the folks at Hot Soup would like you to sign a pledge promising to be "non-partisan" if you happen to be in power these days in memory of Gerald Ford

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from the Heritage Foundation's history of modern conservatism

The New Right and the Neoconservatives

The New Right was a reaction to the attempted liberal takeover of the Republican Party--epitomized by President Gerald Ford's selection of Nelson Rockefeller as his Vice President.

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# In 1974, ACU [the American Conservative Union] established and sponsored the first Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

# Reagan was a "long-time friend and ally" of ACU. In 1975, ACU asked Ronald Reagan to run for president. ACU takes credit for Reagan getting elected to the presidency in 1980, claiming they originally asked Reagan to run in 1975.

# ACU and its state affiliates established one of the first independent campaigns on behalf of a presidential candidate. ACU orchestrated the campaign to elect Reagan, running hundreds of radio and newspaper ads comparing candidate Reagan to President Ford, and calling Reagan a conservative visionary and Ford a liberal.

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In June 1975, ACU became closely involved in one of the pivotal episodes in American politics when it called upon long-time friend and ally Ronald Reagan to seek the presidency in 1976... After Reagan announced, ACU and its state affiliates undertook one of the first independent, non-party campaigns on behalf of a presidential candidate. Since the official campaign posture was to in essence remain "above the fray" instead of challenging President Gerald Ford directly on the issues, ACU leaders believed such an effort was urgently needed: only by hitting hard on the issues could Reagan dislodge a sitting president.

Stressing the theme "There Is A Difference," ACU sponsored hundreds of radio and newspaper ads contrasting Reagan's conservative vision with Ford's liberal drift. The ads focused on such irritants as Ford's retention of Henry Kissinger as Secretary of State, his choice of Nelson Rockefeller to be Vice President, and the administration's (namely, Kissinger's) intentions to relinquish U.S. control of the Panama Canal.

ACU's efforts began with the Florida primary and then targeted North Carolina, where the political cognoscenti said Reagan was fated to meet his Waterloo. The independent effort also targeted Texas, Indiana and Nebraska. As it happened, Reagan won the primary in all five states, due partly to the candidate's increasingly energetic campaigning, but also thanks to ACU's grassroots-oriented efforts. ACU's state affiliate activists worked hard in the Reagan cause, setting the stage for a victorious repeat performance four years later.

Indeed, ACU had pioneered the development of independent campaigns, heralding a dramatic change on the American political landscape. This shift also marked an unofficial beginning of the long-term drive by conservative activists to wrest the leadership of local, county and state GOP organizations from liberal control.

The 1976 Presidential Campaign. On Aug. 18, 1976, Gerald R. Ford was nominated as the Republican candidate for president. Ordinarily, that statement about an incumbent would not create much interest. But as an appointed president, Ford had been unable to generate the kind of enthusiasm and loyalty within his party that elected presidents traditionally expect.

Former California Gov. Ronald Reagan also sought the nomination, forcing Ford to campaign hard for his share of the delegates. Ford based his preconvention campaign on his efforts to pull the country together after the Watergate scandals, the rebound of the economy after the recession, the maintenance of peace in the world, and his record of 27 years of public service in Washington.

Reagan attacked the Ford policy of détente and the administration's negotiations over a new Panama Canal treaty, but did not disagree with the essentials of Ford's position on the passive role of government in domestic affairs. Ultimately, the split was not between ideologies but between regions. Both candidates commanded support from conservatives, but Ford was able to call upon Republicans in the large delegations of the East and the Midwest and part of those in the South. Reagan's support was centered in the remainder of the South and the Far West, where he won most of the primaries and state conventions.

When the nomination came to a vote in Kansas City, Mo., Ford won 1,187 to 1,070. He moved to quiet the dissension that was threatened by some of the Reagan partisans by delivering a vigorous acceptance speech and by selecting a Midwestern conservative, Sen. Robert Dole of Kansas, as his running mate. Ford had already allowed the Reagan forces to word key planks in the platform.

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Now Ford's legacy is a rallying cry in defense of the very same unity-minded branch of his party who carried out the marvellously successful keep-in-the-vote drive that lost him the White House.

This is the pledge

In honor of Gerald Ford, his decency, and the tremendous sacrifices he made to heal this country at a time of division, I pledge to spend 2007 working towards a similar depolarization – by cooperating with peers from opposing camps, by putting my countrymen’s needs before my party’s, and by making sacrifices if necessary. We stand stronger when united, and I pledge to lead my country by good example, just as I have been led by Gerald Ford’s good example. I pledge to spend 2007 working towards that strong unity, and I dedicate that work to Gerald Ford’s memory.

and this is where the self-appointed online civility monitors of Hot Soup see themselves in a reunification effort: in charge, naturally

...Ford’s passing away has put the importance of reunification back in the public focus. Ultimately, that may have been what Ford wanted. Can we put this reunifying idea back in the government’s focus? By ‘we’, I don’t mean the general public. I mean us folks on HOTSOUP. We’ve got a good cross-section of politically-minded people here. Maybe we can get some action going?...

well, can't let just anyone into a grassroots movement, ya know.

and this is the headline on the post

Ford’s death was a blessing in disguise

OK, on the one hand, dead husband and father, but hey - potential meme! Traffic-a-rama (Ron Fournier is actively pimping this "loop" for links)! Advantage: Hot Soup!

Damn, that's civil.

I'm sure Betty and the kids feel much better now.

edit: digby covers the dirty fucking hippy angle