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Although no presidential scholars would say Carter was the best US President, I believe many would agree that Carter was one of the best people (in terms of compassion and moral character) to ever be President. I'm not a religious person, but people who call themselves Christian should read some biographies about Carter. His entire life embodied service to others (particularly to those who were the most needy). His path was closer to Jesus than just about any other public person that I can think of, and that includes every megachurch pastor.
It sounds like he will be passing soon. I hope there will be at least a few people who see his passing as an opportunity to learn more about him and the life he led.
By many accounts the job broke him. The political machinations of Nixon/Ford before him and Reagan after undermined what he perceived of the country and the job. He got thoroughly railroaded by the system.
I don't remember if it was a direct quote or an attribution to him but he apparently said that he had to go find his connection to God again. So he advocated for the poor and built houses for the rest of his life.
We'll never have another president like him: a good man who was both perfect for the job and completely unsuited for it.
The problem, per one book I've read is that Carter was far too hands on, and became a micromanager.
The President needs to be able to effectively delegate work to others, and not have to worry about every tiny detail, and make every single decision. And it took Carter far too long to realize that he was micromanaging everything in the US government and to effectively delegate, to the detriment of everyone.
He was faulted for lacking the grand vision of previous presidents, and for obsessing over the administrative details of the office at the expense of seeing the big picture. It was reported that Carter once took time to resolve a scheduling dispute between staffers over the use of the White House tennis courts; the President should NOT be the one resolving disputes between staff over the tennis court schedule, but here was Carter, doing exactly that.
Jimmy Carters background I think lead him to micromangement. People think of him as a ah, shuck sweet southern peanut farmer, when in reality there is a reason the USS Jimmy Carter is a submarine. He was a naval academy grad, who worked with early nuclear power on subs.
Most older nukes dislike him for hamstringing the industry during his presidency. This is somewhat correct, he’s largely why we don’t reprocess fuel. He had also been screwed over once responding to a nuclear accident and told he’d never have kids. I forget what his lifetime exposure is but I’d wager from occupational dose he’s in top 10 of radworkers alive fairly comfortably.
I think Three Mile Island has more of a say on nuclear power, than the Carter Administration. People were freaked out about it for decades, even though it had very little environmental impact, then Chernobyl happened and nuclear power just became a spooky thing, even thought that happened because of bad design and incompetence in the control room.They have not brought a new plant since Three Mile island.
The reprocessing thing was 1977. It’s pretty sad if you consider how much energy went into initial enrichment of fuel and how much is still available in spent fuel.
That's true especially with how efficient new tech is with like a 96 percent efficiency rate at reusing it. We would have a hell of a lot less containers of waste at power plants
I helped with security/backstage stuff when he spoke at my college in 2006-ish and, no exaggeration, it took him almost 2 hours to get from the stage to his dressing room because every person who said hello or shook his hand got a photo and several minutes of his time, and that was just a bunch of 20-something kids. His time was their time for as long as they kept coming up to him.
Amazing, but given your story, I could see how that mentality would make it difficult to be a high-level people manager.
He didn’t understand the dynamics of Congress, even within his own party. If you’re not able to extend your coalition building outside of the executive wing, your agenda is going to have a hard time getting through.
I don't really see that as a downside, though. There's something endearing about a guy at the top of the world taking time away from his neverending job to work something out with the folks who take care of him 24/7. It feels like every president since at least Bill isn't concerned with the minutae and delicacy of running the country, and casually fuck things sideways because of that.
It is a MASSIVE detriment for someone at the top of an organization to be so involved in the daily operations.
Someone at the top of an organization, be it the President of the US, or even a CEO, needs to be able to effectively delegate work. The job of the President or a CEO is to set the tone of the organization, prioritize, and be in charge of the overall picture.
There's often WAY too much information and decisions that have to be made for just one person to read and decide upon; this was the fault of Carter.
Because micromanagement rarely generates value, and more often causes harm, whether in government or in business. The President or a CEO needs to keep their heads up and looking around, not get bogged down by minutia.
It also annoys subordinates to no end, as the very people that should be dealing with the details, and it also creates dissension.
Micromanaging undermines workplace morale by projecting a sense of distrust, frustrating the working group’s capacity to improve. It can lead to employee disengagement, which can have costly implications to a company in terms of reduced productivity and diminished workforce culture.
No, it is not endearing about the President double checking the math on a policy proposal by himself; it instead shows he doesn't trust the people who wrote that proposal.
From a personal perspective, it's a positive trait, but when classifying a manager it's absolutely a negative trait, speaking from personal experience. While I wouldn't call myself a micromanager I suspect people under me probably would and I have a very, very hard time just handing off a task to people and letting them complete it and it absolutely makes me less effective in my position than I could be. And this definitely isn't an uncommon trait in my field (Construction management).
The difference is when I waste time tracking down something that one of guys could do, it's just wasting a little money, when the president of the USA does it the whole world suffers.
I'm glad this is one of the top comments. He took over at probably the worst post-WWII point in US history. Crazy cynicism from years of Nixon's scandals, an energy crisis coupled with a coup in a then-major Middle Eastern power, and the Republican's shenanigans with the Tehran hostages from the coup completely undermined whatever shred of power Carter had left.
You nailed it - a good man who was both perfect for the job and completely unsuited for it.
I don’t think he was unsuited for it. I think is an example of why you need the right congress for the president, and why Bernie Sanders would never be a two term president if he were to win one. Carter won at a time when the democratic party was at war with itself similar to how the gop is now. Carter was far too progressive for southern democrats who spilt off and found Regan turning many southern blue states red. That divide had been there since the civil rights movement. Carter put solar panels on the roof and they freaked out like he was going to shut down all the oil fields. Add to that Ted Kennedy in the wings wanting to be the new face of the liberal democrats, who killed universal healthcare in the house btw. Carter got it through the senate. The democrats were the dumpster fire at the time Carter wasn’t a great fireman but at the same time his party wasn’t even willing to help with the hoses.
