I turned 18 in October of that year, just a few days before the voter registration deadline for the election. I proudly registered as a Democrat, and stood in line for over an hour outside an elementary school gymnasium in Phoenix, to cast my ballot for Carter.
There were several factors that pushed Carter, who was relatively unknown prior to his run for the Presidency, over the top. One was, of course, the frustration of voters who wanted to see Nixon brought to justice for his crimes in the Watergate scandal, who voted against Ford because of the pardon. Ford was never in a great position politically, and would likely have lost support within his own party if he hadn't pardoned Nixon. The momentum that carried Nixon into the White House on top of the largest electoral vote majority any Republican had ever achieved was still hanging around in spite of Watergate, but Ford couldn't take advantage of it.
Carter's shift from the segregationist position he held when he first ran for public office to his surprise declaration in his inaugural address as Georgia governor, that the time for segregation was over, was also a major contributing factor to his victory. The Civil Rights movement, from just a little over a decade earlier, had produced record numbers of voter registrations among the black population in the South, and Carter became the first President to be elected on the strength of the black vote, not just in southern states, though he carried all of them as a result, but it put him over the top in Ohio and Wisconsin, which he needed to win enough electoral votes to win the election.
Politics Are Not the Only Measurement of a President's Leadership
From a political perspective, Carter's Presidency might not look like it was much of a success. There were some legislative achievements, in fact, more than any subsequent Presidency as gridlock replaced working across the aisle as the congressional norm. He was not a Washington insider, something that never really made those who were comfortable with his leadership, including members of his own party.
In terms of the Presidency itself, I would say that his biggest achievement was shifting the White House and Washington culture away from the "Imperial Presidency" established by Nixon, who attempted to overstep the boundaries of Presidential power. By contrast, Carter was most definitely a man of the people, and he restored integrity to the Presidency. That was something Ford had not been able to do, and is a mark of Carter's success. Arthur Schlesinger wrote a book, The Imperial Presidency, toward the end of the Nixon presidency, describing what Nixon had done. Carter, determined to undo it, didn't even want "Hail to the Chief" played when he entered a room.
His signature achievement was negotiating the Camp David Accords, bringing Egypt and Israel to the negotiating table, and winning the peace, something that still stands, and can be considered the greatest step toward peace in the Middle East since 1917. I wonder how much more this man would have achieved, given his approach, toward resolving problems between Israel and its other neighbors, had he been given the chance. His conduct, demeanor and his knowledge of the facts in the situation earned the respect of the Israelis and the Egyptians, ending three decades of almost constant warfare.
Even though the impression left as a result of circumstances that caused the end of his Presidency after only one term in office, he was successful in getting a lot of legislation through Congress, as much in one term as his Democratic successors Clinton and Obama achieved in two. Noting that Carter served prior to the time when partisan loyalty has super-ceded patriotism in American politics, he managed to get most of what he set out to do as President done, and most of it was legislation providing for the benefit of the American people.
Introducing Evangelical, "Born Again", Christianity to the American People
Carter was a Southern Baptist, which places him squarely in the center of American Evangelicalism. In observing his public life, there was never any doubt that he was not only well acquainted with the theology, doctrine and practice of the Christian faith, but that he was committed to its core principles and beliefs, including having a personal conversion experience, which some Evangelicals call being "born again," using the terminology from the Gospel of John which explains the process of Christian conversion, or "being saved," as many Evangelicals call it.
And while he very openly practiced his faith in the White House, he never crossed the boundary of imposing what he believed upon others by using the power of his office. He respected, understood and believed in the constitution's guarantee of religious freedom to all Americans, found in the first amendment, along with separation of church and state. He respected the rights of others to practice their faith in the same attitude and atmosphere of religious freedom, without compromising his own convictions and beliefs.
His strongly held Christian convictions, which included his desire to demonstrate his love for his neighbor, by serving the American people, were evident. The manner in which he expressed his faith while serving as President earned the respect of most people, not their ridicule or derision. He knew where to draw the line between depending on his faith, and praying for the wisdom and guidance he needed to lead the country, and wearing it on his sleeve, demanding that everyone should have the same faith.
Carter's example as a Christian stands in start contrast to those among the religious right who became his detractors, and whose ambitions for political power were for the purpose of using it to "make America a Christian nation again." The organizations that were formed by individuals such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, were aimed at putting someone in office who would use the power of the Presidency to bring about their definition of a spiritual revival that would lead to moral reform of a nation which they had determined was subjecting itself to God's judgement because of its collective immorality.
Knowing that such a move was neither consistent with sound Biblical doctrine, or with the first amendment of the Constitution, and that a sincere practitioner of the Christian gospel like Carter would never buy their agenda, they turned to a non-Christian, divorced, New Age practicing, "B" movie actor to champion their Christian nationalist cause. The contrast between Carter, who is recognized and respected for his sincere and visible practice of a Biblically-guided Christian faith, and the Religious Right leadership, who are viewed mostly as money-grubbing crooks and power hungry extremists, gets more visible as each year passed.
The Most Remarkable Post-Presidency in American History
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. [Matthew 5:9 NRSV]
Carter has been a stark contrast to the entire Religious Right organization, and has set an example that demonstrates his commitment to the Christian gospel, as well as to the American people. For over 40 years, he participated with Habitat for Humanity, actually contributing physical labor to help people realize their dream of owning a home. He continued to serve as an ambassador for peace around the world, using his influence and his skill as a former President. He established the Carter Center, committed to humanitarian activity such as supporting research in the advancement of immunizations and disease eradication and increasing food production in Africa.
The Carter Center also is engaged in peacemaking, or conflict resolution. Their record on resolving conflicts around the world, particularly civil strife between political groups in the same countries, where the UN is unable to intervene, is remarkable. It would be difficult to find an institution more successful at meaningful and lasting peacemaking efforts anywhere in the world. The Carters have been actively engaged in this work for decades, most of it going unnoticed in the news media.
He has truly earned the biblical title of "Child of God."
Carter's Christian faith was the driving force behind his evolution from being a typical, segregationist politician in Georgia, to the remarkable statement he made during his inaugural address as Governor, when he said, "The time for racial discrimination is over." Those were not just idle words. He put this into practice, not only as a politician, but in his own personal life.
Carter was known for his Evangelical faith, from statements he made when running for President, explaining his Christian conversion experience using the common Evangelical term, "born again," taken from John, Chapter 3. He was a Southern Baptist. As a result of the fact that the local Southern Baptist church in his hometown did not accept black people as members of the church, Carter became one of the founders of Maranatha Baptist Church, which eliminated racial discrimination membership requirements and welcomed members of all ethnicities and races.
When the Southern Baptist Convention took a turn toward a more extreme fundamentalist doctrinal position, beginning in 1979, the Maranatha Baptist Church, including the Carters, who were members, withdrew from the denomination, joining a more progressive group oriented toward practice of the principles of the Christian gospel, rather than on unattainable doctrinal purity, called the Cooperate Baptist Fellowship. CBF, as it is known, has also rejected the intrusion of right wing extremist politics into its organization, and works to protect its churches from such intrusion.
Jimmy Carter stands as an example of integrity, a true American patriot and a "born again" Christian.
Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Matthew 25:23, NIV
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