Jimmy Carter | |||
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39th President of the United States From: January 20, 1977 – January 20, 1981 | |||
Vice President | Walter Mondale | ||
Predecessor | Gerald Ford | ||
Successor | Ronald Reagan | ||
76th Governor of Georgia From: January 12, 1971 – January 14, 1975 | |||
Lieutenant | Lester Maddox | ||
Predecessor | Lester Maddox | ||
Successor | George Busbee | ||
Former State Senator from Georgia's 14th District From: January 14, 1963 – January 10, 1967 | |||
Predecessor | (none, district established) | ||
Successor | Hugo Carter | ||
Information | |||
Party | Democrat | ||
Spouse(s) | Rosalynn Carter | ||
Religion | Baptist |
Jimmy Carter (born James Earl Carter, Jr., on October 1, 1924, age 98) was the 39th President of the United States of America, defeating Republican nominee Gerald Ford in 1976. Carter was a Democrat who served from 1977 to 1981, after being a one-term Governor of Georgia from . At that time, the Georgia Constitution did not permit the governor to succeed himself. After a failed presidency marked by disasters in the economy and foreign affairs, and poor leadership, Carter was defeated in a landslide for re-election in 1980 by Ronald Reagan, the former governor of California,as the nation moved sharply more conservative but only temporarily.
Promoted by Trilateralists and the liberal media out of nowhere in 1976, Carter promised a restoration of honesty to Washington after Watergate, and built a coalition that included a resurrected Solid South and Northern liberals, disproving the myth of a Nixonian Southern Strategy.
Despite claiming to be pro-life, Carter spent much of his time as president pushing unsuccessfully for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, which would have given federal courts carte blanche to impose taxpayer-funded abortion. In an interview with the Huffington Post in July 2018, Carter claimed that Jesus would approve of homosexual "marriage" and certain abortions.[1][2][3]
There was no opportunity during his term to appoint anyone to the U.S. Supreme Court, but Carter did pack the Ninth Circuit after 10 new judgeships were added there by the Democrat-controlled Congress. Including his total of 15 appointments to that Circuit, which has kept it liberal for more than 40 years, Carter appointed more federal judges in a single term than any other president prior to President Trump.[4]
In an October 2000 survey of 132 prominent professors of history, law, and political science, Carter's presidency was rated in the "Below Average" group; he ranked 30th, with a mean score of 2.47 out of 5.00.[5] This survey, sponsored by the Wall Street Journal and the conservative Federalist Society, ranked Carter ahead of Richard Nixon, and below George H.W. Bush.
Carter was unusually active as an ex-president, serving as an election monitor throughout the world, working with Habitat for Humanity both as its most famous spokesperson and as an actual house builder, and as a self-proclaimed "peace advocate", was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. CBS News reported that Carter considered himself "superior" to other living ex-presidents.[6][7][8] His criticisms of Israel have been considered anti-Semitic and despicable.
Carter was born and raised on his father's farm in Georgia. He entered the Naval Academy at Annapolis and graduated from there in 1946. Shortly afterwards, on July 7, he married Rosalynn Smith. Carter worked in submarines, attaining the rank of lieutenant, until he resigned in 1953. He became a peanut farmer afterwards.[9] Carter entered politics by running for the Georgia State Senate. He almost lost a close race against Homer Moore, but Carter beat him in the final tally.
In 1966 Carter unsuccessfully sought the Democrat nomination for Governor of Georgia. This failure significantly affected Carter personally as the story goes by influencing him to turn to religion for comfort, convincing him that he had been "born again."[10] Carter did succeed in his second bid for Governor in 1970. Racism was a major factor in his campaign, in which he criticized his primary challenger Carl Sanders for paying tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr., in an effort to depress Sanders's white vote. Carter said "I have no trouble pitching for [George] Wallace votes and black votes at the same time, I can win this election without a single black vote." Wallace was the Alabama Democrat governor who ran for president in 1968 and famous for saying, "Segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."
Upon receiving the endorsement of former Democratic Gov. Lester Maddox who defeated him in the 1966 primary, Carter responded by praising the life-long segregationist: "He has brought a standard of forthright expression and personal honesty to the governor's office, and I hope to live up to his standard." [11] Maddox came to national attention by chasing blacks out of his restaurant with baseball bats or a pistol.
