A Different Kind of President
As the nation gathers at Washington National Cathedral this morning to say goodbye to Jimmy Carter, it’s worth reflecting on a presidency that, while often maligned, helped shape modern America in ways we’re still benefiting from today. Carter wasn’t just the peanut farmer from Plains who somehow wound up in the White House—he was a nuclear engineer, a Navy man, and arguably perhaps the most honest person to ever hold the office.
Breaking New Ground
Let’s start with what Carter got right, and there’s more than most people remember. He appointed record numbers of women and minorities to government positions, something we take for granted now but was revolutionary in the 1970s. He created the Department of Energy and the Department of Education, two institutions that, love them or hate them, have become fundamental parts of American governance.
The Peacemaker
But his crowning achievement was the Camp David Accords. Here was Carter, holed up at Camp David for 13 days with Egypt’s Anwar Sadat and Israel’s Menachem Begin—two men who could barely stand to be in the same room together. Through sheer force of will and his infamous attention to detail, Carter brokered a peace deal that has held for over 45 years. It’s the diplomatic equivalent of getting cats and dogs to sign a peace treaty.
Truth-Teller in Chief
Carter also had the audacity to tell Americans the truth, even when they didn’t want to hear it. His “malaise” speech (which, fun fact, never actually used the word “malaise”) was essentially a president asking Americans to look in the mirror and think about their values. It went over about as well as you’d expect, but history has proven many of his warnings about energy dependence and consumerism prescient.
The Challenges and Missteps
Now, was Carter’s presidency perfect? Far from it. The Iran hostage crisis cast a long shadow over his final year in office, and his handling of inflation and the energy crisis left much to be desired. His management style—diving into minute details while sometimes missing the bigger picture—drove his staff crazy. He could be stubborn, moralistic, and sometimes politically tone-deaf.
A Man of His Word
But here’s the thing about Jimmy Carter: he was exactly who he appeared to be. In an era of political cynicism, he was genuinely sincere. When he said he’d never lie to the American people, he meant it. When he promised to make human rights a cornerstone of American foreign policy, he did it. When he installed solar panels on the White House roof (only to have Reagan remove them), he was practicing what he preached about energy conservation.
Ahead of His Time
Perhaps Carter’s presidency was less a failure and more a mismatch with its time. Americans wanted Reagan’s morning in America; Carter was offering a more complicated, nuanced view of the nation’s challenges. He was warning about climate change and energy dependency before most Americans were ready to hear it. He was pushing for government efficiency and fiscal responsibility while both parties were moving toward bigger spending.
A Final Farewell
As we bid farewell to our 39th president today in Washington and then in his beloved Plains, Georgia, it’s worth remembering Carter not just for what he did in office, but for who he was: a deeply decent man who believed in the power of human goodness and never stopped working to make the world a better place, whether he was in the Oval Office or building houses with Habitat for Humanity well into his 90s.
In an age of political swagger and Twitter battles, there’s something profoundly moving about a president who taught Sunday school into his 90s and requested to be buried in the front yard of his modest home in Plains, Georgia. Jimmy Carter may not have been our greatest president, but he might have been our most honest one. And in today’s world, that’s worth remembering.
Today’s Final Journey
Following this morning’s state funeral attended by all five living presidents, Carter will make his final journey home to Plains, Georgia, where a private funeral service will be held at Maranatha Baptist Church. A U.S. Navy missing man formation will honor his naval service before he is laid to rest at his home, a fitting end for a man who never forgot his roots.