Carter is only seen as a bad president because Americans were too stupid and selfish to listen to him, not because he wasn't right.
We don't rate things based on how objectively good they are, we rate things based on how subjectively good we perceive them. That means hard truths are always seen as bad even when they are 100% correct.
No better example than the speech that Carter made in 1979 that many historians say was one of the main reasons he lost to Reagan. The "Crisis of Confidence" speech warned Americans about our lifestyle. Here's a pivotal part of that speech:
>In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. But we’ve discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning. We’ve learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose.
Yes, believe it or not, this speech is one of the reasons many political insiders believe that Carter lost. Great advice, and probably needed more now than ever, but people in general are pretty stupid, and they turned on Carter for delivering this message.
Man, really wish I had used that in my grad thesis, considering part of it was about a cultural identity crisis post 2008 due in part to lessen purchasing power and inability to purchase markers of identities.
This is known as the “sweater speech” , where he proposed major cuts in oil imports, more domestic production of energy, and basically called people out for their consumption, and encouraged people people to be less selfish.
Funny, that.
Really interesting to read…
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/carter-crisis/
> He may be right, but it wasn't a politically smart move.
One of the things that made Jimmy Carter a great man is that he didn't care if it was a politically smart move, because his primary goal wasn't to get re-elected. His primary goal was to be a good President - to be a leader that can offer ideas that would have helped the nation. This is what the country needed to hear at the time, and still needs to hear today.
Yep. He said exactly the message Americans needed to hear and follow, and they crucified him for it because they didn't want to hear or do it AT ALL.
Which is exact mindset that set the largess of the 80s and the continued overconsumption of today.
Plus the likely treason by Reagan with Iran.
Bingo. We are losing billions of dollars to the effects of climate change now, with increasing billions of losses to come. If people had listened to Carter, we could be in a much stronger position.
He was also handed Nixon's recession and oil crisis. He became the fall guy for things that didn't belong to him but he was the one that hired volcker who fixed inflation. Why Dems ever let Republicans , mainly reagan, take credit for the economy is beyond me.
Carter’s true calling was humanitarian work. Being president was basically a side quest he had to take to get the resources to pursue his passion, which is goddamn impressive.
This is how it should be. You aren't religious but exemplar examples of others of truly being christ like and servicing others is still reconized.
A lot of these hateful people on the right are turning people off from Christ. It's sad.
We should all work together to be a better community member from all backgrounds.
Honestly, I’d push back on the idea that Carter was a bad president. Reagan gets upheld as a good president because the economy was good in the short term, but Reagaanomics has lead us down a miserable path. We’d probably be better off in the long run with more presidents like Carter.
The “history’s greatest monster” joke in The Simpsons went over a lot of people’s heads as well. The joke is that Springfield is such an uneducated hick town that of course they hate Jimmy Carter despite him being nowhere near the worst world leader. But I can imagine many modern viewers not understanding this and taking it seriously and thinking “Wow he must have been awful.”
Outside of being president there's a strong argument for Herbert Hoover and his efforts to prevent starvation, famine, and epidemics specifically in Belgium, but most of Europe and Russia during / post WW1. This was tarnished by his presidency, but his voice as "the food czar" continued well after his presidency.
Both are spectacular men, who show us we can have big impacts outside of politics.
As a history teacher, I find Carter to be the classic example to teach students how a true good and all too honest person will struggle to be a good politician. You need to know how to lie. To tell people what they want to hear. To bear the weight of actions done for the better of the country that can easily be perceived and understood to be evil. Carter, frankly, couldn't do that and his presidency suffered for it. He was a good man who found the mantel of presidency to be ill fitting.
He got all the prisoners home without firing a shot and all the religious Christian zealots who were hell bent on going to war with some more brown people hated him for it.
I may not agree with his beliefs, but the world will be a darker place without him. He seems to be one of those rare people who truly cares about others.
I wouldn't describe his circumstances that way. He had a long, happy marriage with a woman he loved from the core of his soul, and apparently from people who knew them, Rosalyn felt the same way about him. They had a bunch of children and grandchildren who were close with them. After his presidency, he had the freedom to choose how to occupy his time, and apparently, he loved helping the needy. He is loved and respected by many, and will be well into the future. Sounds like he is living a very fulfilling life.
Sorry, it was a pithy response probably deserving more nuance.
Yes, he did live a very fulfilling and amazing life - definitely one to look up to. However, because of poor media perception, he’s often overlooked and ignored. He does not have the same exposure as other presidents from that time (besides Ford).
Yea but that’s what should make a great president. The president’s job is to “preside” and represent the nation with compassion, dignity, and respect for all of its citizens. We have not been that in a long time.
I don't really know anything about him except that EVERYONE has love and positive words for him and it is so fucking touching. He was clearly a good person and very well loved.
There are plenty of people (conservatives mainly) who do not like him. He was unfairly blamed for a lot of issues outside of the control of the president, and he was only elected for one term. But he didn’t let that stop him from spending the rest of his life being an excellent person.
Would have (probably) gotten a second term if Reagan and his team didn't commit treason by negotiating with Iran to hold the hostages until after the election.
He is/was in his day ,a low key badass gentleman. He was a submarine officer in the navy . He rode on the hood of the presidential limo on his inauguration day parade. He had balls and was one of the best men to EVER be in the Whitehouse.
A friend of mine worked on his gubernatorial campaign and without disclosing too much, he was the real deal. He had some very specific opportunities to play dirty (or rather, benefit from people playing dirty on his behalf) and gain himself some advantages through shady deals and tactics and he refused. A genuinely good man.
