Election Night 1976

It was always going to be coming down to this

Tuesday Morning November 2, 1976

In east Grand Rapids Michigan the President and the first lady were casting their ballots, near the other end of the east coast in a once sleepy little town , his challenger Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyann were also voting in their home of plains Georgia.
This was and is a very common place scene on election day Tuesday for the two men of the up coming nights news coverage to after months of endless campaigning, live debates, campus q&a, and political rallies it all had now come to this. The two men of the hour both voted for themselves(one can only really assume as such) and now it was up to the fates or political gods of what have you as to which one of them would be the victor and who would be saluting the other as the next president elect of the united states.

Some Ford insiders had been worried for sometime about the so called "Nixon issue". The Nixon pardon was a major factor that election and the idea of the press questioning the shamed former president as he leaving his regular polling place in San Clemente. Asking him, yelling at him about who he had just voted for. Aides like Bob Teeter would walk the floors at night, being kept awake wondering how any answer from Nixon could be good for the Ford Camp. If he had said he voted for Carter it would be better, but it would still come across as a total lack of faith for the man that put simply destroyed his lock on re election the day he pardoned him. If he had voted for Ford which was the most likely case, it would of course just add to the belief already universally believed that Ford was simply an appointed president, a seat filler that was given the job in exchange for the unexpired Nixon term. That Nixon was the one who fated ford to be the 38th president of the united states and he was now wanting him to stay where he was. In the end both Richard and Mrs. Nixon voted by absentee ballot claiming that they were going to be on vacation on election night.

Major democratic candidates across the entire nation were using the pardon as the corner stone of their entire campaigns, particularly when they were against Republican incumbents in usually tough congressional districts for the democratic party.  In a nation were the voters forgot foreign policy victories and record public approvals in non election years, while on the following years they'll elect the person they didn't know three months ago over the guy they all said healed their wounds a year earlier.
The american people's political amnesia is widely well known and they will usually forget on thursday what had aggravated them on the previous sunday paper. The republic of amnesia has author Gore videl has always stated, and yet they can also remember whenever they feel betrayed by a public figure. The american people can be an unwitting accomplice when they are aggravated and the democratic party refused to let the public forget about that pardon. They refused to let the voters from coast to coast that the man who claimed the oval office was the state department, that brought the imperial presidency to
in prison was not held on trial for crimes, but was retired and slowly rebuilding his health and his legacy. And the democrats could and would never let the people know that their one chance to claim any real kind of revenge on that long hated figure of the left's was to vote the man who ribbed them of there desired satisfaction, who was still in their beloved white house.

The sad irony of american politics is that the man that would lose that night, would be  lauded years later and far into history for his selfless pardon on Nixon. Of course selfless sacrifices usually involve some sacrifice, but that was back during Ford's first month in office when he had no intention of running for a term of his own. what was marvelous of Ford was that he has said he would have pardon him even if he was running then and frankly you can't help but take him at his word. But even if Ford hadn't pardoned Nixon who could say it would have elected him president, such talk would be a great disservice to both Carter and those that voted that night.

It was always going to come down to this, it was always going to be close and who are we to say in this election or any other what made the undecideds vote for who they voted for and what gave which candidate the edge over the other. After the fall campaign begun and the playboy interview, it was always going to come down to a very close election. After the Poland response from Ford and the very poor Dole performance in the vp debate, it was always going to be a zing zang race to the final moment till these two men were finally driven to the symbolic finishline of their personal ballot boxs.  Polling had Ford even with Carter a few days before, times had him a point ahead the night before, and internal polling had Carter going to win the morning of election day. Who on earth can anyone predict what was ever going to happen that night, it was always going to come down to a close race and a new president elected without a mandate.

Voting had been going down hill ever since the 1960 election when only 63.1 percent had voted for either John F. Kennedy or Richard Nixon. A very far cry from the 80 percent turnout in the 1840 for election when Willliam h. harrison sent Martin Van Buren packing. It was even worse in 1964 when landslide Johnson managed to sqeeck out electrol victories in 11 former confederate states by only 51 percent of the vote which was due to many moderate republicans not going to the polls due to their party's conservative nominee and this is backed up with the national turnout being 61.9 nearly two points lower then four years ago.  Just four years later when Nixon won the presidency by a very close voter margin only 60 percent of the public turned out to vote. The number was only 40 percent two years later during the mid term elections of 1970, and when Nixon crushed Mcgovern in 1972 only 55 percent of the public bothered to show up. In the election of 1976 on the 200th birthday of this nation's founding only 53 percent of those eligable to vote did so for either Carter or Ford. Lowest voter turnout in modern day history, how could it not have come down to a close down to the wire election.

