The History Thread Celebrates History’s Greatest Monster (original) (raw)

Today is the 100th birthday of former President James Earl Carter. Jimmy, as he liked to be called, took office in 1977 when the memory of Watergate was still fresh and took office amidst an immense climate of optimism. Unfortunately, Carter’s presidency was somewhere between a mixed bag and a complete failure, depending on whom you ask. Many things (like the ongoing inflation problem inherited from Nixon and Ford) were beyond his control; others, like his strained relationship with Congress and his support of the Shah of Iran, were of his own doing. His conservative economic program made a limited dent in inflation, and many of them directly presaged Reagan’s more extreme policies. But Carter could count a number of major successes, such as the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, and it’s his post- presidential legacy as a peacemaker and humanitarian that has long since transcended his mixed record as president. And whatever his shortcomings, it’s hard to argue that a second term of Carter wouldn’t have been preferable to eight years of Rappin’ Ronnie.