Remembering Gerry Ford...

The Public Television retrospective last night on the life of Gerry Ford opened with his swearing in as President in the Oval Office. On that warm sunny July day I was a member of the crowd that had gathered outside the White House. My friend Betty and I listened to the swearing in on a small transistor radio.

Like many Americans, I experienced a sense of relief that the Nixon years were over. I had a personal reason to rejoice over the departure of "tricky Dick." After his reelection, the Nixon people set about waging war on LBJ's War on Poverty. I was a casualty of their efforts.

One more thing. The pundits are saying Gerry Ford was defeated in the Presidential Election because he pardoned Nixon. My recollection is that people were just sick of the Republicans. Much the same way as a lot of people are feeling at this time.