Carter's Remarks

Odd comments coming from someone whose term of office saw a 12% inflation rate, long gas lines, skyrocketing gas prices, Three Mile Island coverup, the Bert Lance scandal, the highest interest rates since, WW 11, the Iranian hostage situation, etc!

 

Yes, the job is hard. That's why dark-haired men with no bags under their eyes enter the office, and eight years later emerge looking twenty years older.

Three words: Iran. Contra. Scandal... or did you think it was just a coincidence that the hostages were released the minute -- almost quite literally -- Reagan was elected?


I think even Jimmy Carter would agree that some of his best work has been since he was president. With that work, it's difficult to imagine how anyone could possibly have a quarrel. Additionally, I notice that it's equally difficult to find anyone -- even among conservatives -- who aren't impressed with Jimmy Carter's contribution to the world's being a better place, just generally.

He's promoting his first political book; and he's taking aim at the Bush administration, and ultra-right-wing conservatives in general. He understands that he will receive a lot of criticism such as that in this thread's starting post. I think he's up for it, and will do just fine. He need make no apologies to anyone, anywhere, for anything.

Twelve hundred people at a book signing ain't nothin' to sneeze at.

 

Amazing how you give Carter (a Democrat) a break and he didn't get reelected. Yet, you never give Bush a break and he did get reelected.

Now, I like Jimmy Carter, always have. I think he was a lousy President and is now trying to make his presidency look look by lashing out so viciously at Bush.

Also, I have said on this forum many times in the past that I think Reagan made a deal with Iran. I also stated Reagan's operatives stole Carter's debate notes, which has been verified time and time again.

 

Jimmy Carter was a good, decent man that was a horrible President. I don't know what else to say about him.

 

Jimmy, Jimmy, JIMMY!

One of the reasons why Carter was a GOOD president is because of his ethical integrity. When he lashes out at someone, he doesn't do it because of partisan politics - he means it from the gut. Therefore, when Carter turns his verbal guns on Bush, the world should take notice.... this is not a man who does these kind of things for either vanity or attempting to shore up his own place in U.S. History.

My theory is that Carter, a hundred years from now, will be remembered in far more favorable terms in the grand scheme of things (as they played out in the late 20th and early 21st century) than most of his contemporaries. For certain he will be remembered more positively than any of the Bushes, in particular the "Son of Bush" - the pampered, swaggering, bullyboy/fratboy who manipulated his way into power riding his daddy's coattails, and with a boatload of $$$$$ from every sleazebag corporate contributer across the globe to help him get there.

 

First, I am a Democrat, so I am not going to pretend I am objective. But did the stock market crashed during Carter's presidency? No. Did a zillion small businesses go belly up during his presidency? No. Did he cut financial aid funds for higher education? No. Did the number of homeless increased exponentially during his presidency? No.

President Jimmy Carter is one of the most beloved, admired and respected American figures in the world. He is as entitled to his opinion on the current presidency as any other citizen. He was a good president who had the misfortune of being in office at a lousy time for America. Also, keep in mind that he followed Richard Nixon, which was not helpful for anybody. The time of unrest that America suffered during the Nixon/Ford years was ended by Carter.

Well, Bush presidency makes Carter's look good in comparison.

God bless President Carter.

 

Then why didn't he get reelected instead of carrying only six states? Look.

Answer: Americans were worse off at the end of Carter's term than at the beginning.

Furthermore, Ford ended the mess of the Nixon years, not Carter.

That's why the 1976 election was so close.

Look.

 

Hi Miguel

You know, I agree with most of what you say about Carter. He definately is a man of integrity, values, and ethics. All qualities I value greatly n people AND leaders. Like you, I think many things people blame Carter for were beyond his control. How is that different for Bush? The massive economic downturn clearly started during Clinton's presidency. I cerainly believe both Presidents deserve equal treatment.

 

This is a very good post. We seem to forget that the world and all its problems and difficulties don't come to a complete stop as soon as a new President is elected.

Each President continues with many of the policies laid down by predecessors and/or world and national events.

However, every President does has a certain amount of blame for things that occur under his term of office--Iran, for instance, with Carter. He was warned to to allow the Shah in America. He neglected the warning and look what happened.

Saw Carter on Jay Leno the other night. This was one of the few appearances where he said things that were rational and that I basically agreed with.

He didn't blame Bush for Iraq.

 

Point well taken, Dave. However, the president knew or should have known of Bin Laden intentions on 9/11 before it happened, yet nothing was done to prevent it. Although I agree that the economic downturn started in the end of the Clinton years, what this president has done has taken the economy to new lows.

Finally,

Then who should be blamed? I thought catching the man responsible for the twin towers was the first priority.

 

Clinton was handed Bin Laden on a silver platter and refused. The 9/11 Commission made it very clear the Clinton Administration and the Bush Administration had plenty of warning about Bin Laden's intentions.

As far as the economy, what's bad about it? Black Friday sales were up more than nine per cent from last year and Black Monday sales were higher than last year.

More people traveled this Thanksgiving than last year.

The stock market is doing well. More people are buying houses than ever, especially blacks.