Carter was elected governor, with almost no African American support. For the next four years he presided over state affairs. He presented himself as a populist, the representative of the people as opposed to special interests. Carter emphasized welfare reform, educational advance and budget reform. Once pro-life, he changed his position and supported the legalization of abortion and worked to replace capital punishment in Georgia with life in prison. In 1974, the Georgia Constitution prohibited the Governor from seeking a consecutive term, and Carter was succeeded by Joe Frank Harris. The Georgia Constitution was amended in 1976 to permit the Governor to serve two consecutive terms, and Harris was re-elected in 1978. Later in life Jimmy Carter declared himself to be against abortion.
Carter was groomed well before his single term as Governor ended to run for the Presidency in 1976. His campaign, which began in early 1975, exploited popular mistrust of Washington after the Watergate affair in 1974. He campaigned on a call for change. After running second in the Iowa Caucuses to "Undecided", which finished first, the mainstream fake news media proclaimed him the "winner" and as a charismatic figure who would transform the country.
Carter went on to defeat George Wallace in the southern primaries and established himself as a Democrat who could win the south with white votes, which George McGovern had failed to do in 1972. Democrat historians and propagandists claim he won the southern primaries because of his "inspiring and well organized campaign."[13] Running against President Gerald Ford in the general election, Carter had little experience in national politics, however he posed as an outsider and promised to restore honesty and morality to government. On election day, Carter edged out Ford with 50 percent of the vote to 48 percent, with some controversial voter shenanigans in Ohio.
Carter's running mate, Walter Mondale, and his wife Rosalind, met with the psychotic mass murderer and progressive leader, the Rev. Jim Jones during the campaign to help carry the state of California.[14] Jones was one of the few people invited aboard his chartered jet for a private visit. Mondale stated regarding the Peoples Temple that "knowing the congregations deep involvement in the major social and constitutional issues of our country . . . is a great inspiration to me."[15] Jones later was responsible for the deaths of over 900 African Americans before Carter's term ended, the worst mass killing in American history prior to the 9/11 attacks.
Rosalynn Carter called Jones at candidate Jimmy Carter's behest. She held a private dinner with him and had the Peoples Temple leader introduce her at the 1976 grand opening of the San Francisco Democratic Party Headquarters. Jones dined with Rosalynn Carter at the head table at the Democratic National Convention.[16]
On taking office Carter proposed radical energy programs, redistributive tax reform, public campaign financing, a consumer protection agency (that Ralph Nader had long championed), labor law reform, and enactment of the Equal Rights Amendment. He fought with fellow Democrats in Congress and achieved little or nothing. Meanwhile, "stagflation" hit the economy hard, as energy shortages, slow growth, escalating inflation and very high interest rates sapped the economy.
It was worse in foreign affairs. Carter did broker a temporary peace in the Middle East, but was forced to abandon détente when the Russians began to exploit American weaknesses around the globe. Carter was forced to restart the Cold War when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979, but his belated actions validated the complaints of conservatives that he offered too little too late. Meanwhile, the nation was humiliated in Iran, where militants held American diplomats captive for 444 days, while Carter proved helpless.
Carter was elected by campaigning on the Misery Index - adding the inflation rate and unemployment rate together, which stood at 13.4%. By 1980 the Misery index stood at 21%. By 1992, after "twelve years of neglect" as Bill Clinton called it, the Misery Index stood at 9.2%.
As First Lady, Rosalynn Carter was a prolific fundraiser. Here she appears with other notable Democrats (left) John Wayne Gacey and (right) the Rev. Jim Jones. |
Carter signed a bill sponsored by the Exalted Cyclops, Democrat Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.)[18] and Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.). Byrd held the floor for more than 14 hours in a filibuster against the bi-partisan 1964 Civil Rights Act and Biden sponsored an Amendment in 1975 to repeal sections of the 1964 Act. Byrd's amendment prohibited the use of federal funds to transport students beyond the school closest to their homes. Biden co-sponsored a measure that further restricted the federal government from desegregating city and suburban schools with redistricting measures like school clustering and pairing. This measure won the approval of a majority of Senate Democrats..[19]
Prof. Ronnie Dunn said opposition to busing was motivated by racism.[20] Biden's opposition to integration didn't stop there. HuffPo reported:
In 1977, two black men nominated for key Justice Department posts by President Jimmy Carter easily won approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee. After confirmation by the full Senate, Drew Days III became the nation’s first black head of the department’s civil rights division and Wade McCree became the second black solicitor general. Only one member of the committee voted against them. It wasn’t segregationists Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) or James Eastland (D-Miss.). It wasn’t even former Ku Klux Klan member Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.). The lone Judiciary Committee vote against the two men was Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.).[21] |
As First Lady, Rosalynn Carter was a prolific fundraiser, including making appearances with homosexual serial killer John Wayne Gacey[22] and the mass murderer of over 900 African Americans, Jim Jones.[23]
Willie Brown, later mayor of San Francisco and Kamala Harris's mentor, compared Jim Jones to Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. Brown endorsed Jones as “a close personal friend and a highly trusted brother in the struggle for liberation."[24] Dianne Feinstein joined the rest of the San Francisco board of supervisors in honoring Jones “in recognition of his guidance and inspiration” in furthering “humanitarian programs.” Gov. Jerry Brown spoke at the People's Temple. At its peak, the Temple boasted 20,000 members.
