July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Gerald Ford and the GOP (12/29/06)
Editorial
It's hard to reflect on the life of the late Gerald Ford and not wonder how comfortable he was in today's Republican Party.
We're not referring to the local Republican Party, of course. But at the national level and - increasingly - at the state level, today's GOP is a far more narrow party than it was when Ford served in Congress.
Every thumbnail of the former president sketches him out pretty much the same way: A fiscal conservative, a centrist, and an internationalist.
He was capable of compromise, but he stuck to his principles as well, particularly when it came to government spending.
His record of vetoes is proof enough of that.
But even when he served as president, it's worth remembering that Gerald Ford wasn't considered conservative enough by some in his own party.
His pragmatic centrist approach irritated those for whom ideology was paramount.
Keep in mind that Ronald Reagan, standard-bearer of the conservative movement, launched a challenge to Ford when he was a sitting Republican president.
Years later, of course, when Reagan was in the White House, there were those who wondered if Ronnie himself was conservative enough.
Today, in an echo of the times when conservative Democrats felt adrift, it's not uncommon to find lifelong Republicans uncomfortable with the rhetoric and policies of those dominating the debate.
Gerald Ford, we suspect, was in that category. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
We're not referring to the local Republican Party, of course. But at the national level and - increasingly - at the state level, today's GOP is a far more narrow party than it was when Ford served in Congress.
Every thumbnail of the former president sketches him out pretty much the same way: A fiscal conservative, a centrist, and an internationalist.
He was capable of compromise, but he stuck to his principles as well, particularly when it came to government spending.
His record of vetoes is proof enough of that.
But even when he served as president, it's worth remembering that Gerald Ford wasn't considered conservative enough by some in his own party.
His pragmatic centrist approach irritated those for whom ideology was paramount.
Keep in mind that Ronald Reagan, standard-bearer of the conservative movement, launched a challenge to Ford when he was a sitting Republican president.
Years later, of course, when Reagan was in the White House, there were those who wondered if Ronnie himself was conservative enough.
Today, in an echo of the times when conservative Democrats felt adrift, it's not uncommon to find lifelong Republicans uncomfortable with the rhetoric and policies of those dominating the debate.
Gerald Ford, we suspect, was in that category. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
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