Sounding angry and a trifle stunned, Fred Baker, co-chairman of Gerald Ford's presidential campaign in the state of Washington, talked about the fervor of Ronald Reagan's workers: "These Reagan people don't care; they're absolutely ruthless. They want all of it. Our people just aren't used to this uncompromising hardball stuff." An echo came from one of Ford's key regional coordinators in Colorado: "We're concerned about the survival of the party and its candidates."
Reagan's decision last fall to challenge the President was based largely on his conviction that he could stir grassroots Republican support better than Gerald Ford. As the struggle for...
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