This month, July, forty years ago, the Motor City, that is Detroit, Michigan, was afire with wild speculation on who Ronald Reagan would pick as his running mate. The Reagan campaign knew that they needed a vice president who was conservative enough for their die-hard supporters but moderate enough to appeal to a broad swath of voters throughout the country. As Reagan moved ahead in the primaries, defeating other Republicans, including George H. W. Bush, something bizarre came about. There was chatter about Gerald Ford joining Reagan’s ticket as the vice president.