It’s Reddit so I’m afraid you’ll just have to take my word for it. But I think you’ll find there’s a pretty consistent pattern of behavior with stories about him.
You check out but I think someone else in a different thread said they were a campaign leader that failed and checked their profile out and it looked creditable.
Its nice knowing that there are former government workers on all levels talking about their past experiences and being somewhat open about it vs some modern day politicians who don't reach out to their consituents.
I know people make up crap on Reddit all the time so it’s good to be skeptical. Personally I’m not a government worker but I did run in those professional circles in Georgia for a time, so I met a number of people who were or had been connected to Jimmy Carter in various ways (as you might imagine, that’s a relatively small community so lots of people know each other).
I'm surprised he's hung on this long. I thought for sure he'd not be too far behind Rosalynn. I'm slightly too young to care about his presidency, but old enough to appreciate his humanity.
> I'm surprised he's hung on this long.
The trick to living a long life is to either:
A) Marinate your soul in so much hate, you're effectively preserved in formaldehyde. A good example is Henry Kissinger. He lived to be 100.
B) Be such a good person, that the well wishes of others keeps your blood flowing. Carter is in this category.
C) Smoke like a chimney and drink like a fish. Either you'll die young or live to be 120 like [Jeanne Calment.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Calment)
Jimmy Carter is a decent and good person. He has been hanging on for so long, I hope the final part is peaceful for him.
Feels like the Carter family is feeling that the end is getting closer, though.
That's how my grandma went. She was unconscious then opened her eyes in what you could say was a brief moment of clarity (like she recognized her family), then passed. She had Alzheimer's, so it had been a while since anyone had seen that expression on her face.
Raising a glass to a good man, who really and truly tried to be a great President, but was too honorable to play the crappy game. Thank you, Mr President.
I will forever remember Jimmy Carter. Gerald Ford did not heal the United States by pardoning Nixon. Jimmy Carter once again showed us Integrity, compassion, acceptance, and toughness. His presidency wasn’t the best, but it was a higher plane than the president before him. I did want to see him live to be 100 and he is so close. Still, I believe he will go when he wants to.
Wish him and his family all the best. He is a truly good man. I had the pleasure of flying back from Riyadh with him and Rosalyn. (In fact I tripped over her foot boarding the aircraft…whoops). What a charming couple. There were two flights that day with a stop in Zurich on the way to Atlanta. He spoke with every person on both flights. I don’t think he hardly sat down. Just wanted to be with people and hear from them.
I hate to read this, but I hope that Carter can go peacefully. His presidency wasn't great, but the man tried to do good at the time and has done so much good since.
I don't believe as he does, but if he's right and I'm wrong, I hope he goes to his maker in peace. The man deserves it after all the good he's done in his life.
Everyone should read about Carter's hand in leading the effort to eradicate guinea worms-I first caught wind of this years back on public radio when I was on a cross country trip.
There were nearly 50 million cases per year, primarily in African and south Asian countries at one point. Carter spearheaded eradicated efforts, to the point there are now nearly single-digit cases of this per year.
Jimmy Carter has spent his life in service of others, and has done so much more good unto his fellow man than most Christians alive today combined. The world would be a lot better place with more people like him leading the way.
He lived a good life. He did great things (in or out of office, that's your opinion). I wish him peace, he certainly deserves it! Facing what we do now, we certainly had it better with him in both power and his after-power times.
I remember an Onion article about Jimmy Carter after Trump got nominated/elected or whatever:
"You people made me give up my peanut farm before I got to be president."
He wasn't the first president of my life, he wasn't the first president I was able to vote for but he was the president that was in office when I was old enough to know what one was so he will always be what I think of as a president.
He's done so damn much for his country and his world. The man has unequivocally earned his rest and will be missed by many... May he get to enjoy his last days in peace and happiness with his family
I'm at an age where I've lost many of my married family and friends to time, and there is a maxim that seems to be almost always true:
If the wife dies first, the husband is soon to follow.
If the husband dies first, the wife may live for decades longer.
I don't know why, but that seems to be the case 90% of the time.
I've seen this too, but surprisingly, both of my grandfathers outlived their wives. My grandfather lived to be 100, about 15 years after my grandma died. One of the last things he said was "I'm ready to be with Jennie now." (obviously my grandma's name, although that would be a different kind of story if it weren't lol).
Historically the wife cared for the husband so there was a huge shock to their system in suddenly need to care 100% for themselves.
Similar to how men used to die very soon after retirement because they didn't know how to handle post-work life.
I wonder how these will chnage as younger people have less gender norms compared to boomers and earlier.
Had a discussion not long ago with a pretty right-wing, Trump-supporting acquaintance who was running a line of bull about Carter actually being a corrupt egomaniac, “worse than Clinton” (his words.) Even people that didn’t like Carter at the time never claimed that he was a bad guy.
I told him that was some serious revisionist history. In order to justify supporting Trump they have to try to tear down every other leader we’ve ever had, just to make Trump seem less objectionable in comparison. So in this person’s mind, Ford, Carter, Reagan, the Bushes, Obama - all of them were equally as morally repugnant as Trump and therefore there’s no reason not to support Trump too. Maddening, baffling.
This man put the servant into public servant. He will be missed, but the example he has set will live on. I only hope someone picks up the mantle when his hands finally lay it down.
This is very sad. He’s one of the finest people of my lifetime. A true servant of others. I wish him and his family peace and comfort at this trying time. He will be missed.
