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Statement on President Carter’s Health

cartercenter.org

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Re: Statement on President Carter’s Health

#41

Post by tgbugs »

When I was a child I was at a Duke graduation event, and was sitting around waiting for it to end so I could go play, and a old guy sat down next to me and said "Hi! I'm Jimmy. Who are you?" and proceeded to talk with me for the next 30 minutes or so.

I had no idea who he was, and I have no memory of the conversation, but I have been told that he was relieved to find someone to talk to with about anything other than politics.

Thank you for keeping a little boy entertained on a summer afternoon long ago, among the countless other things you have done to make the world a more welcoming and caring place.

Re: Statement on President Carter’s Health

#43

Post by blululu »

wkat4242 wrote: post #2

I have a lot of respect for Carter. Not only did he really seem interested in world peace instead of the warmongering from the MIC, he also remained active for all these years furthering humanitarian causes. And he was a brilliant nuclear engineer who cleaned up a nuclear accident with this team in Canada. I know he wasn't popular in the US which I don't really understand. It sounds to me like he fought the vested bi…

The cards were stacked against him. The legacy of Vietnam and the Yom Kippur War led to a massive debt, and an oil embargo from OPEC. This led to high inflation, high unemployment and constrained federal budgets for the first time in ~40 years. Arguably he saw the correct way out through innovation and American energy independence but the technology wasn't there yet and the electorate had little stomach dealing with high unemployment and high inflation through austerity for the length of time needed. He was also perhaps too principled for Washington politics, and he routinely got his ass handed to him by his own party in Congress which had no desire to curb spending on even the most obviously wasteful programs. But these are all excuses and as President you don't really get to make excuses. As much as I admire and respect the man and support his vision for America, the reality is things just didn't work out for him as president.

Re: Statement on President Carter’s Health

#44

Post by mikeyouse »

woodruffw wrote: post #24
wkat4242 wrote: post #2

I have a lot of respect for Carter. Not only did he really seem interested in world peace instead of the warmongering from the MIC, he also remained active for all these years furthering humanitarian causes. And he was a brilliant nuclear engineer who cleaned up a nuclear accident with this team in Canada. I know he wasn't popular in the US which I don't really understand. It sounds to me like he fought the vested bi…

Most US presidents (with a few conspicuous exceptions) experience post-presidential "glow": they become folksy pater familarum in the public's eye. Carter has experienced this more than most, in parts because (1) he's lived longer than every other president to have left office, and (2) he was widely perceived as being kind and genteel, too kind and genteel, while in office. Carter seems to be a genuinely good and kin…

Meh.. the majority of the deregulation that Reagan is credited with actually happened under Carter (craft beer, trucking, airlines, oil, nuclear, natural gas), he appointed Volcker specifically to beat inflation who then spiked rates to 17% which caused the slowdown that likely contributed to Carter's reelection loss..

Noah Smith has a good post on the topic: https://noahpinion.substack.com/p/much-of-what-youve-heard-a...

Re: Statement on President Carter’s Health

#45

Post by krapp »

syzarian wrote: post #22
doktorhladnjak wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Great person but he was unpopular as a president at the time because he failed to stop high inflation and to resolve the Iranian hostage crisis. The latter especially sunk his chances of re-election. So much of politics is about what happens when you’re in office, but also how you deal with what happens.

What I don’t understand about narrative that Carter failed on Iran is that Regan never got enough blame for blatantly violating U.S. laws and negotiated with Iran despite saying we don’t negotiate with hostage takers. Carter got far too much blame and Reagan far too little. https://www.vox.com/2016/1/25/10826056/reagan-iran-hostage-n...

To put it simply, winners write the history, and Reagan's influence on American politics and culture far outstripped Carter.

Re: Statement on President Carter’s Health

#46

Post by HL33tibCe7 »

sfgoodforonce wrote: post #40

Carter blessed the re-election of Hugo Chavez as “free and fair” when he should have known better. Carter was ultimately a flawed man more beholden to leftism than to to truth. He was complicit in the total destruction of a country and that’s what he should be remembered for.

Just a heads up — you live in an echo chamber

Re: Statement on President Carter’s Health

#48

Post by woodruffw »

mikeyouse wrote: post #44
woodruffw wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most US presidents (with a few conspicuous exceptions) experience post-presidential "glow": they become folksy pater familarum in the public's eye. Carter has experienced this more than most, in parts because (1) he's lived longer than every other president to have left office, and (2) he was widely perceived as being kind and genteel, too kind and genteel, while in office. Carter seems to be a genuinely good and kin…

Meh.. the majority of the deregulation that Reagan is credited with actually happened under Carter (craft beer, trucking, airlines, oil, nuclear, natural gas), he appointed Volcker specifically to beat inflation who then spiked rates to 17% which caused the slowdown that likely contributed to Carter's reelection loss.. Noah Smith has a good post on the topic: https://noahpinion.substack.com/p/much-of-what-youve-heard…

Yep. Carter's folksy image obscures a lot of his domestic agenda in the American memory, but he was an economically conservative Democrat.

Re: Statement on President Carter’s Health

#49

Post by sfgoodforonce »

HL33tibCe7 wrote: post #46
sfgoodforonce wrote: post #40

Carter blessed the re-election of Hugo Chavez as “free and fair” when he should have known better. Carter was ultimately a flawed man more beholden to leftism than to to truth. He was complicit in the total destruction of a country and that’s what he should be remembered for.

Just a heads up — you live in an echo chamber

[flagged]

Re: Statement on President Carter’s Health

#50

Post by iambateman »

My wife and I recently named our daughter Carter after Jimmy and Rosalynn.

There’s so much to admire about their life. They represent people who rose to the very top of public life in the United States and chose to live quiet lives of service afterward. Their work on Habitat for Humanity helped tons of people and paved the way for hundreds of other nonprofits.

They weren’t perfect, but I believe they were admirable and worthy of respect.

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