Interesting historical parallel

Lou Cannon in The Washington Post reminds us that a split party damaged the Ford candidacy in 1976. Ronald Reagan essentially sat out the 1976 race despite the likelihood that his involvement might have aided Gerald Ford in several states, possibly allowing the Republican vice president to best Jimmy Carter. Ford, on the other hand, worked hard for Reagan in 1980.

Cannon then places the current campaign in this context:

Barack Obama will soon become the presumptive Democratic nominee, and there is little doubt that Hillary Clinton will endorse him. The big question is whether she will campaign hard for Obama among constituencies where she can help him. Put another way: Will she choose to be Ronald Reagan in 1976 or Gerald Ford in 1980?

The outcome of the election could depend on the answer.

Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet