Kinda like having a quote from Adam, or Lot, or Saul as a signature
You really find this guy 'inspiring'? What gives? Honestly, what gives? It can't be his leadership, which you concede was a disaster. And as far as his Christianity is concerned, what stands out from the myriads of other lukewarm, nominal pew stuffers of the West? Carl, from two doors down, say?
I really want to know.
Okay…you asked. I’ll start with the cons before the pros.
1. He was known as a micromanager. Maybe this was learned behavior from being the eldest on the family farm, maybe it was from his military experience, who knows, but nonetheless, one man can’t run an entire country by himself and must let go of trust issues at some point to get the job done. I don’t, as you say, believe it was an example of “disaster.”
2. He should have had more of a “big stick” philosophy. Obviously, the Iran hostage crisis plays testament to that.
3. Biblically speaking, there are a few areas he takes liberties with in his interpretation of Scripture. To his credit, he’s usually pretty good about differentiating what he believes when it’s not explicitly written in the Bible, but he seems to go a little rogue at times, especially for a Baptist.
On to the positives:
1. Unlike many other presidents, Carter wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth. I admire folks who can make it to the top without the benefit of daddy and Grandaddy’s money. In fact, he was the first person to graduate from high school in his family, but went well beyond that by graduating from the Naval Academy and then attending graduate school at Georgia Tech.
2. Unlike many recent presidents, he served his country in the military.
3. He sacrificed his chosen career to help his family save its business/farm.
4. He was a pioneer of civil rights in the South at a time when it was political suicide.
5. He won the presidency despite being relatively unknown outside of the state of Georgia. He actually started off 12th in polling and yet ended up winning the highest office in the land.
6. He was the first president to really push human rights and fair worldwide elections.
7. Camp David Accords. (Very few younger people have any clue how big a deal this was.)
8. He created the Departments of Energy and Education.
9. He pioneered early conservation projects.
10. Nobel Peace Prize winner.
11. Unlike a recent president who has been married multiple times and hung out with high-priced hookers, Carter’s been married for 77 years and, to the best of knowledge, never even cheated on her.
12. He’s never attempted to profit off of his presidency like others. He doesn’t charge $500,000 per speech. He’s basically only made money via working as an author (and not by using a ghost writer either).
13. Habitat for Humanity—and he doesn’t just make PR appearances.
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/jimmy-carter-habitat-for-humanity-history-the-carter-work-project/
14. Decades of faithful church attendance and service. This guy even continued teaching Sunday School while he was president!
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/04/01/politics/jimmy-carter-religion-what-matters/index.html
15. He took care of his family. Whether it was rescuing the family farm, raising his children, or holding his wife in high regard, he always set a biblical example.
...i know he admires what carter has done in his later years... .. .and he says he had nothing against him when he first took office.... but 2 things carter did made my dad and most people he knew change their minds about him..... giving vietnam draft dodgers amnesty and betraying taiwan to cozy up to china..... .....his wife is from taiwan and says the name carter is practically a dirty word there....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/06/30/presidential-rankings-2021-cspan-historians/