Saturday, May 04, 2013
Dubai: Ah shucks, he’s such a nice guy. Maybe too nice to be an effective President of the United States — but so nice to be the most effective former holder of the most powerful office in the world.
James Early Carter — plain ol’ Jimmy to you and I and everyone else — turns 89 this October — and is carrying out more work now than his opponents say he did when he was in the Oval Office between 1977 and 1980. So, how did such a nice guy ever get to be the 39th President? Well, after all the negative sentiment and anti-Washingtonism floating around after ‘Tricky Dicky’ Nixon resigned for his lying and cover-ups of that Watergate break-in, and Gerald Ford so incompetent he couldn’t climb down the stairs of an air plane without falling flat on his face, ah shucks, Jimmy Carter, a peanut farmer from Georgia was exactly what America needed at the time.
Carter’s election offered hope, a return to the values of apple pie and common sense politics where people could get along by being, well, nice and without all of that cynicism that Washington thrived on.
His father was a store owner and peanut farmer and little Jimmy’s favourite times were sitting on the porch and listening to scratchy baseball games on an old battery wireless radio. Ah, simple times, where politics went as far as the county lines and, aw shucks, foreign travel was the Brooklyn Dodgers playing the Boston Red Sox — if the wireless radio could pick it up over the heavy summer evening airwaves.
For all of his hope and niceness, Jimmy was just too naive for the big time. When the US embassy was seized in Tehran, Jimmy wanted to talk, to see how it could be resolved, and where exactly was Tehran on the map anyway.
Canadian intervention
And when he was convinced to act militarily, it was a disaster. The helicopters crashed in the desert before they could even find Tehran on the map. The whole thing was a debacle. And those nice neighbourly Canadians north of the border managed to get some hostages out by subterfuge and cunning — aw shucks — how nice was that but also so telling.
And the economy? Look, running a store and a peanut farm is pretty simple. You can keep an eye on everything yourself. But the American economy? That’s just a tad bigger. And with oil going through the roof — when it was flowing freely — everyone wanted more money. Take those air traffic controllers — they were willing and did shut down US air travel for days on end. All to get more money. Sure, talk to them — just like those times back on the porch where everything seemed better over a chat and a glass of sweet tea. Aw shucks.
If his presidency can be defined, it’s a time over domestic trials and foreign tribulations — none of which were effectively resolved over sweet tea. Sure, talking to the Iranian revolutionaries took time. And when 39 was on the steps of the Capitol watching Ronald Reagan being sworn in, those Revolutionary Guards waited for Reagan before they released the Americans. Ah shucks, Jimmy never got the credit for that. And those air traffic controllers? Gee, Ronnie just fired the whole lot in one fell swoop, put in the military to control air traffic, and recruited a whole new lot. There, that’s the way it’s done, Reagan style.
Jimmy wasn’t a weakling. Jimmy just had seen enough fighting in the Pacific theatre on navy ships and in submarines after he enlisted as an Ensign. Maybe his time on submarines, where a boat’s complement had to get along in a confined space on a common mission, shaped his thinking more than he realised. Sure, a submarine is one thing, but Washington is another. He actually had quite a thing for submarines — when the Second World War ended, Jimmy stayed on in the service and was asked to help develop the first generation of nuclear submarines. But back home, his father had died and there was no one to run the family store and peanut farm and it was the right thing to do. Sure, there was his younger brother Billy, something of a bumpkin who had a bit of a wild streak. When Jimmy and Roslyn and their four children were in the White House, Billy cashed in on the Carter name by selling “Billy Beer” — hardly the best endorsement for a politically ailing president.
One-term flop
Jimmy, for all of his apple pie politics and sweet tea diplomacy was a one-term flop — lame duck from the day he took office, unable to manage and decide.
But Jimmy has since evolved into the best past president the US has ever had. Freed and unfettered from the chains of office and the priorities of politics, Jimmy has picked up a Nobel Peace Prize and worked tirelessly on causes near and dear to the values of simple times back on the porch.
Habitat for Humanity builds thousands of homes each year, offering low-paid the chance to own their own home. It builds non-profit housing at cost for the poor. Jimmy is there, swing his hammer and pitching in.
When young children go to school without food in their bellies, Jimmy is there, flipping pancakes, raising awareness, campaigning for adequate funding. On health care, Jimmy is rolling up his sleeve, showing the need for proper political consideration.
When farmers have their backs to the wall, Jimmy is there, fighting for federal aid, making sure their way of life can be sustained. When tornadoes tear through towns, ah shucks, Jimmy is there, offering a comforting hand, acting as the eyes and ears for Democratic and Republican administrations in the White House.
When child and adult literacy rates need a focus, call on Jimmy.
When dodgy foreign governments claim to be holding free and fair elections, aw shucks, Jimmy is there, monitors the process, making sure the ballots are counted fairly.
And when there’s difficult situations like Americans held in North Korea, well, aw shucks, what leader in Pyongyang can resist some apple pie and sweet tea diplomacy?
Maybe the world would be a better place if there were more failed presidents like Jimmy Carter. More sweet tea, anyone?
By Mick OReilly?Senior Associate Editor
Gulf News 2013. All rights reserved.
