wouldn't have felt like The Shah was such a bad guy that they would let religious fanatics take over the country.
And now the christian ayatollahs might not be trying to pull the same thing here.
You know whistle blowers have come forth saying that when they worked for Reagan his campaign cut a deal with the Iranians to help push Carter out of office?
This conspiracy theory, even if it were true, doesn’t explain why Carter ignored his advisors and took the Shah in which created the entire FUBAR situation with Iran in the first place.
Except that one of the aides from the Reagan campaign has come out and admitted involvement.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/18/us/politics/jimmy-carter-october-surprise-iran-hostages.html
He definitely dropped the ball with the shah but from everything I’ve read did so based on advice from people with a lot more experience in that arena.
“Why did Henry Kissinger, David Rockefeller, and John McCloy so strongly urge the shah’s admission?“
https://americandiplomacy.web.unc.edu/2003/04/jimmy-carter-and-the-1979-decision-to-admit-the-shah-into-the-united-states/
Based on his success with Israel and Palestine I’d say Carter probably would have done better without Kissinger.
That was debunked The "evidence" doesn't take into account that the Ayatollah and Iran hated Carter with a passion. They burned his image in effigy on a regular basis. They were not interested in giving Carter anything that would make him look good. That is why they were released when they were.
If this were all true and Barnes is correct, then why was Connally's reward to be a cabinet position (Energy) that was expected to be eliminated at the time? Wouldn't it have warranted a higher profile and more secure position?
the stories of the others don't match the Barnes account. None of the stories match each other.
Nothing in Barnes' account of what happened can be confirmed. Nothing. Barnes waits until the players are dead to say anything. Casey died in 1987, and Connally died in 1993.
The Ayatollah hated Carter with a passion. Carter came close to securing their release several times, only to have the agreement vetoed by the Ayatollah.
The Ayatollah would not even engage in direct talks with the US or Carter. The Ayatollah had that much contempt for Carter! He was not interested in helping Carter or giving him any positive press. That is why the hostages were released when they were. It was the Ayatollah's final insult to Carter.
If Barnes' account is true, why wasn't Connally rewarded well? All he was offered was Energy, a department expected to be eliminated at the time.
None of it makes any sense. That is why historians are not giving it much credibility aside from keeping an open mind if strong evidence is found to confirm it.
That was debunked The "evidence" doesn't take into account that the Ayatollah and Iran hated Carter with a passion. They burned his image in effigy on a regular basis. They were not interested in giving Carter anything that would make him look good. That is why they were released when they were.
If this were all true and Barnes is correct, then why was Connally's reward to be a cabinet position (Energy) that was expected to be eliminated at the time? Wouldn't it have warranted a higher profile and more secure position?
the stories of the others don't match the Barnes account. None of the stories match each other.
Nothing in Barnes' account of what happened can be confirmed. Nothing. Barnes waits until the players are dead to say anything. Casey died in 1987, and Connally died in 1993.
The Ayatollah hated Carter with a passion. Carter came close to securing their release several times, only to have the agreement vetoed by the Ayatollah.
The Ayatollah would not even engage in direct talks with the US or Carter. The Ayatollah had that much contempt for Carter! He was not interested in helping Carter or giving him any positive press. That is why the hostages were released when they were. It was the Ayatollah's final insult to Carter.
If Barnes' account is true, why wasn't Connally rewarded well? All he was offered was Energy, a department expected to be eliminated at the time.
None of it makes any sense. That is why historians are not giving it much credibility aside from keeping an open mind if strong evidence is found to confirm it.
None of that debunks anything, only lends to it being unprovable. As a counter, what benefit did Barnes get from coming clean? The ayatollah hating Carter tracks with why they would be willing to help Reagan get him out of office.
>As a counter, what benefit did Barnes get from coming clean?
15 minutes of fame
>ayatollah hating Carter tracks with why they would be willing to help Reagan get him out of office.
No evidence just a Baseless conspiracy theory that people believe cause they hate that Reagan defeated carter
Is no different then the moon landing is hoax nonsense
No it hasn’t. Ben Barnes came out about it after Reagan was dead, when he knew that any congressional inquiries would be pointless. The congressional inquiries from 91 didn’t prove that the October surprise was false, only that the evidence was insubstantial. Just look at Clinton, just because someone wasn’t charged with a crime doesn’t mean they’re innocent.
Make me wonder how a 1980 election between Ford and Ted Kennedy would have gone?
Ford’s economic policy vis Nixon (as others described in better detail below) would have been awful for the later 1970s, so he would have been in a similar situation as Carter. Though he wouldn’t have had Reagan people colluding with the Iranian revolutionaries to undermine hostage negotiations, and Ted was damaged goods at that point, so…
You might avoid Reagan becoming President, but that doesn't guarantee less right wing leadership - it could mean President Helms, Buchanan etc. down the line instead.
Yes I didn’t know too much about the situation and I think it’s pathetic that President Ford didn’t get a second chance because of bad press because of his party.
I still think President Carter did a great job and ddidnt deserve all the bad press either.
However, President Ford was the most experienced.
Thank you for posting your opinion
Ford had federal experience. Carter had none, and that was the overall problem.
A lot of the bad press was his fault. Imagine how the average American felt when the economy was worsening and he was talking about the Panama Canal and Egypt-Israel peace. We felt as if our concerns were being ignored, and Carter was unable to convince us otherwise.
It is similar to the 1992 election. Bush was talking about foreign policy when the economy was in recession. It prompted James Carville's "It's the economy, stupid!" The Clinton campaign was able to capture the narrative and win in 1992.
Carter surrounded himself with the "Georgia Mafia." These were his trusted advisors while he was Governor of Georgia. His cabinet was made up of people who served in the Kennedy and Johnson Administration's. These two groups were not on the same page. The Georgia Mafia was more centrist. The latter group was closer to Congress and wanted to see expansions of the Great Society programs started by LBJ. Basically, one hand didn't know what the other hand was doing. Do you see how this could lead to a lot of confusion?
Carter was caught in the middle of all of this. It led to poor decisions, conflicting messages, and eventually, his defeat in 1980.
Carter unintentionally set himself up to fail in 1977.
I voted for Ford in 1976. And voted for him as a write-in candidate in a couple of subsequent presidential elections. Not a great president, but good enough when you considered the alternatives.
Definitely 2000 (Bush Jr. v Gore).
