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tilefish · Jan 27, 2006, 08:58 pm

Just watched Jimmy Carter being interviewed on "Hard Ball" still sharp as a razor. Its sad that we have to suffer through Dubya interviews seeing him stumble around butchering the the English language. Where did we go wrong? How can people be so naive?

Scribbler1 · Jan 27, 2006, 09:26 pm

I'm no fan of Carter's but I do respect his intelligence and his consistency. He seems to be the same person he was way back when he was a mediocre president.

tilefish · Jan 27, 2006, 09:36 pm

Quote:

Quote by: Scribbler1

I'm no fan of Carter's but I do respect his intelligence and his consistency. He seems to be the same person he was way back when he was a mediocre president.

Let me guess 18 % interest rates, gas shortages and oh yeh the hostage crisis? Sadly all these issues would be out of control of the pope let alone a the president!

Thorpe Q Ferobe · Jan 27, 2006, 09:40 pm

There was a time not to long ago when we elected Presidents who had some intellect. Jimmy Carter was one of those Presidents. Now we have this "Doe Doe in the Cabas" who has a hard time putting a sentence together. Dubya isn't only stupid, he's scary stupid. Ole Jimmy was a victim of his time in office. High inflation, gas lines, Iran hostage crisis etc. lost him a second term. Timing is everything in life. The wrong Bush brother got in office. Jeb is to George as Jimmy was to Billy. Only in 1976 the smarter brother was elected President and now we have the dumb brother in his second term. When are people going to realize that this Emporer really has no clothes?

tilefish · Jan 27, 2006, 09:49 pm

Quote:

Quote by: Thorpe Q Ferobe

There was a time not to long ago when we elected Presidents who had some intellect. Jimmy Carter was one of those Presidents. Now we have this "Doe Doe in the Cabas" who has a hard time putting a sentence together. Dubya isn't only stupid, he's scary stupid. Ole Jimmy was a victim of his time in office. High inflation, gas lines, Iran hostage crisis etc. lost him a second term. Timing is everything in life. The wrong Bush brother got in office. Jeb is to George as Jimmy was to Billy. Only in 1976 the smarter brother was President and now we have the dumb brother in his second term. When are people going to realize that this Emporer really has no clothes?

Your preaching to the choir Thope my friend! When will people realize what a scouralous administration we have led by a an Alphres E Newmen look alike president!

tivodan1116 · Jan 27, 2006, 09:54 pm

I think Jimmy Carter was not a particularly good president, nor was he particularly bad one.

The main problem was that he was a genuinely good person and nice guy, neither of which are qualities that lend themselves well to politics.

His new book is good - among other things, he points out that if you are Christian, you should favor a clear separation of church and state, and that the "religious right" does not have an exclusive claim to morality (or a very good one at all).

Thorpe Q Ferobe · Jan 27, 2006, 10:11 pm

Quote:

Quote by: tilefish

Your preaching to the choir Thope my friend! When will people realize what a scouralous administration we have led by a an Alphres E Newmen look alike president!

Paul O'Neil said it best. " Being in a meeting with Bush is like being in a meeting with a blind man with a room full of deaf people." That says it all. Dubya is the puppet and the puppeteer is Cheney. You know the old expression "the smartest person in the room". Well in order for Dubya to be the smartest person in the room, he'd have to be in with the likes of an Alfred E Newmen and even then it might be a toss-up.

The "dumbed down of America" crowd has an MTV mentality and all they can understand is the sound bite of the day. And this crowd in office knows how to talk to these people. Say one thing and do the opposite. Lie, mis-lead and deceive are the mantra's of this administration. Their main objective is to keep the country scared to death and they (Bush and Company) can get away with anything.

Jimmy Carter had integrity. Dubya doesn't (even) know the meaning of the word.

Scribbler1 · Jan 27, 2006, 10:29 pm

Quote:

Quote by: tilefish

Let me guess 18 % interest rates, gas shortages and oh yeh the hostage crisis? Sadly all these issues would be out of control of the pope let alone a the president!

That's all debateable but the fact of the matter is those things DID occur. Carter came out looking pretty good because of his apparent decency. But outside of those three things you mentioned, just what accomplishments will James Earl Carter be remembered for? Presidents are judged by what they DO and not just what happens while they are in office.

PatrickHenry · Jan 27, 2006, 11:20 pm

He returned sovereignty of the Panama Canal to the nation where it is located, a reversal of a century of US imperialism.

Camp David accords.

Salt II Treaty.

Environmental legislation.

Scribbler1 · Jan 27, 2006, 11:30 pm

Quote:

Quote by: PatrickHenry

He returned sovereignty of the Panama Canal to the nation where it is located, a reversal of a century of US imperialism.

Camp David accords.

Salt II Treaty.

Environmental legislation.