Jones wrote to Jimmy Carter requesting aid for Fidel Castro, whom Jones had earlier met with in Cuba.[25] In a handwritten letter to Jones on White House stationery, the First Lady wrote "Your comments on Cuba have been helpful. I hope your suggestion can be acted on in the near future." Carter also wrote that "I enjoyed being with you during the campaign -- and do hope you can meet Ruth soon", referring to her sister-in-law, Ruth Carter Stapleton.[26] Mondale stated regarding the Temple that "knowing the congregations deep involvement in the major social and constitutional issues of our country . . . is a great inspiration to me."[27] Health and Human Services Secretary Joseph Califano stated "your humanitarian principles and your interest in protecting individual liberty and freedom have made an outstanding contribution to furthering the cause of human dignity." President Carter sent a representative to a dinner at the Temple at which Jones and Gov. Jerry Brown spoke.[28]
As reports seeped back of people who wanted to leave the Peoples Temple in Guyana, Harvey Milk – the first openly gay elected official who was endorsed by the Peoples Temple for San Francisco city councilman – wrote a letter to President Carter defending Rev. Jones "as a man of the highest character," and stating that Temple defectors were trying to "damage Rev. Jones' reputation" with "apparent bold-faced lies".[29] The Temple claimed that "reactionary forces were trying to destroy his [Jones] image because he is the most persistent fighter for social justice.[30]
Carter increased government spending. However, when inflation skyrocketed in 1978 he changed his mind. He delayed tax cuts and vetoed the spending programs that he himself proposed to the Congress. Carter then tried to ease inflation by reducing money supply and raising interest rates. All of his efforts proved to be unsuccessful. Inflation and interest rates soon reached their highest levels since World War II.
Increases in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) reached double digits. Carter launched a time-honored tried-and-failed Wage-Price Guidelines program in which businesses could not increase prices or wages above a certain percentage or the company would be prohibited from doing business with the federal government. A company also could find itself on the prohibited list if it earned profits higher than the percentage recommended by the government. The Carter administration employed the marxist argument that higher profits are responsible for higher prices so that if a company made lower profits, its prices would be lower, too.
The rapid change in interest rates sowed the seeds of the Savings and Loan crisis (See Madison Guaranty Savings). Investments in fixed income were becoming less valuable. Holders of both bonds, and pensions being paid to retired people had their life savings wiped out. The stagnant growth of the economy (causing unemployment), in combination with a high rate of inflation, has often been called stagflation, an unprecedented situation in American economics. By 1979, public opinion polls had Carter's popularity lower than Richard Nixon's during Watergate. Carter instructed the Federal Reserve printing presses to go pedal-to-the-metal, worsening inflationary effects, in a failed effort to stage a short-lived election year recovery and delaying a double-dip recession until after Inauguration Day, 1981.
Carter proposed a national energy program to conserve oil and promote the use of coal and renewable energy sources. He also persuaded Congress to create the Department of Energy, and asked Americans to personally reduce their energy consumption. Although oil companies were insisting on deregulation of the energy industry, Carter advocated a "windfall profits tax" to prevent oil companies from overcharging consumers. Carter's plan did not solve the country's energy crisis. In the summer of 1979 a major oil shortage in the United States took place because of instability in the middle east. After increasing pressure to act, Carter gave several televised address' where he complained that there was a "crisis of confidence that had struck at the very heart and soul of our national will." Although Carter meant the speech to be a timely warning, many Americans interpreted it as President Carter blaming the public for his failures. Critics dubbed it Carter's "malaise speech."
