Your First Thought?
When you heard that President Ford had passed away, what was the first thought that ran through your mind?
Perhaps it was selfish and disrespectful but I’ll be painfully honest. My first thought was, Oh god, we’ll not hear about anything else but this for the next week or longer. The memories of the never ending Reagan tribute in 2004 are still fresh in my mind.
Another thought but unrelated to the President’s death. If it is true that you are what you eat, I am now officially a turkey.
Perhaps it was selfish and disrespectful but I’ll be painfully honest. My first thought was, Oh god, we’ll not hear about anything else but this for the next week or longer. The memories of the never ending Reagan tribute in 2004 are still fresh in my mind.
Another thought but unrelated to the President’s death. If it is true that you are what you eat, I am now officially a turkey.
posted by pissed off patricia at 1:00 AM
42 Comments:
I sort of thought the same thing...with a few twists on it. I thought of his stumble-bumbling around. I thought of his pardon of Nixon...and why he shouldn't have done that. Nixon's hand should have been held to the fire so that those who would follow in his footsteps...would know that they would not be above the law. Things could be different today (possibly) if that little act of a pardon had not occurred.
I must be the stuffing! IT was so good this year!
My first thought was that he was the last decent Republicunt, but that's not necessarily true.
Hey, POP, Make sure that your beloved Cowboys kick some Lions booty this weekend.....we really need the #1 draft pick.
Funny thing is, my first thought was "The Win Button".
Does anyone remember them?
Ford had the Whip Inflation Now motto going and everyone was sporting these pin-on buttons that read, W.I.N.
My second thought was of Chevy Chase falling as he decorated an Xmas tree on Saturday Night Live (Chase always played Ford on the opening of the show, and he'd always fall over something and then yell, "Live From New York, It's Saturday Night!").
First thought... So what.
Second thought.... More money wasted putting his ass away while others starve to death.
My first thought? How soon until we see the helicopters taking off from the roof of the American Embassy in Baghdad for the last time, a la Saigon?
I've been wondering how every president suddenly becomes great at his death. Nothing against Ford, he did a tough job at a tough time and he did it competently, but he was never a great president. Of course, compared to Bush Jr., he was a freaking genius (but then compared to Bush Jr. aren't we all?)
Bet those fuckin' Republicans give Ford a state funeral and then deny Carter one when his time comes.
I thought about when he took office. My mom was a political junkie who absolutely despised Nixon, and she made my sister and me watch the Watergate hearings, etc. All we wanted to do was watch Scooby Doo. I remember when Nixon resigned and Ford took over, I thought, "Oh great, I can forget about cartoons for the next freakin week!"
I am now a cookie.
My first thought was what I thought back then. We caught a bye. He could have been a creep-we didn't elect him, but he did better than I thought he could. The news reports keep saying his pardon of Nixon lost him the election. I think NIXON lost him the election. I also heard a quote from him yesterday:"It's time to put the Golden Rule back into government." Yeah, I wish.
Living in Grand Rapids (home of his Prewsidential Museum), the local media is working itself into a frenzy anticipating the media circus to follow Ford when his body comes here to be laid to rest. Much of downtown will be inaccessable due to the plethora of media trucks that will be blocking main roads.
On the other hand, I heard a clip from an interview of two years ago with Ford who stated he wouldn't have invaded Iraq based on the evidence that the public knew at the time (which all turned out to be lies), something that no other former president has come out and said.
My first thought was "What a shame." I have always thought Ford was a very decent guy, and while he was a repub and I was a big Carter supporter, didn't ever think of him as the asshole I've generally thought the repug preznit candidate was. It's ironic to me that he and Carter ran against each other - they are the only 2 presidents in my lifetime that I considered genuinely decent men.
I didn't like him or hate him. I was glad he was in there instead of Nixon, and glad that Nixon went out with the public shame that he deserved. I don't even blame Ford for pardoning him. I imagine there was a great deal of pressure on him to do that. I really don't feel anything about him or his death. It's not a tragedy. He got to have a long and full life.
My first thought? Where's Olbermann - I'd just turned on the television to watch Olbermann, and there was the news.