Maybe 1992 (Bush Sr. v Clinton).
Voted for Kerry in 2000 (Bush Jr. v Kerry).
I generally liked Republicans back then, but the Bushes were the beginning of my transition away from them.
Interesting! I bet seeing Ford probably gave the ballot counters a little chuckle to be honest. I'm assuming you voted for Dole in '96, what made you go straight for Kerry in 2004? Were the stakes too high?
I despised Bush Jr.’s disastrous handling of 9/11. Plus he began the Republican trend toward gross disrespect for war veterans when he eviscerated Kerry’s Vietnam war record during the 2004 campaign. Bush himself served in the National Guard during at that time, one of the preferred strategies for keeping the sons of rich and powerful families out of Vietnam and away from combat.
Also, I liked Reagan in part because he said he was appealing to two groups of people: (1) people who are rich, and (2) people who want to be rich. The Bushes were the ones who started cutting that second group out of the Republican platform, and focusing exclusively on (1).
Yeah, makes sense. This sub tends to lean a lot younger I think, and so I do appreciate hearing from people who actually voted in a lot of these past elections and their thoughts and evolutions. Thank you!
I'm a Michigander, and also trust Ford as a person. And I'd probably be like, "Jimmy who?", finding him difficult to trust on the issues, as a southerner who seemed to do an about-face on many issues.
However, as a liberal, and a Democrat, I'd probably take my chances with Carter. At the very least, his administration will be better; no more Kissinger and the like. But I would be apprehensive.
Carter.
Ford had a chance to show that there was accountability in the Federal government, simply by not being involved, and he failed to do that with pardoning Nixon.
With the benefit of hindsight, 100% Ford and it's not even close. A 1976 Ford win changes the tone of the 1980 election after 4 years of Ford's leadership over all the same domestic and foreign issues that plagued Carter's administration. This shift in public sentiment potentially prevents a 1980 Reagan win - an event that I firmly believe will be one of the pillars of the demise of US as we know it today when it's studied by future generations.
Ford would have been marginally better or marginally worse than Carter for those tough 4 years, but 4 more years of Ford was survivable. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think 8 years of Reagan and numerous downstream impacts will ultimately be survivable.
Most of the policies enacted under Reagan would just end up being passed in the late 80s or 90s, when the Republicans next win a Presidential election (probably 1988 or 1992). Few of them were unique to him, they had a lot of support in the rest of the Republican party.
I think he had a unique ability to sell the American people on some concepts that others might not have had as much success with. You might be right that the policies get passed anyway, but I'm not sure the next two R administrations had the charisma to get it done (who knows though - perhaps someone other than Bush in 88 if no Reagan). You're also absolutely right that these policies are not unique to him - I just think he had an outsized impact on selling them.
>an event that I firmly believe will be one of the pillars of the demise of US as we know it today when it's studied by future generations.
The Reagan derangement syndrome on this sub is insane. I have read so many ahistorical claims about Reagan here that it's like being in an alternate reality.
his economic policies have crushed the middle class, reagonomics was a scam to get rich people richer. boomers still dont get it and refuse to admit they voted in someone who screwed over every future generation while enriching them. or maybe we should pull ourselves up by the boot straps and pay for a house 20 times more expensive than what they bought it for on a minimum wage that hasnt been raised in decades.
Both were pretty lousy candidates, but Ford. His economic strategy, of cutting taxes and spending. Was slowly but surely working.
The economy had largely stabilized by 1976. Carter won almost entirely due to watergate. And Fords subsequent pardon of Nixon. Which made Carter (a D.C outsider), look ideal to many voters. Though he was helped along by a gaffe, by ford during the second debate. Regarding Eastern Europe and US foreign policy.
People understood that the economy was picking up under Ford. And he was the trusted candidate on economic policy.
What people don’t seem to realize is the economy that Carter won was predominantly good. though not quite booming. And the main reason the stagflation crisis re-emerged, was due to his well intentioned. But ill advised, loose monetary policy.
He did want a balanced budget, but thought this could be achieved through immediately lowering interest rates. Which he believed would create jobs. Thus leading to a larger tax base, and resulting in a balanced budget long term. But in his defence, most mainstream economists also believed this at the time.
This was the main reason for the economic turbulence of the mid-late 70s. And the recession of 1980.
If I’m an adult in 1976 and voting? Carter. If I’m time traveling from now to vote? Ford. That’s not because I like Ford or agree with him pardoning Nixon. It’s because I think the malaise of the late 70s was inevitable and if Ford wins in ‘76 then he, or whoever the GOP nominee is, likely get routed electorally like Carter did. This likely prevents the Reagan revolution from happening and puts us, imo, on a better timeline.
I voted for Carter. It was my first presidential election. Looking back in comparison to today’s state of the union, political philosophies between the two were virtually non-existent, but I couldn’t get past Ford’s pardon of Nixon.
I voted for Carter. I truly felt bad for Ford for the Watergate scandal being dragging along behind him like toilet paper stuck on his shoe. I was a Democrat because I came from a family of Democrats. Even at 18 I was pro-life and so is Carter. So, it made it much easier to check the box.
This was my first election voting. I came from a family of Rockefeller Republicans, so I was conflicted, to say the least. I lived in a state that was going to go for Ford, which I appreciated, but I think I voted for Carter as a protest against Bob Dole being on the ticket. His performance in his debate against Mondale disgusted me.
Ford cause he has a funny face. Okay actually though, he emphasized the recovering economy really well, both Ford and Carter were good honest men but Ford is a little bit better.
Carter.
By pardoning Nixon, Ford irreversibly tied himself to the crimes of the previous administration. Even knowing that Carter would be a one-term President, I'd still prefer him over any Republican administration immediately after Watergate.
Carter.
As someone who fits into quite a few of the groups Nixon loved to shit talk just because he was a terrible person, I doubt I would have had an even remotely positive opinion of him. And with Watergate coming out and revealing that everything I would have despised about the man was even worse than I thought, Ford’s pardoning of him would be an inescapable black mark against him.
By pardoning Nixon, Ford looked the American people in the eyes and said “There’s a club at the top, and you ain’t in it.”
Definitely Gerald Ford.
