Recently having a conversation about Pence taking over from Trump and how he probably wouldn't be able to do much in this term. Saw someone mention that he wouldn't, and used the example that Gerald Ford wasn't able to do much either. Is this true?
My answer seems to have gone invisible so I'm reposting. Thanks!
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Gerald Ford is a unique President, the only one never elected to the Presidency or Vice-Presidency. He was a President like the rest, but faced incredible political hurdles to a Presidency assumed under difficult and so far unique circumstances that restricted his freedom of movement.
Was Ford able to do anything significant?
First, don't underestimate the impact of Ford's speech upon assuming the Presidency. It is an incredible document, and ranks among the top fifty pieces of Presidential rhetoric. Just read it:
My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over. Our Constitution works; our great Republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here, the people rule. But there is a higher Power, by whatever name we honor Him, who ordains not only righteousness but love, not only justice, but mercy. ... let us restore the golden rule to our political process, and let brotherly love purge our hearts of suspicion and hate.
That speech matters a lot. For the first time, a President resigned in disgrace, and his successor gave America the forthright talk of a father admitting the world is dark and venal but that we can all aspire to be better, and should. Imagine if instead the new President engaged in partisan scapegoating, and the impact on the country. If there is a sudden change in leadership in the U.S. outside an election again one day, one can only hope the new office holder thinks in these very terms.
Ford's second major action was to pardon Richard Nixon. Like his speech, it was a moment of great importance to America. Honestly, it cost Ford re-election, was political suicide, and tainted all the remaining days he was in office. But Edward Kennedy, when the John F Kennedy Foundation awarded Gerald Ford their Profile in Courage award said this:
"At a time of national turmoil, America was fortunate that it was Gerald Ford who took the helm of the storm-tossed ship of state. Unlike many of us at the time, President Ford recognized that the nation had to move forward, and could not do so if there was a continuing effort to prosecute former President Nixon. So President Ford made a courageous decision, one that historians now say cost him his office, and he pardoned Richard Nixon.
"I was one of those who spoke out against his action then. But time has a way of clarifying past events, and now we see that President Ford was right. His courage and dedication to our country made it possible for us to begin the process of healing and put the tragedy of Watergate behind us. He eminently deserves this award, and we are proud of his achievement."
Ford followed the pardon of Nixon by pardoning draft dodgers who fled to Canada and elsewhere. This began the healing to put the Vietnam War behind the United States, although it wasn't until Carter that full pardons were granted and some of the wounds of Vietnam remain in the American psyche for boomers to this day.
But let's get to the meat of your question: the primary restriction on Ford was Congress.
It is telling that Congressional leadership were unanimous that Gerald Ford was the only option for Nixon when he needed to replace the corrupt Spiro Agnew as his Vice President. Telling, in that they were familiar with the man, knew he was moral and honest. Telling also, that they thought he was electorally vulnerable in the Presidential election that would follow. There is a contempt in the familiar.
It is also critical to understand than the 1974 elections gave the Democrats in Congress such a massive majority that they could override a Presidential veto or propose a new Constitutional Amendment. Ford faced more overrides than any President since Andrew Johnson, and the spectre of Congress was what held back Ford from many independent actions.
(As an aside, one cannot understand Dick Cheney without understanding the Ford Presidency. Cheney's insistence on a strong Executive is a function of his role as White House Chief of Staff during a period of Congressional dominance that is perhaps the second highest in history.)
Economy? Ford stuck to the economic consensus that inflation was the challenge but had few tools to impose real wage and price controls. Ford tried to pressure Israel back to negotiations by withholding arms, only to have 76 US Senators write him to stop. Ford tried to keep the CIA's dirty laundry from being waved about, but was overridden by Congress.
The biggest impact of Ford's Presidency, separate from how he managed the succession, was the Vietnam War.
The Paris Peace Accords in January 1973 under Nixon had called for a cease fire, free elections and the withdrawal of American troops. Nixon had pledged in writing to defend the South Vietnamese government if the North violated the peace treaty.
In late 1974, North Vietnam invaded the South. Ford requested funding for aid for the South and was rejected by Congress. Two days later, Ford said the Vietnam War was over "as far as American was concerned." Saigon fell four months later, with American evacuating a few thousand people but otherwise passive in the face of the forced reunification of Vietnam. A pugnacious President may have attempted more in the face of defeat, trying to get around the Case-Church amendment.
In short, Ford's actions were restricted by a powerful Congress, which stands to reason. Impeachment can only happen when the opposition party controls Congress and public opinion strongly backs the removal of the President. Any VP assuming the Presidency due to impeachment of his or her predecessor would face a Congress that was fiercely emboldened in opposition to the Executive.
To hypothesize on your sub-question: Were Vice President Pence to assume the Presidency due to impeachment, his ability to lead domestic policy would be extremely limited, and his ability to manage foreign affairs only as strong as Congress allowed. Pence would have the power of Executive Orders, but even those could be defeated by veto-proof legislation if Congress had a particularly strong majority.
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Sources:
Brinkley, Doug. Gerald R. Ford.
Ford, Betty. The Times of My Life.
Gergen, David. Eyewitness to Power.
Greene, John Robert. The Limits of Power.
Greene, John Robert. The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford.
