"Peanuts on your Table or a Ford in Every Garage." The election of 1976

The aftermath of Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal had left the presidency tainted and the American people lost a lot of confidence in politicians. After Nixon resigned, vice president Gerald Ford took over, trying to heal the nation after Watergate. Ford's term got off to a good start, as he was very likable and clearly different than Nixon, but a short ways into his term, Ford issued a full pardon for Richard Nixon, a very unpopular move. President Ford also had two assassination attempts made on his life. Heading into the 1976 election season, the Democrats realized they could easily win the White House back due to the unpopularity of Nixon's pardon and the continuation of wars in Asia. The Democrats ended up choosing Georgia governor Jimmy Carter, a Washington outsider who seemed to be honest and hard working. Walter Mondale from Minnesota was chosen as Vice President. Carter presented a change from Nixon and Ford, and he grew in popularity during the campaign. As for the Republicans, Governor Ronald Reagan of California challenged Gerald Ford in the primaries, almost winning and upsetting an incumbent president. Reagan's campaign presented a conservative backed agenda, while Ford had the support of the more moderate wing of the party. Bob Dole from Kansas was chosen to run in the VP slot. Ford did well in the early primaries, and just as Reagan was about to give up, he went on a big swing and won several more states, and by convention time, it was undecided who would receive the nomination. Being a sitting president, Ford was able to garner enough support to win the nomination from Reagan, but this was not the last time the name Ronald Reagan would be mentioned in American history. On election day, the results were pretty close, but Watergate still loomed over the Republicans, and Carter was able to squeak out the victory. Carter's presidency was complicated, and some consider it a failure. He was the first president elected from the Deep South since the Civil War, and he presented an outsider's appearance, but he often alienated Democratic members in Congress by pushing his own agenda and ignoring Congressional legislation. One of Carter's biggest accomplishments was the Camp David Accords, in which Israel and Egypt agreed to peace. Some of Carter's failures greatly stained his reputation, such as the Energy Crisis, the Malaise speech, and the Iran hostage crisis. Jimmy Carter has had an eventful post presidency as well, winning the Noble Peace Prize and remaining active in world affairs. Some of the items I have included are cartoon buttons from the 1976 election, often with Ford and Carter taking shots at each other, as well as peanut references, Carter's occupation, and some various other buttons. Most Ford and Carter items are very affordable, and small green and white buttons with the words Carter-Mondale on them are very easy to find, mostly for a $1 or less.