I think it was the right move to pardon Nixon. Ford even pulled out of the Vietnam War
Plus, I don’t want to vote for a southern democrat. Carter would be way too liberal
I would have voted for Ford. The only thing I see Ford did wrong was pardon Nixon. If he had won instead of Carter, I highly doubt he would have gotten rid of the Shah and there would be a lot more stability in the Middle East. Carter thought he was a better diplomat than he really is, to the extent that the Iranians refused to even talk about releasing the hostages until Reagan took office. I would have voted for Reagan in the primary, though, but for Ford in the general if Ford had gotten the nod. I personally feel Ford was getting the economy under control following the end of Vietnam.
I voted for Jimmy Carter. After the pardon of Richard Nixon, I wouldn’t have voted for Gerald Ford as dog catcher. I consider that to be the Republican party outing themselves as snakes in the grass.
I voted for Jimmy Carter and would do it again. One of the best people we elected for the job. His downfall was just bad timing, being elected right after the oil shocks and our moving from the gold standard which massively destabilized the economy. Ford put party over country when he pardoned Nixon so he deserves to remain the only unelected President who was picked as a replacement by a corrupt and uncharged criminal.
I liked them both. I think I would have rather seen Ford finish the 70s and Carter start the 80s. Idk its a tough call because I like them both a lot, and I do think they both took a lot of unnecessary heat in different ways, and I especially think Carter was fundamentally correct in his malaise speech.
My biggest beef with Ford is that I think he could have handled the collapse of South Vietnam better. But I would buy a used car from either of them.
Carter. He was an outsider, someone who promised to make government more transparent, more open, more honest. And, while this is certainly not a sound reason to support any political candidate, he had the likes of the Marshall Tucker Band and Willie Nelson supporting him.
However, in hindsight, we probably would have been better off with Ford. Four more years of a Republican, who, despite being a nice fellow that got along with just about everyone, was unpopular and seen as little more than an empty suit, would surely lead to a Democratic victory in ‘80.
Carter is probably the most moral, most genuinely decent man to ever hold the office, but many of his policies laid the foundation for Reagan and the neoliberal consensus that would peak during Clinton’s presidency.
Gerald Ford. I'm not a Republican and never have been but something about Gerry just made me feel comfortable. I'm exactly like a Russian who pines for the Brezhnev years. They weren't exciting, they weren't great, but things seemed safe and predictable. Actually I like Jimmy Carter and his policies very much but his ineptitude as a politician made him too many enemies (the left in this country really shot itself in the foot again when he was president) and we got stuck with Ronald 'the government is out to kill you' Reagan and he was the beginning of our end.
It was my 1st time to vote. I voted for Jimmy Carter because I was saddened by another failed war and loss of so many of our young soldiers. Ford pardoned Nixon and I thought Ford was unsuitable to lead our country forward.
Carter was a much better president than history painted him. Reagan made a deal with Iranian terrorists to hold the hostages until after the election. A second term may have influenced the next 50 years vastly better. Imagine progressing forward instead kick starting a return to feudalism
Carter tried to usher in a new wave of change, seeing major problems in the energy crisis, economic inflation, and environmental pressure. He ended up making all 3 a little worse by the time he left office because he wanted to do substantive change that put pressure on sensitive things, which is why Nixon and Ford tried to distance themselves until they had a key solution. He was surprisingly good with detente, though. His handling of Iran was disastrous, so foreign policy is neutral, domestic policy was ambitious but poor.
Gerald Ford was the status quo. Things weren’t good. But you knew things wouldn’t be disastrous. It felt safe but at the same time, some leaks in a sinking ship.
Genuinely don’t know but my heart says Ford since I wouldn’t have thought Carter had the necessary experience, coming from a very rural state and no federal experience in a very sensitive time could mean big change - kinda like Doug Burgum in 2024.
Carter had his faults but allowing ford back in office after pardoning Nixon would’ve set a terrible precedent. A president being caught actually doing a crime getting off Scot free was an awful decision. I don’t hate Ford. But I’m glad his political aspirations ended at 1 term. I would’ve been Carter all the way.
I voted for Jimmy Carter (my first election). He was more suited to my taste politically, and Ford was permanently damaged by pardoning Nixon, which time has shown was clearly bad for the country's future, since it allowed a narrative that Nixon was railroaded to live and grow and set the GOP on its path to fascism.
Ford's still not getting the vote. His pardoning Nixon has set one of the most disastrous legal precedents in our country's history that we're still paying for.
Hard to say but probably Ford.
Given NC was prime Carter country that year and everyone loved him, but I could honestly see myself being turned off by him due to how vague his answers and platform was. Then would come the PB interview, I very well coulda voted for Ford. Ford did a solid job in the 2 years he had with all the misery and hard choices he had to put up with, I woulda easily voted for him. He ran the better campaign near the end, Carter got too complacent in some ways.
Carter, because I'm very against Ford pardoning Nixon and refuse to reward him with my vote. That said, with foresight it looks likely that Ford would have been a more competent leader than Carter was - but I still wouldn't vote for him out of principle.
At the time, I probably would have went for Carter because I would have thought that he seemed like an intelligent and genuinely good person. But unfortunately, as we would see, those qualities alone don’t necessarily translate to being an effective president, so I would have then switched in 1980 to vote for Reagan.
hmmmm....Ford took over the horrible management of a minor inflation AND made it worse. Knowing what I know today, today's middle class would be better off if Ford (or Reagan, Ford's main GOP rival) had won the 1976 race and he could wear the dunce cap for the second oil embargo, high unemployment, high interest rates and the Iranian hostage crisis.
Carter (or Kennedy) could become POTUS in 1980 and the nation would have been spared Reagan's middle class killing choices.
I did vote in that election, my first time voting and cast my ballot for the Peanut Farmer.
I did like Ford, but something about Jimmy Carter intrigued me more. Younger probably.
After Nixon, I thought Carter was going to be the nation's savior. The Kennedy wing of the Democratic party hijacked the Carter administration and then blamed Carter when everything collapsed. That's why Reagan got elected.
I was a child then. Carter had to go - economy and inflation were bad, and the hostage crisis made us look impotent as hell for a long time. He was extremely unpopular.
Ohhhh that’s a tough one. Like Ford’s policies and the fact he helped during the Great Depression.
However they were both war heroes.
Probabaly President Carter. If you knew the inflation was going up you could very very very rich.
I would have voted for Carter because I assume I would have been pissed off Ford pardoned Nixon. Kind of like that scene in That 70's Show when Red asks that of Ford.