It’s sad that he’s been laying on his death bed for 16 months. I don’t know if he’s happy about that or if he’s just praying for death to finally come knocking, but I know if that were me I’d be begging someone to help end my life quicker
So lucky to have heard his talk in Plains, Georgia at his church!! He and his wife were so warm and welcoming to every single person…they sat in chairs after his talk and we all had pictures taken with them!! They did this every Sunday! I am so proud that my first presidential vote was in 1976 and I voted for him. Probably the best human I have ever met. I hope his passing is gentle…💔
That's the worst part you see in nursing homes especially when you go inside a facility. You see them in their wheelchairs just sleeping near the entrance way. You could just tell they have given up on life sadly.
Asleep in the wheelchair is preferable to being awake, begging passing people to please take you home. I saw that happen while I was shopping for a good place for my grandmother years ago. Very depressing.
He's history's greatest monster!
JK OFC, a great man who never got his due credit during his term and for a long time after.
Now that the nostalgia goggles are coming off, we can see how much of a difference there was/is between the two political parties and their long lasting impact on the country and world.
He really would have benefited from a term as Vice President or even a high pressure cabinet position prior to his term as President. He was a great man. If you’re unable to say that you truly have no integrity or character.
Here’s how every Democratic presidency has been since Carter:
Before Presidency: “Damn, how could we let a Republican destroy our country like this? Time to elect a Democrat!”
During Presidency: “Damn this president is so uncool, both sides are clearly the same 😡😡😡”
After Presidency: “holy fuck I miss when they were president, how could we let them lose? They were such a decent president, obviously they weren’t perfect but why did I ever complain about them when they did such a good job?”
After turning 18 in 1978 I was first able to vote in the presidential election in 1980. Mom told me Reagan was a war monger but dad liked him. I took Mom's advice and voted Democrat but after his presidency went so poorly I rarely admitted it to anyone. Now looking back at their histories and legacies I don't feel so bad.
Doubtful, they hated his policy's but a lot of them like the man that he was. Hell my dad was a full on Trump supporter and Qanon dork and did a lot of work for Habitat for Humanity and praised the guy pretty often. Carter just had bad luck and an extremely shitty cabinet.
I bet all the major media regrets effectively publishing his obituary when he went into hospice care 18 months ago. Soon they’ll actually have to do it for real.
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Although no presidential scholars would say Carter was the best US President, I believe many would agree that Carter was one of the best people (in terms of compassion and moral character) to ever be President. I'm not a religious person, but people who call themselves Christian should read some biographies about Carter. His entire life embodied service to others (particularly to those who were the most needy). His path was closer to Jesus than just about any other public person that I can think of, and that includes every megachurch pastor. It sounds like he will be passing soon. I hope there will be at least a few people who see his passing as an opportunity to learn more about him and the life he led.
Basically him and Mr. Rogers
I would throw Dolly Parton into that mix.
And Bob Ross
A Baptist and a Presbyterian
Walk into a bar
Baptist pretends he doesn’t see his minister inside. The favor is returned.
The bartender looks up and says, “Is this a joke?” The Presbyterian nods and says, “Yes, but we’re keeping it dry.”
They say ouch
They've never been seen in the same room together...just saying.
But their hearts had the same rock-hard core of goodness and forgiveness of human frailty.
Exactly Mr. Roger’s to me is the closest to Jesus there has anyone been possibly since.
> His path was closer to Jesus He’s literally spent the past several decades building houses for the needy. You know, like a gentle carpenter.
A carpenter with the initials of JC
You can even call him Jimmy Car(pen)ter
He was far too good a man to be an effective president.
By many accounts the job broke him. The political machinations of Nixon/Ford before him and Reagan after undermined what he perceived of the country and the job. He got thoroughly railroaded by the system. I don't remember if it was a direct quote or an attribution to him but he apparently said that he had to go find his connection to God again. So he advocated for the poor and built houses for the rest of his life. We'll never have another president like him: a good man who was both perfect for the job and completely unsuited for it.
The problem, per one book I've read is that Carter was far too hands on, and became a micromanager. The President needs to be able to effectively delegate work to others, and not have to worry about every tiny detail, and make every single decision. And it took Carter far too long to realize that he was micromanaging everything in the US government and to effectively delegate, to the detriment of everyone. He was faulted for lacking the grand vision of previous presidents, and for obsessing over the administrative details of the office at the expense of seeing the big picture. It was reported that Carter once took time to resolve a scheduling dispute between staffers over the use of the White House tennis courts; the President should NOT be the one resolving disputes between staff over the tennis court schedule, but here was Carter, doing exactly that.
Jimmy Carters background I think lead him to micromangement. People think of him as a ah, shuck sweet southern peanut farmer, when in reality there is a reason the USS Jimmy Carter is a submarine. He was a naval academy grad, who worked with early nuclear power on subs.
Most older nukes dislike him for hamstringing the industry during his presidency. This is somewhat correct, he’s largely why we don’t reprocess fuel. He had also been screwed over once responding to a nuclear accident and told he’d never have kids. I forget what his lifetime exposure is but I’d wager from occupational dose he’s in top 10 of radworkers alive fairly comfortably.
I think Three Mile Island has more of a say on nuclear power, than the Carter Administration. People were freaked out about it for decades, even though it had very little environmental impact, then Chernobyl happened and nuclear power just became a spooky thing, even thought that happened because of bad design and incompetence in the control room.They have not brought a new plant since Three Mile island.
The reprocessing thing was 1977. It’s pretty sad if you consider how much energy went into initial enrichment of fuel and how much is still available in spent fuel.
That's true especially with how efficient new tech is with like a 96 percent efficiency rate at reusing it. We would have a hell of a lot less containers of waste at power plants
What's the downside of doing it?
I helped with security/backstage stuff when he spoke at my college in 2006-ish and, no exaggeration, it took him almost 2 hours to get from the stage to his dressing room because every person who said hello or shook his hand got a photo and several minutes of his time, and that was just a bunch of 20-something kids. His time was their time for as long as they kept coming up to him. Amazing, but given your story, I could see how that mentality would make it difficult to be a high-level people manager.
