R.I.P. James Earl "Jimmy" Carter · 9:39pm Dec 29th, 2024
In shocking news announced just recently, former US president Jimmy Carter died today at the age of 100.
Born James Earl Carter in 1924, Carter served overseas in World War II before returning home and marrying Roslayann (who died last year). His political career originally languished in obscurity even after he was elected governor of Georgia in the early 1970's. But in 1976 he launched an incredible dark horse candidacy that saw him ultimately capture the Democratic party's nomination (party bosses supposedly favored Hubert Humphrey, but Humphrey had been diagnosed with cancer and declined to run as a result). He then narrowly prevailed over incumbent president Gerald R. Ford to become the nation's 39th president and its third in five years. Ultimately, Carter's biggest advantage on the campaign trail (a Washington outsider in the aftermath of Watergate) became his greatest weakness once in office, as he clashed frequently with Congress and had notoriously bad relations with then house speaker Tip O Neil. However, it was foreign policy that came to dominate his presidency: In 1978 he brokered the Camp David Accords that brought peace between Egypt and Israel, but the following year his decision to admit the toppled shan of Iran to the U.S. for cancer treatment led to the Iran Hostage Crisis. Carter's inability to solve it in spite of his "Rose Garden Strategy", coupled with a subsequent spike in inflation at the same time as a severe recession, resulted in his defeat in 1980 to Ronald Reagan.
Over the next four decades, as he went on to break the record for the longest living ex-president, Carter singlehandedly transformed his reputation through his work at both the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity. His international efforts and successful resolution of crisies in Cuba and North Korea in 1994 ultimately won him the coveted Noble Peace Prize in 2002, the only ex U.S. president to be granted that honor to date.
There's no denying that Carter's death truly means the end of an era. When he came into office, color television was still a novelty for some, and cable t.v. and the internet were just a pipe dream. A then fledgeling CNN only just came into being as Carter left, and news was still dominated by the big three: ABC, NBC, and CBS. His presidency has been re-examined and re-evaluated as of late, but he will probably continue to always be known for his work after leaving the White House. He even said it himself: "I'm a better ex-president than I was president."
100, quite a pride age
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Eeyup, a lot of wisdom. I hope to be able to make it to that milestone.
He might not have been the greatest president, but he tried. There’s a lot he accomplished in his long life.
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indeed
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Agreed
RIP CArter. The day is lies his state