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That may be just as true on the domestic front, for Ford presides over a nation that returned overwhelming Democratic majorities in the last election. Indeed, he looked last fall as if he would be a caretaker President at the mercy of Capitol Hill. That did not prove to be the case. The Democrats turned out to have too many members for their own good, and their leadership splintered. They failed to muster enough votes to override presidential vetoes of key spending bills providing for more federal housing subsidies, more public service jobs, higher farm price supports, and environmental controls on strip mining. With his 25 years' experience in the House,
Ford exploited his advantage. Knowing instinctively which legislators to approach and which to avoid, he got on the phone and requested their help to sustain his vetoes.
As a result, Ford has mostly had his way on domestic issues. The $23 billion tax cut passed by Congress was more than he wanted, but his Administration has largely been able to set the pace of the recovery from the recession, which is much too slow to suit the Democrats. Inflation has been cut by more than half, to 5.1%, but unemployment remains distressingly high at nearly 9%. Contrary to expectations, the President has also kept the upper hand with his controversial energy program, which aims at raising the price of domestic oil and natural gas in order to reduce consumption and stimulate production. Unable to agree among themselves and afraid of retaliation at the polls because of higher prices, the Democrats have failed to pass an alternative program. Last week Ford announced that he would decontrol the price of oil over a 30-month period; once again, the Democrats reacted negatively by threatening to vote against the move. They contend that removal of controls would add to inflation and unduly reward the oil companies. But there is a certain amount of give in the position of both sides; eventually a compromise is likely to be hammered out.
Though he has been farsighted in his chosen areas of competence, especially energy, the President has not provided anything resembling a blueprint for the nation. That would not be in keeping with his temper or his inclinations. "Ford is a prudent, careful builder," says a close friend and adviser. "When he came in, he bent a little leftward. Recently he's been tilting a little rightward." He does not want to provide his opponents on the right, chiefly Ronald Reagan, with any ammunition. But some activists on the White House staff are aware that a problem that is deferred may be harder to cope with later. At Ford's direction, Vice President Nelson Rockefeller recently asked all Cabinet officers for their priorities, and is currently drawing up policy options for the President on such matters as welfare reform and national health insurance. But Ford is not likely to act until next January when he delivers his State of the Union address.