This morning, the nation is mourning the loss of one of the most genuinely decent men ever to sit in the Oval Office. Even for his critics, Jimmy Carter was a model of empathy and integrity as an American president. After his presidency, he proved an even greater role model, working tirelessly to help those without homes or hope. He gave us 100 years of a life committed to helping others and a lasting lesson on what it means to be truly a public servant.
Both President Joe Biden and Donald Trump offered moving tributes to Carter.
President Biden noted that Carter showed “what it means to live a life of meaning and purpose, a life of principle, faith and humility.”
He added “Some look at Jimmy Carter and see a man of a bygone era with honesty and character. Faith and humility mattered, but I don’t believe it’s a bygone era,” Biden said. “We’d all do well to try to be more like Jimmy Carter.”
President Trump declared “The challenges Jimmy faced as president came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude.”
Many were surprised when Biden took a jab at Trump after his comments.
The media immediately saw the testimonial comments as an opportunity to get a dig on Trump and Biden seemed eager to oblige them. When a reporter asked Biden after his formal remarks what President-elect Trump should take from Carter’s legacy, Biden replied:
“Decency, decency, decency. … Can you imagine Jimmy Carter walking by someone who needed something and just keep walking? Can you imagine Jimmy Carter referring to someone by the way they look or the way they talk?”
It was a jarring disconnect from the moment of unity by both presidents.
It was also a curious choice of presidents for Biden to make the comparison. There is another thing that Carter would not do: pardon a family member in an influence-peddling scandal.
Throughout his presidency, Carter was faced with allegations that Billy Carter took $200,000 from a Libyan dictator as a “loan” and only paid back $1000. There were also allegations of even more money derived from open influence peddling from foreign sources. Sound familiar?
Indeed, Biden defenders immediately tried to use Carter to deflect criticism from the President by falsely claiming that he pardoned Billy. Grant Stern, an editor for the advocacy group Occupy Democrats, wrote: “Jimmy Carter pardoned his brother Billy Carter who took over $200,000 from Libya as its foreign agent. George H.W. Bush pardoned his son Neil Bush for his role in the S&L scandals of the 1980s. Nobody thinks those pardons defined either presidency. Joe Biden’s pardon of Hunter Biden won’t either.”
Neither of those pardons “defined either presidency” because neither pardons existed.
(ABC The View co-host Ana Navarro even claimed various family pardons as including another president to defend the Hunter Biden pardon: “Woodrow Wilson pardoned his brother-in-law, Hunter deButts…But tell me again how Joe Biden ‘is setting precedent’?” Many immediately told her instead how Wilson did not have a brother-in-law named “Hunter deButts,” let alone pardon him).
In reality, despite lingering questions and investigations, Carter refused to pardon his brother. Instead, he told the American people the truth:
“I am deeply concerned that Billy has received funds from Libya and that he may be under obligation to Libya. These facts will govern my relationship with Billy as long as I am president. Billy has had no influence on U.S. policy or actions concerning Libya in the past, and he will have no influence in the future.”
Unlike Carter, President Biden lied repeatedly to the voters in denying that (1) Hunter had any dealings with the Chinese, (2) he ever met his son’s clients, (3) he knew of any of these dealings, and (4) he would ever pardon his son. He then pardoned Hunter for any and all crimes committed over the last decade, including potential crimes that many believe implicate the President himself in a multimillion dollar influence-peddling scheme.
Notably, in seeking a comparative dig at Trump, the reporters did not seek to ask about this point of comparison with Biden. We all knew that, no matter how one felt about Carter’s performance, there were some things that he would not do in office.
Perhaps that is why “Some look at Jimmy Carter and see a man of a bygone era with honesty and character.” They look at Biden himself and say “We’d all do well to try to be more like Jimmy Carter.”
Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro professor of public interest law at George Washington University and the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.”
Jimmy “Hee Hee” Carter achievements:
> President Carter & USSR President Brezhnev hugging & kissing. Then the USSR invades Afghanistan.
> Medical treatment & asylum deal for Shah of Iran Mohammad Pahlavi. Then US embassy employees were taken hostage by Iranians.
