An Ordinary Man Quotes

“Periodically the discussion was interrupted as Ford was called away to the nearby Roosevelt Room to greet foreign diplomats arranged in regional groupings. With each departure and subsequent return the men around the table stood. "Sit down, sit down-SIT DOWN," Ford finally blurted out. "How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Mr. President," replied John Byrnes, "we're not standing up because you're Jerry Ford; we're standing up because you're the President of the United States of America." At that moment, as described by another Ford intimate, "he knew things were going to be different.”
― Richard Norton Smith, An Ordinary Man: The Surprising Life and Historic Presidency of Gerald R. Ford

“Another call was to Tip O'Neill, who wondered if his wife, Millie, was included in the invitation to Friday's oath taking. "She is now," said Ford. The Democratic majority leader shared with his Republican friend some comments he intended to make drawing a distinction between their close personal relationship and their "diametrically opposed" political philosophies. "That's fine, Tip," Ford responded. He knew he could count on him for advice and assistance. Seizing the opportunity, O'Neill urged Ford not to consider a Democrat for vice president in his pursuit of national unity: "This country doesn't work that way." Ford thanked him for his candor.

"Christ, Jerry[,] isn't this a wonderful country?" chortled Tip O'Neill. Here we can talk like this and you and I can be friends, and eighteen months from now I'll be going around the country kicking your balls in.”
― Richard Norton Smith, An Ordinary Man: The Surprising Life and Historic Presidency of Gerald R. Ford

“Americans reeling from the fall of Saigon, coupled with the highest unemployment rate since 1941, might be forgiven for believing they had exchanged their long national nightmare for what columnist George Will branded the Unromantic Presidency, a skin graft that had yet to take. Nine months after the East Room inaugural, Gerald Ford was broadly acknowledged for his personal integrity and political moderation-admirable qualities to be sure, especially in contrast to his recent predecessors, though hardly likely to inspire ardent loyalty. To millions of his countrymen, Ford was a character actor attempting a leading man's part. If he had a base, he rarely played to it. Indeed, his avowed aim of restoring public confidence in government institutions shredded by Vietnam and Watergate was incompatible with partisan zeal. To social conservatives in his own party the president appeared a room-temperature centrist stamped indelibly with the consensus-seeking brand of Capitol Hill. At the other end of the political spectrum, lunch pail Democrats, no less than their McGovernite brethren, glimpsed in Ford's economic policies the shade of Herbert Hoover. ”
― Richard Norton Smith, An Ordinary Man: The Surprising Life and Historic Presidency of Gerald R. Ford

“Ford was asked to identify any qualities that were “especially disabling” for the job. Weighing his words carefully, he told MacNeil, “The one that came to mind was arrogance. That’s a terrible characteristic for a President. Fortunately an arrogant person will most unlikely ever be elected, but if you had an arrogant President—and I mean in a vicious way—God help the country.”
― Richard Norton Smith, An Ordinary Man: The Surprising Life and Historic Presidency of Gerald R. Ford

“Yet Harlow hadn’t forgotten Dwight Eisenhower’s view of Congress as “the worst recruiting ground for presidential candidates.” Legislators were taught to value the art of compromise, said Ike, no doubt a useful political skill, but incompatible with the decisiveness required of any executive.”
― Richard Norton Smith, An Ordinary Man: The Surprising Life and Historic Presidency of Gerald R. Ford

“The key to [the Ford Administration],” explained Bill Seidman, “was to go back to fundamentals. You deregulate the economy so you fight high inflation with competition. You reduce the government’s take so the private sector can provide growth. And by doing that you can reduce interest rates.”
― Richard Norton Smith, An Ordinary Man: The Surprising Life and Historic Presidency of Gerald R. Ford

“A Gallup poll showed Ford leaving office with a 53 percent approval rating.”
― Richard Norton Smith, An Ordinary Man: The Surprising Life and Historic Presidency of Gerald R. Ford

“There are no soldiers marching in the streets except in the Inaugural Parade; no public demonstrations except for some of the dancers at the Inaugural Ball; the opposition party doesn’t go underground but goes on functioning vigorously in the Congress and in the country; and our vigilant press goes right on probing and publishing our faults and our follies, confirming the wisdom of the framers of the First Amendment.”
― Richard Norton Smith, An Ordinary Man: The Surprising Life and Historic Presidency of Gerald R. Ford

“Fulfilling a White House ambition expressed as early as 1944, Congress authorized a Strategic Petroleum Reserve with up to a billion barrels stockpiled against a national emergency; expanded powers for the executive in the event of another oil embargo; incentives for more environmentally friendly coal production; and tough new efficiency mandates for electrical appliances.”
― Richard Norton Smith, An Ordinary Man: The Surprising Life and Historic Presidency of Gerald R. Ford