Of all the post-war Presidents, Jimmy Carter was the most enigmatic. Typically relegated to "one-term" purgatory, Carter's tumultuous tenure (1977-1981) was overwhelmed by various crises at home and abroad. In 1980 Ronald Reagan defeated Carter's bid for reelection, inaugurating a conservative cycle in American politics.
Jonathan Alter, author of books on Franklin Roosevelt and Barack Obama, makes a strong case for a reevaluation of President Carter. Alter provides a panoramic view of Carter's surprising rise to the presidency and the influences on his life. Even handed in tone, Alter is often critical of Carter's stubbornness and aloofness, but also points out the many virtues of his presidency and leadership style.
Carter was elected in 1976 as a welcome outsider in the post-Watergate era. He grew up in rural Georgia in the 1920s and 1930s when Jim Crow Laws and segregation were in full force. Raised in a 19th century style of living in an agrarian setting, values of hard work and honesty were instilled. He attended the Naval Academy and served on one of the first nuclear submarines. After his father passed away, Carter left the Navy to manage his family's farm and entered Georgia politics.
Considered a liberal on racial issues, Carter rarely spoke out on Civil Rights during the 1960s. He never met Martin Luther King nor marched for Civil Rights, in his campaign for Georgia Governor in 1970, he employed rhetoric to placate segregationists. There are examples of Carter resisting the racism of his environment in daily interactions, he defended a Black naval officer being harassed and stood up to local racists on a few occasions.
Alter skillfully traces the evolution of Carter's worldview. While silent on Civil Rights during the 1960s, his Presidency broke new ground in advocating for Human Rights at home and abroad. Marking a break from the realism of the Nixon-Kissinger-Ford years, informed by his Christianity, the dignity of the individual shaped his policymaking. The first "born again" President, his religion is one of the keys to understanding Carter.
Dealing with depression in the late 1960s, Carter found peace in prayer and engaged in missionary work. By all accounts Carter was sincere in his faith and kept himself to a high standard. Although he opposed abortion and the death penalty, he believed it was important not to force his personal views on anyone. He found it especially galling when Jerry Falwell commented that Carter's loss to Reagan meant a "real Christian" was back in the White House.
Rosalynn Carter, his wife of 77 years, was the most important influence on him. As First Lady, she raised awareness on mental health and disability rights, her campaigns to vaccinate children were also successful. Rosalynn and Jimmy would meet for lunch twice a week and debate policy issues, her tenure as First Lady is now considered modern and innovative.
Alter spends over half the book on the Presidency. The achievements in foreign policy were far reaching. Relations with China were normalized, a move that bolstered China's economic rise in the coming decades. The Panama Canal Treaty prevented a war in Central America, done in the face of fierce opposition from conservatives. The Camp David Accords, the most dramatic chapter in the book, established a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel - the two nations have not gone to war since. Carter's intelligence and tenacity in dealing with Egyptian leader Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Begin remains a marvel of personal diplomacy.
The year 1979 brought about the undoing of the Carter Presidency. The entire saga of the Iranian Revolution and the ensuing Hostage Crisis caught Carter and his advisors by surprise and the miscalculations were multifold. Americans were bombarded every evening with disheartening images from Iran intensified by the botched rescue attempt by the military (Carter took full responsibility). Relations with the USSR also went downhill, offended by Carter's Human Rights advocacy and his aggressive diplomacy in the Middle East, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and at the end of 1979 brought détente to a halt and led to a boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics (a highly unpopular policy).
Despite Carter's defeat in 1980, Alter argues his legislation on energy, the environment, and Civil Rights were all impactful. His famous "crisis of confidence" speech, composed after spending 10 days in isolation speaking to a variety of Americans about the problems of the country, expressed a criticism of consumerism, which many interpreted as a scold. On Democratic party politics he was often oblivious, which opened him to a challenge within from Ted Kennedy. With the ailing economy of the late 1970s, a combination of bad luck and questionable decisions led to his defeat.
When considering those who came before and after, Carter's fall appears to be an anomaly. He was neither corrupt nor incompetent. The most well read, intelligent, and pro-Science - his work ethic would be greeted with relief these days. Carter's greatest flaw was his bluntness and dedication to the job. Considered too liberal by conservatives and not liberal enough by the left, Carter tended to exasperate allies and foes.
Alter's prose is engaging, even handed with a good sense of narrative. The portrait is complex and raises important questions about political leadership in a democracy relating to issues of transparency, faith, and loyalty. Hardly any of the details included feel superfluous, anecdotes about Carter praying for peace with his eyes on a globe every morning, hanging out with the Allman Brothers, and winning over no less a cynic than Hunter Thompson all present an engaging tapestry.
Alter, Jonathan. His Very Best: Jimmy Carter: A Life. New York, Simon & Schuster, 2020.
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