Gerald Ford, as “Political Healer?”

Have you noticed a “healed” nation of the U. S., at any time, especially at the height of cultural and political turbulence during the early ‘70s?

I sure haven’t, and I’ve been paying pretty close attention. Then why is recently deceased, former President, Gerald Ford being widely proclaimed as the person who “healed a nation,” profoundly fractured by political incompetence and corruption? By pardoning Nixon and overseeing the wind-down of the Vietnam debacle, Ford healed something? I think not.

What Ford did was to temporarily scab over this nation’s basic political crisis, by disconnecting Nixon’s fate from public accountability, and by disaffirming the U. S.’s commitment to saving its face in Indochina.

Nothing ever healed, it all has simply simmered and percolated, roiled and blistered up to these very days. Can you tell?

Now, Ford was quite a decent fellow and a credible representative, a great family-man and a talented pillar of responsibility. But to portray his impact on U. S. politics as one of some “national healing,” is fundamentally inaccurate.

He was a “Mr. Smith”-type of politician, chosen to plug the deep wound of Spiro Agnew’s resignation (under criminal investigation), not a pure political magician.

If anything finally, sort of, turned the page on those days (but with no truly meaningful healing having been accomplished), it was Ford’s (fairly close) 1976 loss to the fresh and colorful, Gov. Jimmy Carter, who came out of nowhere to attempt to signal or stimulate some post-’60s nature of improved public trust in its political system.

The most fascinating aspect of Ford’s legacy is that he held the two top national posts, being elected to neither. His demeanor and style calmed the political atmosphere for a few years, and laid groundwork for some manner of bi-partisanship. After all, if Republicans were in the majority, Ford would probably have been Speaker of the House. Ford had the political experience and skill to knit together a certain level of collaborative endeavor within the Congress, and he appeared as a common-sense sort of kind Uncle-Gerry figure to (some of) the populace.

But to call Ford a “political healer” is utter nonsense. Perhaps, if this nation had been forced to better face and understand its political demons at that point in time, it wouldn’t now be standing (soon to kneel) knee-deep in blood over in Iraq.

The genuine political and cultural lessons of Vietnam were never learned, because the political / economic apparatus that funds our slushy and slimy system desired to find a way to forget and avoid, to distract and deny.

Ford sure didn’t fix those basic problems. Rather, he may have been a key part of them.

When such a person passes away, it’s good to remember them and hopefully value their presence and authentic contributions. Nationalistic sentiments and convenient myths can become strong cultural currents, however. It is in the best interests of all to keep our political tales and national narratives within critical perspective and interpretation.

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