He didn’t understand the dynamics of Congress, even within his own party. If you’re not able to extend your coalition building outside of the executive wing, your agenda is going to have a hard time getting through.
I don't really see that as a downside, though. There's something endearing about a guy at the top of the world taking time away from his neverending job to work something out with the folks who take care of him 24/7. It feels like every president since at least Bill isn't concerned with the minutae and delicacy of running the country, and casually fuck things sideways because of that.
It is a MASSIVE detriment for someone at the top of an organization to be so involved in the daily operations. Someone at the top of an organization, be it the President of the US, or even a CEO, needs to be able to effectively delegate work. The job of the President or a CEO is to set the tone of the organization, prioritize, and be in charge of the overall picture. There's often WAY too much information and decisions that have to be made for just one person to read and decide upon; this was the fault of Carter. Because micromanagement rarely generates value, and more often causes harm, whether in government or in business. The President or a CEO needs to keep their heads up and looking around, not get bogged down by minutia. It also annoys subordinates to no end, as the very people that should be dealing with the details, and it also creates dissension. Micromanaging undermines workplace morale by projecting a sense of distrust, frustrating the working group’s capacity to improve. It can lead to employee disengagement, which can have costly implications to a company in terms of reduced productivity and diminished workforce culture. No, it is not endearing about the President double checking the math on a policy proposal by himself; it instead shows he doesn't trust the people who wrote that proposal.
Maybe it was his way of taking a break from the stress of the real job.
From a personal perspective, it's a positive trait, but when classifying a manager it's absolutely a negative trait, speaking from personal experience. While I wouldn't call myself a micromanager I suspect people under me probably would and I have a very, very hard time just handing off a task to people and letting them complete it and it absolutely makes me less effective in my position than I could be. And this definitely isn't an uncommon trait in my field (Construction management). The difference is when I waste time tracking down something that one of guys could do, it's just wasting a little money, when the president of the USA does it the whole world suffers.
I'm glad this is one of the top comments. He took over at probably the worst post-WWII point in US history. Crazy cynicism from years of Nixon's scandals, an energy crisis coupled with a coup in a then-major Middle Eastern power, and the Republican's shenanigans with the Tehran hostages from the coup completely undermined whatever shred of power Carter had left. You nailed it - a good man who was both perfect for the job and completely unsuited for it.
I don’t think he was unsuited for it. I think is an example of why you need the right congress for the president, and why Bernie Sanders would never be a two term president if he were to win one. Carter won at a time when the democratic party was at war with itself similar to how the gop is now. Carter was far too progressive for southern democrats who spilt off and found Regan turning many southern blue states red. That divide had been there since the civil rights movement. Carter put solar panels on the roof and they freaked out like he was going to shut down all the oil fields. Add to that Ted Kennedy in the wings wanting to be the new face of the liberal democrats, who killed universal healthcare in the house btw. Carter got it through the senate. The democrats were the dumpster fire at the time Carter wasn’t a great fireman but at the same time his party wasn’t even willing to help with the hoses.
Carter is only seen as a bad president because Americans were too stupid and selfish to listen to him, not because he wasn't right. We don't rate things based on how objectively good they are, we rate things based on how subjectively good we perceive them. That means hard truths are always seen as bad even when they are 100% correct.
No better example than the speech that Carter made in 1979 that many historians say was one of the main reasons he lost to Reagan. The "Crisis of Confidence" speech warned Americans about our lifestyle. Here's a pivotal part of that speech: >In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. But we’ve discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning. We’ve learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose. Yes, believe it or not, this speech is one of the reasons many political insiders believe that Carter lost. Great advice, and probably needed more now than ever, but people in general are pretty stupid, and they turned on Carter for delivering this message.
Man, really wish I had used that in my grad thesis, considering part of it was about a cultural identity crisis post 2008 due in part to lessen purchasing power and inability to purchase markers of identities.
That sounds like a really cool grad thesis.
Would love to learn more/read more about this
This is known as the “sweater speech” , where he proposed major cuts in oil imports, more domestic production of energy, and basically called people out for their consumption, and encouraged people people to be less selfish. Funny, that. Really interesting to read… https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/carter-crisis/
Imagine a spry, young 65-year-old Carter in office today, telling Elon Musk: “You sir, should not exist.”
No one wants to be called out like that. Especially boomers in their prime. He may be right, but it wasn't a politically smart move.
> He may be right, but it wasn't a politically smart move. One of the things that made Jimmy Carter a great man is that he didn't care if it was a politically smart move, because his primary goal wasn't to get re-elected. His primary goal was to be a good President - to be a leader that can offer ideas that would have helped the nation. This is what the country needed to hear at the time, and still needs to hear today.
America: Actually, we prefer greed and cocaine. The 80s.
Yep. He said exactly the message Americans needed to hear and follow, and they crucified him for it because they didn't want to hear or do it AT ALL. Which is exact mindset that set the largess of the 80s and the continued overconsumption of today. Plus the likely treason by Reagan with Iran.
Bingo. We are losing billions of dollars to the effects of climate change now, with increasing billions of losses to come. If people had listened to Carter, we could be in a much stronger position.
He was also handed Nixon's recession and oil crisis. He became the fall guy for things that didn't belong to him but he was the one that hired volcker who fixed inflation. Why Dems ever let Republicans , mainly reagan, take credit for the economy is beyond me.
He wad so successful at life that one could argue his 4 years as president was the low point of his career.
I recommend the Jonathan Alter biography ‘His Very Best’.
Carter’s true calling was humanitarian work. Being president was basically a side quest he had to take to get the resources to pursue his passion, which is goddamn impressive.
