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    "localId": "4526086",
    "label": "Case-Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, February 7, 1968",
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{
    "id": "4526086",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4526086",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Case-Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, February 7, 1968",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4526086",
    "collections": [
        "Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers",
        "Speeches"
    ],
    "subjects": [
        "Republican National Committee (U.S.)",
        "Outer space",
        "Political conventions",
        "Political party platforms",
        "Presidential campaigns",
        "Urban policy"
    ],
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    "coverageEndDate": {
        "logicalDate": "1968-02-29",
        "month": 2,
        "year": 1968
    },
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        "logicalDate": "1968-02-01",
        "month": 2,
        "year": 1968
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    "seq": 1,
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    "type": "document",
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    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box D23, folder \"Case-Western Reserve University,\nCleveland, OH, February 7, 1968\" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and\nSpeech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nNOTES FOR CASE-WESTERN UNIVERSITY SPEECH, Feb. 7., 1968, CLEVELAND, OHIO.\n(The Speech is to deal with how Republican convention is run, platforms, and what effect\nspace progress and urban problems may have on the 1968 election.)\nALTHOUGH NO CONVENTION IS BOUND BY THE RULES OR PRACTICES USED IN PREVIOUS CONVENTIONS,\nCERTAIN TRADITIONS ARE CARRIED FORWARD.\nMUCH OF THE COURSE OF THE CONVENTION IS DETERMINED IN ADVANCE BY THE\nARRANGEMENTS COMMITTEE OF THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE, AND THESE PLANS GENERALLY\nARE RATIFIED WITHOUT OBJECTION BY THE FULL NATIONAL COMMITTEE BEFORE THE CONVENTION BEGINS.\nTHE ARRANGEMENTS COMMITTEE IS MADE UP OF ONE MEMBER FROM EACH STATE. THIS\nCOMMITTEE PICKS THE TEMPORARY OFFICERS OF THE CONVENTION, INCLUDING THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER\nDigitized from Box D23 of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\n2/Case-Western Notes\nAND THE TEMPORARY CHAIRMAN AND THE NOMINEE FOR PERMANENT CHAIRMAN. NORMALLY THE KEYNOTER\nAND THE TEMPORARY CONVENTION CHAIRMAN ARE ONE AND THE SAME.\nTHE WEIGHT OF PRECEDENT SINCE 1920 IS THAT THE PARTY'S LEADER IN THE HOUSE OF\nREPRESENTATIVES SERVES AS PERMANENT CHAIRMAN.\nTHE PERMANENT CHAIRMAN OF THE CONVENTION SHOULD NOT BE A CANDIDATE FOR EITHER\nPRESIDENT OR VICE-PRESIDENT.\nTHE RULES OF THE CONVENTION USUALLY PROVIDE THAT THE COMMITTEE ON CREDENTIALS\nREPORT FIRST IN CASE THERE IS ANY DISAGREEMENT OVER THE SEATING OF DELEGATIONS. IF A\nFIGHT OVER SEATING DEVELOPES, THE TEMPORARY CHAIRMAN OF THE CONVENTION IS IN A POWERFUL\n3/Case-Western Notes\nPOSITION TO INFLUENCE THE OUTCOME. THIS PROVED TRUE, FOR INSTANCE, DURING THE\nEISENHOWER-TAFT BATTLE IN 1952.\nONCE THE SEATING OF DELEGATIONS IS TAKEN CARE OF, THE PERMANENT CHAIRMAN TAKES\nOVER AND MAKES A SPEECH. OTHER SPEECHES AND THE REPORTS OF THE VARIOUS COMMITTEES\nFOLLOW--PERMANENT ORGANIZATION, PLATFORM, RULES, ADDRESSES BY PARTY LEADERS,\nEX-PRESIDENTS, ETC. ARE THE ORDER OF BUSINESS WHILE REPORTS ARE BEING PREPARED. SOME OF\nTHE SPEECHIFYING IS MOSTLY A HOLDING OPERATION, PENDING REPORTS FROM THE COMMITTEES. IT\nIS ONLY WITH THE REPORT ON PERMANENT ORGANIZATION THAT THE PERMANENT PRESIDING OFFICER\nTAKES OVER AND THE CONVENTION BUSINESS ACTUALLY GETS ROLLING.