> Secret war in Angola with Cuba.
> Cuban freedom flotilla to the US.
> AIDS pandemic.
“. . . one of the most genuinely *decent* men ever to sit in the Oval Office.” (emphasis added)
An average inflation rate of some 11%, with interest rates that pushed 20%. Lines around the block to buy gas. An utter debacle with the Iranian hostage “rescue.”
“Decent” is not the word that comes to mind.
Spelled DEI scent?
Let me tell you something about Jimmy Carter. I once stood face-to-face with Jimmy Carter and it was if I was not even there. When his sister died, I flew a friend of his from Lynchburg, Virginia to Fayetteville, North Carolina for the funeral. Carter and his daughter Amy flew in right after we got there in a King Air 200. Carter came inside and came straight to his friend and I, who were standing together. He shook hands with his friend and completely ignored me. Granted, he was grieving for his faith-healer sister who had died of cancer as I recall but he made no attempt to even recognize my existence when it was obvious that I was there with his friend. I have no use for the man.
Did the man you were with introduce you to Carter? There ya have it.
Philip Klein over at National Review has quite a different take on President Carter. I tend to agree with Mr. Klein. His article is entitled, “Jimmy Carter Was a Terrible President – and an Even Worse Former President”.
Klein’s column was spot on and I wish that everyone would read it. Carter was a Jew hating, bitter, jealous man who wasn’t up to the job and who wasn’t even a decent ex-president.
Carter needs to be thanks for two things: He vanquished Ted Kennedy and ended any shot he ever had at being president and his incompetence gave us Reagan.
The parallels between Carter and Biden are amazing. High inflation, high gas prices, so weak internationally that we had the Soviets invade a neighbor, fawning support of radical Islamic states and terror groups, total incompetence and unifying the nation in their dislike of the Democrats of their time. OH YEAH, one gave us Reagan and one gave us back Trump.
“Carter needs to be thanks for two things”
I would add that in terms relative to his immediate predecessors, his spending was somewhat restrained. However, my real observation on Carter’s passing is that it seems as if the right-leaning press feels some obligation to sanctify Carter as a man before vilifying his political agenda. An apparently unjustified need in this case. I have relatives (by blood and by marriage) who have lived near Plains, Georgia since the time of WWII. They have all told me that Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were condescending a-holes of the first water, and would never hesitate for a much as a heartbeat before trampling down anyone who they believed stood between them and the power to which they felt entitled. I’d bet the real sentiment among those folks today is “Finally – good riddance!”.
Yes, Klein’s take is spot on. Readers might also be interested in Steve Hayward’s acidic take: https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/12/the-under-and-over-estimated-jimmy-carter-rip.php
Surprised the media didn’t mention citizen-Reagan (not yet president) making secret deals with Iran to hold American hostages longer for pure politics. Reagan officials cheated to win more votes.
The same day Reagan was sworn in, Carter was literally midair being flown back to Georgia, Iran released the hostages. When Carter got off the aircraft he found out the hostages were released.
A few years ago prominent Reagan officials admitted to Reagan’s illegal meddling in Carter’s presidency. A earlier book “October Surprise” was denied for decades as a theory. More importantly, hostages were held longer simply to make Carter look bad.
Hmmm, that must’ve been after Carter’s disastrous raid to free rhe American hostages. Although it could’ve been after his oil embargo in between Billy’s oil deal with the Kuwaitis.
Or was it between Billy beer and the Libyans oil deal…old age I guess. I do remember he was horrible and you couldn’t buy a job in those years. Unlike anything two generations have experienced.
Ashcroft’s Zeitgeist: why are you commenting as Anonymous again?
Reagan officials cheated to win more votes.
Well, it didn’t take long for an Anonymous Soviet Democrat Marxist Useful Idiot to claim Reagan, Bush, Bush again, Trump, and then Trump again cheated to win their elections. The only way Republicans win presidential elections is they cheat the Democrats. Every time!
