Nope. Carter was no fool, and he was more hawkish than popular memory holds. As I wrote in The Family, he was persuaded by his national security advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski (Mika's father) that this was the right course, and as I note rejected pleas from prominent Salvadorans.
Don't let the "Gee schucks" peanut farmer schtick fool you too much. Carter was a very intelligent man and shrewd study of people. His actions as President might have been, like others, colored by intelligence agencies, Congress, etc., but he made the decision.
"Salvadoran soldiers... came up with a new name for an old torture technique. A victim was tied up by his hands and feet, while his interrogators applied intense pressure to the man's testicles with a wire. They called it 'the Carter.'"
@jonathanblitzer.bsky.social, "Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here"
Look man I'm not condoning death squads what I'm saying is nobody is perfect and nobody is innocent - certainly not Catholics! Provably one of the most murderous sects in the history of humanity. But Jimmy Carter on the whole was a very, very decent human being - not perfect, but decent.
You're either extremely ignorant about the nature of the American empire or you're just an asshole. You don't get to the highest levels of political power if you're a decent human being. You also have very low standards for decency.
... i'm pretty sure the nuns that were raped and murdered and left in a ditch were at least relatively innocent. if there is a level of guilt where that happening to you would be fine in the first place.
Oh, you mean like the nuns who took and sold young Irish women's infants while keeping the unwed mothers as indentured servants in the Magdalene laundries highlighted in the films "Philomena" and "small things like these" or do you mean nuns who helped cover up Catholic sexual abuse for decades?
You know you could reflect on how the original post is talking about how the office of the US presidency corrupts even decent men- something that I personally think Jimmy Carter spent a lot of his post presidency compensating for… or you could do… this?
Irishman born in a Mother & Baby Home here. Yes the Irish catholic nuns did terrible things. Please don’t try to justify raping South American nuns because of that. It’s pretty fucking disgusting to be honest.
Interesting where you do and don’t choose to draw hard lines in the sand. Jimmy Carter personally arms death squads in Central America and he gets a pass but some nuns in Ireland do some fucked up shit and suddenly all nuns everywhere deserve to be raped and killed, according to you. Fascinating.
Article be damned. They weren’t “death squads” when he armed them. He was countering a Sandinista threat 2 ES. lefts that only want to do business with Buddhist monks are one of the problems with our party. And why we will keep losing. Real life is a lesser of two evils. Nuns died from both sides.
Never said you did but if you're going to complain about Carter I have to push back compared to what's out there now. If you don't like what I have to say that's fine as well.
1970’s USA was pretty shitty to most of America… kinda as a rule. Not sure much pulling rightward was involved given who and what Republicans were advocating and doing in the early 80’s.
The history I see is the birth of project 2025 and a corporate run "deep state" that was quite beyond Carter's control. Not skilled or strong to push back certainty, but that is a long way from planning or having that goal.
I was just reading about this last night in Everyone who is Gone is Here. So far it seems like a good book for understanding US interventionism in Central America including El Salvador
When people speak glowingly about Carter their image of him isn’t the 4 years he spent as President.
It’s the 40 years after.
Cynically call it repentance, if you like, but implying that image is hagiographic feels like a reach.
Not me. I was always aware of Carter’s amazing accomplishments in office. His energy efficiency programs were cutting edge. It sickens me that Reagan reversed as much of the as he could. We would be much further along in fighting climate change if we had had built on them.
His government accountability policies were also critical — open records and Independent Counsels were major developments.
Last but not least was the signing of the Camp David Accords which Carter personally negotiated.
Yes. I’m happy to call him a great ex-President. But I remember those 4 years vividly, and not fondly. El Salvador, East Timor, Korea, Hyde Amendment . . .
The US electorate forced the Democrats toward the political middle after Nixon won 49 states against the very liberal George McGovern. Jimmy Carter was a result not a cause of that shift.
I didn't judge the man. I posted a reminder of a president's policies. TBH, I don't care much if at all about the hearts of presidents one way or the other.
100% on the horrific Central American wars. I'm less aware of other pulling-party-rightward indicators. Can you elaborate? (Nina Turner posted that he was in favor of Medicare for all; I wasn't aware that was the case)
Carter should be remembered for saying: "I know from personal involvement that the devastating invasion of Gaza by Israel could easily have been avoided."
