Jimmy Carter’s Political Legacy

On Sunday, former President Jimmy Carter died at age 100. He lived longer than any president and had the longest post-presidential life by far. Carter was a one-term president from 1977-1981. After surprising many by winning the Democratic nomination in 1976, he defeated President Gerald Ford in the general election. However, Carter suffered a resounding defeat in his bid for re-election. In 1980, he lost 44 states to Ronald Reagan, and Reagan won the Electoral College 489-49.

As events soon begin to commemorate Carter's life and public service, Jim and Greg offer what they see as a fair but honest assessment of Carter, particularly during his time in the Oval Office.

First, they highlight Carter's military service and his impressive victory as a dark horse candidate in 1976. They also discuss what they see as Carter’s successes in the White House—both foreign and domestic—along with some notable achievements through the Carter Center after leaving office. They also applaud his example as a husband during his 77-year marriage to former First Lady Rosalynn Carter.

However, the Carter presidency overall was not a success. Jim and Greg walk through Carter's failure to ward off the rise of a radical Islamist government in Iran, which then took dozens of Americans hostage for the next 14 and a half months and has fomented mayhem in the Middle East and beyond ever since. They also assess his weak approach to the communist threat in Central America and Afghanistan. Domestically, he oversaw a very rough economy, and Americans of a certain age will certainly remember gas lines and the energy crisis among other serious challenges.

Finally, they look at his 44 years after leaving the presidency, from his work building homes for the needy to remaining very active in international affairs. But while he was convinced he was right, Carter's efforts sometimes created headaches for future administrations.