Apparently, the Ayatollah and the rest of the Mad Mullahs were sure that Reagan was going to defeat Carter (those who were adults will remember that right up to the end the world thought Carter had reelection in the bag). So with the likely outcome in mind, they cut a secret deal with the most likely loser of the election! Which would kind of screwed up their relationship with Carter if he had won as expected – or the famous Washington DC leakers like the FBI, CIA, State Department, etc had gotten wind of it.
Now there’s some high probability accusations right up there on the level of the verified Trump-Russia Dossier!
Did Reagan commission a “Reagan-Iran Dossier” to do that alleged cheating to defeat Carter so resoundingly?
Old Airborne Dog
“. . . hostages were held longer simply to make Carter look bad.”
He did that all by himself.
The American hostages were held captive by Iran for some 270 days prior to those alleged “secret deals.”
BTW, Carter was slaughtered: 489 EV’s to 49. 44 states to 6 states.
You have proof that Reagan knew about those supposed “secret deals?” I guess you didn’t feel like mentioning the D-led investigation that concluded that the allegations were bunk.
Here’s the difference between Carter and Biden: when Carter lost to Reagan, he returned to Georgia and resumed a normal life; when Biden and his party were defeated by Trump, Biden used Carter’s death to attack Trump. https://nypost.com/2024/12/30/us-news/biden-takes-jab-at-trump-while-applauding-jimmy-carters-decency-shares-fondest-memory-with-late-president/
Read Phillip Klein’s piece at NR about Carter linked below. I had known Carter blamed Israel for much of the turmoil in the Middle East. And that he’d visited the Middle East and met with Arafat after he left office. And I knew that some Jews considered him anti-Semitic.
But I was not aware of the extent to which he meddled in foreign policy, and elections, after he left office.
https://www.nationalreview.com/2024/12/jimmy-carter-was-a-terrible-president-and-an-even-worse-former-president/
To whomever you are, your link was behind a paywall. It was a good article, so here is where one can get it free.
https://archive.is/0ZEt9
I almost missed this because I don’t expect Anonymous bloggers to recognize the difference between good and bad.
Jimmy Carter was a good human being but a terrible President. He was a typical Democrat and cost Americans dearly at the pumps and at the world stage. At least he will no longer be the worst President in history, we now have Obama and Biden, take your pick. Trump will follow Reagan in getting the US back on her feet.
“Jimmy Carter was a good human being”
Any evidence of that, or are you mindlessly repeating media tropes? I have many relatives in his part of Georgia who have been contradicting the “good man” take on Carter since the 1970’s.
Since I have been alive (Truman – Biden), the most decent presidents we have had were Carter, and H W Bush. Both men failed to win a second term. Bush – who had a recession in his 3rd year and allowed Clinton to convince the electorate that it was the worst economy in 50 years, and Carter because he was clearly in over his head. It was said that Reagan ran the ship of state from the bridge while Carter tried to run it from the boiler room.
This may tell us something about the wisdom of electing people based on decency.
Jimmy Carter. Great man who proved it despite the efforts of what soon became the vast right wing conspiracy to take things to the mud pit 24/7 against any D in the oval office.
Trump is not fit in the least to comment on Jimmy Carter’s legacy, followed by you in a close second to trump in that respect, Turls.
But Biden is fit to comment? DUMB!!
Yeah, Biden is fit to comment, especially given the fact his reputation for his administration’s accomplishments will only rise once not having to deal with the sustained demagoguery campaigns of fox and Turley 24/7. Carter experienced an upswing in public support after leaving office. So will Biden.
Stop it Francis, you’re killin’ me!
Trump is not fit in the least to comment on Jimmy Carter’s legacy, followed by you in a close second to trump in that respect, Turls.
And President Daddy-Daughter Inappropriate Incest Showers, The Big Guy who raped a young aid and ‘inappropriately touched’ dozens of other mens’ wives and children – all while in elected office – has sent you here to decently repeat his decent comments on Trump!
Oh look at you – so special! Not fit company for normal Americans – but a perfect fit to be the avatar for Biden White House Crime LLC.
Old Airborne Dog
Lick my ass, sniveling troll. That’s what dogs like to do.
