Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
4525978
label
GOP Fund-Raising Dinner, Peoria, IL, September 26, 1966
core
doc
dtoType
document
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
4525978
sourceUrl
contentType
document
title
GOP Fund-Raising Dinner, Peoria, IL, September 26, 1966
citationUrl
collections
Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers
Speeches
subjects
Inflation (Finance)
iiifBase
thumbnailUrl
largeImageUrl
imageCount
1
hasImages
yes
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
naId
4525978
coverageEndDate
logicalDate
1966-09-30
month
9
year
1966
coverageStartDate
logicalDate
1966-09-01
month
9
year
1966
levelOfDescription
fileUnit
recordType
description
ocrSource
nara-archive
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
document
url
mediaId
e58d7d4802a75d2e
ocrText
The original documents are located in Box D21, folder "GOP Fund-Raising Dinner, Peoria,
IL, September 26, 1966" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech
File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box D21 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
CONGRESSMAN
NEWS
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
FOR RELEASE AFTER 6:30 P.M.
MONDAY, SEPT. 26, 1966
EXCERPTS FROM SPEECH AT GOP FUND-RAISING DINNER, PEORIA, ILL.--BY REP. GERALD R. FORD.
The American people are recognizing the Great Society, Lyndon Johnson style,
for what it is--the Great Illusion.
That's the meaning of the precipitous drop in Mr. Johnson's popularity rating
as measured by the Lou Harris and Gallup Polls. The people simply have caught on to
the Great Juggler.
Webster's Dictionary defines magic as "the art of producing illusions by
legerdemain." Legerdemain involves sleight of hand. Sleight of hand is defined by
Webster as "skill and dexterity in juggling or conjuring tricks, adroitness in
deception, a conjuring or juggling trick requiring sleight of hand."
It has often been said that the Man in the White House should be a consummate
politician. This is correct as far as it goes. But it can go too far. The President
of the United States must first of all be concerned with what is best for the people
of the nation.
It is not best for the people of this nation that President Johnson pretends
he can fight a $2 billion-a-month war halfway around the world without any great
impact on the economy.
It is not best for the people of this nation that Mr. Johnson dealt with
inflation by blaming the housewife, blaming the farmer, blaming labor, and blaming
industry while himself failing to do battle with inflation.
It is not best for the people of this nation that Mr. Johnson sent Congress a
budget full of bookkeeping tricks and a plan to sell shares in government-held
mortgages in the private money market, all with a view to spending more but showing
it less.
It is not best for the people of this nation that Mr. Johnson let interest
rates bear the burden of the fight against inflation until those rates soared to the
highest point in 45 years.
Mr. Johnson now has belatedly struck a pose as a battler against inflation,
with token cuts in federal spending and anti-investment action which will have little
immediate impact on high prices. There's an election coming up. Johnson, the poli-
tician, had to do something.
(MORE)
-2-
SPEECH EXCERPTS--
What does this all add up to?
The people have been deceived. They have been misled by the Great Juggler,
the politician who has placed expediency before the good of the country.
The Consumer Price Index revealed a 0.5 per cent rise in the cost of living
in August. This was the second consecutive month that the price index showed a
0.5 per cent increase.
The cost of living has gone up 3.5 per cent from August, 1965, through August,
1966. In just the first eight months of this year the rise has been 2.8 per cent.
If the rate of increase continues at the July-August pace through the rest of this
year, the cost of living jump for the year 1966 will be 4.8 per cent.
Yet the Great Juggler goes around the country telling the people they never
had it so good.
Well, I'm telling you the people are on to him, and that flash is going to
come through loud and clear on November 8.
President Johnson and the free-spending Democrats in Congress opened the door
to inflation when they insisted on ruffles along with rifles at the opening of
Congress last January.
They had a real opportunity to dampen the fires of inflation then. That was
the time to do it. But they scoffed at us Republicans; they derided those lawmakers
who believe the taxpayer's dollar should be spent as though it is their own.
Now they are reaping the harvest of their unconcern, their eagerness to tax
and tax, spend and spend, elect and elect.
Of course, they are turning their old formula around in this year 1966. Their
plan is to spend and spend, elect and elect, tax and tax. The taxes come after the
election under the new political formula conjured up by Lyndon B. Johnson. And that
tax increase will give the American economy a tremendous jolt.