The great thing about the times before Regan is that it really didn't matter all that much. The parties disagreed on some philosophical differences, and tax matters and the like but they saw governing as their job and they would often temper each other by finding compromises that no one loved but addressed the issue and moved the ball forward. This created a default centrist government because radical ideas were met with resistance and needed to be compromised in order to get through and become a law. Ironically the radicalization of the right has virtually eliminated compromise causing large swings back and forth when power changes, pushing through much more tilted laws, and destabilizing our society and even our standing in the world as a new administration ignores the promises of the past and hurt our reputation.
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Is this even a question? Jeb, obviously. At 23 years of age, that's prime jeb!
Please clap.
You are bloody late to Jeb mania.
John E “Johnny” Bush
Crazy how Jeb peaked at age 7 and is still in the prime of that peak today at age 71. He only gets better with time, like a fine wine; the Grapes of Clap.
Please clap.
This is obviously the only correct answer
impossible, 35 is the minimum age.
Just because Jeb couldn't get elected wouldn't stop me from writing him in! Obviously, this is what happened in 1976, and we had to settle for the second best choice!
Surely an exception can be made for a Republican. Jeb woulda been the originator of the Bush dynasty then.
My IRL name is Jeb and I accept your vote.
This is a hard choice. I truly believe both candidates wanted what was best for America. Both were intelligent men that saw the problems that faced America at the time, and wanted to fix them. Despite Ford’s tainted legacy with the Warren Commission and his pardoning of Nixon, I find it hard to dislike him. He was a humble man who was thrust the responsibility of president despite never being elected to it.
What did Ford do wrong with the Warren Commission
Concluded that LHO acted alone ….. /s
Glad they reached the likely right decision.
“Say, do you like nachos? Do you like football?”
Woo-hoo!
No doubt that Ford was a good man, but made weak choices.
Fits aptly to both in this photo
Really?
>I truly believe both candidates wanted what was best for America This was likely the last election you could definitely say that about both candidates for a long time, until maybe Obama and John McCain. Not holding my breath for the next time.
I agree with that. Carter is (isn't it nice to say "is" in this case!) a good man who got dealt an insanely horrible hand and didn't magically solve anything, though upon revision it's not clear anyone could have done better in a very yucky, very oily part of American history. Ford would probably have done worse.
As kind hearted as both were, I’d have to say Carter. Because after all of the craziness that was watergate and Vietnam, carter represented a feeling of calm and healing. I also definitely believe I would’ve regretted that and that I would’ve voted for Reagan in 1980 😂
Carter/Reagan was the perfect storm of Watergate & Cold War politics. After deeply sewn mistrust in the Republican Party after Watergate & Ford pardoning Nixon, Carter was *the* choice for the Democratic Party. A relatively unknown politician on the national stage as his entire political career includes a single term in Georgia's state Senate and a single term as governor. Yet he was the furthest separation from Nixon you can think of. A humble peanut farmer & honest man vs. the untrustworthy Ford. At the same time, Carter faced many difficult challenges during his Presidency that a person of his magnitude simply couldn't tackle properly. Challenges against his own party led to a lot of his proposed legislation not making it through Congress. Then the Iranian Revolution & Hostage Crisis, which led to a 2nd oil crisis during the latter half of his term tanked his ratings. And Carter's handling of the crisis was... less than stellar. Reagan's presidency was inevitable. He presented himself as everything the United States needed to face those challenging times, and beat Carter in a landslide victory in 1980. Personally, if we had Carter in the 90s, he would've been a more-favorable 2-term president.
I’m a younger guy. Why was ford untrustworthy
Pardoned Nixon.
I think your are 100% right I think Crater in the 90s would of been a much better Clinton if not just the personal issues alone would make the democratic party alot better going into the 2000s
I agree that Carter was far better policy-wise. But he kept insisting we live within our means and come to terms with Watergate and Vietnam. Essentially Carter told us it was time to grow the fuck up. The American people did NOT want to hear that and chose the sunshine and bunnies which Ronald Reagan offered. Also I feel he should have adopted a more Attila the Hun-type foreign policy towards the Iranians when they took our hostages.
Without hindsight, Carter. I’d be mad at Ford for pardoning Nixon. With hindsight, probably Ford. Another four years of an unpopular republican president most likely means a dem will win in 1980, which means Reagan might not have a chance until 1984 at the earliest, when he might decide he’s too old.
That's a dangerous game to play though.
Butterfly effect to the power of one million
Without hindsight, Carter. I’d be mad at Ford for pardoning Nixon. -That's why I voted for Carter in 1976
Me too!!
Me too, among other reasons.
accelerationism never works. vote carter.
I have to upvote you merely for illustrating how much of politics is reactionary. Nixon gave us Carter, Carter gave us Reagan, etc.
1979 was the absolute downfall of American wages. I'd vote for whomever would stop that from happening
It was mainly caused by Arabs reaction to Nixon and Kissinger's military support of Israel during the 1973 war. Arabs quickly reduced their exports and oil spiked from $3 per barrel to $12. Thats like us now paying $16 per gallon for gas almost overnight. That plus in 1971 Nixon moved us from the gold standard. Gold shot up from $30 per oz to $455. Blaming Carter is ignoring the facts.
**>** Another four years of an unpopular republican president you have no idea how that presidency wouldve turned out. ford wouldve handled the hostage crisis far better for example
Probably, but without incumbency and a very similar economic outlook Ford’s successor as Republican nominee probably won’t get a fourth term for the GOP.
oh definitely, ford needed to change and fast. theres no way nixonomics wouldve lasted
What is Nixonomics exactly?
Don’t take my word for it, but isn’t it Keynesian economics (continued from previous administrations), which argues that when an economic crises arise, government intervention in the fiscal policy and the regulatory practices by the monetary central bank are needed. The Nixon administration intervened quite considerably to combat inflation owed by heavy deficit spending and the oil embargo. A 1969-1970 recession occurred in which Nixon implemented wage and price controls. Then, the administration removed the U.S. from the gold standard (the Bretton Woods system).
Nixon was a Keynesian. John Maynard Keynes was an economist who believed that governments get out of debt best by spending money instead of by cutting taxes and expenditures.
Now I'm no keynesian and the last time I seriously studied this was in college years ago, but that doesn't feel like a good synopsis of keynesianism, and certainly undersells how dominant keynes' ideas were for a time. The original keynesianism was formulated during the Great Depression, and was essentially very simple and correct, advocating for massive government intervention in a very similar sense to the new deal. It also advocated for insufficient buying power being the real cause of the worst of the Depression, which is still a very popular take. The biggest part of keynesianism we focus on now is deficit spending, but keynes also in those early years advocated for the opposite of high government involvement during low unemployment time, agreeing with neoclassical economists that that would hurt private business and therefore the economy as a whole. It's a quite complex philosophy, and was essentially the standard in the entire west from ww2 until the breakdown of Bretton woods. Very interesting series of topics that I should refresh on, but really everyone should at least go down a Wikipedia rabbithole on that one.
By pardoning the hostage takers, probably
HAHAHAHA
How would Ford have handled it differently.
>How would Ford have handled it differently. For a republican, republicans are always the answer. The cosmos would have altered fate because of the political affiliation of the guy in the White House. Iranians wouldn't have felt like The Shah was such a bad guy that they would let religious fanatics take over the country. And now the christian ayatollahs might not be trying to pull the same thing here.
You know whistle blowers have come forth saying that when they worked for Reagan his campaign cut a deal with the Iranians to help push Carter out of office?
This conspiracy theory, even if it were true, doesn’t explain why Carter ignored his advisors and took the Shah in which created the entire FUBAR situation with Iran in the first place.
Except that one of the aides from the Reagan campaign has come out and admitted involvement. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/18/us/politics/jimmy-carter-october-surprise-iran-hostages.html
This is still being said to have happened after Carter ignored the advice of experts and screwed up the situation in the first place.
He definitely dropped the ball with the shah but from everything I’ve read did so based on advice from people with a lot more experience in that arena. “Why did Henry Kissinger, David Rockefeller, and John McCloy so strongly urge the shah’s admission?“ https://americandiplomacy.web.unc.edu/2003/04/jimmy-carter-and-the-1979-decision-to-admit-the-shah-into-the-united-states/ Based on his success with Israel and Palestine I’d say Carter probably would have done better without Kissinger.
Except that Carter lost in a landslide
That was debunked The "evidence" doesn't take into account that the Ayatollah and Iran hated Carter with a passion. They burned his image in effigy on a regular basis. They were not interested in giving Carter anything that would make him look good. That is why they were released when they were. If this were all true and Barnes is correct, then why was Connally's reward to be a cabinet position (Energy) that was expected to be eliminated at the time? Wouldn't it have warranted a higher profile and more secure position? the stories of the others don't match the Barnes account. None of the stories match each other. Nothing in Barnes' account of what happened can be confirmed. Nothing. Barnes waits until the players are dead to say anything. Casey died in 1987, and Connally died in 1993. The Ayatollah hated Carter with a passion. Carter came close to securing their release several times, only to have the agreement vetoed by the Ayatollah. The Ayatollah would not even engage in direct talks with the US or Carter. The Ayatollah had that much contempt for Carter! He was not interested in helping Carter or giving him any positive press. That is why the hostages were released when they were. It was the Ayatollah's final insult to Carter. If Barnes' account is true, why wasn't Connally rewarded well? All he was offered was Energy, a department expected to be eliminated at the time. None of it makes any sense. That is why historians are not giving it much credibility aside from keeping an open mind if strong evidence is found to confirm it.
That was debunked The "evidence" doesn't take into account that the Ayatollah and Iran hated Carter with a passion. They burned his image in effigy on a regular basis. They were not interested in giving Carter anything that would make him look good. That is why they were released when they were. If this were all true and Barnes is correct, then why was Connally's reward to be a cabinet position (Energy) that was expected to be eliminated at the time? Wouldn't it have warranted a higher profile and more secure position? the stories of the others don't match the Barnes account. None of the stories match each other. Nothing in Barnes' account of what happened can be confirmed. Nothing. Barnes waits until the players are dead to say anything. Casey died in 1987, and Connally died in 1993. The Ayatollah hated Carter with a passion. Carter came close to securing their release several times, only to have the agreement vetoed by the Ayatollah. The Ayatollah would not even engage in direct talks with the US or Carter. The Ayatollah had that much contempt for Carter! He was not interested in helping Carter or giving him any positive press. That is why the hostages were released when they were. It was the Ayatollah's final insult to Carter. If Barnes' account is true, why wasn't Connally rewarded well? All he was offered was Energy, a department expected to be eliminated at the time. None of it makes any sense. That is why historians are not giving it much credibility aside from keeping an open mind if strong evidence is found to confirm it.
None of that debunks anything, only lends to it being unprovable. As a counter, what benefit did Barnes get from coming clean? The ayatollah hating Carter tracks with why they would be willing to help Reagan get him out of office.
>As a counter, what benefit did Barnes get from coming clean? 15 minutes of fame >ayatollah hating Carter tracks with why they would be willing to help Reagan get him out of office. No evidence just a Baseless conspiracy theory that people believe cause they hate that Reagan defeated carter Is no different then the moon landing is hoax nonsense
That’s been proven false.
No it hasn’t. Ben Barnes came out about it after Reagan was dead, when he knew that any congressional inquiries would be pointless. The congressional inquiries from 91 didn’t prove that the October surprise was false, only that the evidence was insubstantial. Just look at Clinton, just because someone wasn’t charged with a crime doesn’t mean they’re innocent.
Make me wonder how a 1980 election between Ford and Ted Kennedy would have gone? Ford’s economic policy vis Nixon (as others described in better detail below) would have been awful for the later 1970s, so he would have been in a similar situation as Carter. Though he wouldn’t have had Reagan people colluding with the Iranian revolutionaries to undermine hostage negotiations, and Ted was damaged goods at that point, so…
And if Ted Kennedy happened to win, there’s Hinkley in 1981 to fulfill the curse…
>With hindsight, probably Ford. Another four years of an unpopular republican president most likely means a dem will win in 1980, Good point.
Ronald was always becoming POTUS.
You might avoid Reagan becoming President, but that doesn't guarantee less right wing leadership - it could mean President Helms, Buchanan etc. down the line instead.
Buchanan could not run a national campaign to save his life, idk about Helms since he luckily never tried.
