Jimmy Carter was a thoroughly good and decent man and an exceptional human being. He was not a particularly good President and understanding both says more about us than him.
Mike, thanks for your balanced take on this very consequential president & person. I’m older than you so had the experience of several more presidents. No question, Carter was the most decent on a personal level until Obama, with honorable mention to Ford. Outside politics, I believe Carter evidenced the best personal values, I admit because most closely matching what I aspire to on my best days.
I always felt he had the bad fortune to be in office as the American century really started to unravel - internationally, economically, the energy issues tied to both, the fleeting hope of putting aside political differences a little in the rebuilding of faith in government after Nixon. I don’t know who would’ve handled all that, but Carter was overmatched by the world he had to work in.
I’m grateful for the many examples of human kindness and faith in God & fellow Americans that he worked to achieve. For me and I hope most Americans & many around the world, his memory is indeed a blessing.
Carter had the misfortune of becoming president when inflation was high and rising and when the Shah of Iran was run out of town. But Carter did a lot of good things that Reagan took credit for. Carter appointed Paul Vogel to deal with inflation and it was down during Reagan‘s years. Carter negotiated the nuclear arms reduction treaty with the Soviet Union that partially if not almost fully resulted in the demise of the USSR - and yet Reagan is credited. And of course there were things America didn’t want to do or hear about like energy conservation. It was more fun for the media and profitable to make fun of Carter- a peanut farmer with a southern drawl but downplay the fact that he graduated from the Naval Academy as an engineer and served on a nuclear sub. (And was part of a team to make sure nuclear accidents didn’t occur or lessen the impact of radiation - even if not on US soil or water). His main troubles upon entering the White House was that he made decisions best for US citizens, which weren’t necessarily politically correct within his own party.
Seems everyone loves Reagan, but has no idea what Iran-Contra is and has no idea he had nothing to do with the Iranian hostages coming back home. It was Carter’s administration that negotiated the deal. And as an honorable man, he didn’t care that it was on the day that he left Office as long as they were coming back home.
When Carter was in office, my sister worked for a large defense contractor. While there, she always heard that he wouldn’t “play ball” and so his term in office would end because the corporate world with the money -whether a Democrat- or Republican-leaning entity, would not support a second term.
In a time when the words “Christian values” are often wielded as weapons by those who seem unfamiliar with their essence, your life remains a testament to what they truly mean: love, humility, service, and unyielding moral courage.
As the 39th President of the United States, you brought a quiet dignity to the Oval Office, pursuing peace where others stoked conflict. Your leadership in brokering the Camp David Accords showed the world that diplomacy, grounded in faith and principle, could triumph over cynicism and division. And while history has recognized your presidency more kindly with each passing year, it is your post-presidency that stands as the gold standard of what an ex-president can and should be.
From eradicating diseases to building homes for those in need, your work with the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity has been an unparalleled legacy of compassion. You didn’t retreat to a gilded life of grift and spectacle but chose instead to labor humbly, embodying your spiritual call to serve “the least of these.”
In an era defined by loud self-aggrandizement and moral bankruptcy—where some falsely claim your faith while trampling its core tenets—you are proof that decency is not weakness and that true greatness lies in the quiet, steadfast work of lifting others up.
Thank you, President Carter, for showing us what goodness looks like.
" The other half (for those of you demanding to hold the moral high ground on character) defended a previous President, Bill Clinton - for breaking the law and committing perjury by lying under oath about cheating on his wife and receiving oral sex from an intern, in the very same office. "
Why do you assume that those who question Trump defended Clinton? Isn't that the heart of what independents do? Perhaps rather than condemn the voters we should ask why the financial structure of our politics rewards hypocrisy.
Give me a flawed politician who's a good man over the craftiest politician who's an evil man to his core any day of the week. There have been few truly good men who've risen to become president, but Jimmy Carter was one. There will be plenty of time to dwell on his failings, but for today, I will say that America has lost a truly decent human being; that once, America elected a man of honor and strong personal character, a public servant in the best sense. May he rest in peace.
I really appreciate your perspective. I was the child of John Birch chapter leaders and have always recognized what the far right was about. Carter, spurned by my religious, extreme right-wing parents, was an extremely admirable human, who did a good, but perhaps not great, job in his time in the White House. I mourn his loss.
There is a substantive op ed in the Washington Post today on Jimmy Carter's legacy by Stuart Eizenstat, who was his chief White House domestic policy adviser and author of “President Carter: The White House Years.” Gift link:
I don't feel that the Shining City on the Hill was ever as bright or benevolent as Reagan's acting skills and speech writers portrayed it, but it is indeed hard to take having fallen so far from Carter and Reagan to Trump.
It seems like poetic justice that flags will still be at half staff during Trump's inauguration and first week in office.
In a time when the words “Christian values” are often wielded as weapons by those who seem unfamiliar with their essence, your life remains a testament to what they truly mean: love, humility, service, and unyielding moral courage.