This is how it should be. You aren't religious but exemplar examples of others of truly being christ like and servicing others is still reconized. A lot of these hateful people on the right are turning people off from Christ. It's sad. We should all work together to be a better community member from all backgrounds.
No hate like Christian love. I for one am happy there are less people turning to that.
Probably related factors... One can never be that good of a human and that good of a politician at the same time.
Honestly, I’d push back on the idea that Carter was a bad president. Reagan gets upheld as a good president because the economy was good in the short term, but Reagaanomics has lead us down a miserable path. We’d probably be better off in the long run with more presidents like Carter.
The media tricked everyone that Carter was a bad president while Reagan was a good president.
The “history’s greatest monster” joke in The Simpsons went over a lot of people’s heads as well. The joke is that Springfield is such an uneducated hick town that of course they hate Jimmy Carter despite him being nowhere near the worst world leader. But I can imagine many modern viewers not understanding this and taking it seriously and thinking “Wow he must have been awful.”
Outside of being president there's a strong argument for Herbert Hoover and his efforts to prevent starvation, famine, and epidemics specifically in Belgium, but most of Europe and Russia during / post WW1. This was tarnished by his presidency, but his voice as "the food czar" continued well after his presidency. Both are spectacular men, who show us we can have big impacts outside of politics.
Interesting. Outside of visiting the Hoover Dam, I've never known anything of that President. I'll have to look up more on him.
We accidentally let in a non-egomaniacal sociopath. Fool me once…etc…this is so depressing.
As a history teacher, I find Carter to be the classic example to teach students how a true good and all too honest person will struggle to be a good politician. You need to know how to lie. To tell people what they want to hear. To bear the weight of actions done for the better of the country that can easily be perceived and understood to be evil. Carter, frankly, couldn't do that and his presidency suffered for it. He was a good man who found the mantel of presidency to be ill fitting.
Best ex-US President
He got all the prisoners home without firing a shot and all the religious Christian zealots who were hell bent on going to war with some more brown people hated him for it.
I may not agree with his beliefs, but the world will be a darker place without him. He seems to be one of those rare people who truly cares about others.
Carter made the grave mistake of telling the American people the truth in his Great Malaise speech.
best and coolest living ex-president in my lifetime, certainly
He is the best of humanity ♥️
Yes. He’s a great example of the nice guy finishing last.
I wouldn't describe his circumstances that way. He had a long, happy marriage with a woman he loved from the core of his soul, and apparently from people who knew them, Rosalyn felt the same way about him. They had a bunch of children and grandchildren who were close with them. After his presidency, he had the freedom to choose how to occupy his time, and apparently, he loved helping the needy. He is loved and respected by many, and will be well into the future. Sounds like he is living a very fulfilling life.
Sorry, it was a pithy response probably deserving more nuance. Yes, he did live a very fulfilling and amazing life - definitely one to look up to. However, because of poor media perception, he’s often overlooked and ignored. He does not have the same exposure as other presidents from that time (besides Ford).
The most wholesome high score play through of "Roy."
I would love to hear a behind the bastards Christmas episode about him (when they basically go behind a saint instead of a bastard)
Every mega church pastor is such a low bar but I agree with point.
It’s an interesting point. He really did embody Jesus’s values. Even the carpentry.
Yea but that’s what should make a great president. The president’s job is to “preside” and represent the nation with compassion, dignity, and respect for all of its citizens. We have not been that in a long time.
What do you recommend for biographies?
> Although no presidential scholars would say Carter was the best US President I'd say he was our most prescient president.
Jimmy Carter ... Jesus Christ... same initials, you might be on to something.
Both were also hated by the religious establishment of their day.
same number of letters, too
Well said!
He was a great president. The problem is that American politics are absolute shit and reward the worst kinds of people.
My favorite carpenter who's initials are JC
99 years and a hell of a good life lived, what an absolute unit of a man and president.
I don't really know anything about him except that EVERYONE has love and positive words for him and it is so fucking touching. He was clearly a good person and very well loved.
There are plenty of people (conservatives mainly) who do not like him. He was unfairly blamed for a lot of issues outside of the control of the president, and he was only elected for one term. But he didn’t let that stop him from spending the rest of his life being an excellent person.
Would have (probably) gotten a second term if Reagan and his team didn't commit treason by negotiating with Iran to hold the hostages until after the election.
He is/was in his day ,a low key badass gentleman. He was a submarine officer in the navy . He rode on the hood of the presidential limo on his inauguration day parade. He had balls and was one of the best men to EVER be in the Whitehouse.
Risked his life to help avert a nuclear disaster.
And the city of Ottawa is forever grateful to him!
I had to look this up. I had no idea that he led a team that averted a nuclear disaster in Canada
A friend of mine worked on his gubernatorial campaign and without disclosing too much, he was the real deal. He had some very specific opportunities to play dirty (or rather, benefit from people playing dirty on his behalf) and gain himself some advantages through shady deals and tactics and he refused. A genuinely good man.
I dunno if you're telling the truth, but I'll take it.
It’s Reddit so I’m afraid you’ll just have to take my word for it. But I think you’ll find there’s a pretty consistent pattern of behavior with stories about him.
You check out but I think someone else in a different thread said they were a campaign leader that failed and checked their profile out and it looked creditable. Its nice knowing that there are former government workers on all levels talking about their past experiences and being somewhat open about it vs some modern day politicians who don't reach out to their consituents.
I know people make up crap on Reddit all the time so it’s good to be skeptical. Personally I’m not a government worker but I did run in those professional circles in Georgia for a time, so I met a number of people who were or had been connected to Jimmy Carter in various ways (as you might imagine, that’s a relatively small community so lots of people know each other).
