Unlike most politicians, Jimmy Carter wasn’t a lying, cheating, gung-ho arrogant arsehole. Rather, he was an honourable man who ran America well for four years, restored legitimacy to a horribly tainted political system – and was defeated by an external disaster coupled with a dirty, unscrupulous Republican campaign.
During his time in power, he cut the deficit, created eight million jobs, secured the national energy supply to avoid another 1973-style oil crisis. In foreign policy, he ended the state of war between Egypt and Israel, established full diplomatic relations with China, and signed the first serious arms limitation treaty with the Russians. All these highly positive aspects of his foreign policy were followed by the Reagan government (which generally gets the praise for them), although that administration did scrap his human-rights-based stance of not supporting murderous bastards in Latin America.
It’s true that Mr Carter didn’t deal very well with the emergence of militant Islam. It’s also true that he did (at worst) no worse than the five presidents who followed him, right up until September 11. It’s also undoubtedly true that the Iranians conspired to fuck Mr Carter over personally by their stage-management of the hostage crisis. It’s not yet clear whether the Iranians were in league with the Republican campaign team during summer-autumn 1980 (google ‘October surprise’) – although the contact between these two groups later on in Mr Reagan’s presidency suggests that it wouldn’t be absurd to believe they were.
Next time you see a lazy right-wing idiot who uses ‘Jimmy Carter’ as a shorthand for ‘president who failed because he wasn’t a tough, shootin’ and huntin’ good ole boy’, you should make these points. Then punch them in the head.
You could also point out that rather than being the waffling wimp he’s generally portrayed as, he was once the captain of a nuclear submarine, a fairly nerve racking job at that time, for everyone else as well.
A bit too neoliberal for my liking though.
How about I point out Jimmy Carter reduced our military to a point of such extreme weakness that Soviet Bloc countries had actually considered and made plans to attack us. When our citizens were attacked and kidnapped in Iran Jimmy Carter did nothing except embarrass the country with an ill planned ill executed non attempt at a rescue. Oh by the way he refused the generals request for adequate equipment to pull off the rescue. Extreme inflation, record high interest mortgages. Jimmy Carters technique for negotiation is give the opposing party anything they want. ie: Haiti in 94-95. The only bigger embarrassment to this country has been Bill Clinton. Jimmy Carter need to go back to his fields and stay there. This country could not withstand his policies again. I am sorry to say and ashamed to admit he is from the same state I am.
Thanks for the feedback; I’d like to refer you to the final paragraph of my post.
(BTW, if you’re trying to win over a centrist audience with your argument, then digresionally suggesting that the USA’s most popular living ex-president is its biggest embarassment isn’t an excellent way to achieve it).
Has anyone seen the latest letter to the editor by Jimmy Carter to Zell Miller supposedly printed in the Journal Constitution? I’m trying to obtain permission to reprint in our papers in Maryland. Any suggestions out there? We need to stand strong now to get Bush out!
Thanks
GBD
I want to know what Jimmy Carter said about the recent elections in Iraq. Please help.
Carter is an abomination! He is a spineless, looser and defeatist! He is in Birmingham England today doing his thing, condemning us. He can only spew is how bad the United States is and what an evil country we are. He criticizes not some things but everything that we do. The worst part is he goes around the world and shoots of his mouth! Dose he have no pride? I guess he does that because they are looking to do the same thing, to smear America. Nobody here cares what Carter has to say; he is just like his presidency, "irrelevant". He was bad for America but great for the banks. Interest on home loans got as high as 18% and car loans were over 12% I believe. Thank God he only served one term, that was more than enough, anymore and he would have bankrupt us and turned this great country into what all liberals strive for, an unimportant and irrelevant country.
Just an afterthought. Carter is now building housing for the poor. When he was the president the poor and a lot of middle class couldn’t afford housing. How ironic!!!