Nixon, Ford, and the conservatives

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I'm reading Sean Wilentz's "The Age of Reagan" right now which begins with Ford taking the Oath of Office and ascending to the presidency. It mentions how the Right had grown to power under Nixon but how Ford intended to govern the nation from the center. While Nixon certainly looks more conservative, was much more personally conservative, and appealed more to conservatives, when you look at the policies of the respective administrations, it looks as if Ford governed to the Right of Nixon. Nixon had allowed the Democrats to practically have a free hand in domestic affairs and signed numerous amounts of liberal legislation. He promoted detente and from what I remember even cut the military budget. Ford on the other hand weakened Kissinger's influence by taking away his post at the NSA. Ford increased defense spending and his new Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was one of the more conservative voices in the cabinet. As well, Nixon handled inflation through wage and price controls while Ford's attempts involved the simultaneous cutting of spending and raising of taxes. As well, numerous Neo-Conservatives, while they may have had help under Nixon, really rose to power under Ford, including of course Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney.

So what are your thoughts on who was more conservative, liberal, moderate, whathaveyou, and how they governed?

[afleitch]

As a conservative, the last time the GOP were to me genuinely conservative was during the Nixon/Ford administration. Whether Ford was to the 'right' of Nixon is generally a moot point as both tended to be pragmatists. Ford gave an endorsement to the ERA as President which continued that positioning for example. On tax he had initially favoured a tax increase and targeted spending cuts to reduce the deficit (as Thatcher would eventually do over here in 1980) but was arm twisted into making rather pointless tax cuts.

Ford was an amazing President and a Reagan-less GOP without pandering to the religious right would have been a far better party

[Vote UKIP!]

I think you're assessment is generally correct, Cathcon, about Ford generally being to the right of Nixon. Nixon, compared to other Republican Presidents in the last half of the 20th Century (Eisenhower, Ford, Reagan, both Bushes), Nixon was fairly left of centre, but not by much.

The ERA was founded under Nixon's watch.

He introduced price controls which he had opposed during the New Deal.

Nixon was fairly progressive on civil rights.

http://hnn.us/articles/5331.html

He reached out to Communist China.

Although, in many ways, Nixon could be categorized as a cultural conservative - not necessarily a social conservative, he was almost a progressive president.

Closer to a One-Nation Conservative or Red Tory.

[Michaelf7777777]

Yeah no doubt in my mind that in terms of actual policy Ford was to the right of Nixon (although in terms of rhetoric Nixon was to the right of Ford). Nixon signed the creation of the EPA, openned up relations with China and proposed (before it was doomed by Watergate) healthcare legislation which was very similar to Obamacare.

Nixon's conservative rhetoric was part of his Southern strategy to get Southern whites (who were usually conservative) to desert the Democrat party and join the Republican party.

I think I'd sum up Ford as a moderate and Nixon as a man who spoke like a conservative but acted like a liberal.

[General White]

Id consider Nixon a Social Conservative and Economic Progressive well id consider Ford a Moderate. Ford was to the right of Nixon on economics but Nixon was to the right of Ford on social issues. Nixon was a Pro-Worker/Pro-Big Government/Safety Net Conservative.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Nixon was mostly a moderate.  He was fiscally conservative and socially moderate/liberal for his time, so he was in his party's majority for that period.  Ford was similar ideologically, but was probably more moderate overall.