“There is another disturbing element to Cartesian maliciousness. He asks us to forget all the dilemmas of being President, the necessity of making bad choices when the alternative is usually worse. And, of course, he seems to have amnesia about his own failings that put this country in grave jeopardy. He sanctimoniously lectured us on our Cold War fixation on communism—and got a murderous Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. He talked of a post-Vietnam reappraisal in the midst of the Cambodian Holocaust. “Human Rights” was an admirable banner, but did not include any such audit of Sandinista Communists. He wept for the middle class, but adopted policies that led to double-digit interest rates and inflation, ensuring that only the upscale could borrow for a house or ensure their salaries would keep up with the cost of living. No need to mention his energy policy or gas lines”. –Victor Davis Hanson, historian writing about Jimmy Carter and his legacy
I’m sorry but I can’t help but compare this list of Carter’s worst failures with my internal mental list of our current President’s failings - Getting us into an unnecessary war, ruining the federal budget, attempting to circumvent the constitution, endorsing torture, etc.
Even Carter looks good now.
But the federal budget is well below the average budget deficit over the last 30 years, interest rates are at record lows, home ownership at record high, unemployment rate at record low and on and on…all of these are things that primarily benefit middle and lower class families.
On the other hand, you may have a point on foreign policy, but IMHO the verdict is still out on that - lets talk again in 30 years and see just how ‘unnecessary’ this war was.
Carter, though, has had his near 30 years, and we can both see clearly his failures (which is one of the many reasons why I ignore him).
What do J. Carter and Y. Arafat have in common?
Hint: It’s awarded in Sweden every December.