Michigan State University - Red Cedar Log Yearbook (East Lansing, MI)

Page 22 text:

President and Mrs. Ford visited Lan- sing and other Michigan cities by train during the Michigan primary campaign. Aaron Sussell Wayne Heinmiller Human Rights Party presidential candidate Margaret Wright visited MSU during her fall campaign.

Page 21 text:

POLITICS

Page 23 text:

Election '7 6 Carter squeaks past Ford by Paul F. Charette Twenty-two months of campaigning and over one-half million miles of travel paid off in a big way for Jimmy Carter when he was elected 39th President of the United States. Gerald R. Ford, Michigan's first President, will be remembered as Aaron Sussell In October, presidential candidate jimmy Carter addressed the Economic Club of Detroit at Cobo Hall. the only president never elected to that office. By the time election day rolled around, every American had had his fill of politics. Doused and then doused again with campaign advertisements, MSU students and the American public suffered through one vice-presidential and three presiden-l tial debates. Most people were overjoyed when it was over for at least two more years. Carter began his campaign for the White House from his headquarters in the little town of Plains, Georgia. He was an outsider - at that point most of the nation had never heard of the smiling Geor- gia governor. Eleven Democrats, at one time or another, ran for the nomination as the presidential candidate. But by the time the convention was held in New York's Madison Square Garden, the Georgia pea- nut farmer had the nomination in his back pock- et. The most suspenseful moments of the conven- tion surrounded Carter'sselection of a running mate. Sen. Walter Mondale, the Minnesota lib- eral, got the call. Unlike his Democratic opponent, President Ford had a real battle all the way to the Republi- can convention in Kansas City. Former California Governor and star of late night television, Ronald Reagan, provided the opposition. The tough battle seemed to split the Republican party at the seams. It looked as though Carter would be a shoe-in as our next president. Howev- er, Ford made a spectacular comeback beginning with his acceptance speech in Kansas City which political observers called his best speech ever. It brought unity to the Republican ranks and healed some of the wounds of the convention battle. The focus of the campaign immediately switched to the presidential debates. Carter and President Ford concentrated all their efforts in preparation for the matches sponsored by the League of Women Voters. The debates were the first to be held since J ohn F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon squared off in 1960. Although the de- bates were watched by over 100 million Ameri- cans, they were generally labelled unexciting. The most damaging incident to come from the debates was a slip by President Ford. There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never