Congratulations on a brilliant summary of our political history. It was my privilege to have cast a ballot for Jimmy in Vail, Colorado - Gerald Ford's second home location. I will always associate Reagan's election with Nixon's twelve years earlier. Just as the Iran hostages were "magically" released on Reagan's inauguration, Nixon was elected after the Paris peace talks were sabotaged by his back-channel assurances he'd make a better deal. And my oh my, decades later, look who helped Trump get elected? Why, it was the Rooskies! In the interim, can somebody tell me why Bush let the royal Saudis fly home while the rest of our airspace was shut down after 9/11? Meanwhile, Democrats are constantly disparaged as suspiciously unpatriotic or unAmerican, and Jimmy was painted as weak by the flag-waving Reaganauts. Kushner is getting billions from the Arab petro-sheiks, but we're gonna get dragged into Hunter Biden's laptop again. The corporate class is funding the distraction, as always.
Carter’s lasting achievement was instilling the concept of human rights in international relations. Protecting human rights is a basic objective in diplomacy today even though authoritarian regimes reject that ambition. But Carter created the foundation which calls China to account for its abuses . That challenges Middle Eastern policy both for Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians and Saudi Arabia ‘s treatment of Hutus. Human Rights is the now the key consideration in diplomatic discourse. Fulfilling Carter’s ambition is a distant goal. But Jimmy Carter began a conversation fundamental to Liberty and Justice for all the World’s people . Americans should be proud of him for that.
The relentless criticism of Jimmy Carter that has persisted even to the present has mostly been the repetition of mindless cliches, like the "worst President/best post-Presidency" nonsense. His time in the White House is a prime example of the predatory primacy of special interests, greed and deception, directed at him and aimed to undermine his Presidency or any possibility of cleaner government taking hold.
The Clintons were terrible to Jimmy Carter but obsequious to the Bush family who were also terrible to Jimmy Carter. When they were around Jimmy Carter, and their avoidance of proximity or any semblance of familiarity with him was noticeable, it always reminded me of Dracula's abhorrence and avoidance of the crucifix, in fictional depictions. It always seemed that they couldn't abide 'goodness' and honesty and the prospect of clean government or any decline in their wealth and power.
Because no human is perfect, I do not think Jimmy Carter is perfect or a saint, but he sure does seem to be a genuinely good person, and I would add, was an excellent President AND post-President, both. It was America that was not worthy of him, not that he was not worthy of or not competent for the Presidency.
It is very, very difficult to think that Jimmy Carter is going to die. Just knowing that he was still there, in Plains, still with us, has been a kind of comfort. If he came to mind, and he did from time to time, one might think, “well, if Jimmy Carter has not given in to despair about our country yet, then neither should we….” When he announced his cancer diagnosis and made some remarks about death, he was not afraid, and he was comforting and inspiring.
We needed him and still do, but we did not deserve him and that is even more true now. Smart, decent, faithful, good-humored, humble, focused, talented, kind, funny, wise.....
I've been watching on YouTube some archived material of/about the late Christopher Hitchens whose intellect, wit and brilliance were and still are dazzling. His views of the Clintons are razor-sharp and so keenly honest and insightful; in a word, he had profound contempt for them. Again, their treatment of Jimmy Carter invariably showed such disrespect for him when, in point of fact, they could not hold a candle to him. Sadly we cannot hear his views anymore giving voice to our disgust and contempt for the indecent among us, and soon we will not have Jimmy Carter to give us hope and inspiration to be better, not to lose hope, to keep trying to make things better..
I long to hear Christopher Hitchens' comments on events in this country, his adopted home, in recent years, and would love to hear his views of Jimmy Carter now, as we are apparently about to lose his presence among us. Hitchens was at Oxford when Bill Clinton was, as well as Robert Reich. I wonder what Professor Reich’s thoughts about Hitchens as well as the Clintons.
Hitchens and Jimmy Carter could not be more different public personalities and yet in some ways very similar. Authentic, honest, unabashed and unafraid, non-hypocrites.....
Why is the likes of Trump still out there tweeting while we are about to lose another great one...
God help us. The man put on a sweater and put solar panels on the White House. He tried to warn us about our unsustainable energy policy, and he was right. “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country.”
What would JC do? Jimmy Carter that is, he was a good man. Possibly too good to survive politics. He proved that his (and Rosalyn’s) real calling was in helping people who had been offered very little help by the “great” USA. Putting a roof over someone’s head - a single mother with 3 kids, a disabled vet who could not get a traditional mortgage, etc.
is an act that could go unsung.
But President Carter’s participation in Habitat put the program in people’s consciousness.
"Carter lost his reelection bid not because his presidency failed but because the Federal Reserve Board hiked interest rates so high as to bring on a recession"
plus Reagan's secret deal with Iran NOT to release hostages until AFTER the election.
We don't have a democracy. We have a corporatocracy - of, by and for the plutocracy -, run by an oligarchy, executing an extractive* economy, benefitting a kleptocracy based on fascistic principles and ethics.
* The rich get richer and the rest of us get poorer.