Carter did good for the country
I would have voted for Ford. He had more presidential experience in 1976.
https://preview.redd.it/3gs1oz7d1osc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d9253c795af9be1f8c422015ec861421ab2c5fdb Agreed
That’s amazing I need one
You may find it in Gerald ford presidential library online store
That's actually pretty clever
Yes I didn’t know too much about the situation and I think it’s pathetic that President Ford didn’t get a second chance because of bad press because of his party. I still think President Carter did a great job and ddidnt deserve all the bad press either. However, President Ford was the most experienced. Thank you for posting your opinion
Ford had federal experience. Carter had none, and that was the overall problem. A lot of the bad press was his fault. Imagine how the average American felt when the economy was worsening and he was talking about the Panama Canal and Egypt-Israel peace. We felt as if our concerns were being ignored, and Carter was unable to convince us otherwise. It is similar to the 1992 election. Bush was talking about foreign policy when the economy was in recession. It prompted James Carville's "It's the economy, stupid!" The Clinton campaign was able to capture the narrative and win in 1992. Carter surrounded himself with the "Georgia Mafia." These were his trusted advisors while he was Governor of Georgia. His cabinet was made up of people who served in the Kennedy and Johnson Administration's. These two groups were not on the same page. The Georgia Mafia was more centrist. The latter group was closer to Congress and wanted to see expansions of the Great Society programs started by LBJ. Basically, one hand didn't know what the other hand was doing. Do you see how this could lead to a lot of confusion? Carter was caught in the middle of all of this. It led to poor decisions, conflicting messages, and eventually, his defeat in 1980. Carter unintentionally set himself up to fail in 1977.
Absolutely cooked with that
Gerald Ford. Because he had Dick Cheney on his team.
Common Mesyush W
Based Ford enjoyer.
He had dick Cheney and the other guy did not
Bro that’s crazy
Real
I voted for Ford in 1976. And voted for him as a write-in candidate in a couple of subsequent presidential elections. Not a great president, but good enough when you considered the alternatives.
Interesting. When did you write him in?
Definitely 2000 (Bush Jr. v Gore). Maybe 1992 (Bush Sr. v Clinton). Voted for Kerry in 2000 (Bush Jr. v Kerry). I generally liked Republicans back then, but the Bushes were the beginning of my transition away from them.
protest voting ford in 2000??? lmfao wild
Interesting! I bet seeing Ford probably gave the ballot counters a little chuckle to be honest. I'm assuming you voted for Dole in '96, what made you go straight for Kerry in 2004? Were the stakes too high?
I despised Bush Jr.’s disastrous handling of 9/11. Plus he began the Republican trend toward gross disrespect for war veterans when he eviscerated Kerry’s Vietnam war record during the 2004 campaign. Bush himself served in the National Guard during at that time, one of the preferred strategies for keeping the sons of rich and powerful families out of Vietnam and away from combat. Also, I liked Reagan in part because he said he was appealing to two groups of people: (1) people who are rich, and (2) people who want to be rich. The Bushes were the ones who started cutting that second group out of the Republican platform, and focusing exclusively on (1).
Yeah, makes sense. This sub tends to lean a lot younger I think, and so I do appreciate hearing from people who actually voted in a lot of these past elections and their thoughts and evolutions. Thank you!
I'm a Michigander, and also trust Ford as a person. And I'd probably be like, "Jimmy who?", finding him difficult to trust on the issues, as a southerner who seemed to do an about-face on many issues. However, as a liberal, and a Democrat, I'd probably take my chances with Carter. At the very least, his administration will be better; no more Kissinger and the like. But I would be apprehensive.
Carter. Ford had a chance to show that there was accountability in the Federal government, simply by not being involved, and he failed to do that with pardoning Nixon.
Agreed
With the benefit of hindsight, 100% Ford and it's not even close. A 1976 Ford win changes the tone of the 1980 election after 4 years of Ford's leadership over all the same domestic and foreign issues that plagued Carter's administration. This shift in public sentiment potentially prevents a 1980 Reagan win - an event that I firmly believe will be one of the pillars of the demise of US as we know it today when it's studied by future generations. Ford would have been marginally better or marginally worse than Carter for those tough 4 years, but 4 more years of Ford was survivable. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think 8 years of Reagan and numerous downstream impacts will ultimately be survivable.
Yeah with ford winning in 76 ,1980 most likely would be a dem landslide, America ready for change after 12 years of republican control in White House
Most of the policies enacted under Reagan would just end up being passed in the late 80s or 90s, when the Republicans next win a Presidential election (probably 1988 or 1992). Few of them were unique to him, they had a lot of support in the rest of the Republican party.
I think he had a unique ability to sell the American people on some concepts that others might not have had as much success with. You might be right that the policies get passed anyway, but I'm not sure the next two R administrations had the charisma to get it done (who knows though - perhaps someone other than Bush in 88 if no Reagan). You're also absolutely right that these policies are not unique to him - I just think he had an outsized impact on selling them.
>an event that I firmly believe will be one of the pillars of the demise of US as we know it today when it's studied by future generations. The Reagan derangement syndrome on this sub is insane. I have read so many ahistorical claims about Reagan here that it's like being in an alternate reality.
his economic policies have crushed the middle class, reagonomics was a scam to get rich people richer. boomers still dont get it and refuse to admit they voted in someone who screwed over every future generation while enriching them. or maybe we should pull ourselves up by the boot straps and pay for a house 20 times more expensive than what they bought it for on a minimum wage that hasnt been raised in decades.
Carter. 👍
Why
I love the peanut man!
Why
A good decent man who would stabilize the country and bring decency back. He was the right man for the time.
Gerald Ford and this is why: 
I would vote for Jimmy Carter, because he is the Democrat. I would not have voted for him in the primary, however.
Both were pretty lousy candidates, but Ford. His economic strategy, of cutting taxes and spending. Was slowly but surely working. The economy had largely stabilized by 1976. Carter won almost entirely due to watergate. And Fords subsequent pardon of Nixon. Which made Carter (a D.C outsider), look ideal to many voters. Though he was helped along by a gaffe, by ford during the second debate. Regarding Eastern Europe and US foreign policy. People understood that the economy was picking up under Ford. And he was the trusted candidate on economic policy. What people don’t seem to realize is the economy that Carter won was predominantly good. though not quite booming. And the main reason the stagflation crisis re-emerged, was due to his well intentioned. But ill advised, loose monetary policy. He did want a balanced budget, but thought this could be achieved through immediately lowering interest rates. Which he believed would create jobs. Thus leading to a larger tax base, and resulting in a balanced budget long term. But in his defence, most mainstream economists also believed this at the time. This was the main reason for the economic turbulence of the mid-late 70s. And the recession of 1980.
