We need to make his name a ‘meme’… to Jimmy Carter … is to fight the good fight.. to assist, build up, love another.. without barriers and with humble gratitude
The one thing left out here and elsewhere is President Carter’s role in the collapse of the Soviet Union. President Carter’s wheat embargo debated the Russian economy as did President Carter’s clandestine funding of the Afghan rebels that caused a huge financial burden on Russia and lead to the Russian withdrawal from Afghanistan. Then there was President Carter lead boycott of the Moscow Olympics which Russia had invested huge sums of money for preparation. All of these actions were instrumental in the collapse of the Soviet Union and deserve to be acknowledged.
In a time when the words “Christian values” are often wielded as weapons by those who seem unfamiliar with their essence, your life remains a testament to what they truly mean: love, humility, service, and unyielding moral courage.
As the 39th President of the United States, you brought a quiet dignity to the Oval Office, pursuing peace where others stoked conflict. Your leadership in brokering the Camp David Accords showed the world that diplomacy, grounded in faith and principle, could triumph over cynicism and division. And while history has recognized your presidency more kindly with each passing year, it is your post-presidency that stands as the gold standard of what an ex-president can and should be.
From eradicating diseases to building homes for those in need, your work with the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity has been an unparalleled legacy of compassion. You didn’t retreat to a gilded life of grift and spectacle but chose instead to labor humbly, embodying your spiritual call to serve “the least of these.”
In an era defined by loud self-aggrandizement and moral bankruptcy—where some falsely claim your faith while trampling its core tenets—you are proof that decency is not weakness and that true greatness lies in the quiet, steadfast work of lifting others up.
Thank you, President Carter, for showing us what goodness looks like.
Its never lost on me how much so much of our population whines every day, every year that they want good, honest hard working leaders that put people first. Yet these same people do not recognize just when we have them, do not pay attention to the great work they are doing & have done, or their genuinely good character, and are amongst the first to jump onto right-wing rhetoric bandwagons seeking to oust the very people they whine that we need. Proclaim wrongly the narrative of how horrible they’ve been… until they are near or past-death to recognize how wonderful they are / were.
Im not a violent person, but I would not mind punching every one of them in the throat.
This pertains of course to President Obama, President Biden, and especially… President Jimmy Carter. 🙏💙🇺🇸
Jimmy Carter will always be one of my favorite presidents and definitely one of those I admire the most. For so many reasons, including his humanitarianism, courage and kindness (traits I also admire so much in another of my favorite & admired politicians/heroes, and former law professor, Jamie Raskin). As someone who has been deathly afraid of nuclear energy and nuclear war--perhaps not least of which because I grew up near a nuclear power plant located on a fault line, and was scared shitless growing up watching "The Day After" on TV, not to mention we practiced "air raids" while I was in elementary school--I think that his response, to deliberately go TO Three Mile Island both to reassure the country, and to determine for himself it was not going to melt down, was unbelievably brave in a way that few today can appreciate and also in a way that I can't really imagine any American President likely to repeat, in my lifetime. (I know it's not the first time he went to a nuclear site to investigate its safety and I know he had the background to do it, but this doesn't make his actions any less unbelievably brave.) But, we've already seen so much, so I guess, if we make it through this upcoming administration and whatever follows, we'll see.
We need to make his name a ‘meme’… to Jimmy Carter … is to fight the good fight.. to assist, build up, love another.. without barriers and with humble gratitude
Trump is the Antichrist.
I’ve said this from the beginning of his first term..,
Right on. Thank you for the informative article. Have a Happy New Year, Mr. Rothkopf.
The one thing left out here and elsewhere is President Carter’s role in the collapse of the Soviet Union. President Carter’s wheat embargo debated the Russian economy as did President Carter’s clandestine funding of the Afghan rebels that caused a huge financial burden on Russia and lead to the Russian withdrawal from Afghanistan. Then there was President Carter lead boycott of the Moscow Olympics which Russia had invested huge sums of money for preparation. All of these actions were instrumental in the collapse of the Soviet Union and deserve to be acknowledged.
Your candor and acknowledgement of that era and beyond is as I remember it also. Thank you for a forthright article.
♥️
Thank you for this, I will carry its (your) tone, clarity & honesty with me through the day
💀 THE OBITUARY OF DONALD J. TRUMP
In Stark Contrast to Jimmy Carter, a Life of Corruption, Cruelty, and Chaos
https://open.substack.com/pub/patricemersault/p/the-obituary-of-donald-j-trump?r=4d7sow&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Character rings true. President Carter would pray for Big Orange, and for all of us. May he rest easy ❤️
An Open Letter to President Jimmy Carter
Dear President Carter,
In a time when the words “Christian values” are often wielded as weapons by those who seem unfamiliar with their essence, your life remains a testament to what they truly mean: love, humility, service, and unyielding moral courage.
As the 39th President of the United States, you brought a quiet dignity to the Oval Office, pursuing peace where others stoked conflict. Your leadership in brokering the Camp David Accords showed the world that diplomacy, grounded in faith and principle, could triumph over cynicism and division. And while history has recognized your presidency more kindly with each passing year, it is your post-presidency that stands as the gold standard of what an ex-president can and should be.
From eradicating diseases to building homes for those in need, your work with the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity has been an unparalleled legacy of compassion. You didn’t retreat to a gilded life of grift and spectacle but chose instead to labor humbly, embodying your spiritual call to serve “the least of these.”
In an era defined by loud self-aggrandizement and moral bankruptcy—where some falsely claim your faith while trampling its core tenets—you are proof that decency is not weakness and that true greatness lies in the quiet, steadfast work of lifting others up.
Thank you, President Carter, for showing us what goodness looks like.
Rest in Peace.
Sincerely, A Grateful Admirer
https://substack.com/@patricemersault
Awesome piece.
Its never lost on me how much so much of our population whines every day, every year that they want good, honest hard working leaders that put people first. Yet these same people do not recognize just when we have them, do not pay attention to the great work they are doing & have done, or their genuinely good character, and are amongst the first to jump onto right-wing rhetoric bandwagons seeking to oust the very people they whine that we need. Proclaim wrongly the narrative of how horrible they’ve been… until they are near or past-death to recognize how wonderful they are / were.
Im not a violent person, but I would not mind punching every one of them in the throat.
This pertains of course to President Obama, President Biden, and especially… President Jimmy Carter. 🙏💙🇺🇸
Ty David. This perspective was what I needed to hear. 💙
Thank you so much! This is such a thoughtful and poignant commentary.
Jimmy Carter will always be one of my favorite presidents and definitely one of those I admire the most. For so many reasons, including his humanitarianism, courage and kindness (traits I also admire so much in another of my favorite & admired politicians/heroes, and former law professor, Jamie Raskin). As someone who has been deathly afraid of nuclear energy and nuclear war--perhaps not least of which because I grew up near a nuclear power plant located on a fault line, and was scared shitless growing up watching "The Day After" on TV, not to mention we practiced "air raids" while I was in elementary school--I think that his response, to deliberately go TO Three Mile Island both to reassure the country, and to determine for himself it was not going to melt down, was unbelievably brave in a way that few today can appreciate and also in a way that I can't really imagine any American President likely to repeat, in my lifetime. (I know it's not the first time he went to a nuclear site to investigate its safety and I know he had the background to do it, but this doesn't make his actions any less unbelievably brave.) But, we've already seen so much, so I guess, if we make it through this upcoming administration and whatever follows, we'll see.
Great article. Given what happened he would have been better off not trying to rescue the hostages fr0om Tehran. But he felt like he had to try.