Any thoughts on ol' Jimmy?

I find that Carter, at least in retrospect, is seen by many as a decent guy. Not a great president, but he did the job. Of course, those who are old enough to remember his tenure usually point out the weak economy and the Iran hostage deal. One of the things my folks always mention is how, in their view, he seemed to be paralyzed by crisis or at the verst least, indecisive. Agree/disagree?

  Carter just experienced a lot of bad luck, that's all.  He inherited a piss poor economy from Ford (I think? I'm a little rusty...) and, while he tried to free the Iranian hostages, it was by no means his fault that the operation failed.  It was just bad luck...

  Just imagine how different the world would be today if Carter had won a second term.  No Reagan.  No Bush.  Definitely no Bush II.  Practically a utopia...

  Let's get Bush out of there so Mr. Carter can sleep well knowing the country is in reasonably good hands.  Well-intended hands, at least.  Oh, wait ... once we get Bush out of there, we do have to dispatch Mr. Carter to the Middle East...

  Damn it, send Clinton.  If something bad happens, send his wife in his place...

  The deafening sound of silence.  The horrid discord of peace.  Oh, the humanity..!  such an evil spectre slouching toward oblivion groove ;) on...

^I agree. I think Carter was a genuinely honest guy, and a pretty darn good president. He just happened to become president at a pretty rough time(imagine if Reagan had become president when he challeneged Ford in the primaries in '76 how differently people would view him now). He's just about the only president in the late 20th century era that IMO really gave a darned about the american people.

"If we saw Jimmy Carter as a hero and Ronald Reagan as a joke, we would be on the way to recovery. That's not going to happen."
--Morris Berman

I was only four when Carter lost to Reagan, but the two things my father complains about are the de-monopolization of the phone company and the turning over of the Panama Canal.
But I was an adult when Clinton was in office and I puffy heart loved him, so I probably would've loved Carter and his no doubt superior (to Clinton's) ethics even more.

At the time when Carter was in office, I didn't care for him. (Yeah, I was basically a Republican in those days  :-[ ). But now, looking back, I see that Carter IS an honest man (which to have an honest politician is somewhat of an oxymoran). I think the problem with his presidency was the fact that he lack the b@lls to play hardball with the Republicans. They were p!ssed because their "hero" (Tricky Dickie) was brought down. So, Carter was the next Dem in office and they fought him tooth and nail as retalition. It was the Repubs. who caused the Iran situation. It was truely amazing how the hostages were released on the day of Reagan's inaugnation.


Since he left office, I truly admire his work with Habitat for Humanity and I was very please that he won the Nobel Peace Prize (something Reagan never recieved).




Cat

I think Carter's intentions were good and he tried to see the good in others. He also had some bad luck which didn't help matters.

As a honest pres I give a 10+.. But overall I give a -10+. Carter had no guts. I can say for sure on three different times during my tenure  in the navy, that we backed down from the USSR. As as for the hostage's  it was the Reagan's peeps that got the release. That was why the wait for his inauguration. And remember under Carter the inflation tripled. The only major thing on foreign policy that he got was the Camp David accords.  Our reputation in the military and world wide  was at a all time low under Carter. And in case your wondering I am a Democratic. I voted for Carter the first time. The second time I voted for Reagan. Carter was my first time voting in a election, I just turned 18 then. Oh and Catwoman the Senate and the house of Reps was 60% Democratic then. It was the election of 1980 that gave it back to the Republicans. Tricky Dick and Ford had to deal with a Democratic  congress and the senate.

I was only four when Carter lost to Reagan, but the two things my father complains about are the de-monopolization of the phone company and the turning over of the Panama Canal.
But I was an adult when Clinton was in office and I puffy heart loved him, so I probably would've loved Carter and his no doubt superior (to Clinton's) ethics even more.


Me too!

I asked my dad about this the other day, and he pulled no punches on Carter's tenure.  :) In his opinion, Carter was too concerned about international opinion and not enough about making the right decisions. I guess it's the old "you can't please all the people all the time" adage in effect. The way he sees it, nobody was pleased in the end.

I asked my dad about this the other day, and he pulled no punches on Carter's tenure.  :) In his opinion, Carter was too concerned about international opinion and not enough about making the right decisions. I guess it's the old "you can't please all the people all the time" adage in effect. The way he sees it, nobody was pleased in the end.


  I'm currently reading a book on the Iranian Hostage Crisis which gives an overview of the Carter administration...

  And yes, he had problems.  E-N-E-R-G-Y C-R-I-S-I-S.  OPEC's revenge for aiding Israel's "war of independence" just when Syria and Egypt had 'em by the short hairs...

  I can't remember sitting in the family car in the gas lines.  Was probably too busy fighting with my sisters groove ;) on...