Presidents usually get aircraft carriers named after them. Carter is the only one with a sub due to his background in the Navy.
He reminds me of Fred Rogers. The genuineness with which they lived life.
Same, probably the kindest two people who have lived in the past few hundred years.
Take it easy President Carter, you've had a grand, honorable life and will always be remembered for the good you did.
Married 77 years, that's an achievement in and of itself. Edit: I'd bet he considers that his greatest achievement, great man.
That or his children, grandchildren, and great grands.
I'm surprised he's hung on this long. I thought for sure he'd not be too far behind Rosalynn. I'm slightly too young to care about his presidency, but old enough to appreciate his humanity.
Considering he was already on hospice when his wife died it's even more surprising.
> I'm surprised he's hung on this long. The trick to living a long life is to either: A) Marinate your soul in so much hate, you're effectively preserved in formaldehyde. A good example is Henry Kissinger. He lived to be 100. B) Be such a good person, that the well wishes of others keeps your blood flowing. Carter is in this category. C) Smoke like a chimney and drink like a fish. Either you'll die young or live to be 120 like [Jeanne Calment.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Calment)
I wish him and his family nothing but peace and privacy to love and support each other through this phase of life.
Jimmy Carter is a decent and good person. He has been hanging on for so long, I hope the final part is peaceful for him. Feels like the Carter family is feeling that the end is getting closer, though.
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Yeah we could all hope to have such a smooth landing
He is a great man
Better than that, he is a good man.
He embodies the Zephram Cochran quote “Don’t try to be a great man, just be a man and let history decide.”
I'm so sorry to hear this. May he pass peacefully when he goes. He was actually a good Christian and a damn fine man.
He might go out like Reagan: wakes up for the first time in 5 days, looks directly at family member, then dies
That's how my grandma went. She was unconscious then opened her eyes in what you could say was a brief moment of clarity (like she recognized her family), then passed. She had Alzheimer's, so it had been a while since anyone had seen that expression on her face.
We owe the craft beer revolution to the home brew act of 1978. I will be having a beer this evening to honor Jimmy.
He can really be proud of the life he has lived.
Peacemaker, not a warmaker. Set a high bar, yet to be cleared.
Raising a glass to a good man, who really and truly tried to be a great President, but was too honorable to play the crappy game. Thank you, Mr President.
Hopefully when he goes, he goes gently.
It won't be long, especially if he is going days without awakening. He will pass peacefully, as he should.
I didn't realize you could just sleep for a few days straight!
Well, you can't. If you are, you're very close to death (though how you've come to be there can vary).
I will forever remember Jimmy Carter. Gerald Ford did not heal the United States by pardoning Nixon. Jimmy Carter once again showed us Integrity, compassion, acceptance, and toughness. His presidency wasn’t the best, but it was a higher plane than the president before him. I did want to see him live to be 100 and he is so close. Still, I believe he will go when he wants to.
It is my fervent wish that Jimmy Carter lives to see and acknowledge that the Orange Turd is in jail.
He’s completely mentally *there*; moreso than Trump. He’s just very physically limited.
Wish him and his family all the best. He is a truly good man. I had the pleasure of flying back from Riyadh with him and Rosalyn. (In fact I tripped over her foot boarding the aircraft…whoops). What a charming couple. There were two flights that day with a stop in Zurich on the way to Atlanta. He spoke with every person on both flights. I don’t think he hardly sat down. Just wanted to be with people and hear from them.
I hate to read this, but I hope that Carter can go peacefully. His presidency wasn't great, but the man tried to do good at the time and has done so much good since.
What a life lived
Ehh, I’d still vote for him over Trump.
If he were this year’s Democratic nominee, I would too. Biden it is though.
I don't believe as he does, but if he's right and I'm wrong, I hope he goes to his maker in peace. The man deserves it after all the good he's done in his life.
Everyone should read about Carter's hand in leading the effort to eradicate guinea worms-I first caught wind of this years back on public radio when I was on a cross country trip. There were nearly 50 million cases per year, primarily in African and south Asian countries at one point. Carter spearheaded eradicated efforts, to the point there are now nearly single-digit cases of this per year. Jimmy Carter has spent his life in service of others, and has done so much more good unto his fellow man than most Christians alive today combined. The world would be a lot better place with more people like him leading the way.
This makes me so sad.
He lived a good life. He did great things (in or out of office, that's your opinion). I wish him peace, he certainly deserves it! Facing what we do now, we certainly had it better with him in both power and his after-power times.
This speech by Carter in 1974 is incredible. https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jimmycarterlawday1974.htm
I remember an Onion article about Jimmy Carter after Trump got nominated/elected or whatever: "You people made me give up my peanut farm before I got to be president."
I always said he was too good a person to be president...they just couldn't appreciate him.
He wasn't the first president of my life, he wasn't the first president I was able to vote for but he was the president that was in office when I was old enough to know what one was so he will always be what I think of as a president.
Probably one of the best humans to ever walk the earth. Godspeed.
He's done so damn much for his country and his world. The man has unequivocally earned his rest and will be missed by many... May he get to enjoy his last days in peace and happiness with his family
Love this man, wish him the best. This is the one time I would consider thoughts and prayers relevant.
They say “only the good die young.” Mr. Carter is evidence to the contrary.
God bless him. One of our best, though uncredited, Presidents. He was one helicopter short of being recognized.
I'm at an age where I've lost many of my married family and friends to time, and there is a maxim that seems to be almost always true: If the wife dies first, the husband is soon to follow. If the husband dies first, the wife may live for decades longer. I don't know why, but that seems to be the case 90% of the time.
I've seen this too, but surprisingly, both of my grandfathers outlived their wives. My grandfather lived to be 100, about 15 years after my grandma died. One of the last things he said was "I'm ready to be with Jennie now." (obviously my grandma's name, although that would be a different kind of story if it weren't lol).
