#131: Richard Norton Smith - ”An Ordinary Man: The Surprising Life and Historic Presidency of Gerald R. Ford”

Far from being a historical asterisk, an accidental president, or a mere bridge between Nixon's failed presidency and the coming Reagan Revolution, Richard Norton Smith argues that Gerald Ford's life and administration must be understood in order to weigh the last decades of the 20th Century. From a broken home in Michigan to the world's most famous home in the nation's capital, the acclaimed presidential scholar explains how Ford drove the nation in a new direction. Smith argues that Ford's decisions on the legal fate of Richard Nixon, the economy and the role of government set the model for how presidents should govern. We also discussed what it was like for him to give one of the eulogies at Ford's funeral, and how he was able to keep enough scholarly distance from his topic in order to grade Ford fairly.

Richard Norton Smith's website can be found at https://richardnortonsmith.com/

Information on his book from HarperCollins can be found at https://www.harpercollins.com/products/an-ordinary-man-richard-norton-smith?variant=40629151367202

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