I had forgotten Camp David and Salt 2. It appears there have been no problems to date but I was never wild about the canal deal. Still, I could be wrong as I thought it was a bit one sided .

PatrickHenry · Jan 28, 2006, 12:01 am

Carter is a mainstream US Democrat, and he had his share of foulups, but I see something decent in him, in contrast to most of those who came before and after.

A believer in federal power, no doubt. But there have been worse...

Scribbler1 · Jan 28, 2006, 12:16 am

He did seem like a decent sort, which is probably why he isn't considered one of the great presidents. Agree on the before and after part too.

Cephus · Jan 28, 2006, 01:57 pm

Quote:

Quote by: tilefish

Just watched Jimmy Carter being interviewed on "Hard Ball" still sharp as a razor. Its sad that we have to suffer through Dubya interviews seeing him stumble around butchering the the English language. Where did we go wrong? How can people be so naive?

Carter might not have been a great president, mostly because he was too nice, but he's the only one that's out there actually doing something besides book tours and speaking engagements.

Most of the other ex-presidents are just rich assholes full of hot air.

Scribbler1 · Jan 28, 2006, 02:41 pm

I think it's significant that when Carter left office he started doing charitable work while Ronald Reagan got a million bucks to speak to the Japanese right after HE left. I'm not begrudging Reagan the money but it shows a striking contrast between the two.

xyzer · Jan 28, 2006, 03:06 pm

tilefish only touches the surface...

Quote:

Let me guess 18 % interest rates, gas shortages and oh yeh the hostage crisis? Sadly all these issues would be out of control of the pope let alone a the president!

I can remember the bracket creep in income tax calculations as inflation overcame us. I can remember gas lines! I can remember yellow ribbons! I can remember the stories of Jimmy the wimp sitting on the floor during cabinet meetings. Nope! Carter was a passive wimp during the cold war. He had trouble making decisions, and still does. I will admit he makes a grand figure going around observing foreign elections and spouting nonsense once in a while. The great conciliator who was a better ex-president.

I haven't figured out what he did while in office except bow before foreign threats. It took Reagan to pull us out of the inflation and resuscitate the economy. It took Reagan to win the Cold War and make us proud to be Americans after the dismal Carter years. All the while Reagan had a Democrat Congress. Carter didn't have th spine to do anything except raise peanuts.

Logjam · Jan 28, 2006, 03:26 pm

Quote:

Quote by: tilefish

Just watched Jimmy Carter being interviewed on "Hard Ball" still sharp as a razor. Its sad that we have to suffer through Dubya interviews seeing him stumble around butchering the the English language. Where did we go wrong? How can people be so naive?

Jimmy Carter, as president, was always dull as thud. It's is Jimmy who made a laughing stock of the US when the terrorists kidnapped the American embassy staff. Four hundred and fourty four days and the president couldn't come up with a meaningful way to deal with it.

The "student" who was one of the leaders of the raid on the embassy is not the leader of Iran. He believes, I'm sure, that the US is a pushover. Why, does he beleive this? It's because Jimmy C. was a pushover.

Logjam · Jan 28, 2006, 03:29 pm

Quote:

Quote by: Cephus

Carter might not have been a great president, mostly because he was too nice, but he's the only one that's out there actually doing something besides book tours and speaking engagements.

Most of the other ex-presidents are just rich assholes full of hot air.

If you are alluding to the ex-president Billy Clinton, I've got to agree.

Carter has spent a lot of time in Mexico building homes for poor Mexicans. Why the hell does't Mexico help build homes for poor Mexicans here? The answer BTW is: The Mexican government doesn't shive a get. :rolleyes:

Logjam · Jan 28, 2006, 03:35 pm

Quote:

Quote by: tilefish

Let me guess 18 % interest rates, gas shortages and oh yeh the hostage crisis? Sadly all these issues would be out of control of the pope let alone a the president!

Right on Tilefish! Those who lived the Carter years, as I did; will recall that the economy was a disaster! Interest rates and inflation were double diget! As I write this I can't recall what unemployment was, but it had to have been extremely high.

Carter was such a huge failure that many thinkers in the government began to consider that the presidency was just too difficult a job for one man. Carter, therefore, damn near destroyed the office of the presidency!!!

I was always surprised that Admiral Richover allowed Carter to be a nuke submariner. He wasn't a fan of wimps, and Carter, was a wimp. :(

He's not a very nice guy either, when one considers what he's said about our present President.

Nono · Jan 28, 2006, 03:41 pm

Quote:

Quote by: tilefish

(...) yeh the hostage crisis (...)

Yeah, let's not forget that. I'm not generally one to see history in terms of conspiracy, but here I'm willing to make an exception. Carter was certainly ...ahh... poorly advised on that one, and he was getting his advice from the CIA, which had to have seen that one coming.

