Commentary:
Jimmy Carter was an honest, reverent and decent man during a time when those qualities were seen as a political asset. Now, I fear they would all be seen as weakness.
It’s been clear for some time that the Carter presidency will not be viewed positively by history. A 2021 survey of professional historians conducted by CSPAN ranks Carter 26th, between Grover Cleveland and James Garfield.
I’ve often wondered how things might have been different if the helicopters hadn’t crashed in the desert.
Carter lost to Ronald Reagan 489-49 in the electoral college vote of 1980. He lost by nearly 10 percent in the popular vote, a margin that likely would have been greater if not for third-party candidate John Anderson, who siphoned off 6.6 percent. Our incoming president won 49.8 percent of the popular vote and claims to have an “historic mandate.”
Few people who lived through it remember Carter’s presidency fondly. Like all presidents, Carter inherited the problems created by his predecessors. Only George Washngton started with a clean slate.
Carter inherited an enraged populace in Iran that vehemently hated America for our role in propping up Iranian leaders who were friendly to our oil companies but brutal and oppressive to their own people. That rage boiled over in November of 1979 when the Shah was overthrown and 66 Americans serving in the US Embassy were taken hostage.
In April of 1980 Carter gave the green light to Operation Eagle Claw. Eight helicopters from the newly created Delta Force took off for the first staging area, but three suffered damage along the way from a sandstorm and mechanical failures. Carter decided to abort the mission. As they were preparing to leave, one of the helicopters crashed into a transport aircraft carrying jet fuel. Eight servicemen were killed in the accident.
Even before the hostage crisis, the Carter presidency struggled with rampant inflation and an energy crisis caused by a decrease in foreign production, specifically in Iran. In July of 1979 Carter himself acknowledged that, “For the first time in the history of our country a majority of people believe that the next five years will be worse than the last five.”
He added, “As you know, there is a growing disrespect for government and for churches and for schools, the news media and other institutions. This is not a message of happiness or reassurance, but it is the truth and it is a warning.”
Carter’s warning went unheeded. The number of people who regularly attend religious services has fallen from 42 percent to 30 percent in the past two decades. Cable news and the Internet have transformed the media into a mishmash or truth and fiction in which even the most radical consumers can find validation for their beliefs.
As for faith in government, we just elected a man who promised to tear it all down.
Carter would go on to have one of the most productive periods following his presidency of any of our modern leaders. During their 30-plus years of service to Habitat for Humanity, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter joined with more than 108,000 volunteers to renovate or repair homes in 14 countries, while also raising awareness of the need for more affordable housing.
When he died last week at age 100, there were plenty of critics ready to denounce his policies. That’s fair. But almost nobody had a bad word to say about the man. That’s a rare and special thing in today’s politics.
Walter Rubel's opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of KRWG Public Media or NMSU. Walter Rubel can be reached at waltrubel@gmail.com.