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Statement on President Carter’s Health

cartercenter.org

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Re: Statement on President Carter’s Health

#141

Post by starkd »

sammalloy wrote: post #85
starkd wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He was a very young president, and since he had an engineering background, he tended to get stuck in the weeds. There are stories of him micro-managing affairs, involving himself in affairs that should have been left to low-level staff. And he had a terrible speaking ability. It was not uncommon to walk away from his comments not knowing just what he had said. As with many, he has mellowed with age. His humanitarian…

> And he had a terrible speaking ability. It was not uncommon to walk away from his comments not knowing just what he had said. I’ve listened to hours of Carter talking and never once had this impression.

You are very much in the minority. There were many jokes about Carter at the time. Many comedians did impressions of him. He was not known for his great oratory. He was often referred to as a technocrat.

Re: Statement on President Carter’s Health

#142

Post by sammalloy »

starkd wrote: post #141
sammalloy wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And he had a terrible speaking ability. It was not uncommon to walk away from his comments not knowing just what he had said. I’ve listened to hours of Carter talking and never once had this impression.

You are very much in the minority. There were many jokes about Carter at the time. Many comedians did impressions of him. He was not known for his great oratory. He was often referred to as a technocrat.

I was around at the time and I’ve read the literature since that era. I don’t recall such criticism and I’ve never read anything criticizing his oratory skills.

Re: Statement on President Carter’s Health

#143

Post by monetus »

flandish wrote: post #139
buildbot wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kissinger 100% committed treason by being the back channel here.

It’s a sure bet to assume anything Kissinger did was treason, murderous, or a war crime. Pissing on his grave, when nature takes its (slow) course, will be a goal for plenty, I am sure. In short: fuck that guy.

A podcast for those without context -

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-behind-the-bastards-29236...

Re: Statement on President Carter’s Health

#144

Post by starkd »

blululu wrote: post #96
wefarrell wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally I don’t think the US should ever be expected to handle any foreign revolutions.

The Iranian revolution was not a big issue in the election. It was the fact that American embassy staff was held at gunpoint for nearly two years so they could put the Shah on Trial. People were not happy about that.

What are you talking about? It was literally the main news item for the second half of his term. Every evening Walter Cronkite began his broadcast with "day xxx of the hostage crisis". The administration was consumed by it.

It also didn't help that Carter ordered a military rescue option that ended in disaster. The Iranians shot down our helicopter.

Re: Statement on President Carter’s Health

#145

Post by woodruffw »

quercusa wrote: post #131
woodruffw wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Are there any current national Democrats who would be to the right of Carter?

Economically, most national Democrats are about as conservative as Carter, if not further right. Carter is in many ways the progenitor of the neoliberal wing of the DNC; he brought back Progressive Era views that had previously been sidelined by the New Deal.

Socially, Carter is some probably slightly left of the DNC’s national position.

Re: Statement on President Carter’s Health

#146

Post by starkd »

bsenftner wrote: post #62
whats_a_quasar wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unless you have sources, I don't think there's much evidence either that he fought big money or was driven out of office by them. He lost primarily because the economy was bad in the second half of his term, with inflation and oil supply shocks. Also, his adminstration botched the handling of the Iranian revolution, which lead to the hostage crisis, a huge public debacle. He was a competent president, but not flashy,…

> I don't think there's much evidence either that he fought big money or was driven out of office by them. Although "big money" is different people and different corporations now, they've pretty much always, in last 70+ years, acted in concert with the Republican Party. And that is exactly who drove him out of office, with activities such as illegally negotiating with Iran during the election to withhold the hostages…

>> Big Business, as we know it today, didn't exist during the Carter's Administration

That's a good one. I think Big business has been in full control of both parties for most of the 20th century. It's just two sides of the same coin.

Re: Statement on President Carter’s Health

#147

Post by flandish »

monetus wrote: post #143
flandish wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s a sure bet to assume anything Kissinger did was treason, murderous, or a war crime. Pissing on his grave, when nature takes its (slow) course, will be a goal for plenty, I am sure. In short: fuck that guy.

A podcast for those without context - https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-behind-the-bastards-29236...

Yes! Such a great production! Got me into that show.

Re: Statement on President Carter’s Health

#148

Post by buildbot »

monetus wrote: post #143
flandish wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s a sure bet to assume anything Kissinger did was treason, murderous, or a war crime. Pissing on his grave, when nature takes its (slow) course, will be a goal for plenty, I am sure. In short: fuck that guy.

A podcast for those without context - https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-behind-the-bastards-29236...

100% Recommend this and his other work. Excellent journalism.

Re: Statement on President Carter’s Health

#149

Post by starkd »

rco8786 wrote: post #99
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…

His popularity grew quite a bit after his presidential term, to be fair. I wasn’t around during his leadership so I can’t comment on what that was like. But he’s quite obviously a generous, honest, genuinely good human.

There is a lot to complain about him, but it is notable that he was one of the last presidents to not sell himself out after leaving office. He still lives in a relatively modest home in Georgia.

Clinton, Gore and Obama all became mega millionaires within a few short years of leaving office. What are they paying them for? Carter never sullied himself, and for that, he deserves respect.

Re: Statement on President Carter’s Health

#150

Post by starkd »

areoform wrote: post #10

During the 40th Apollo 11 anniversary, Neil Armstrong remarked to a reporter that, "I guess we all like to be recognized not for one piece of fireworks, but for the ledger of our daily work." It strikes me as such a beautiful ideal. A simple statement to live up to and by, but difficult to achieve. It's easy to let your life be defined by one event or a narrow set of circumstances. Especially if you've achieved wild…

A lot of it can be attributed to his faith. He has the ability to separate out politics from life. Having government power is not his main objective.
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