Gerald Ford and the 1970s
Historian H.W. Brands looked at Gerald Ford in the context of the 1970s - when he served as House minority leader, vice president, and then president. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan, hosted this event.
www.c-span.org
I like HW Brands
Don't always agree, but he is a good historian - doesn’t make up bs
Here he is supposed to speak about Ford and the state of the nation he took over.
Wanders a little.
General idea:
Rugged individualism replaced by “government should help” in the 30’s, then a shift from “both parties have liberals and conservatives“ to “both parties play to the extremes” and that loss of belief that government is honest, trying to do their best, due to Vietnam and Watergate, was the tipping point.
Pentagon Papers
Supreme Court leaks
Classified papers in private places
Paranoia about them