It is sad that Corporations are bullies. It is also sad that as a country our ability to decipher the truth of political events has costs presidencies. Cost of food, pharma, gas, etc. is outside the control of the President yet we judge them based on these markers. Please continue to educate the public so the cycle does not repeat in 2024.
Jimmy Carter along with Lincoln, FDR, and JFK ranks as my top Presidents. While his post Presidency is, no doubt, the best of any and he is one of the few who truly deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. While he is 98 yearsI old, I was wishing he would make it to 100. His continued presence on the American landscape gives me the feeling that the American spirit continues to live with a bright light. While the economic issues were beyond his control, the hostage taking in Iran created a clamor that showed America was weak. I did not share that view. All the hostages came back alive and we weren't in another war. Thank you President Carter.
I am forever grateful for President Carter and his efforts to lead us in a more democratic and just direction. But now that our system has been broken and rigged, only HJR48, the We the People Amendment can and will restore it. Please help us grow this movement at movetoamend.org. We the People need you. ♥️
"deregulating the airline, trucking, and railroad industries (resulting in lower transportation costs for industry and consumers) — were commendable."
I had thought deregulating corporate industries was a Republican thing and that Democrats have generally (if not very successfully) supported industry regulation in order to protect consumers and the environment against the most egregious corporate behavior.
Let’s not forget that Carter lost to Reagan in large part because the press didn’t like Carter, and they did like Reagan. Reporters, and columnists and analysts relentlessly mocked his accent, and his faith. The news kept the Iran “hostage crisis” at the forefront of the American consciousness by noting every day that it Day [Whatever] of the hostage crisis. Reagan, like Trump after him, got a pass on gaffes and lies. Carter never got a pass on anything. Remember the rabbit in the water incident? The media liked Reagan’s style better than Carter’s substance. On climate change alone, the result has been catastrophic.
I love reality-based history I can trust. And this info I am convinced I can trust. The Fox News/Rupert Murdoch fiasco has demonstrated how far disinformation has spread.
There is no more important issue than the separation of wealth and power to the future destiny of America. Unfortunately it seems that wealth is inversely tied to ethics and compassion. While I know many generous 1%ers in my role as a community foundation board member I also know that the deck is stacked against the majority. I can never understand how the unbalanced division of wealth is a long term win for those, who today, hold all of the chips. As always, our society is a victim of short term thinking.
Congratulations on a brilliant summary of our political history. It was my privilege to have cast a ballot for Jimmy in Vail, Colorado - Gerald Ford's second home location. I will always associate Reagan's election with Nixon's twelve years earlier. Just as the Iran hostages were "magically" released on Reagan's inauguration, Nixon was elected after the Paris peace talks were sabotaged by his back-channel assurances he'd make a better deal. And my oh my, decades later, look who helped Trump get elected? Why, it was the Rooskies! In the interim, can somebody tell me why Bush let the royal Saudis fly home while the rest of our airspace was shut down after 9/11? Meanwhile, Democrats are constantly disparaged as suspiciously unpatriotic or unAmerican, and Jimmy was painted as weak by the flag-waving Reaganauts. Kushner is getting billions from the Arab petro-sheiks, but we're gonna get dragged into Hunter Biden's laptop again. The corporate class is funding the distraction, as always.
Carter’s lasting achievement was instilling the concept of human rights in international relations. Protecting human rights is a basic objective in diplomacy today even though authoritarian regimes reject that ambition. But Carter created the foundation which calls China to account for its abuses . That challenges Middle Eastern policy both for Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians and Saudi Arabia ‘s treatment of Hutus. Human Rights is the now the key consideration in diplomatic discourse. Fulfilling Carter’s ambition is a distant goal. But Jimmy Carter began a conversation fundamental to Liberty and Justice for all the World’s people . Americans should be proud of him for that.
The relentless criticism of Jimmy Carter that has persisted even to the present has mostly been the repetition of mindless cliches, like the "worst President/best post-Presidency" nonsense. His time in the White House is a prime example of the predatory primacy of special interests, greed and deception, directed at him and aimed to undermine his Presidency or any possibility of cleaner government taking hold.
The Clintons were terrible to Jimmy Carter but obsequious to the Bush family who were also terrible to Jimmy Carter. When they were around Jimmy Carter, and their avoidance of proximity or any semblance of familiarity with him was noticeable, it always reminded me of Dracula's abhorrence and avoidance of the crucifix, in fictional depictions. It always seemed that they couldn't abide 'goodness' and honesty and the prospect of clean government or any decline in their wealth and power.
Because no human is perfect, I do not think Jimmy Carter is perfect or a saint, but he sure does seem to be a genuinely good person, and I would add, was an excellent President AND post-President, both. It was America that was not worthy of him, not that he was not worthy of or not competent for the Presidency.
It is very, very difficult to think that Jimmy Carter is going to die. Just knowing that he was still there, in Plains, still with us, has been a kind of comfort. If he came to mind, and he did from time to time, one might think, “well, if Jimmy Carter has not given in to despair about our country yet, then neither should we….” When he announced his cancer diagnosis and made some remarks about death, he was not afraid, and he was comforting and inspiring.