Dear POP,
Thanks for bringing this up. Three things about Jerry stand out for me:
1) The pardon of Nixon. If Nixon had been indicted and convicted it would have healed the Nation and served as a deterrent to similar crimes. A quick resolution was a good idea, Ford should have punished Nixon with imprisonment.
2) The Ford Administration was a breeding ground for Neo-Cons and contributed to the corruption and illegal war we suffer from today. Rumsfeld and Cheney had positions of power in the Ford regime. The pardon emboldened these men to commit crimes.
3) The Reagan challenge for the 1976 Republican Presidential nomination and the raise of campaign dirty tricks, slander and smear as the tools of the Neo-con hijacking of American politics. After losing to Ford, Reagan gave a speech at the convention which contributed to Ford losing to Carter and the Neo-cons taking over the Republican party.
I think it's very important that Bushrumeney be investigated, impeached, convicted and imprisoned for their crimes.
peace, peter
ps: you'll never guess what i'm doing today; jury duty!
My first thought was that the golf courses are now just a little bit safer.
I had the same first thought, PoP. The voracious news cycle during the Christmas season had nothing but Santa and reindeer stories for days. There's nothing like a dead president to help them switch gears. Nothing else is going on in the world, is there? My second thought- oh yeah, that jerk pardoned Nixon.
Turkey ditto.
My first thought was he was 92 and died, why the hell is my Grandmother still hanging on? So yea I was selfish. As for Reagan, I never understood them raving about him. The 80's were tough times from my point of view. I worked two part time jobs and had no health insurance. What the hell was so great about that union buster?
"The bastard who pardoned Nixon" was exactly the first thing that popped into mind.
My first thought was, "Wow -- and James Brown just died the day before. Damn, who's next?"
My second thought was, "Ford still beats the hell out of Bush"...
My first thought was of the intro to the "X-Presidents" cartoon from Saturday Night Live, where Ford shouts out a dull-witted "HEY!" and proceeds to tie up the villain with lightning speed... although that has very little to do with what he did as president.
After that, I thought about pardoning one of the bigger jerks in American history. When Kinky Friedman writes in his amusing detective novels about sitting on the dumper and "taking a Nixon", I always get a good laugh. And to think, Ford actually PARDONED the guy... what a load of crap.
I also tend to think of what Beachblogger said, about Ford's administration being a good breeding ground for neocons.
I like to believe Ford did the best job he could with what tools he brought to the job, that is, he didn't do a particularly good job because he wasn't really made of presidential material. And of course what he have now is just the same, but on a monumentally larger scale.
That said, I would take Ford, Bush Sr., even Reagan over Dubya in a heartbeat.
Let's get the funeral over and done with, and move on. At least we won't have to hear about why we should replace FDR with Ford on the dime, put Ford on Mt. Rushmore, or have a building named after Ford in every county in the U.S., as we have heard about Reagan. Ford isn't the object of worship that Reagan is, so instead of months, the Ford funeral should only last weeks (I understand Dumbya has ordered flags be flown at half mast for something like 30 days... for Reagan, I'm surprised he didn't order them half-mast permanently.)
What occurred to me was humanity should grant a posthumous pardon to Ford for legally excusing Nixon of his offenses and then demand the current criminal regime be turned over to the World Court for prosecution.
Global crimes demand universal justice which supercedes a nation's sovereignty. Mass murderers like Bush talk about a world economy but conveniently hide behind the U.S. Constitution which they've rigged whenever it suits their purposes.
Peace,
Cosmic
Whip Inflation Now.
Yeesh.
But that's what I always think of when someone mentions Ford. Second thing is his falling down and/or plunking people with golf balls. Third thing is pardoning Nixon.
My thought was - the guy was so dull that he couldn't possibly get any duller. Proved me wrong, didn't he?
I really did have a thought. Then today, I read about an ex-Marine by the last name of Sipple who was gay but in the closet. He helped save Ford's life during the assasination attempt in San Francisco. He begged the press not to out him, his mother did not know. Harvey Milk and other gays thought this was the best way to show the world that gays are good people too, and they pressured the press to write that Sipple was gay. It ruined his life. I thought, how sad? How sad is that?