One more thing is a big reason Carter lost to Reagan, was the inflation. Durring the Carter Administration it rose over 200%. In some parts of the country it went even higher. Carter had a big advantage he had a democratic house and senate, so just about everything he wanted he got passed.

As a honest pres I give a 10+.. But overall I give a -10+. Carter had no guts. I can say for sure on three different times during my tenure  in the navy, that we backed down from the USSR. As as for the hostage's  it was the Reagan's peeps that got the release. That was why the wait for his inauguration. And remember under Carter the inflation tripled. The only major thing on foreign policy that he got was the Camp David accords.  Our reputation in the military and world wide  was at a all time low under Carter. And in case your wondering I am a Democratic. I voted for Carter the first time. The second time I voted for Reagan. Carter was my first time voting in a election, I just turned 18 then. Oh and Catwoman the Senate and the house of Reps was 60% Democratic then. It was the election of 1980 that gave it back to the Republicans. Tricky Dick and Ford had to deal with a Democratic  congress and the senate.

It appeared he had no guts, and while people were thinking that, the Iranians never saw us coming. I thought it was a brilliant plan to rescue the hostages, just had some bad luck.   

As as for the hostage's  it was the Reagan's peeps that got the release.



Actually, it was the Reagan people, well the bush people who made sure they held on to the hostages.  A PR ploy at the hostages expense.  This is an old story, and a disgrace that neo-cons stumble and mumble about, and prefer to forget.

Carter had a big advantage he had a democratic house and senate, so just about everything he wanted he got passed.


  It was a struggle.  When elected into office he had little support from democrats.  His anti-establishment attitude and genuine scorn for Washington is what got him elected but his inability or disinclination to disguise his disdain made him many political enemies on both sides of the aisle...

  Nobody owned him.  He had a brain.  Iran's revolution and Desert One had nothing to do with Carter other than bad luck.  Carter delayed the conflict now coming to a boil in the Mideast by at least 20 years groove ;) on...

Carter by far was not the worst President we have had. But he was not the best.
   It was a struggle.  When elected into office he had little support from democrats.  His anti-establishment attitude and genuine scorn for Washington is what got him elected but his inability or disinclination to disguise his disdain made him many political enemies on both sides of the aisle...

   Nobody owned him.  He had a brain.  Iran's revolution and Desert One had nothing to do with Carter other than bad luck.  Carter delayed the conflict now coming to a boil in the Mideast by at least 20 years groove ;) on...

You can say that he did not have the support. When over 70% of all the bills sponsored by the White House at the time passed. If that is not support. Then I have to find a new meaning to the word. 

And I had it pointed out to me that the key issue was inflation during the elections with Reagan. Only twice in America's history has inflation climbed that much 1859-1867. The other was during the big stock market crashed of 29. That one didn't recover until the middle 1930's.
for me I can't say inflation was the issue, being in the Navy at the time and overseas during most of it. I didn't get to see it first hand.
But I can say that with the largest military cutbacks since the end of WWII. Was one of my reasons for voting for Reagan. And Reagan carried the military vote by the highest margin since Nixon beat McGovern.
But Cater did do one thing that he will always be remembered for, The Camp David Peace Accords.

Carter by far was not the worst President we have had. But he was not the best.You can say that he did not have the support. When over 70% of all the bills sponsored by the White House at the time passed. If that is not support. Then I have to find a new meaning to the word. 



   I meant early-on in his administration.  He shocked everyone when he demanded the resignations of his entire cabinet (accepting five), had his long time right-hand-man Hamilton Jordan to reorganize the White House staff and was, himself, appointed the new chief of staff...

   Unfortunately, most Americans were unconvinced.  Carter believed that by shaking up his cabinet, he would show that he was a tough leader who demanded results.  Americans perceived that, in the midst of runaway inflation and an energy crisis, the government was falling apart at the seams...

But Cater did do one thing that he will always be remembered for, The Camp David Peace Accords

   One former Carter White House aide, Jack Watson, offered this thought:

   "Someone once said, and I agree with them, that he is the only man in American history who used the United States presidency as a stepping stone to greatness." groove ;) on...

  Edited:  revise and expand my comments...

But Carter did do one thing that he will always be remembered for, The Camp David Peace Accords.



If we had had Carter for a second term, then Clinton, then Anybody But Bush, we would not have seen 9/11

If we had had Carter for a second term, then Clinton, then Anybody But Bush, we would not have seen 9/11



We might have had a shot at getting Slick Willy in a bit sooner, had he not bored us to tears at the Democratic Convention in '88.  ;D

We might have had a shot at getting Slick Willy in a bit sooner, had he not bored us to tears at the Democratic Convention in '88.  ;D


  I'd love to read a transcript of Clinton's address at the '88 DNC.  Unisom stock is said to have plunged that night...

  go ;)...