There's a turnaround, all right. But it's the people who are going to be
changing the formula. That elect and elect bit is going to work only with those who
will not see that the Great Juggler has failed the country.
Those of us who aren't wearing blinders, who see that Johnson inflation is
eating up workers' wage gains, will see that the Great Juggler is straightened out
on November 8. In his kidding way, he has as much as asked for a Republican Congress.
Let's do our best to give him one. Let's help him do what's best for the people.
###
CONGRESSMAN
NEWS
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
FOR RELEASE AFTER 6:30 P.M.
MONDAY, SEPT. 26, 1966
EXCERPTS FROM SPEECH AT GOP FUND-RAISING DINNER, PEORIA, ILL.--BY REP. GERALD R. FORD.
The American people are recognizing the Great Society, Lyndon Johnson style,
for what it is--the Great Illusion.
That's the meaning of the precipitous drop in Mr. Johnson's popularity rating
88 measured by the Lou Harris and Galiup Polls. The people simply have caught on to
the Great Juggler.
Webster's Dictionary defines magic as "the art of producing illusions by
legerdemain." Legerdemain involves sleight of hand. Sleight of hand is defined by
Webster as "skill and dexterity in juggling or conjuring tricks, adroitness in
deception, a conjuring or juggling trick requiring sleight of hand."
It has often been said that the Man in the White House should be a consummate
politician. This is correct as far as it goes. But it can go too far. The President
of the United States must first of all be concerned with what is best for the people
of the nation.
It is not best for the people of this nation that President Johnson pretends
he can fight a $2 billion-a-month war halfway around the world without any great
impact on the economy.
It is not best for the people of this nation that Mr. Johnson dealt with
inflation by blaming the housewife, blaming the farmer, blaming labor, and blaming
industry while himself failing to do battle with inflation.
It is not best for the people of this nation that Mr. Johnson sent Congress a
budget full of bookkeeping tricks and a plan to sell shares in government-held
mortgages in the private money market, all with a view to spending more but showing
it less.
It is not best for the people of this nation that Mr. Johnson let interest
rates bear the burden of the fight against inflation until those rates soared to the
highest point in 45 years.
Mr. Johnson now has belatedly struck a pose as a battler against inflation,
with token cuts in federal spending and anti-investment action which will have little
immediate impact on high prices. There's an election coming up. Johnson, the poli-
tician, had to do something.
(MORE)
-2-
SPEECH EXCERPTS--
What does this all add up to?
The people have been deceived. They have been misled by the Great Juggler,
the politician who has placed expediency before the good of the country.
The Consumer Price Index revealed a 0.5 per cent rise in the cost of living
in August. This was the second consecutive month that the price index showed a
0.5 per cent increase.
The cost of living has gone up 3.5 per cent from August, 1965, through August,
1966. In just the first eight months of this year the rise has been 2.8 per cent.
If the rate of increase continues at the July-August pace through the rest of this
year, the cost of living jump for the year 1966 will be 4.8 per cent.
Yet the Great Juggler goes around the country telling the people they never
had it so good.
Well, I'm telling you the people are on to him, and that flash is going to
come through loud and clear on November 8.
President Johnson and the free-spending Democrats in Congress opened the door
to inflation when they insisted on ruffles along with rifles at the opening of
Congress last January.
They had a real opportunity to dampen the fires of inflation then. That was
the time to do it. But they scoffed at us Republicans; they derided those lawmakers
who believe the taxpayer's dollar should be spent as though it is their own.
Now they are reaping the harvest of their unconcern, their eagerness to tax
and tax, spend and spend, elect and elect.
Of course, they are turning their old formula around in this year 1966. Their
plan is to spend and spend, elect and elect, tax and tax. The taxes come after the
election under the new political formula conjured up by Lyndon B. Johnson. And that
tax increase will give the American economy a tremendous jolt.
There's a turnaround, all right. But it's the people who are going to be
changing the formula. That elect and elect bit is going to work only with those who
will not see that the Great Juggler has failed the country.
Those of us who aren't wearing blinders, who see that Johnson inflation is
eating up workers' wage gains, will see that the Great Juggler is straightened out
on November 8. In his kidding way, he has as much as asked for a Republican Congress.
Let's do our best to give him one. Let's help him do what's best for the people.
###