As the 39th President of the United States, you brought a quiet dignity to the Oval Office, pursuing peace where others stoked conflict. Your leadership in brokering the Camp David Accords showed the world that diplomacy, grounded in faith and principle, could triumph over cynicism and division. And while history has recognized your presidency more kindly with each passing year, it is your post-presidency that stands as the gold standard of what an ex-president can and should be.
From eradicating diseases to building homes for those in need, your work with the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity has been an unparalleled legacy of compassion. You didn’t retreat to a gilded life of grift and spectacle but chose instead to labor humbly, embodying your spiritual call to serve “the least of these.”
In an era defined by loud self-aggrandizement and moral bankruptcy—where some falsely claim your faith while trampling its core tenets—you are proof that decency is not weakness and that true greatness lies in the quiet, steadfast work of lifting others up.
Thank you, President Carter, for showing us what goodness looks like.
In a time when the words “Christian values” are often wielded as weapons by those who seem unfamiliar with their essence, your life remains a testament to what they truly mean: love, humility, service, and unyielding moral courage.
As the 39th President of the United States, you brought a quiet dignity to the Oval Office, pursuing peace where others stoked conflict. Your leadership in brokering the Camp David Accords showed the world that diplomacy, grounded in faith and principle, could triumph over cynicism and division. And while history has recognized your presidency more kindly with each passing year, it is your post-presidency that stands as the gold standard of what an ex-president can and should be.
From eradicating diseases to building homes for those in need, your work with the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity has been an unparalleled legacy of compassion. You didn’t retreat to a gilded life of grift and spectacle but chose instead to labor humbly, embodying your spiritual call to serve “the least of these.”
In an era defined by loud self-aggrandizement and moral bankruptcy—where some falsely claim your faith while trampling its core tenets—you are proof that decency is not weakness and that true greatness lies in the quiet, steadfast work of lifting others up.
Thank you, President Carter, for showing us what goodness looks like.
Mike, thanks for your balanced take on this very consequential president & person. I’m older than you so had the experience of several more presidents. No question, Carter was the most decent on a personal level until Obama, with honorable mention to Ford. Outside politics, I believe Carter evidenced the best personal values, I admit because most closely matching what I aspire to on my best days.
I always felt he had the bad fortune to be in office as the American century really started to unravel - internationally, economically, the energy issues tied to both, the fleeting hope of putting aside political differences a little in the rebuilding of faith in government after Nixon. I don’t know who would’ve handled all that, but Carter was overmatched by the world he had to work in.
I’m grateful for the many examples of human kindness and faith in God & fellow Americans that he worked to achieve. For me and I hope most Americans & many around the world, his memory is indeed a blessing.
I always hated Bill Clinton, so I'm absolved haha
didn't hate him but he was rascally.
Carter had the misfortune of becoming president when inflation was high and rising and when the Shah of Iran was run out of town. But Carter did a lot of good things that Reagan took credit for. Carter appointed Paul Vogel to deal with inflation and it was down during Reagan‘s years. Carter negotiated the nuclear arms reduction treaty with the Soviet Union that partially if not almost fully resulted in the demise of the USSR - and yet Reagan is credited. And of course there were things America didn’t want to do or hear about like energy conservation. It was more fun for the media and profitable to make fun of Carter- a peanut farmer with a southern drawl but downplay the fact that he graduated from the Naval Academy as an engineer and served on a nuclear sub. (And was part of a team to make sure nuclear accidents didn’t occur or lessen the impact of radiation - even if not on US soil or water). His main troubles upon entering the White House was that he made decisions best for US citizens, which weren’t necessarily politically correct within his own party.
Seems everyone loves Reagan, but has no idea what Iran-Contra is and has no idea he had nothing to do with the Iranian hostages coming back home. It was Carter’s administration that negotiated the deal. And as an honorable man, he didn’t care that it was on the day that he left Office as long as they were coming back home.
When Carter was in office, my sister worked for a large defense contractor. While there, she always heard that he wouldn’t “play ball” and so his term in office would end because the corporate world with the money -whether a Democrat- or Republican-leaning entity, would not support a second term.
••••
An Open Letter to President Jimmy Carter
Dear President Carter,
In a time when the words “Christian values” are often wielded as weapons by those who seem unfamiliar with their essence, your life remains a testament to what they truly mean: love, humility, service, and unyielding moral courage.
As the 39th President of the United States, you brought a quiet dignity to the Oval Office, pursuing peace where others stoked conflict. Your leadership in brokering the Camp David Accords showed the world that diplomacy, grounded in faith and principle, could triumph over cynicism and division. And while history has recognized your presidency more kindly with each passing year, it is your post-presidency that stands as the gold standard of what an ex-president can and should be.
