I remember very well when Jerry Ford was sworn in as President of the United States. It is with great sorrow and respect for the First Lady that I make a few remarks about her now.
She became famous for her Betty Ford Center in Southern California which was built to help those individuals who need rehabilitation and assistance for drug addiction, alcohol, or other substance abuse related problems. I am sure that other causes for admission to this center are varied and many, but those are the most obvious. It surprised me when she came out and admitted to her having a problem with alcohol, a problem quite common amongst politicians wives, and other famous stars and spouses. Elizabeth Taylor probably is the most famous person who used the Betty Ford clinic to overcome a problem and met her future husband, Larry, there.
I just read that she has passed away at age 93, a few days after seeing Nancy Reagan celebrate her 90th birthday. I also learned that Betty's birthday was April 8, which touched me a bit, as it was on that day in 1976 that I bought my pet yorkshire terrier in Clearwater, Florida. I have a special place in my heart for the date alone as it was Good Friday then.
The Ford family became quite famous while Jerry was in office. Before that, he had been only a representative from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and little was known about him. For some reason Richard Nixon chose him to succeed him in office, knowing well that one day he would be called to serve the nation after he resigned.
I myself went to the White House during the Ford administration, and got in through friends of my mother and her ABWA group. I learned a few things there from another girl by the name of Ford, a girl who acted as a secretary to former President Nixon.
She is who took me into the old Executive part of the White House where I learned who is who amongst the office staff of secretaries.
An inside look at politics from within is not very pretty to see. I did learn though that Nixon was well liked by his staff, and all of them were sad to have him be forced out as he had been, so that Jerry Ford's entry was not necessarily a welcome one to most of them.
However, be as it may, Nixon and Ford played political hardball, and in the end, the Democrats took advantage of it to win the White House back but to lose it to Ronald and Nancy Reagan. American does not know quite how to elect presidents it seems.
We are on a seesaw of dem/rep but Betty Ford managed to change Watergate into a positive power for her way of drawing attention to her needs and problems instead of dwelling on the rascally Republicans in Watergate.
God bless her. May Americans learn soon how to elect the right people to office so that the likes of Jerry and Betty Ford will never have to happen again!
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