Ok…am I the only one from the era of fake names? Rita Book, Jim Shew, Clark Barr? Hunter de Butts (Hunter of butts) is an awesome fake name!! That Navarro, woman is hilarious and doesn’t even realize it. Someone should tell her she has a message from Al Kaholic.
As if Trump wrote either of the two statements released on his behalf after Carter’s death. I’m willing to bet Trump can’t make it thru the funeral without a negative comment, he had a few while Carter was grieving Rosalynn’s death and when Carter was in hospice during the campaign. Trump won’t be able to handle Biden giving the eulogy or references to the President’s club where he is the outcast. He might not show up, which would be viewed by many as a blessing. The statements put out were appropriate though using language and a tone Trump is incapable of. He’s bound to ruin it; I’ll be back to point it out when he does.
“President’s club where he is the outcast ”
Enigma, it is typical that you focus on the wrong things.
Trump is anti-establishment, and that is a positive when one wishes to end the corruption in Washington. It is good that the default in world affairs is peace, not war. Trump can rethink American policy, both economic and foreign, with an end to globalism that is removing American sovereignty.
The nation is changing and desperately requires change. That can only be done by one who is a disrupter, and that doesn’t occur at the President’s Club.
LMAO!!
I should mention I’m laughing at Allan’s vigorous cretinism.
It’s typical of you to tell me what I should choose to focus on. Turley chose to condemn Biden for his response to a question while holding Trump’s statements we both know he didn’t write as the model for decorum. Trump will screw it up before it’s over, he can’t stand for the spotlight to be on anyone else, even at their funeral.
“It’s typical of you to tell me what I should choose to focus on. “
No. You chose to focus on trivia not recognizing what is important. At least you can comment unlike the two laughing hyenas above.
enigmainblackcom As if Trump wrote either of the two statements released on his behalf after Carter’s death.
Well, look at that! The racist intersectional Uncle Tom who serves his Kluxxer Massa’ Biden is happy to do the same for Massa’ Carter.
Jimmy Carter’s church wasn’t good enough for uppity black boys like yourself, enigmainblackcom. But then, as an atheist Black Supremacist Marxist, you don’t need no stinkin’ churches.
Carter’s Church Upholds Its Policy by Refusing to Admit Four Blacks
https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/01/archives/carters-church-upholds-its-policy-by-refusing-to-admit-four-blacks.html
The Plains Baptist Church, where Jimmy Carter is a deacon, locked its doors and refused to hold services today rather than admit four blacks
With racist black Americans like you spewing hatred everywhere you go, black Americans can be thankful that they have accomplished black Americans like Dr. Thomas Sowell, Walter Williams, etc to show the world that most black Americans are not racist, lying neo-communists, making their way through life by grifting on their hatred and racism. You and Joy Reid should go get a room together and rub your hatred and racism together and see if it causes sparks to fly.
Old Airborne Dog
Racist comments are not welcome.
I read and re-read and I fail to see how Trump can be included in the “moment of unity” failure of 2 presidents. Trump jabs too much at times, but this failure was all Biden.
Carter was, if anything, sometimes too honest. Probably would have been a lousy poker player. He was unassertive and picked the wrong battles. Of course, we would all be talking about his genius as President if Special Forces hadn’t botched the mission. He probably would have been reelected. But all in all, he was a poor President but a fine human being, and a noble Christian man, far closer than most to being a man as God meant men to be.
Biden, on the other hand, is slime, and slime always oozes down to the lowest point of gravity, of which he continues to find new depths. I suppose you think you do yourself great credit, Turley, by affecting to believe that Biden himself penned that testimonial. Whichever of his staffers wrote it probably did so more in irony than sincerity. Carter’s ethics and faith have no place in the modern Democratic party. Biden not only didn’t write it, he obviously doesn’t feel it.
Carter as a decent human being is being overdone right now due to his passing. He was seemingly anti-Semitic for the last 45 years and if he wasn’t a DEMOCRAT he wouldn’t be getting or have gotten the kind treatment he has received since 1980.
Carter is a typical Democrat, he gets credit for Habitat for Humanity which has probably built a thousand or so homes for the poor while his policies gave is high inflation and interest rates of well over 10% that actually caused more people to lose their homes or to not be able to purchase homes due to his incompetence.
