The passing of the 39th president comes with a sense forlornness for the times and values now lost to us. In the summer of 1979, as inflation and the energy crisis dampened the American spirit, Carter came to address the nation, not with a false message of hope and optimism, but with a sincere and honest warning. “Human identity is no longer defined by what one does” he said, “but by what one owns.” Well, nearly half a century on, this concern resonates like something of a prophecy.
Carter was an unusual case in the presidency; an outsider with values that didn’t gel with the elite of Washington. Namely, honesty. This of course led to a lot of difficulties when it came to pushing through tough bills addressing inflation and the energy crisis. He also clashed with key figures in his own party and even faced an internal challenge for the candidacy in 1980 with Ted Kennedy. Ultimately then, he would be rejected at the polls when faced with the patriotic message of Ronald Reagan. Throughout however, he appealed to the good will of the people, setting an example to follow (by reducing the heating in the White House and donning a sweater and installing solar panels with respects energy; getting out of the limo to walk on Inauguration Day to demonstrate change; and devoting himself day and night in his final months in office to freeing the hostages). His legacy, as a result, rests more on the nature of his character and intrigues of what could’ve been, than the actualities that occurred.
To be fair, even his most ardent fans (which I consider myself one of) can’t argue this was a wholly successful presidency however. Had he co-operated a bit more with the Democratic Party and compromised for political capital, things might have gone differently in 1980. As it was, Carter did what he could at the time, chipping away his political lustre by eliminating what he deemed wasteful projects and pushing for the return of the Panama Canal, among other things. The American people, it seemed, just weren’t willing to accept hard times and pivoted to Reagan and the era of “greed is good” as a result. For awhile then they felt good as the economy improved and the Cold War came to a close with the US emerging victorious. In these important years however, the groundworks for unfettered capitalist (trickle-down) economics and sketchy politics were normalised, rotting away at the core of America. In light of how things have gone, one can’t help but wonder where the US would be today had they taken a second chance on Carter.
Would the US be less reliant on foreign energy? Would the world be in a better place to tackle climate change, given the emphasis placed on solar power? Would further peace talks have taken place in the Middle East, buoyed by the success of the Camp David agreement between Israel and Egypt? Would there be less of a gulf between rich and poor, assuming Reagan’s economic policies failed to come to pass? Would national health insurance have become a thing much earlier? (Carter came close until Ted Kennedy withdrew from negotiations, aiming to bolster his chances at the presidency.) It’s difficult to say, since the presidency is only one cog in the machine but Carter’s second term is one of the most intriguing “what ifs” for me, because he was genuinely different from any other president; far less beholden to the two-party system or short-term political gains. Not a Republic but not exactly a Democrat either (at least for the times) Alas, perhaps it is what we most admire about Carter that made him susceptible to the pit-falls of Washington. The post-presidency of course became a whole other story, affirming what Carter’s supporters always knew about him (with regards his commitment to human rights and service), while forcing his detractors the addendum that he was at least a “great man”.
The Washington Walrus 