The affair duly dragged out ad nauseum, duly lowering his stock, and then the Reagan/Bushites duly cosied up to Khomeini for a deal that won them the election.

Sorry, but that's what I call a conspiracy.

Scribbler1 · Jan 28, 2006, 03:42 pm

It's funny how the right wingers like to blame any problems the Bush administration has on Clinton but now Carter gets all the blame for everything that happened while he was President. It's very convenient to forget Gerald Ford with his WIN (Whip Inflation Now) buttons. Very effective, that campaign was.

The only good thing I remember about the Ford administration was it kept the otherwise talentless Chevy Chase off the unemployment line. But I'm sure he had no lasting effect on the Carter administration.

Jan 27, 2006, 08:58 pm	#1 (permalink) (top)
tilefish Molten Ash Posts: 84	Jimmy Carter 81 years Old and Still Has It! Just watched Jimmy Carter being interviewed on "Hard Ball" still sharp as a razor. Its sad that we have to suffer through Dubya interviews seeing him stumble around butchering the the English language. Where did we go wrong? How can people be so naive?

Jan 27, 2006, 09:40 pm	#4 (permalink) (top)
Thorpe Q Ferobe Sedimentary Rock Posts: 8	There was a time not to long ago when we elected Presidents who had some intellect. Jimmy Carter was one of those Presidents. Now we have this "Doe Doe in the Cabas" who has a hard time putting a sentence together. Dubya isn't only stupid, he's scary stupid. Ole Jimmy was a victim of his time in office. High inflation, gas lines, Iran hostage crisis etc. lost him a second term. Timing is everything in life. The wrong Bush brother got in office. Jeb is to George as Jimmy was to Billy. Only in 1976 the smarter brother was elected President and now we have the dumb brother in his second term. When are people going to realize that this Emporer really has no clothes? Last edited by Thorpe Q Ferobe; Jan 27, 2006 at 09:45 pm.

Jan 27, 2006, 09:54 pm	#6 (permalink) (top)
tivodan1116 Juris Doctor Location: Brockport, NY Posts: 2,040	I think Jimmy Carter was not a particularly good president, nor was he particularly bad one. The main problem was that he was a genuinely good person and nice guy, neither of which are qualities that lend themselves well to politics. His new book is good - among other things, he points out that if you are Christian, you should favor a clear separation of church and state, and that the "religious right" does not have an exclusive claim to morality (or a very good one at all). Don't forget... Lawyers were writing the Constitution while doctors were still bleeding people with leeches...

Jan 27, 2006, 11:20 pm	#9 (permalink) (top)
PatrickHenry 9/11: Inside Job Location: Hawai'i, Big Island Posts: 10,437	He returned sovereignty of the Panama Canal to the nation where it is located, a reversal of a century of US imperialism. Camp David accords. Salt II Treaty. Environmental legislation. "Arms in the hands of the citizens may be used at individual discretion for the defense of the country, the overthrow of tyranny or private self-defense." -- John Adams

Jan 28, 2006, 12:01 am	#11 (permalink) (top)
PatrickHenry 9/11: Inside Job Location: Hawai'i, Big Island Posts: 10,437	Carter is a mainstream US Democrat, and he had his share of foulups, but I see something decent in him, in contrast to most of those who came before and after. A believer in federal power, no doubt. But there have been worse... "Arms in the hands of the citizens may be used at individual discretion for the defense of the country, the overthrow of tyranny or private self-defense." -- John Adams

Jan 27, 2006, 09:26 pm	#2 (permalink) (top)
Scribbler1 Skeptical Patriot Posts: 7,746	I'm no fan of Carter's but I do respect his intelligence and his consistency. He seems to be the same person he was way back when he was a mediocre president.

Jan 28, 2006, 12:16 am	#12 (permalink) (top)
Scribbler1 Skeptical Patriot Posts: 7,746	He did seem like a decent sort, which is probably why he isn't considered one of the great presidents. Agree on the before and after part too.

Jan 28, 2006, 02:41 pm	#14 (permalink) (top)
Scribbler1 Skeptical Patriot Posts: 7,746	I think it's significant that when Carter left office he started doing charitable work while Ronald Reagan got a million bucks to speak to the Japanese right after HE left. I'm not begrudging Reagan the money but it shows a striking contrast between the two.

Jan 28, 2006, 03:42 pm	#20 (permalink) (top)
Scribbler1 Skeptical Patriot Posts: 7,746	It's funny how the right wingers like to blame any problems the Bush administration has on Clinton but now Carter gets all the blame for everything that happened while he was President. It's very convenient to forget Gerald Ford with his WIN (Whip Inflation Now) buttons. Very effective, that campaign was. The only good thing I remember about the Ford administration was it kept the otherwise talentless Chevy Chase off the unemployment line. But I'm sure he had no lasting effect on the Carter administration.