Gerald Ford vs. Jimmy Carter: Who has your vote?

[darklordoftech]

Ford. Ford was a fiscal conservative when we needed one while Carter taught the Democrats that DINOism is a winning strategy and paved the way for Reagan.

[darklordoftech]

Still Carter.

Keep Bob Dole in Kansas, keep Cheney, Kissinger, and Rumsfled as far away from any kind of power as possible

I wouldn't say that Carter's victory achieved any of those other than Kissinger.

[darklordoftech]

Both are FFs, its really tough for me to say who I would pick with or without hindsight. Perhaps without hindsight, in 1976, I would have picked Carter, even though Ford was my kind of Republican. But with hindsight, maybe Ford, because as it was said above, maybe that would mean no President Reagan.

Yes. If Ford is elected in 1976, it either:

A) Means the moderate faction of the GOP stays intact and the conservative rise is delayed a few years and a moderate Republican (perhaps Bush) is to succeed Ford in 1980.

or

B) Means a Liberal Democrat, or at worst a centrist Democrat (but more to the left than Carter) wins in 1980 due to Republican fatigue

Either way, likely no Reagan in 1980. A Ford victory doesn't give him the ability to say "see, moderate Republicanism is a dead-end street."

What would probably happen is that a Democrat would succeed Ford in 1980 and get re-elected in 1984 and then in 1988 Bush would run on his 1980 platform rather than a Reaganite platform.

[darklordoftech]

The candidate who supported the Equal Rights Amendment, didn't consider ketchup a vegetable, didn't use the phrases "welfare queen" or "states' rights", didn't tell tobacco farmers that he supported them, considered the war on drugs a low priority, and defeated Reagan in a primary has my vote.

[darklordoftech]

Even without hindsight, it was clear that Ford was the anti-Reaganites' last hope. Also, Ford didn't attack school busing in his campaign while Carter did.