Historically the wife cared for the husband so there was a huge shock to their system in suddenly need to care 100% for themselves. Similar to how men used to die very soon after retirement because they didn't know how to handle post-work life. I wonder how these will chnage as younger people have less gender norms compared to boomers and earlier.
I met Jimmy Carter once. That man has the bluest eyes I've ever seen.
Had a discussion not long ago with a pretty right-wing, Trump-supporting acquaintance who was running a line of bull about Carter actually being a corrupt egomaniac, “worse than Clinton” (his words.) Even people that didn’t like Carter at the time never claimed that he was a bad guy. I told him that was some serious revisionist history. In order to justify supporting Trump they have to try to tear down every other leader we’ve ever had, just to make Trump seem less objectionable in comparison. So in this person’s mind, Ford, Carter, Reagan, the Bushes, Obama - all of them were equally as morally repugnant as Trump and therefore there’s no reason not to support Trump too. Maddening, baffling.
Even though he's not awake, he framed a wall for Habitat today.
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The Dolly Parton of ex-presidents.
The best man to ever hold the office, bar none. Could even say he set a moral standard for every citizen to strive for. Thank you,Jimmy.
A long life is a blessing, but death is a blessing too. I hope he finds his peace soon.
This man put the servant into public servant. He will be missed, but the example he has set will live on. I only hope someone picks up the mantle when his hands finally lay it down.
I love him so dearly, I only wish him peace. He’s given us so much, I hope he’s content at the end.
This is very sad. He’s one of the finest people of my lifetime. A true servant of others. I wish him and his family peace and comfort at this trying time. He will be missed.
Its okay to rest, Mr President :)
That’s so sad, he might have days, weeks, or months but to him it’ll be hours.
It’s sad that he’s been laying on his death bed for 16 months. I don’t know if he’s happy about that or if he’s just praying for death to finally come knocking, but I know if that were me I’d be begging someone to help end my life quicker
Jimmy Carter is a saint
I’d still vote for him head to head against Trump
The outpouring of love from around the world is going to make for some unhinged Trump social media posts.
He's been one of my heroes since I was little.
So lucky to have heard his talk in Plains, Georgia at his church!! He and his wife were so warm and welcoming to every single person…they sat in chairs after his talk and we all had pictures taken with them!! They did this every Sunday! I am so proud that my first presidential vote was in 1976 and I voted for him. Probably the best human I have ever met. I hope his passing is gentle…💔
Conservatives hate him and call him weak, while they worship a spoiled, stupid man-baby.
That's the worst part you see in nursing homes especially when you go inside a facility. You see them in their wheelchairs just sleeping near the entrance way. You could just tell they have given up on life sadly.
Asleep in the wheelchair is preferable to being awake, begging passing people to please take you home. I saw that happen while I was shopping for a good place for my grandmother years ago. Very depressing.
He's history's greatest monster! JK OFC, a great man who never got his due credit during his term and for a long time after. Now that the nostalgia goggles are coming off, we can see how much of a difference there was/is between the two political parties and their long lasting impact on the country and world.
A giant by any measurement system.
Sad to hear, he is a CLASS act!!!
He really would have benefited from a term as Vice President or even a high pressure cabinet position prior to his term as President. He was a great man. If you’re unable to say that you truly have no integrity or character.
Here’s how every Democratic presidency has been since Carter: Before Presidency: “Damn, how could we let a Republican destroy our country like this? Time to elect a Democrat!” During Presidency: “Damn this president is so uncool, both sides are clearly the same 😡😡😡” After Presidency: “holy fuck I miss when they were president, how could we let them lose? They were such a decent president, obviously they weren’t perfect but why did I ever complain about them when they did such a good job?”
Carter will be dearly missed when he passes.
He’s going. This is it. Goodbye, Jimmy 😢
Not surprising given his wife’s passing
It's only a matter of time now sadly. :(
So he's not going to die, just go into a thousand years slumber like some Eldritch... Not horror... Eldritch Benefactor?
God bless you Jimma’
Just make it to 100.
Being awake every day is overrated
After turning 18 in 1978 I was first able to vote in the presidential election in 1980. Mom told me Reagan was a war monger but dad liked him. I took Mom's advice and voted Democrat but after his presidency went so poorly I rarely admitted it to anyone. Now looking back at their histories and legacies I don't feel so bad.
Thank you for your service, sir.
A real Prince of Peace!
Have you been awake every day? It’s terrible.
It's ok. He's just off somewhere having fun with Rosalynn.
Republicans are going to throw parties when Carter dies. Trump will probably say he was a scumbag bullshitter who died like a dog.
Doubtful, they hated his policy's but a lot of them like the man that he was. Hell my dad was a full on Trump supporter and Qanon dork and did a lot of work for Habitat for Humanity and praised the guy pretty often. Carter just had bad luck and an extremely shitty cabinet.
Look at /r/conservative Most of the comments about him are positive.
Won’t matter if Trump doesn’t agree.
Opposed to him politically but he seems like a decent person and I wish him a peaceful journey when it comes.
He may not have been a great President but he’s always been a great person.
Going to be awkward when they have to invite Trump to the funeral. Hopefully, he’ll make his excuses and send someone in his stead.
I’m pretty sure that was already planned out and Carter specifically said Trump would not be invited to his funeral.
Hopefully, whoever is in charge of that will accidentally lose the invite.
Why would they have to invite him?
Please hold on until November then you can die in peace knowing Biden was reelected
I think he's waiting for Flag Day to pass.
I bet all the major media regrets effectively publishing his obituary when he went into hospice care 18 months ago. Soon they’ll actually have to do it for real.