By Edwin Cooney
Considering the experiences, style and structure of both his boyhood and adult life, it is tempting to assert that Jimmy has lived the most ongoing substantial life of any president of them all. The style and structure of his boyhood, his work, his play, his naval career, the depth of his religious beliefs and obligations, all fashioned his presidential and post presidential human activism.
It's possible to list his accomplishments below which I will do, but first I must acknowledge his main weakness as a president. Having campaigned for the presidency as an outsider, he failed to overcome his personal prejudices that invariably dictate any president's activities. He remained an outsider which invariably weakened his effectiveness as a president.
Jimmy was more than an “adequate” politician since he did attain the office of the presidency on November 2nd, 1976 despite great odds. Most of his eventual failures as president were due to his lack of respect and even regard for politicians. Vice President Walter Mondale claimed that the worst advice you could give Jimmy Carter was that any proposal was politically wise. To Mr. Carter, politics often seemed downright sinful!
His achievements by anyone's judgment are impressive, especially considering his differences with Congress! Here are some:
(1) The Camp David Accords brokered peace between Israel and
Egypt even with all its flaws and hazards. In order to sustain that peace, the Congress had to fund vital military elements. That peace is still in force!
(2) The Panama Canal Treaty which in addition to overcoming a crisis between the U.S. and Panama since 1964 (a crisis that Presidents Johnson, Nixon, and Ford had allowed to slide due to its controversial nature), brought about a new era of cooperation between the nations of North, Central and South America. The treaty established a new era of political and social stability in some, though not all, Central and South American nations.
(3) He was responsible for deregulation of the trucking, telephone, and airline industry which increased their usefulness to a greater number of Americans by cutting costs and increasing competition.
(4) He normalized relations with China despite pressure from the powerful Taiwan lobby going back to the days of Chiang Kai-shek.
(5) His deregulation of the beer industry enabled thousands of enterprising citizens to realize prosperity by breaking the monopoly of the big beer and wine corporations.
(6) Despite liberal opposition, he appointed conservative Paul Volcker as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. This tightened the money supply so that eventually the effects of “stagflation” (a combination of high unemployment, low GDP, and high interest rates) were eventually overcome. Volcker was appointed in 1979, a time during which most liberals and progressives were fiercely calling for a return of New Deal programs to provide more jobs and other subsidies to build prosperity. Paul Volcker led the way to mid1980s prosperity which would be largely credited to Ronald Reagan rather than to Jimmy Carter.
(7) President Carter supported the establishment of FISA (the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) which was created in 1978 to monitor actions by those suspected of violating our national security.
(8) Jimmy Carter made human rights the cornerstone of his foreign policy which many came to believe was the force that ultimately brought down world Communism. However, that very cornerstone made Carter unpopular when he applied it to Israel's insistence on establishing settlements in occupied West Bank territories, alienating Jewish leaders both in Israel and at home.
Although Carter dearly wanted to be re-elected, he was much more interested in doing what was right than he was in doing what was politically popular. According to Kai Bird, who wrote the book "The Outlier: The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter,” he wasn't a weak man at all. He possessed a strong self image along with unwavering religious and social principles but he was fiercely determined to do things his way. He did go through a period of depression following his defeat. However, one night in January 1982, Rosalyn reported that Jimmy sat up straight in bed and when she asked him what was wrong he responded, ”I know what we can do! We can establish a center dedicated to problem solving and conflict resolution."
That set the stage for the rest of Jimmy Carter's post presidency. Conquering disease and mediating conflicts along with his participating in Millard Fuller's Habitat for Humanity project would bring meaning to Jimmy Carter's life and, at the same time, succor to millions around the world.
One more observation: Most presidents during their time in office invariably bear the burden of the hundreds and thousands of deaths which occur during their term as Commander in Chief of our armed forces. The number of service men lost during the Carter administration, tragic as it was, consisted of eight men who perished during the April 1980 hostage rescue mission in Iran. However, few presidents are even eligible to be credited with the millions of lives Jimmy Carter not only saved but enhanced during his 98 plus years of life.
Was Jimmy Carter a "great" president or is he merely a "great" human being?
Perhaps he is both! Which one of the above would you rather be?
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED,
EDWIN COONEY
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