He recognize that Hamas was a Nazi genocidal organization and believed in "peace for our time". Carter learned nothing from the Munich Agreement
as good as you can get. For a long time, the US has been fully bipartisan on the military, the projection of power and protecting wealth. Everything else is just to distract the rubes (most Americans). So, Carter, on the margins, was better than most - but the US remains a fascist world threat.
He also supported Pol Pot, facilitated genocide in East Tumor, supported the violent suppression of student protests in South Korea, etc. There is no holding the presidency and being a moral person in this nation.
Fine. This is casting the first stone and all. Most presidents, if not all of them, have an instance or two where they did not make the correct decision. Can't we just respect his life for about a day or so before we start this?
"the first stone"? Did you read the link? Archbishop Romero wrote that letter 45 years ago, weeks before he was assassinated by the death squads the U.S. was arming with full knowledge of their activities. This isn't new information. It "started" half a century ago.
I do not know if you are intentionally misreading me or I was not clear enough. I was not referring to the Archbishop. I was referring to the person who posted this. We can mourn this man for a day or so without dragging this stuff out. I personally will remember him as a builder of houses.
US presidents NEVER are cool. Comes with the job.
JFK, loved everywere, gave the green light (and torture techniques training) to a dictatorship that lasted 2 decades and handicaped Brazil's young and promising democracy for life. Thanks, U.S.
They are just using Carter to resucitate the dems.
He should have listened to Romero. But Reagan happily turned El Salvador into the conflagration it became.
We literally mourned when Reagan was elected.
That seems to have been one of his positive contributions? I think of him as a silent presence, someone who helps me understand my feelings about the US…
BTW was there a NK connection w this topic? NK has a piece on Carter in the NYT which I’ve not yet read… protecting my mind from NK for now. I can appreciate the good things abt Carter and put NK type stuff in a box.
Some people cannot overcome certain aspects of their religious upbringing.🙄Still, a second term of Carter instead of RR’s first term might have been less harmful overall.
Great early history of religious right that posits Carter as religious conservative alternative to Ford. Carter was working Iowa in 1972 the day after Nixon's victory.
I will never say any US President is a good man, Carter being no exception. I will say that when I knew him he tired to be a decent man. Maybe he saw his post-Presidential acts as atonement, I can't say but I think its reasonable to view both and be critical of both.
It's all relative.
*For a US president* he was a relatively good man.
You can't do the job without getting your hands dirty. As other relatively good men who were president have also found.
Sadly politics is a racket - once you are in the system, you are unlikely to leave it without shit under your fingernails - the question is how much shit?
Comments
I was in my 30s when he was president, there have been many since that were much worse.
https://youtu.be/EAn7c1uK2Wk?si=7cC8j-qK9rljmH_u
his later life was penance, but what he repented for was true evil.
@jonathanblitzer.bsky.social, "Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here"
Read that Fallows piece long ago.
I'm a fan of your work but have some fucking class.
Are they natty dressers killing Nazis and fascists?
In that case I would have to say yes.
Carter ARMED DEATH SQUADS.
Well yeah. That's how you create death squads and end up responsible for their human rights violations. By giving them weapons
Cheers.
It’s the 40 years after.
Cynically call it repentance, if you like, but implying that image is hagiographic feels like a reach.
Last but not least was the signing of the Camp David Accords which Carter personally negotiated.
IOW the party has been gutless and craven for 50 years. I guess leading instead of following wasn't an option.
I speak as a registered Democrat and regular voter.
Judging his presidency can and should be a completely separate debate from judging the man.
He recognize that Hamas was a Nazi genocidal organization and believed in "peace for our time". Carter learned nothing from the Munich Agreement
https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/cambodia/tl03.html
JFK, loved everywere, gave the green light (and torture techniques training) to a dictatorship that lasted 2 decades and handicaped Brazil's young and promising democracy for life. Thanks, U.S.
They are just using Carter to resucitate the dems.
We literally mourned when Reagan was elected.
That doesn't detract from his good deeds, but let's not sanctify him completely while mourning his loss.
Great early history of religious right that posits Carter as religious conservative alternative to Ford. Carter was working Iowa in 1972 the day after Nixon's victory.
Long history of center right presidents.
*For a US president* he was a relatively good man.
You can't do the job without getting your hands dirty. As other relatively good men who were president have also found.