In contrast to Carter's economic policies which were uncertain and left the public confused, his foreign policy was more clearly defined, although foreign policy is where Jimmy Carter suffered his worst defeats. In his inaugural speech he stated that "our commitment to human rights must be absolute." He singled out the Soviet Union as a violator of human rights and strongly condemned the country for arresting its citizens for political protests. However, he was criticized for not doing enough to promote his proclaimed human rights foreign policy stance in his administration, such as continuing to support the Indonesian government even while it was implicated in the commission of acts of genocide in the occupation of East Timor.
Carter also tried to remove the U.S. image of interventionism by giving Panamanians control of the Panama Canal. Over conservative opposition he did so—but Panama fell into the hands of a dictator who threatened Americans and had to be overthrown by an American invasion in 1989.
Détente with the Soviet Union collapsed when Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan in December 1979. President Carter responded by imposing an embargo on the sale of grain to the Soviet Union, humiliating Moscow by orchestrating a western boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow, and start funding and arming the anti-Soviet forces inside Afghanistan. The policy of détente that was established by President Nixon was over and the "Second Cold War" began.
In 1976, Edward "Ted" Kennedy presented before the U.S. Senate a bill known as the Kennedy Amendment to modify the Foreign Military Assistance Act in order to exclude Chile from the military aid that his country provided to the Latin American republics that had signed the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (TIAR). He was in opposition to President Augusto Pinochet Ugarte who was leading the Military Government. The restrictions were approved and supported by the administration and began to apply to Chile in October 1977. Later on was applied to Argentina and other countries.
Carter's greatest and arguably only triumph while in office was a historic peace treaty known as the Camp David Peace Accords, between Israel and Egypt, two nations that had been bitter enemies for decades. The treaty was formally signed in 1979, with most Middle Eastern countries opposed to it.
For a more detailed treatment, see Iran Hostage Crisis.
In 1979, a new radical Islamic regime lead by Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran overthrew America's close ally Shah. Thousands of modernizers were arrested, expelled or executed. This had partially been Carter's fault, as in February of that year, when asked whether the Shah would survive the current turmoil, Carter gave an ambiguously worded response stating the following: "I don’t know. I hope so. This is something that is in the hands of the people of Iran. We have never had any intention and don’t have any intention of trying to intercede in the internal political affairs of Iran…. We personally prefer that the Shah maintain a major role in the government, but that’s a decision for the Iranian people to make." This statement ultimately emboldened the radicals due to it essentially communicating that America won't back up its ally.[32][33] In addition, he also spent a lot of time sabotaging the Shah of Iran's chances due to the latter's anti-Human Rights elements, as "human rights" was a major platform for Carter as well as overall being duped by the Ayatollah Khomeini.[34][35][36] In November 1979 student revolutionaries stormed into the American embassy in Tehran and captured 52 United States diplomats as hostages. The US seized all Iranian assets and tried to bargain, a process that dragged on for 444 days. Despite pressure to use military action Carter tried to negotiate with Iran, which proved to be unsuccessful. In April 1980 President Carter approved a rescue attempt (over the opposition of Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, Sr.). To the nations dismay, the attempt failed when several helicopters malfunctioned. Eight serviceman died in the accident. Carter's negotiations with Iran continued throughout 1980. Ironically, the hostages were released just after Carter left office on January 20, 1981, as they were fearful of what President Reagan might do.
The Carter administration viewed the Ayatollah Khomeini as a "progressive force for human rights," the "Iranian Mandela"' and "Iranian Gandhi." One of the Ayatollah's first acts was to issue a fatwa promising paradise for children who joined the Iranian military during the Iran-Iraq war. By 1982, with Shi'a clergy in command, the government asked children, age 9 years old and up, to clear minefields so the regular Army could advance against the Saddam Hussein's Army. [37][38] About 100,000 died as Basij child soldiers building the Islamic Republic of Iran.
For a more detailed treatment, see United States presidential election, 1980.
By the time of President Carter's reelection campaign, the country was plagued by problems, including high levels of unemployment, inflation, interest rates and the Iranian hostage crisis. Although incumbent Presidents usually win their party's nomination easily, Carter faced a primary challenge from the more liberal Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy. Carter was able to maintain a lead over Kennedy and defeated him with 51 percent of the vote to 38 percent. After a messy floor fight, Carter won re-nomination; Willie Nelson, who in 2003 hit the top of the Billboard charts with a song celebrating public lynchings,[39] sang the national anthem at the Democratic National Convention.