Had Carter not been from the south, the voter turnout could have been even lower. Because the southern states had finally a candidate that they could relate, there was record turnout in the deep south states. Voters in eleven southern states and all national average by far. It would also be one of the only times a democrat would pull off a massive victory in getting the Republican cross over voter who was disstasified with his party's nominee to support the other team. Plus it would also prove to be the final time the party of civil rights and big government would win a majority of the evangelical vote and that was in large part to it's nominee being a white southern moderate democrat who ran on a policy of morality and smaller more compassionate government. A platform that was faith based, not detail driven. it was a start and an exciting new element on the eve of the first presidential election of the nation's third century. Still it was gonna be close.

The democrats also did massive voter registration in the states of Texas and Ohio, both of which would eventually provide Carter with 51 of his 56 electoral college victory over Ford. Ford did see an opening and used it when Carter who ran as an outsider's outsider in the primaries, had to not only embrace but wear around his neck like a medal the liberal mantle of the democratic party.  Ford campaigned on fear and the unknown outcomes that usually undecided voters who are thinking of voting for change. Ford used this uncertainty and he got some great milage on it. But in the end a great negative campaign is never a match for an excellent campaign with themes of hope and possiblity. So the message was good for Carter, but the press was now killing him.

Another opening for Ford, he was the president. Why should those in the Ford campaign release new detailed views of foreign policy : with the soviet union, another Salt treaty, etc.  Why should we talk about how we're going to help the u's economy : Create jobs, WHIP inflation, or lower taxes. Why say anything for that matter when our guy can just fly around Air Force one and be filmed working in the oval.
Let the other poor guy run around grabbing every dollar and vote that doesn't have an GF on it and we'll stay silent while the press start running stories about Carter's weaknesses. The media was starting to create a bad confidence problem for Carter and slowly placing the former governor in a box. While ford was safely hiding under the comfortable covers of the white house and incumbency, the television coverage on Carter was turning ugly.

The media  was starting to create an image of Jimmy Carter as a deeply incompetent candidate on both foreign and domestic affairs. Whenever Carter was asked "what will you do with blah blah blah or how would you solve etc etc etc". He would look at that reporter with those cold steal gaze of his and say his campaign's main theme " that Americans want a president and a government that is  as good, and honest and decent and truthful and fair and competent and idealistic and compassionate and as filled with love as are the American people". Positive messaging, underline the hope, bring up the change and courage for a brighter tomorrow and don't mention any real policy. He was coming after Ford from both the left and the right and he didn't have any time to get lost in the vast wilderness of policy.

But then the poor debate showings of both Dole and Ford, along side the solid performance of Mondale and the moderate first appearance from Carter and the eventually evolution of his third were he seemed more presidential then the president. Seemed to stop Carter's slide and put Ford's campaign in deep trouble for the final leg of the campaign in second gear. One point up, two down, it was all in the margin, it was still anyone's game. So what if Cartr's lead was now in the polls going into election night at one point ahead of Ford.  National polls are meaningless this late in the game and in elections where there are so many states at play. You only need 270 votes to win the white house and the soldiers in both camps knew this. The elction was going to be won in places like Chicago and Boston, and would depend on staes like ohio and pennsylvania. Ford was gaining in all of these areas. This was always going to be a barn burner and a very late night for both men at the eye of the storm.

Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, and Family will not be seen tonight so ABC News can bring the results of the Presidential Election. With that announcement the election night coverage of 1976 had began. The other two major networks, CBS and NBC made similiar openings pormising fans of their network's primetime shows that there favorite stars would return the following week and that it was time for the nation to pick their next president. At that time in the evening only about 2 percent of the returns had been in and they were favoring very heavly for the incumbant president. The returns had put ford at 53% to maybe 54%, and Carter at nearly 48% national. NBC Nightly news with John Chancellor and David Brinkley were showing silimiar returns.