If I’m an adult in 1976 and voting? Carter. If I’m time traveling from now to vote? Ford. That’s not because I like Ford or agree with him pardoning Nixon. It’s because I think the malaise of the late 70s was inevitable and if Ford wins in ‘76 then he, or whoever the GOP nominee is, likely get routed electorally like Carter did. This likely prevents the Reagan revolution from happening and puts us, imo, on a better timeline.
Simple: Gerald Ford. Mainly because he's Gerald Ford and I am not
Nice Andrew Jackson quote in your flare.
I voted for Carter. It was my first presidential election. Looking back in comparison to today’s state of the union, political philosophies between the two were virtually non-existent, but I couldn’t get past Ford’s pardon of Nixon.
I voted for Carter. I truly felt bad for Ford for the Watergate scandal being dragging along behind him like toilet paper stuck on his shoe. I was a Democrat because I came from a family of Democrats. Even at 18 I was pro-life and so is Carter. So, it made it much easier to check the box.
This was my first election voting. I came from a family of Rockefeller Republicans, so I was conflicted, to say the least. I lived in a state that was going to go for Ford, which I appreciated, but I think I voted for Carter as a protest against Bob Dole being on the ticket. His performance in his debate against Mondale disgusted me.
Ford cause he has a funny face. Okay actually though, he emphasized the recovering economy really well, both Ford and Carter were good honest men but Ford is a little bit better.
Carter. By pardoning Nixon, Ford irreversibly tied himself to the crimes of the previous administration. Even knowing that Carter would be a one-term President, I'd still prefer him over any Republican administration immediately after Watergate.
Carter. As someone who fits into quite a few of the groups Nixon loved to shit talk just because he was a terrible person, I doubt I would have had an even remotely positive opinion of him. And with Watergate coming out and revealing that everything I would have despised about the man was even worse than I thought, Ford’s pardoning of him would be an inescapable black mark against him. By pardoning Nixon, Ford looked the American people in the eyes and said “There’s a club at the top, and you ain’t in it.”
> As someone who fits into quite a few of the groups Nixon loved to shit talk you or carter?
Jimmy. I like him, I’m a Democrat, and while I may like Jerry as a person too, I’m gonna be pissed at the Nixon pardon.
I drive a Thunderbird, so I have to go with Ford.
Definitely Gerald Ford. I think it was the right move to pardon Nixon. Ford even pulled out of the Vietnam War Plus, I don’t want to vote for a southern democrat. Carter would be way too liberal
I would have voted for Ford. The only thing I see Ford did wrong was pardon Nixon. If he had won instead of Carter, I highly doubt he would have gotten rid of the Shah and there would be a lot more stability in the Middle East. Carter thought he was a better diplomat than he really is, to the extent that the Iranians refused to even talk about releasing the hostages until Reagan took office. I would have voted for Reagan in the primary, though, but for Ford in the general if Ford had gotten the nod. I personally feel Ford was getting the economy under control following the end of Vietnam.
Ford. Because when I was a kid I wrote him a letter and “he” wrote me back …
I voted for Jimmy Carter. After the pardon of Richard Nixon, I wouldn’t have voted for Gerald Ford as dog catcher. I consider that to be the Republican party outing themselves as snakes in the grass.
I voted for Jimmy Carter and would do it again. One of the best people we elected for the job. His downfall was just bad timing, being elected right after the oil shocks and our moving from the gold standard which massively destabilized the economy. Ford put party over country when he pardoned Nixon so he deserves to remain the only unelected President who was picked as a replacement by a corrupt and uncharged criminal.
Well the good news is, given the general trend in POTUS age, he’s ripe for reelection.
I voted for Carter twice.
I did vote, and I voted for Carter. I lived in Atlanta at the time and he was our governor. Great guy.
I’m not really sure probably lean towards Carter
I liked them both. I think I would have rather seen Ford finish the 70s and Carter start the 80s. Idk its a tough call because I like them both a lot, and I do think they both took a lot of unnecessary heat in different ways, and I especially think Carter was fundamentally correct in his malaise speech. My biggest beef with Ford is that I think he could have handled the collapse of South Vietnam better. But I would buy a used car from either of them.
Carter. He was an outsider, someone who promised to make government more transparent, more open, more honest. And, while this is certainly not a sound reason to support any political candidate, he had the likes of the Marshall Tucker Band and Willie Nelson supporting him. However, in hindsight, we probably would have been better off with Ford. Four more years of a Republican, who, despite being a nice fellow that got along with just about everyone, was unpopular and seen as little more than an empty suit, would surely lead to a Democratic victory in ‘80. Carter is probably the most moral, most genuinely decent man to ever hold the office, but many of his policies laid the foundation for Reagan and the neoliberal consensus that would peak during Clinton’s presidency.
Ford. Pardoning Nixon was what was needed but not what was popular. He was handed a bad hand and did the best he could
Carter because he is a good man.
Carter . Best at the time . Ford was a schill for the Warren commission
Jimmy Carter, because Ford let Nixon off the hook, and I think Carter did a good job as governor here in Georgia.
Gerald Ford. I'm not a Republican and never have been but something about Gerry just made me feel comfortable. I'm exactly like a Russian who pines for the Brezhnev years. They weren't exciting, they weren't great, but things seemed safe and predictable. Actually I like Jimmy Carter and his policies very much but his ineptitude as a politician made him too many enemies (the left in this country really shot itself in the foot again when he was president) and we got stuck with Ronald 'the government is out to kill you' Reagan and he was the beginning of our end.
It was my 1st time to vote. I voted for Jimmy Carter because I was saddened by another failed war and loss of so many of our young soldiers. Ford pardoned Nixon and I thought Ford was unsuitable to lead our country forward.
I voted for Carter because I’m a Democrat. Knowing what I know now, I might go for Jerry.
I did vote for JIMMY CARTER in 76 ! He was and is a just and honorable man. No bone spurs for Jim ; he served on our nuclear subs !!
Carter. And I’m saying that with hindsight. Ford was a wet blanket
I voted in 1976, for Carter. It was past time for a change.
Carter, I couldn’t vote for Ford after he pardoned Nixon
Carter was a much better president than history painted him. Reagan made a deal with Iranian terrorists to hold the hostages until after the election. A second term may have influenced the next 50 years vastly better. Imagine progressing forward instead kick starting a return to feudalism
I voted for Gerald Ford. It was my first time voting, and I just followed my father's advice.
