DU -- President Carter has something to say to you

[LawDem]

For all you DUers who argue that your principles will not allow you to support the Democratic nominee unless it’s your chosen candidate, Jimmy Carter has something to say to you. Recently, when asked who he supported, Carter said this:

“I’m going to endorse whoever I think will have the best chance in November. I’ve been observing it very carefully.”

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/7346083.htm

Now, whatever one thinks of the historical record of the Carter presidency, there is one thing no one with an ounce of intellectual honesty would deny: Carter was the most principled president in recent memory (perhaps in the history of the nation). He was the president who put human rights at the top of his foreign policy agenda. He was the president who told us what we needed to hear, not what we wanted to hear, about energy conservation. He was the president who returned honor to the White House after Watergate. And another thing few honest people would deny: He has led the finest and most principled ex-presidency in the nation’s history.

So on what basis does this very principled man plan to decide whom to support for the Democratic nomination? Based upon who can win, that’s how. Is it possible, just possible, that this great man knows something that some folks here at DU are missing? Is it just possible that what he sees is that we are currently being governed by the most dishonest, incompetent and ideologically extreme administration in U.S. history – and that this being so that the only principled thing to do is to do whatever it takes to ride the bums out of town on a rail?

Something to think about, I’d say

[Cleita]

1. How did Reagan win anyway? I was

devastated when Carter lost his second term to Reagan especially after what Reagan had done to my state as governor. It looks like we have a repeat with Schwarzenegger. Don't let him become President, like Reagan, please.

[SheilaT]

4. Reagan won

because John Anderson, an independent, took enough votes away from Carter to give the election to Reagan. Carter also lost because the entire hostage crisis made him look weak and indecisive.

Reagan also got the same kind of free ride from the media that Bush has gotten. He'd tell stories as if they were things that had happened to him, only they'd be plots of movies he'd made. Or he'd just make up things from nothing. And was NEVER called on it, not in any serious way. It was treated as if it was all part of his charm. Well, all that charm was completely lost on me. He was a senile fool from day one, and I'm only sorry he's being considered St. Ronnie these days, as he's the second worst (after W) president in the past century.

[LawDem]

10. The hostage crisis was a killer

Carter was unlucky in a number of respects. But the Iranian hostage crisis was the killer. Night after night, ABC ran a program entitled "America Held Hostage" (which later metamorphosed into Nightline). It did make Carter look weak. Then the attempted rescue went bad, which made it all the worse. The funny thing is, though, that in a sense, Carter's handling of the hostage ordeal is the ultimate testament to both his honor and his humanity. There's no question but that politically the smart move would have been to go in with guns blazing: True, the hostages, or at least a lot of them, would have been killed, but Carter would have looked strong. That's what Shrub would have done.

But, instead, it was extremely important to Carter to try to get these people home safely, which ultimately did happen. But he paid a terrible political cost for it.

[Bucky]

14. Reality check

Reagan got over 50% of the popular vote and Anderson got less than 7%. He won fair and square. I was only 17, but I still worked for Anderson that year and remember his poll numbers dropping with little effect on the numbers for Carter & Reagan. Anderson did not give the election to Reagan. Only the American people and (Bill Casey's hanky-panky with the Iranian hostage takers) did that.

[Lorien]

5. Primarily, it was mojo

or the "Elvis" factor..just good ol' charisma. Reagan had it, Bush one coasted in on his vapors, Clinton had loads of it. Americans will vote for a beer buddy over policies any day.

[politicat]

6. Ahnald can't be pres. Foreign born. Doesn't matter that he's naturalized.

The president must be native born. That's the rule, see Constitution.

Unless, of course, they change it on us. I'd have loved to have Madeline Albright, but if she's the price we have to pay to keep Ahnald out of the Oval Office, I'm willing to pay it.

Politicat (who worries about the whole Demolition Man scenario....)

[Bucky]

15. Actually, Orrin Hatch & Barney Frank have each intro'd Amendments for that

Barney Frank's proposed Amendment would allow immigrants who've been naturalized for 35 years to run for president. Orrin Hatch's would allow immigrants whove been naturalized for 20 years to run.

As a complete coincidence, guess how long (Hatch friend) Schwarzeneggar has been a US citizen.

[MinnFats]

12. Reagan was a teflon president; that, and a bunch of crazy old mullahs...

.....
(not denying Iran was justifiably pissed at the US.)

but all Reagan had to do was grin and mutter a few clever phrases and there he was.

Reagan's people reached out to the Iranians and, like Nixon sabotaging Johnson's peace initiative, they convinced Tehran they'd get a better deal from an incoming Republican administration. (Nixon, after another 25,000 Americans and untold millions of Vietnamese died, accepted roughly the same terms that had been on the table when Johnson left office.)

Then of course, Reagan was elected and lied his ass off.
"We have never and never will made deals with hostage-takers."

yeah, right.

the night Reagan got elected was one of the worst nights of my life. I got roaring drunk -- something I never do -- and fucking cried myself to sleep.

[bluestateguy]

2. Indeed

Truly honest men aren't out there reminding us of it all the time. They don't need to, for it's evident by their deeds and actions.

[TacticalPeek]

3. Know 'em by their fruits.

Shrub is managing to screw up two wars, to his daddy's one.

[Bucky]

16. each Bush actually won two wars. W is losing two peaces. The idiot

Clark's indictment of Bush's screw ups in Iraq is a great, yet heart breaking, read.

"America's Virtual Empire" in from November's Washington Monthly.

[murielm99]

18. Wow! Great article!

Things are so screwed up. I could see this country heading for a fall,and losing our democracty altogether if Shrub is re-elected.

[lcordero]

7. He was a little too honest

that's what scared everybody:)
http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/ufo990122.html

[Sean Reynolds]

8. Hm, I could see Carter supporting Dean.

We'll have to wait and see.

[burr]

9. I knew Carter had not thrown in the towel!!

I noticed he seeks not only a candidate he agrees with, but one that can win in November. Sounds like he thinks that we can still beat shrub to me.

GO JIMMY...:toast:

[Barbara917]

11. The most likely to beat Bush also happens to be the most principled

I know many here don't agree with my opinion but I am extremely happy in my own skin.

I believe my chosen candidate has the best chance to beat Bush, but I am happy to support him because I truly believe he is the best candidate. He has passed my litmus test issues. I will be happy to elect a candidate with as many principles as Carter. I believe in his "integrity amd character."

[0rganism]

13. I hope this doesn't mean he's endorsing bush*, like Zell From Hell

> “I’m going to endorse whoever I think will have the best chance in
> November. I’ve been observing it very carefully.”

Now there's a statement that cuts more than one way...

[alphafemale]

17. Carter, unlike Zell, hasn't sold his soul to Hell.

And his son has already endorsed Dean.