A good man passed away Dec. 29. It’s been half a century since he appeared on the scene, not a complete unknown, but not that far from it. He came, served in office and served again in his post presidency with a fundamental decency that seems almost quaint today.
He was a different kind of politician. Hardly anyone outside Georgia, where he served as governor, had heard of him prior to his seeking the presidency. He did not bring along the legions of young people who had propelled George McGovern’s campaign, as it turned out, to massive defeat, in 1972. He was not a product of the party professionals who had maneuvered Hubert Humphrey to a failed run against Richard Nixon.
He turned out to be the perfect nominee to follow the era of Democratic Party chaos, a pro-civil rights Southerner, a hard worker and grassroots kind of guy who played well in the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries.
Historians haven’t been kind to Jimmy Carter’s presidency. He came to office with gentleness and authenticity, the first to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue on the day of his inauguration. He left after one term, bedeviled by terrible inflation and by an inability to bring about the return of Americans held hostage by the followers of the Ayatollah. The former helped introduce him. The latter defined him.
That’s not really fair, but the ledger keepers are not known for their generosity. He should get much more credit for bringing the leaders of Israel and Egypt to sign the Camp David Accords that brought peace between them. Jordan later joined. This was diplomacy at its highest level.
Carter’s other undervalued accomplishment was negotiating the Panama Canal treaty. It was not popular. It needed to happen, and it required the kind of leadership that sacrificed immediate personal political gratification for long-term national benefit. He turned to Tennessee Sen. Howard Baker, a Republican, for assistance. After all, treaties must be ratified.
Baker realized how unpopular the treaty was with his constituents. Nonetheless, after studying the issue he became convinced that he should support it. This decision likely cost him a chance to be the Republican nominee for president. Sadly, such political courage now also appears quaint.
Carter’s legacy does not read like a tragedy. However, it does share some elements. What should have been a strength turned out to be a great flaw. A Naval Academy engineering graduate, he was into the details. The federal government machinery has far too many nuts and bolts for an army, let alone a commander in chief.
Then there’s the great political context. Carter’s election is a reminder of a time not that far away, when the South was emerging from decades of Jim Crow politics, and the now deep red state of Tennessee was finding its new political footing. It was a tough time for Tennessee Democrats, long used to being in control. True, they would hang on to the state House and Senate for a while. But the electorate’s divorce proceedings with the national party were well underway.
It was not what Bob Dylan had in mind, but the times they were indeed changing. In fact, Southerners were in the midst of the great reaction to what was becoming a much more liberal Democratic Party. Only three in 10 Tennesseans voted for Democrat McGovern in 1972. About as many had voted for Humphrey four years earlier.
Carter stopped the bleeding, at least for a while. Tennesseans voted overwhelmingly for him in 1976. Enough stayed with him to come close to beating Ronald Reagan in 1980. They later supported Bill Clinton, another moderate Southern governor, in 1992.
Politics and parties have moved on. The purple days are a distant memory.
So rest in peace, President Carter. You were the right candidate for a critical campaign, and came so very close to being the right leader for a challenging time.
William Lyons is Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Associate Director of The Institute of American Civics at the Howard Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs at the University of Tennessee. He also served as Chief Policy Officer for Knoxville Mayors Bill Haslam, Daniel Brown and Madeline Rogero. The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Institute of American Civics or the University of Tennessee.