I'm with beachblogger: Ford personally may have appeared benign and decent, but according to people who have dug into his history, he was a vicious sort in Congress, and a warmonger behind the scenes while president, thanks to those unmentionable assholes he let out into the sunlight, Rummy and Cheney.
Go read Red State Son's piece about him.
I am slowly turning to fudge, starting at my ankles...
"When you heard that President Ford had passed away, what was the first thought that ran through your mind?"
Now that the last surviving member of the Warren Commission is dead, perhaps we can have a real investigation of the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
I didn't really realize he was that old, had he'd been younger being a replubican wouldn't have mattered I'd of traded him for Bush anyday. Nixon had an x in his name that was a good sign he either had his fingers crossed behind his silver tongue or time out for his bad behavor, then there's Bush he can't hide out much longer, and with all the talk about Ford wouldn't have us in Iraq I do believe Bush cringes with us all looking down our noses at him, he should be titled 'The Burning Bush'
I agree on your first thoughts, there. BTW, I am not mourning this man that pardoned Nixon and effectively shut down the Watergate investigation. Call me callous.
And I am a steer. Had beef roast for Xmas as a change of pace from Thanksgiving.
And HC, I think you are stuck with Dubya as no one wants him around. Sorrryyyyyyy
bwahahahahhah
Reporters report what draws audiences. The American Presidency is an institution, and one of the most powerful positions in the world. We don't need to respect the men who hold the office, but we should all respect the office. If the perople of the past didn't, we would not be where we are today. State funerals are part of the office and our history.
I hasve seen daily, less newsworthy events reported and beaten to death. Amen
My thoughts were exactly the same as yours. I rolled my eyes when the local news announced that we were a nation in mourning. Give me a break!
No turkey here, just fudge. So that makes me a near comatose sugared out chocolate chick.
Wow, 35th comment! AG is late, very late.
I thought it was a real shame. I liked seeing all the former presidents lined up. It reminded me of happier times.
Then, after hearing it a few times I listened to Dum Dum talking about it. I thought to myself, will anyone ever say as nice things about him as he did about Mr. Ford? I hope not because it would be a lie.
"Mr. Late to the party again...:)"
You must have been listening to me think!! Hopefully, you hit the mute button when we go to bed....:)
I thought the same thing. "Shit! There goes cable for a week!" I don't think it's selfish; I think it's an honest appraisal of our "press." I watched at least an hour a day since his death was announced, as he is from my home state. It wasn't the nonstop coverage that bothered me so much, as it was the superficial nature of that coverage! He served in the House for years....yet I saw the same video clips over and over....him being sworn in after Nixon left....heard the same shallow talking head chatter...the first President never elected....endlessly!!
It is my honest belief that our MSN is a worse enemy than Bush. That ass will be gone in two years. The MSN....(:
Well this is the first I have admitted it...but my first thought was just about exactly like yours. My second thought was "I'd rather hear about James Brown!" My third thought was "f*** it, I'm not turning on the TV for the rest of the week." (and I haven't, so far)
It was kind of a sad moment, since he was an honorable man, who history will be kinder to in remembrance than the pundits of his own time were in evaluating his tenure. And then my next thought was that "the trifecta" was now complete (Brown-Stanton-Ford). I also wondered if France was going to burst into flames next (SNL reference).
I first heard about it and then directly heard Woodward's report that he said that the W, Rove and Co was wrong to go into Iraq. He may be the first of a growing number of sane GOP types at his stature to say so. I was thinking, thank goodness, but why did he have Woodard wait?
This is VERY selfish, but I live less than 1/2 mile from the hospital where they took his body. I worked at Eisenhower Medical Center for many years and my partner works there now. Because we're locals here, we are used to the media frenzy that has accompanied President Ford's recent decline in health. When I heard that he had died, my FIRST thought was, "I wonder how much extra time I need to allow for traffic to get to the Credit Union."
The Nixon pardon. That'll define Ford's presidency in the public mind just as surely as it did during the election in 1976.
Just as Vietnam defined Johnson's administration.
Just as Iraq will define Bush's. Which is just what he wanted.
So he gets it.
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