We needed him and still do, but we did not deserve him and that is even more true now. Smart, decent, faithful, good-humored, humble, focused, talented, kind, funny, wise.....
I've been watching on YouTube some archived material of/about the late Christopher Hitchens whose intellect, wit and brilliance were and still are dazzling. His views of the Clintons are razor-sharp and so keenly honest and insightful; in a word, he had profound contempt for them. Again, their treatment of Jimmy Carter invariably showed such disrespect for him when, in point of fact, they could not hold a candle to him. Sadly we cannot hear his views anymore giving voice to our disgust and contempt for the indecent among us, and soon we will not have Jimmy Carter to give us hope and inspiration to be better, not to lose hope, to keep trying to make things better..
I long to hear Christopher Hitchens' comments on events in this country, his adopted home, in recent years, and would love to hear his views of Jimmy Carter now, as we are apparently about to lose his presence among us. Hitchens was at Oxford when Bill Clinton was, as well as Robert Reich. I wonder what Professor Reich’s thoughts about Hitchens as well as the Clintons.
Hitchens and Jimmy Carter could not be more different public personalities and yet in some ways very similar. Authentic, honest, unabashed and unafraid, non-hypocrites.....
Why is the likes of Trump still out there tweeting while we are about to lose another great one...
God help us. The man put on a sweater and put solar panels on the White House. He tried to warn us about our unsustainable energy policy, and he was right. “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country.”
What would JC do? Jimmy Carter that is, he was a good man. Possibly too good to survive politics. He proved that his (and Rosalyn’s) real calling was in helping people who had been offered very little help by the “great” USA. Putting a roof over someone’s head - a single mother with 3 kids, a disabled vet who could not get a traditional mortgage, etc.
is an act that could go unsung.
But President Carter’s participation in Habitat put the program in people’s consciousness.
A Good Man
"Carter lost his reelection bid not because his presidency failed but because the Federal Reserve Board hiked interest rates so high as to bring on a recession"
plus Reagan's secret deal with Iran NOT to release hostages until AFTER the election.
We don't have a democracy. We have a corporatocracy - of, by and for the plutocracy -, run by an oligarchy, executing an extractive* economy, benefitting a kleptocracy based on fascistic principles and ethics.
* The rich get richer and the rest of us get poorer.
It is sad that Corporations are bullies. It is also sad that as a country our ability to decipher the truth of political events has costs presidencies. Cost of food, pharma, gas, etc. is outside the control of the President yet we judge them based on these markers. Please continue to educate the public so the cycle does not repeat in 2024.
Jimmy Carter along with Lincoln, FDR, and JFK ranks as my top Presidents. While his post Presidency is, no doubt, the best of any and he is one of the few who truly deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. While he is 98 yearsI old, I was wishing he would make it to 100. His continued presence on the American landscape gives me the feeling that the American spirit continues to live with a bright light. While the economic issues were beyond his control, the hostage taking in Iran created a clamor that showed America was weak. I did not share that view. All the hostages came back alive and we weren't in another war. Thank you President Carter.
I am forever grateful for President Carter and his efforts to lead us in a more democratic and just direction. But now that our system has been broken and rigged, only HJR48, the We the People Amendment can and will restore it. Please help us grow this movement at movetoamend.org. We the People need you. ♥️
Sadly such corporate behaviour is happening worldwide now.
This behaviour is becoming a major issue in Australia with corporations using created accounts to get around donor laws to political parties.
Canberra was more of a sleepy backwater than Washington DC but is not now.
"deregulating the airline, trucking, and railroad industries (resulting in lower transportation costs for industry and consumers) — were commendable."
I had thought deregulating corporate industries was a Republican thing and that Democrats have generally (if not very successfully) supported industry regulation in order to protect consumers and the environment against the most egregious corporate behavior.
I will miss Jimmy Carter. A true humanitarian. A kind man who inspired many to come to the aid of people in need.
Let’s not forget that Carter lost to Reagan in large part because the press didn’t like Carter, and they did like Reagan. Reporters, and columnists and analysts relentlessly mocked his accent, and his faith. The news kept the Iran “hostage crisis” at the forefront of the American consciousness by noting every day that it Day [Whatever] of the hostage crisis. Reagan, like Trump after him, got a pass on gaffes and lies. Carter never got a pass on anything. Remember the rabbit in the water incident? The media liked Reagan’s style better than Carter’s substance. On climate change alone, the result has been catastrophic.
I love reality-based history I can trust. And this info I am convinced I can trust. The Fox News/Rupert Murdoch fiasco has demonstrated how far disinformation has spread.
There is no more important issue than the separation of wealth and power to the future destiny of America. Unfortunately it seems that wealth is inversely tied to ethics and compassion. While I know many generous 1%ers in my role as a community foundation board member I also know that the deck is stacked against the majority. I can never understand how the unbalanced division of wealth is a long term win for those, who today, hold all of the chips. As always, our society is a victim of short term thinking.