From eradicating diseases to building homes for those in need, your work with the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity has been an unparalleled legacy of compassion. You didn’t retreat to a gilded life of grift and spectacle but chose instead to labor humbly, embodying your spiritual call to serve “the least of these.”
In an era defined by loud self-aggrandizement and moral bankruptcy—where some falsely claim your faith while trampling its core tenets—you are proof that decency is not weakness and that true greatness lies in the quiet, steadfast work of lifting others up.
Thank you, President Carter, for showing us what goodness looks like.
Rest in Peace.
Sincerely, A Grateful Admirer
https://substack.com/@patricemersault
" The other half (for those of you demanding to hold the moral high ground on character) defended a previous President, Bill Clinton - for breaking the law and committing perjury by lying under oath about cheating on his wife and receiving oral sex from an intern, in the very same office. "
Why do you assume that those who question Trump defended Clinton? Isn't that the heart of what independents do? Perhaps rather than condemn the voters we should ask why the financial structure of our politics rewards hypocrisy.
Some of us voted for Harris *and* believed Clinton should have been convicted when he was impeached.
Give me a flawed politician who's a good man over the craftiest politician who's an evil man to his core any day of the week. There have been few truly good men who've risen to become president, but Jimmy Carter was one. There will be plenty of time to dwell on his failings, but for today, I will say that America has lost a truly decent human being; that once, America elected a man of honor and strong personal character, a public servant in the best sense. May he rest in peace.
I really appreciate your perspective. I was the child of John Birch chapter leaders and have always recognized what the far right was about. Carter, spurned by my religious, extreme right-wing parents, was an extremely admirable human, who did a good, but perhaps not great, job in his time in the White House. I mourn his loss.
Beautifully written. Rest in power to an amazing human being.
There is a substantive op ed in the Washington Post today on Jimmy Carter's legacy by Stuart Eizenstat, who was his chief White House domestic policy adviser and author of “President Carter: The White House Years.” Gift link:
https://wapo.st/4fG3y4c
I don't feel that the Shining City on the Hill was ever as bright or benevolent as Reagan's acting skills and speech writers portrayed it, but it is indeed hard to take having fallen so far from Carter and Reagan to Trump.
It seems like poetic justice that flags will still be at half staff during Trump's inauguration and first week in office.
https://thehill.com/homenews/nexstar_media_wire/3876440-how-long-will-flags-fly-at-half-staff-for-jimmy-carter/
An Open Letter to President Jimmy Carter
Dear President Carter,
In a time when the words “Christian values” are often wielded as weapons by those who seem unfamiliar with their essence, your life remains a testament to what they truly mean: love, humility, service, and unyielding moral courage.
As the 39th President of the United States, you brought a quiet dignity to the Oval Office, pursuing peace where others stoked conflict. Your leadership in brokering the Camp David Accords showed the world that diplomacy, grounded in faith and principle, could triumph over cynicism and division. And while history has recognized your presidency more kindly with each passing year, it is your post-presidency that stands as the gold standard of what an ex-president can and should be.
From eradicating diseases to building homes for those in need, your work with the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity has been an unparalleled legacy of compassion. You didn’t retreat to a gilded life of grift and spectacle but chose instead to labor humbly, embodying your spiritual call to serve “the least of these.”
In an era defined by loud self-aggrandizement and moral bankruptcy—where some falsely claim your faith while trampling its core tenets—you are proof that decency is not weakness and that true greatness lies in the quiet, steadfast work of lifting others up.
Thank you, President Carter, for showing us what goodness looks like.
Rest in Peace.
Sincerely, A Grateful Admirer
https://substack.com/@patricemersault
Jimmy Carter Dies at 100
••••
An Open Letter to President Jimmy Carter
Dear President Carter,
In a time when the words “Christian values” are often wielded as weapons by those who seem unfamiliar with their essence, your life remains a testament to what they truly mean: love, humility, service, and unyielding moral courage.
As the 39th President of the United States, you brought a quiet dignity to the Oval Office, pursuing peace where others stoked conflict. Your leadership in brokering the Camp David Accords showed the world that diplomacy, grounded in faith and principle, could triumph over cynicism and division. And while history has recognized your presidency more kindly with each passing year, it is your post-presidency that stands as the gold standard of what an ex-president can and should be.
From eradicating diseases to building homes for those in need, your work with the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity has been an unparalleled legacy of compassion. You didn’t retreat to a gilded life of grift and spectacle but chose instead to labor humbly, embodying your spiritual call to serve “the least of these.”
In an era defined by loud self-aggrandizement and moral bankruptcy—where some falsely claim your faith while trampling its core tenets—you are proof that decency is not weakness and that true greatness lies in the quiet, steadfast work of lifting others up.
Thank you, President Carter, for showing us what goodness looks like.
Rest in Peace.
Sincerely, A Grateful Admirer
https://substack.com/@patricemersault?utm_source=user-menu