Carter, James Earl ("Jimmy"), Jr., 1924-

CARTER, JAMES EARL ("JIMMY"), JR., 1924-

President of the united states, 1977-1981

Between Past and Present

Perhaps the most representative figure of the decade, James Earl Carter, Jr. (he preferred to be called "Jimmy"), symbolized a new type of American politician, one who fused the traditional values of small-town America to the new global realities of the 1970s. "We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles," he said in his inaugural address. The difficulties in accommodating old values to new realities, however, led to an often-uncertain and vacillating presidency. Ultimately Carter, like the nation itself, would choose to return to traditional values—even if they contradicted the facts of the modern global setting of the United States.

Small-Town Background

Jimmy Carter was born in Plains, Georgia, on 1 October 1924. His family had lived in southwest Georgia for generations. Carter grew up in a home steeped in traditions of hard work, temperance, fair dealing, and compassion for others. His father prospered as a farmer and grocer, even during the Depression. Eventually Carter would also become a successful peanut farmer and wholesaler, but as a boy he set his sights on a naval career. He entered Annapolis in 1943, graduating too late to see service in World War II but in time to begin service in the newly born nuclear-submarine fleet. From his service Carter became a detail-minded and disciplined problem solver and put these traits to work when he took over his father's business in 1953. His success in agriculture led to his involvement in public life. He ran for the Georgia state Senate in 1962 and was defeated. Suspecting vote fraud in the election, he challenged the balloting in court and among the Democratic party hierarchy; he won, and in 1964 he aided a voting-reform law through the state house. His tenacity resurfaced following his 1966 defeat by Lester Maddox for governor of Georgia. He immediately began running for governor in 1970, giving over eighteen hundred speeches and campaigning endlessly. He finally won the office of governor in 1970, and the triumph set the stage for his national ambitions.

Progressive Traditionalist

Carter's movement into national politics seemed natural for a man of his talents and abilities. His tenacity and discipline drove him from virtual obscurity to national attention before his four-year term as governor expired. His fiscal conservatism linked him to traditional southern Democrats, but his racial moderation and support among poor blacks marked him as a visible representative of the "New South"—one coming to terms with the new desegregated regional order. Notwithstanding these characteristics, it was Carter's personal earnestness and morality—rooted in a complex mix of academic theology and evangelical Christianity—that generated the most interest from voters. After Richard Nixon, Carter seemed reassuring; his liberal stance on issues of race, public assistance, and the environment gave him the appearance of personal flexibility, especially when compared to the fixity of politicians such as George Wallace, Ronald Reagan, and Gerald Ford. Carter cultivated this ambiguous image. As a national political figure he was often noncommittal on divisive public issues like busing and abortion. Carter's opponents often accused him of duplicity, but Carter's tendency to elude easy political categorization (he called his approach "enlightened conservatism") was characteristic. As president he would also pursue policies that ranged from traditional to progressive.

From Innovation to Conservatism

During Carter's years as president he moved from innovation to traditionalism; like the public, he seemed to tire of liberal reform and moved toward conservatism. He began his tenure with a host of symbolic departures from political tradition. He chose to walk rather than ride in a limousine during the inaugural parade, demonstating his willingness to turn the presidency away from the imperial mode of the Nixon years. As he had campaigned as a governmental outsider, he pressed for wide reforms in the governing process: the White House staff was cut by a third; cabinet officers were required to drive their own cars to work; ethics regulations regarding the relationship of government officials and big business were tightened. He canceled nineteen pork barrels (government projects), struggled to develop a new national energy policy, and placed expensive Pentagon weapon developments on hold. He promised new departures in foreign policy, especially an emphasis on human rights and an improved relationship with developing nations. On his first day in office he offered a "full, complete, and unconditional pardon" to Vietnam War draft resisters. Carter offered these innovations as a corrective to the distortions of the democratic process that had come with the country's imperial position in the postwar world and as techniques to deal with its new, less powerful, less dominating position in world affairs. As welcome as these overtures were in some quarters, however, many Americans reacted with hostility. Conservatives led the criticism of Carter's foreign and domestic policy. Barry Goldwater, for example, called the Vietnam amnesty, "the most disgraceful thing a president has ever done," Carter's reputation was further compromised by rumors that members of his staff acted inappropriately on social occasions. Questions were raised regarding drug use among Carter's staff and financial improprieties by associates and members of his family. At times Carter seemed unable to direct his unusally independent subordinates or influence the Democratic Congress to pass his legislation. In 1978 conservatives parlayed their criticism of Carter into victory in the congressional elections. Sensing the mood in the electorate, Carter shifted toward a more conservative approach, but he still could not withstand the challenge of Reagan and the new Right. They offered traditionalism unalloyed by Carter's ambiguities. In 1980 Carter lost his campaign for reelection.

Citizen Carter

Throughout the 1980s Carter acted as a hands-on philanthropist, sponsoring housing for the poor and promoting world peace. Following the 1992 election of fellow Democrat Bill Clinton to the presidency, Carter assumed the role of elder statesman and experienced diplomat. In 1994 he aided the Clinton administration by negotiating with a volatile and threatening North Korea. It was a remarkable political comeback. When Carter left the presidency he was reviled by many as incompetent and weak, and he was intensely disliked by many citizens. By the 1990s, however, many Americans had changed their opinion of Carter. In retrospect many believed he had governed according to an ethical standard far higher than subsequent presidents; his intelligence and honesty once more became prized. Like Ford, Carter set the highest standard of personal conduct in a period of American history characterized by political dis-honesty.

Source:

James Wooten, Dasher: The Roots and Rising of Jimmy Carter (New York: Summit Books, 1978).