You can blame Special Forces for Carter getting bounced, even though I find it kind of cruel to blame a force that lost 8 men trying to save others, while Carter did nothing for so many months as the hostages languished. If it was just the Special Forces then why did the Iranians release the hostages at noon on January 20th?
Carter’s weakness gave the Soviets the incentive to go into Afghanistan. Does that sound familiar? The weak and ineffectual Carter said that people on the right had an inordinate fear of communism and of course he was shocked that the Soviets invaded their neighbor. Ironic that Biden was the first senator to endorse him.
As for your comments on Biden I agree 100%, but I am really tired of the whitewash that Jimmy Carter is receiving.
Habitat for Humanity has built over 600,000 homes, and improved millions of others.
Carter destroyed an entire generation of home owners and buyers.
Hullslobby: a good friend of mine was one of the better American snipers in Vietnam. He got pulled from the teams and worked a lot taking out higher up VC way behind lines. He talks a lot about how the American military really struggled with keeping up SF quality after the first round of old timers retired…, and he says by the Grenada ‘invasion’ the quality level was “appalling”. Eventually each branch found a way to sustain SF levels, but they just didn’t understand what they had until more time passed. Not a political thing.
Thank you Bro. Turley, for this thoughtful yet appropriate take on the passing of former President Carter.
I have vivid personal recollections of gas lines, “Billy Beer’ and the job desert my generation felt post-graduation which has provided substantial background to recent conversations I am having with my adult children. President Biden‘s comments were shocking but unfortunately, not surprising.
Carter was the proof of the insightful “Peter Principle”. The American voter promoted a good, intelligent man to a job where he was simply incompetent. There are plenty of other examples, our current President being the most obvious.
He was an antisemite who often referred to Jews as Christ killers. He was a favorite of Hamas and an admirer of Yasir Arafat.
Carter was a narrow-minded anti-Semite who couldn’t put his upbringing away. Though in many other areas, he appeared to be a decent man, he was a horrible president who was responsible for many things injurious to our country.
I wonder if in his last years he smiled broadly, knowing that Biden would replace him as the worst President in recent history.
And after putting Carter on a pedestal for his exemplary decency, Biden shows he does not follow the example himself by shamelessly attacking his successor. Carter tried to serve his country and his community; Biden only serves himself – the man is a disgrace. .
The Professor is a very decent and kind man who wants to see the best in people. I also think it would be difficult for him to criticize someone who recently passed. No doubt Carter had some decent aspects to his life. He had a bad presidency, but a fairly good post-presidency, for the most part. However, his book on the Israeli-Palestinian issues was anti-Semitic, even approving of terrorism against Israel (I know he said it was a mistake, badly worded, but the book was never changed). Some of his employees resigned over it. A late law professor has said Carter told him that a list je made of proposed members of a holocaust project had too many Jews on it and he signed a letter asking for leniency for a Nazi guard. Though he also helped Jews fleeing from Iran and Russia, on balance, it is hard not to have reservations as to his decency, at least when it came to Jews.
As to Biden, how much is necessary before there is nothing left of his legacy? He is a bad man, period.
Carter was a piss-poor President; his failures were many. But he was a patriot who served honorably and a gentleman who loved this country.
But he was a patriot who served honorably and a gentleman who loved this country.
Because you voluntarily wore the uniform does not make you honorable or a gentleman for the remainder of your life. I’m thinking here of Hunter Biden, General Milley et al.
When did you get to be called a patriot when you spent the 40 years after your presidency defending and supporting every single Middle East Arab terrorist group that not only slaughtered Israelis, but Americans as well?
Carter did some good while in office and some good after public office. But he started as a segregationist racist ally of Governor George Wallace and spent the last four decades of his life as a vicious, hating anti-Semitic. Carter never met a murdering Middle East Arab terrorist leader that he wouldn’t defend and celebrate.
Old Airborne Dog
Horseshit, he was weak and a friend of PLO
He was not just weak and a friend of the PLO, he was just another anti-Semite.
RIP Mr. Carter.