Kaufman, Scott. Ambition, Pragmatism and Party: A Political Biography of Gerald Ford.
Werth, Barry. 31 Days.
Gerald Ford is a unique President, the only one never elected to the Presidency or Vice-Presidency. He was a President like the rest, but faced incredible political hurdles to a Presidency assumed under difficult and so far unique circumstances that restricted his freedom of movement.
Was Ford able to do anything significant?
First, don't underestimate the impact of Ford's speech upon assuming the Presidency. It is an incredible document, and ranks among the top fifty pieces of Presidential rhetoric. Just read it:
My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over. Our Constitution works; our great Republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here, the people rule. But there is a higher Power, by whatever name we honor Him, who ordains not only righteousness but love, not only justice, but mercy. ... let us restore the golden rule to our political process, and let brotherly love purge our hearts of suspicion and hate.
That speech matters a lot. For the first time, a President resigned in disgrace, and his successor gave America the forthright talk of a father admitting the world is dark and venal but that we can all aspire to be better, and should. Imagine if instead the new President engaged in partisan scapegoating, and the impact on the country. If there is a sudden change in leadership in the U.S. outside an election again one day, one can only hope the new office holder thinks in these very terms.
Ford's second major action was to pardon Richard Nixon. Like his speech, it was a moment of great importance to America. Honestly, it cost Ford re-election, was political suicide, and tainted all the remaining days he was in office. But Edward Kennedy, when the John F Kennedy Foundation awarded Gerald Ford their Profile in Courage award said this:
"At a time of national turmoil, America was fortunate that it was Gerald Ford who took the helm of the storm-tossed ship of state. Unlike many of us at the time, President Ford recognized that the nation had to move forward, and could not do so if there was a continuing effort to prosecute former President Nixon. So President Ford made a courageous decision, one that historians now say cost him his office, and he pardoned Richard Nixon.
"I was one of those who spoke out against his action then. But time has a way of clarifying past events, and now we see that President Ford was right. His courage and dedication to our country made it possible for us to begin the process of healing and put the tragedy of Watergate behind us. He eminently deserves this award, and we are proud of his achievement."
Ford followed the pardon of Nixon by pardoning draft dodgers who fled to Canada and elsewhere. This began the healing to put the Vietnam War behind the United States, although it wasn't until Carter that full pardons were granted and some of the wounds of Vietnam remain in the American psyche for boomers to this day.
But let's get to the meat of your question: the primary restriction on Ford was Congress.
It is telling that Congressional leadership were unanimous that Gerald Ford was the only option for Nixon when he needed to replace the corrupt Spiro Agnew as his Vice President. Telling, in that they were familiar with the man, knew he was moral and honest. Telling also, that they thought he was electorally vulnerable in the Presidential election that would follow. There is a contempt in the familiar.
It is also critical to understand than the 1974 elections gave the Democrats in Congress such a massive majority that they could override a Presidential veto or propose a new Constitutional Amendment. Ford faced more overrides than any President since Andrew Johnson, and the spectre of Congress was what held back Ford from many independent actions.
(As an aside, one cannot understand Dick Cheney without understanding the Ford Presidency. Cheney's insistence on a strong Executive is a function of his role as White House Chief of Staff during a period of Congressional dominance that is perhaps the second highest in history.)
Economy? Ford stuck to the economic consensus that inflation was the challenge but had few tools to impose real wage and price controls. Ford tried to pressure Israel back to negotiations by withholding arms, only to have 76 US Senators write him to stop. Ford tried to keep the CIA's dirty laundry from being waved about, but was overridden by Congress.
The biggest impact of Ford's Presidency, separate from how he managed the succession, was the Vietnam War.
The Paris Peace Accords in January 1973 under Nixon had called for a cease fire, free elections and the withdrawal of American troops. Nixon had pledged in writing to defend the South Vietnamese government if the North violated the peace treaty.
In late 1974, North Vietnam invaded the South. Ford requested funding for aid for the South and was rejected by Congress. Two days later, Ford said the Vietnam War was over "as far as American was concerned." Saigon fell four months later, with American evacuating a few thousand people but otherwise passive in the face of the forced reunification of Vietnam. A pugnacious President may have attempted more in the face of defeat, trying to get around the Case-Church amendment.
In short, Ford's actions were restricted by a powerful Congress, which stands to reason. Impeachment can only happen when the opposition party controls Congress and public opinion strongly backs the removal of the President. Any VP assuming the Presidency due to impeachment of his or her predecessor would face a Congress that was fiercely emboldened in opposition to the Executive.
To hypothesize on your sub-question: Were Vice President Pence to assume the Presidency due to impeachment, his ability to lead domestic policy would be extremely limited, and his ability to manage foreign affairs only as strong as Congress allowed. Pence would have the power of Executive Orders, but even those could be defeated by veto-proof legislation if Congress had a particularly strong majority.
--
Sources:
Brinkley, Doug. Gerald R. Ford. Ford, Betty. The Times of My Life. Gergen, David. Eyewitness to Power. Greene, John Robert. The Limits of Power. Greene, John Robert. The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford. Kaufman, Scott. Ambition, Pragmatism and Party: A Political Biography of Gerald Ford. Werth, Barry. 31 Days.