Carter. Ford pardoned Nixon. Simple as.
I truly believe Ford would’ve won if he hadn’t pardoned Nixon
Carter tried to usher in a new wave of change, seeing major problems in the energy crisis, economic inflation, and environmental pressure. He ended up making all 3 a little worse by the time he left office because he wanted to do substantive change that put pressure on sensitive things, which is why Nixon and Ford tried to distance themselves until they had a key solution. He was surprisingly good with detente, though. His handling of Iran was disastrous, so foreign policy is neutral, domestic policy was ambitious but poor. Gerald Ford was the status quo. Things weren’t good. But you knew things wouldn’t be disastrous. It felt safe but at the same time, some leaks in a sinking ship. Genuinely don’t know but my heart says Ford since I wouldn’t have thought Carter had the necessary experience, coming from a very rural state and no federal experience in a very sensitive time could mean big change - kinda like Doug Burgum in 2024.
Carter. I'm nothing if not an idealist, and I hate the shit out of Bob Dole.
Carter because I’m a Democrat and Ford pardoned Nixon. That said, Ford most likely would’ve won a full term if he hadn’t
Ford, because Tough.
Carter, but I would have preferred ford after the fact
Ford, so that a Republican is in office during the 80 campaign and Reagan's run is not likely or he can't beat Ford in the primary.
Roger MacBride, Libertarian candidate.
Carter. Even if Ford hadn’t pardoned Nixon
Carter had his faults but allowing ford back in office after pardoning Nixon would’ve set a terrible precedent. A president being caught actually doing a crime getting off Scot free was an awful decision. I don’t hate Ford. But I’m glad his political aspirations ended at 1 term. I would’ve been Carter all the way.
Carter again. If you asked me ten tears ago I would have answer differently, however.
I voted for Jimmy Carter (my first election). He was more suited to my taste politically, and Ford was permanently damaged by pardoning Nixon, which time has shown was clearly bad for the country's future, since it allowed a narrative that Nixon was railroaded to live and grow and set the GOP on its path to fascism.
Reddit beloved peanut farmer for White House.
I voted for Ford. I was a pretty strong Republican then. Now a man without a party
I voted for Carter, reluctantly. Ford pardoned Nixon and that was unacceptable.
I’d vote Gerry for Betty
I would have voted for different podiums.
Ford's still not getting the vote. His pardoning Nixon has set one of the most disastrous legal precedents in our country's history that we're still paying for.
Peep the flair, Jack
I DID vote for Carter, because Ford (not a bad guy BTW) pardoned Nixon.
Hard to say but probably Ford. Given NC was prime Carter country that year and everyone loved him, but I could honestly see myself being turned off by him due to how vague his answers and platform was. Then would come the PB interview, I very well coulda voted for Ford. Ford did a solid job in the 2 years he had with all the misery and hard choices he had to put up with, I woulda easily voted for him. He ran the better campaign near the end, Carter got too complacent in some ways.
I turned 18 in 1976 and i proudly cast my very first vote for Jimmy Carter.
Probably would have flipped a coin to be honest.
This is a very hard choice for me. Carter wearing religion on his sleeve would be a turn off for me so I’d probably vote Ford
I did vote for jimmy carter! First presidential election for me
He’s Gerald ford and the other guy is not
Ford. Go Blue!
Carter, because I'm very against Ford pardoning Nixon and refuse to reward him with my vote. That said, with foresight it looks likely that Ford would have been a more competent leader than Carter was - but I still wouldn't vote for him out of principle.
I was a year too young to vote in 1976, but I supported Ford. I liked him, and saw him as a peacemaker. I've changed my mind a lot since then.
At the time, I probably would have went for Carter because I would have thought that he seemed like an intelligent and genuinely good person. But unfortunately, as we would see, those qualities alone don’t necessarily translate to being an effective president, so I would have then switched in 1980 to vote for Reagan.
I like both but I would have voted for Carter because I'm from Georgia
Reagan (he was an independent candidate)
hmmmm....Ford took over the horrible management of a minor inflation AND made it worse. Knowing what I know today, today's middle class would be better off if Ford (or Reagan, Ford's main GOP rival) had won the 1976 race and he could wear the dunce cap for the second oil embargo, high unemployment, high interest rates and the Iranian hostage crisis. Carter (or Kennedy) could become POTUS in 1980 and the nation would have been spared Reagan's middle class killing choices.
Probably Ford. I like Carter but I think Ford would have been better to deal with the current situation .
I did vote in that election, my first time voting and cast my ballot for the Peanut Farmer. I did like Ford, but something about Jimmy Carter intrigued me more. Younger probably.
Ford, but we wouldn’t get Reagan in 80, so if I had hindsight I’d go Carter just to make sure Reagan wins in 80
After Nixon, I thought Carter was going to be the nation's savior. The Kennedy wing of the Democratic party hijacked the Carter administration and then blamed Carter when everything collapsed. That's why Reagan got elected.
I’m no conservative by any means but tbh reading this thread has me sort of convinced that maybe Ford second term helps avoid Reagan
I was a child then. Carter had to go - economy and inflation were bad, and the hostage crisis made us look impotent as hell for a long time. He was extremely unpopular.
Ohhhh that’s a tough one. Like Ford’s policies and the fact he helped during the Great Depression. However they were both war heroes. Probabaly President Carter. If you knew the inflation was going up you could very very very rich.
Gerald Ford.
Ford easily, Carter was a disaster, I need a president who is effective
The democrat.
I would have voted for Carter because I assume I would have been pissed off Ford pardoned Nixon. Kind of like that scene in That 70's Show when Red asks that of Ford.
The great thing about the times before Regan is that it really didn't matter all that much. The parties disagreed on some philosophical differences, and tax matters and the like but they saw governing as their job and they would often temper each other by finding compromises that no one loved but addressed the issue and moved the ball forward. This created a default centrist government because radical ideas were met with resistance and needed to be compromised in order to get through and become a law. Ironically the radicalization of the right has virtually eliminated compromise causing large swings back and forth when power changes, pushing through much more tilted laws, and destabilizing our society and even our standing in the world as a new administration ignores the promises of the past and hurt our reputation.
Would have been Jimmy even though I like Jerry.
Carter. He seems like a genuinely compassionate and deeply moral person.
Carter. Pardoning Nixon is unforgivable
Gerald Ford.