Would Gerald Ford have been a successful President if elected in 1976?

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

He would've definitely been better than Carter. By '76 he'd stood up to some of the prevailing detente conventional wisdom & would've been much more prepared than Carter as of January 20th, 1977. Carter took about two years to get some sense, a learning curve Fird had the advantage of having had in his first term. Hell, he'd probably be more popular with the Democratic-controlled Congress than Carter the outsider ever was.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

He would've definitely been better than Carter. By '76 he'd stood up to some of the prevailing detente conventional wisdom & would've been much more prepared than Carter as of January 20th, 1977. Carter took about two years to get some sense, a learning curve Fird had the advantage of having had in his first term. Hell, he'd probably be more popular with the Democratic-controlled Congress than Carter the outsider ever was.

While I oppose detante as much as everyone, I don't think it would have been a good idea to confront the Soviets in the 70s when our army was only number one in doing smack.
I have to agree about congress, though. It is far easier to unite barely reformed segregationists with strong conservatives that it is to united barely reformed segregationists with New Left pinkos.

Beyond that, Ford had experience with Congress. He'd already been forced to piss off the Democrats in Congress and would likely be more willing to unite upon a second term. Carter, meanwhile, was caught between Republicans and liberal Democrats, and with the Democrats being such a large group, it was natural that they'd easily split, especially with the situations Carter faced.