In the general election, Carter faced two opponents: Conservative and charismatic California Governor Ronald Reagan as the Republican nominee and moderate Illinois Congressman John Anderson running as an Independent. Reagan locked the election in late October of the campaign when, at the Presidential debate, he asked the voters, "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" His relaxed performance helped to dispel fears from the Carter camp that Reagan was a war monger. Reagan won by a large margin, 43.9 million votes for Reagan and 35.5 million votes for Carter. Democrats maintained control of the House of Representatives but by a narrower margin, and lost control of the United States Senate.
Carter left office disappointed and unhappy. He became the first elected President since Herbert Hoover to lose a bid for a second term.
Carter was active in foreign affairs after his presidency. Carter's 2006 book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, caused Prof. Kenneth Stein, a top aide at the Carter Center to resign because of its depiction of Israel through three decades of diplomatic and military dealings with the Palestinians. Mr. Stein had served as an aide to Mr. Carter during most of those years and considers the book deceitful and malicious. As the book's title suggests, Carter compares Israel with the white supremacist regime of old South Africa. Additionally, fourteen other members of the Carter Center's advisory board resigned over the book.
In the book he made the point that any peace accords reached would fundamentally have to be accompanied by the ceasing of terrorist activity towards Israel, he wrote:
- "It is imperative that the general Arab community and all significant Palestinian groups make it clear that they will end the suicide bombings and other acts of terrorism when international laws and the ultimate goals of the Roadmap for Peace are accepted by Israel.
The sentiment was widely criticized. He apologized for the wording of that sentence, but not for his larger message.[40]
In September 2009, Carter caused controversy when he stated that criticisms of Barack Obama was motivated by racism:
John McCain responded to Carter's remarks, "I'm deeply disturbed by those accusations because it's an unfair and untrue commentary on the American people, and them exercising their God-given rights to disagree with the administration. It seems to me that President Carter has earned his place as, if not the worst president in history, certainly the worst in the 20th century." [42]
As President, Carter expressed a goal of making government "competent and compassionate." In pursuit of that vision, he founded The Carter Center in 1982 which has the alleged goal of alleviating human suffering. The Center supposedly promotes democratic elections but was nowhere to be found during the massive 2020 Democrat election fraud. Like the Clinton Foundation, it supposedly has programmes to improve health in developing countries as well. His continued work mediating international disputes, organizing election observations, and fundraising with organizations said to fight disease and hunger. These activities were cited when he was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize. In his Nobel lecture, Carter praised Democrat segregationist president Woodrow Wilson and declared his support for "international law":
- "Our President, Woodrow Wilson, was honored here for promoting the League of Nations, whose two basic concepts were profoundly important: "collective security" and "self-determination." Now they are embedded in international law. Violations of these premises during the last half-century have been tragic failures, as was vividly demonstrated when the Soviet Union attempted to conquer Afghanistan and when Iraq invaded Kuwait.[43]
Agha Hasan Abedi used his connections to Jimmy Carter to publicize the corrupt Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) to heads of state around the world. Abedi made his personal 727 jet available to Carter, and accompanied the former President to Thailand, Tibet, Hong Kong, and the Soviet Union, among other places. Carter introduced Abedi to many heads of state and government from Deng Xiaoping in China to James Callahan in the United Kingdom. Abedi donated a half-million dollars to establish the Carter Presidential Library, and a public policy institute at Emory University. Abedi was committed to the development of the Pakistani nuclear bomb, even donating 500 million rupees for the creation of Pakistan's Gulam Ishaq Research Institute for nuclear development.
In his advanced age Carter's mental facilities began to falter (due to a brain tumor which was successfully removed, and several falls), nevertheless he continued making public speaking appearances (though he was unable to attend the funeral of Billy Graham, not due to his illness, but due to his wife's recent surgery) and worked with the scandal-ridden Habitat for Humanity program.[44] As of 2020, he was the earliest-serving of five living U.S. presidents, the longest-lived president (and the first to reach the age of 95), the longest-retired president and the first to live forty years after initial inauguration.
Jimmy Carter announced in 2019 that he supports the Trump Russia hoax, a completely false and baseless conspiracy theory that claims that Republican US President Donald Trump's victory against Hillary Clinton was brought about by Russian interference.[45]
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