\n4/Case-Western Notes\nTHERE SOMETIMES ARE STIFF FIGHTS OVER THE WRITING OF THE PLATFORM. THE GENERAL\nRULE IS THAT THE PLATFORM MUST REFLECT THE WISHES OF THE PARTY'S PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE.\nAFTER ALL, HE HAS TO RUN ON IT. THE PLATFORM IS IMPORTANT IN THE SENSE THAT IT IS A\nSTATEMENT OF PARTY PRINCIPLES AND, IN EFFECT, A PROMISSORY NOTE PLACED IN THE HANDS OF\nTHE VOTERS. WITH ITS PLATFORM, A PARTY IS SAYING TO THE VOTERS \"IF ELECTED WE WILL...\"\nTHE CYNICAL WILL SAY THAT POLITICAL PLATFORMS ARE BUILT NOT TO STAND ON BUT TO\nGET IN ON--AND ARE PROMPTLY FORGOTTEN AFTER THE ELECTION. I THINK THE SUCCESSFUL PARTY\nSHOULD BE HELD STRICTLY ACCOUNTABLE FOR ITS ELECTION PROMISES AS SET FORTH IN THE PARTY\nPLATFORM. IF THE PERFORMANCE DOESN'T FIT THE PROMISES, THEN THAT PARTY'S PLATFORM IS INDEED\n5/Case-Western Notes\nMEANINGLESS AND THE PARTY DOES NOT DESERVE TO BE KEPT IN POWER. REPUBLICANS CERTAINLY AIM TO\nMAKE THE JOHNSON ADMINISTRATION ANSWER FOR ITS BROKEN PROMISES IN THE 1968 CAMPAIGN. FOR\nINSTANCE, THE 1964 DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM PROMISED THE PEOPLE PRICE STABILITY. INSTEAD WE HAVE\nEXPERIENCED THE WORST UPSURGE IN PRICES SINCE THE KOREAN WAR AND THE INFLATIONARY SWELL IS\nCONTINUING.\nTHE ATTENTION OF MANY VOTERS IS FOCUSED ON OUR URBAN PROBLEMS. THE A RTY WHICH OFFERS\nTHE PEOPLE THE MOST FEASIBLE SOLUTIONS TO THESE PROBLEMS CAN EXPECT STRONG SUPPORT IN THE\nCITIES. IN THAT CONNECTION, IT IS NOTABLE THAT PRESIDENT JOHNSON BELATEDLY IS EMBRACING IN\nPART THE REPUBLICAN APPROACH IN SOLVING THE PROBLEM OF HARD-CORE UNEMPLOYMENT--ENLISTING THE\nLEADERSHIP AND COOPERATION OF BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY IN TRAINING THE HARD-CORE UNEMPLOYED,\n6/Case-Western Notes\nWITH THE GOVERNMENT PAYING THE EXTRAORDINARY EXPENSES. THE REPUBLICAN APPROACH OF A TAX\nCREDIT INSTEAD OF DIRECT SUBSIDY IS BETTER BECAUSE THE INCENTIVE IS GREATER.\nTHE BASIC REPUBLICAN APPROACH TO THE PROBLEMS OF THE CITIES IS TO GIVE THE\nCITIES, SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND PRIVATE ENTERPRISE THE MEANS TO DO THE JOB--DO IT WITHOUT\nINTERFERENCE FROM A FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY WHICH OFTEN DELAYS OR CRUSHES SUCH EFFORTS WITH\nA LOAD OF RED TAPE. I AM TALKING ABOUT SHARING OF INCOME TAX REVENUE WITH THE CITIES AND\nSTATES ON A PERCENTAGE BASIS AND MAKING BLOCK GRANTS TO LOCAL UNITS OF GOVERNMENT FOR\nATTACKS ON CERTAIN PROBLEMS INSTEAD OF SPELLING OUT EVERY INCH OF THE WAY HOW THE MONEY\nSHALL BE SPENT. REPUBLICANS BELIEVE THE ONLY WAY TO SOLVE URBAN PROBLEMS IS TO SUPPLANT\n7/Case-Western Notes\nTHE TOTAL FEDERAL APPROACH WITH A LOCAL-STATE-FEDERAL APPROACH AND THE ALL-OUT LEADERSHIP\nAND COOPERATION OF PRIVATE ENTERPRISE BRAINS AND BRAWN.\nOUR PRIVATE ENTERPRISE SKILLS, TECHNOLOGY AND EXPERTISE AND THE ADVANCED WORK\nOF OUR SCIENTISTS HAVE COMBINED TO PRODUCE OUR ENVIABLE SPACE PROGRAM. I HAVE BEEN\nASKED TO ASSESS THE POLITICAL IMPACT OF THAT PROGRAM. THE SPACE PROGRAM HAS POLITICAL\nIMPACT IN THE SENSE THAT ANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS OR FAILURES THAT OCCUR REFLECT ON THE\nADMINISTRATION IN POWER. THE OPPOSITION PARTY CERTAINLY SHOULD NOT SEEK TO MAKE AN\nISSUE OF ANY SPACE PROGRAM FAILURE FOR POLITICAL GAIN BUT NEITHER SHOULD WE REFRAIN FROM\nLEGITIMATE CRITICISM FOR FEAR OUR CRITICISM WOULD BE MISINTERPRETED. WE WOULD OBJECT--AND\n8/Case-Western Notes\nSHOULD OBJECT--TO A SPACE PROGRAM SPEEDUP OR A 1968 SPACE SPECTACULAR OBVIOUSLY UNCORKED\nTO ENHANSE THE ADMINISTRATION'S IMAGE AS THE ELECTION APPROACHES.\nTHE 1968 CAMPAIGN SHOULD BE FOUGHT OUT ON THE LINES OF WHICH PARTY CAN BETTER\nSOLVE THE PROBLEMS OF THE PEOPLE .WHICH PARTY CAN DO A BETTER JOB OF PROMOTING GENUINE\nPROSPERITY AND NOT FALSE PROSPERITY FED BY WAR AND INFLATION AND WHICH PARTY CAN DO A\nBETTER JOB OF BRINGING THE VIETNAM WAR TO A SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION AND WINNING THE PEACE.\nON THAT, I REST MY CASE.\n###"
}