Considering 9/11, fighting two wars, numerous natural disasters, etc., I think the economy is doing pretty well.

People who blame Bush (or any president) for their economic woes are usually people who have been financially irresponsible. I have a number of family members like that.

They blame the president, governor, state they live in, etc., because they cannot handle money, budget properly, and spend impulsively without any planning or forethought or thinking about the future--savings, IRA's, etc.

Furthermore, the president really doesn't have that much to do with the economy, short of wage and price controls and a few other manipulative measures.

We have a global economy, not just a U.S. economy.

 

I agree that a substantial number of Americans are very irresponsible when it comes to financial matters and that blaming the president for the individual problems is not fair. However, every day more working class Americans lose their jobs due to plant closings. Maybe Wall Mart can absorb all the employees that lost their jobs. However, to say the president has no bearing on the economy is just plain wrong. I work in the financial services industry and when it comes to the economy I am convinced the president means well, but too many of his economic measures are aimed at benefiting the "haves and the have more" or as he calls it his base. For example, his latest plan for immigration is designed to benefit employers of cheap foreign labor at the expense of American jobs. That in my opinion is just plain wrong.

 

Wowhistorical perspective needed....

People should have some historical perspective before they render an opinion. The stock market didn't crash because it didn't rise hardly at all during the 70's. Nobody invested in the stock market because it had almost zero capital gain. THe DJIA wasn't even over 1000 compared to around 10,400 now. However, during Carter's term in office the already miniscule DJIA did in fact drop 6 points. At face value that doesn't look so bad but he benifitted from a 40 point rise after he lost to Reagan in the NOvember 1976 election, otherwise, it would have dropped 46 points. Moreover, inflation went through the roof during his term in office with annual rates as high as 14.7%. Figuring in inflation anyone actually owning stocks took a huge loss in buying power. To make things worse, industrial employment starting its downhill slide as he period known as the rust belt era started. Plant closing? The plant closings we have these days are nothing you haven't seen anything compared to the Carter years.

Anyone who thinks Carter was a good president wasn't there. I was there and things were HORRIBLE!!! My father lost his job and two of the three industries in my town closed shop throwing a bunch more people out of work. At the end of his term, I was in the Army and things were so bad we couldn't use our vehicles for months at a time because the Army couldn't afford gas. Any wonder the term "hollow military" came from the Carter era?

People need to learn a little something about economics and historical trends before they start talking. People tend to look at the right now and throw out grandiose opinions on history. Give me a break.....

 

Thank you miguelstefan for being a very intellectually honest poster. We disagree but you are very fair.

Blessings!

 

I don't see any lines....

And your opinion is based on wrong information. I don't see any lines of Americans trying to get jobs picking vegetables. When I was stationed at Ft. Sheridan the people that cleaned the government buildings hired a lot of Hispanics. We had a large pork processing plant open in Batchtown, Illinois in the 1980s offering pretty decent wages (about $14 an hour with benefits was pretty good in a town where a 3 bedroom home can be had for leass than $50k) and a unionized workforce. They started with a local hired workforce but before long it was all Hispanics because the locals had other options besides crueling work on a meatcutting line. Not long after that the plant was sold and nonunionized. You find me one decent sized employer with a large Hispanic workforce that hired them for any other reason than they were all he/she could get and I will agree with you, however, you won't find that company.

Anyone who says the Mexicans take the jobs Americans want is blind or politically dishonest.

 

Thank you for challenging me. I do believe you are true to your convictions.

Well, I was there. I was only eight, but I was there.

Maybe I'm blind.

Goodspeed!

 

What a real gentleman you are, Miguel. This is a fine example of how one should post in response to those who disagree with stated positions. Kudos!

 

That is better than politically dishonest. I am sick of congressmen on both sides of the political aisle demagoguing illegal aliens. Makes for good political theater back home to the people who want to blame somebody for their problems. I wonder how many congressmen have checked the green cards of the workers mowing their yards, trimming the trees at home or cleaning their offices? Yet, they'll get up in the congress after everybody has gone home and give those fake speeches for C-SPAN to broadcast back home complaining to the high heavens about how aliens are stealing American jobs.

I recently (right after Katrina and Rita) watched a convoy of tree trimming vehicles leave a nearby truck stop heading south. The company had addresses on the trucks from 6 states in the Midwest and there was over 30 trucks in the convoy. Only one guy in the group appeared to be non-hispanic. Going by the clip board and the fact he was giving some kind of briefing I would guess he was the boss.

Ricardo's Law of Labor states the natural price of unskilled labor is that which allows for basic subsistence. Short term shortages and wage control factors like union can change that but it inevitably will fall back to basic subsistence levels....

 

Ok. Maybe I should have explained my position better on my post. Bush plan only benefits employers of cheap foreign labor. Not the American or foreign worker. The fact that it only provides for a six year temporary worker visa without the possibility of permanent migratory status is evidence of that. Furthermore, his spectacle about controlling the border is an example of politician demagoguing illegal aliens. I would love to see a full blown amnesty applied, but that is not going to happen.