Over at ABC the first state to be called that night was Kentucky and that with 46% of the vote in the state was going to be to Carter who would win the state with a comfortable margin of victory of about seven points. The polls in Indinania were now closed but the state was a toss up. It would be a major blow to the ford campaign if Carter was to win both Indanian and Ohio, and if they were called early in the evening. Carter was unlikely to win in Indiana but he campaigned heavily there and so he was in the margin of error which always makes the networks uncomfortable to place the state in either candidate's column.

By 3 o'clock in the morning after election night on the east coast, and roughly two hours after the last polls in Alaska and Hawaii closed, there was still no official winner. President Ford and the first lady had left Michigan after voting and had spend the entire evening in the second floor family quarters of the White House.  His running mate was present as was dole's wife Liddy the future US Senator. The ford children, daugther Susan and sons Jack,Mike and, Steve were also there glued to the t.v.

The central hallway that runs between the two massive sitting rooms on the east and west wings of the first families living area were filled with a large gathering of Grand Rapids friends,political advisors, campaign associates, and pollsters. In the middle of this sea of old guard republicans and eager young elephants was the liberal senator Jacob Javits of New York, a close friend of the president. Singer Pearl Bailey who was a celebrity surrogate was there as was the ex baseball star Joe Garagiola who spent a good chunk of the evening sitting on the couch in the west sitting hall with Ford. Both of them watching the resulting on tv as they came in, with Ford puffing on his pipe and Garagiola with his worthless pokerface trying not A buffet of shrimp creole surf and beef stroganoff was being served and the noise of four t.v. in three different rooms (living room, presidential study had two, and the main corridor) could be heard by all as they played musical chairs from location to location like a neighborhood superball party from hell. When a person would get up for just a split second to grab a drink or bathroom break would soon return to find their sit long. The only person how didn't have to jockey for sitting near the tv sets was the candidate himself, who during his breaks from Garagiola would casually walk from group to group. Saying hi, jokingly asking if he'd won yet, and then sit for a few moments silently before getting back up and moving to the next group. Betty Ford did the same as her husband, passing eachother nearly every other time and sticking out their hands as the kept on their way usually touching fingers for a second before making it to their distantion. As the evening wore on Mrs. Ford was seen hugging Pearl Bailey from some time as a victory for her husband began to look slim.

Future Vice President Richard Chency then his cheif of staff, James Baker, ford's campaign manager, Stuart Spender, chief Political strategist, and pollster Bob Teeter, were thereon the second floor, and had earlier in the evening brought the president the networks' polling samples. They had all known it was going to be a struggle for the president to keep his office, but they had all hoped for better results.  CBS had the president trailing narrowly to Carter, NBC had him trailing badly. Still they all were hopeful that after Cater's early buildup in the south and east coast, that Ford could get a breakout in the midwest and west coast. The rallying cry by all was " this was always going to be a long night, but we're still gonna win this thing".

In Atlanta the Carter camp was doing a simpler cheaper version of what the Ford family was doing, on the fifteenth floor of the Omni International Hotel. The mood was casual and tame with Carter seating near three t.v. sets moving his gaze between networks. His sons Chip,Jack,and Jeff were moving from room to room talking to one another, before each taking turns seating next their father. Rosalynn and Amy were next Ham Jordan, Jody Powell, Pat Caddell, and Jerry Rafshoon, were all there with their wives and children, waiting for the moment like everyone else in the room went they could finally power down and get some rest. The whole room seemed to be running on sure excitement and leftover two day old fuels.

The entire party including the secret service seemed to leave the candidate alone as the night wore on and the results stopped coming in, everyone was growing restless, save for Amy who was actually resting fast asleep, and started breezing back and forth from the main hotel corridor and it's surrounding rooms.  Whenever one of the group would move within Carter's view of the t.v.s  he would very politely ask them with a smile to move aside. Rosalyann and Jimmy would hold hands when she would sit down beside him and he would affectionately kiss her hand without losing his lock on the screens.

His advisors had shown the same exit polling to carter at the start of the evening, and even though they were looking towards a long night, they were confident that it would end in a Carter victory.

End of Part 1