Continuing a tradition that stretches back to the death of President Ronald Reagan in 2004, I’m going to make a side trip to Atlanta this week as I fly east for business to pay my respects to President Jimmy Carter, who passed away at the age of 100 last week.
Next Stop: The Carter Center In Atlanta To Say Goodbye To Jimmy Carter
I stood overnight in line for nearly 12 hours in Simi Valley, California to file by the casket of Ronald Reagan after his passing in 2004. I did it again in Palm Desert, California when Gerald Ford passed away in 2006. Then in 2018 (and wow, I cannot believe that much time has flown by…) I did it again for George H.W. Bush and wrote about it here.
I did this for other notable leaders like Queen Elizabeth II and Bob Dole and Supreme Court justices ranging from Antonin Scalia to RBG.
You may think you have me figured out politically, but I do not fit neatly into any box. However, I have made clear that I am an institutionalist and I honor the Office of the Presidency, regardless of who is the office (and that has been very hard in recent years).
Chillingly, I wrote in 2018 about the “joy of living in a nation, while not without many serious issues, that so remarkably boasts a peaceful transition of power between political parties.”
Re-reading that…on January 6th of all days…makes me realize that democracy may be ours to lose, but it must be safeguarded vigilantly.
I’m so thankful today’s certification went smoothly.
I’ll have some thoughts on Carter this week leading up to his state funeral on Thursday, January 9, 2025 but we’ve got this winter storm “Blair” passing through…which has already complicated my travel plans with flight cancellations via my original routing on United via Washington Dulles.
I need to get this done today since I have work obligations the rest of the week…sadly, I won’t be able to attend the funeral in-person on Friday.
One way or another, I’ll have an update on all of this tomorrow…stay tuned.
image: United Airlines
Carter was a good person. I believe he actually cared about helping others. The only people who didn’t like him were US partisans that have little to no recolution of his presidency. Globally, he was very respected; at least by those who mattered. It’s hard to call it a “loss” at age 100, but he left a legacy to be proud of.
Recollection*!
Jimmy Carter has a reputation for being a good person but there are indications that he was also a mean spirited person.
Being respected globally doesn’t mean he was great for America. That’s what a POTUS’ legacy should be. How did he help America and make it more prosperous for its people.
@Hal … Difficult to find anything , as he appointed Paul Volker late in the game , after the damage was done .
He appointed Paul Volcker. That cured the supply side inflation caused by Arab oil problems
I was in college when Carter came to office. Inflation at an all time high; dropped the ball with the hostages; unemployment; had little to no influence over Congress; adverse relationship with Tip O’Brien didn’t help much; etc, etc, etc. He rode to office over the backlash of Watergate, but failed to capitalize on the situation. He was out of his element the day he took office.
Full respects to the Carter family, but I would feel no obligation to make a pilgrimage to Atlanta.
Hey Matt, I just saw your wife and kids. My wife let your daughter play with one of our kid’s toys. Are you with them?
Hi Paul, I understand you saw them at the Cap One Lounge in DEN? No, we flew separate ways yesterday…I’m on a work trip. It was very kind of your wife to be so friendly to Claire Marie.
Hi Matt, yep just outside the lounge. I didn’t want to publicly say online where your family was I didn’t recognize Augustine until they were leaving. My kids were super excited to speak German with someone in Denver
I hope our paths cross again!
Carter was a good person but a disgraceful incompetent president. Ask any non terrorist Iranian how they like him. Now, luckily for him he was able to see Demented Joe’s presidency before he died which moved him up in the rankings from the worst US president in history to the second worst.
@Santastico … +1 .
@Santastico … And Trump saved us from Camel-a being even worse than Brandon .
Here is a very interesting article on Carter and it shows many examples of his disastrous presidency. It is amazing how many similarities the end of his tenure has to Biden’s one and the outcome of the next election.
https://thedispatch.com/article/jimmy-carter-no-saint/
That’s Jonah Goldberg and his typical right-wind neocon-loving nonsense,
Carter was actually much better on foreign and military policy than people appreciated at the time or many since. Inflation was already a problem when Carter came in and it started with Nixon-Ford and was already accelerating. This is why Ford’s campaign was ironically built around “WIN” — whip inflation now.
Carter’s problem was that he was a micromanager who cared too much and couldn’t pull off the “happy go lucky” “it’s his responsibility” deflection game because he had too much honor and decency.
The Iran hostage situation was made as long and messy as it was — and was actually rooted in something Nixon supported — because of things well beyond the control of Carter. Actually, Reagan-Bush wanted the whole situation dragged out and made even messier for their own campaign purposes. It was one of the worst things the Reagan-Bush team did, as it showed their priorities were messed up.
FYI, I have a very close work relationship with someone that worked in the Carter administration inside the White House. A Democrat guy for life. He shared many insights of his experience and how Carter failures cost him the second mandate.
Yeah – but did Carter know as many names of foreign leaders as Plugs Biden? Both men were disastrous presidents. Carter had some redeeming qualities and was generally a decent human being. Biden is a senile, bitter, asshole. A lifelong buffoon. Wonder if Matt will pay his respects to Biden when he croaks, likely sooner rather than later.
Have you forgotten what your dirty Lord Trump was doing four years ago to the day? Cheering on an anti-American insurrection to try to pull off a coup even if it mean “Hang Mike Pence”.
January 20th can’t come soon enough.
Character, man, character. Trump is a character who lacks character. He’s literally a sleazy convict. But the MAGA RINOs got what they want, because most of the rest of the Republicans were too cowardly to stand up for what is right. And now MAGAts and the rest of the country will pay the due price even as Trunp is riding in on the coattails of the strong Biden economy.
“Trunp is riding in on the coattails of the strong Biden economy.” LOL! Whatever drugs you are in they are very strong. Biden did such a good job that even his party booted him.
“You may think you have me figured out politically, but I do not fit neatly into any box.”
Matt, you take (almost) every opportunity possible to knock Donald Trump. We know where you are politically.
I criticize Trump when he deserves it, which is very often. Biden, too. Finding fault with elephants doesn’t make one a donkey lover, and vice versa. There are many animals in the zoo, but I think we’re all bozos on this bus.
Indeed.
US unemployment rate is currently about 4.2%. Strong employment level by historical standards for the country.
US inflation rate is currently below 2.8% and that is below long term historical inflation rate for the country.
The US economic growth rate is about 3%, and that’s better than most high-income countries and on the upper half of economic performance for the US in the last 20 years.
And the Democrats still lost it. You may be scratching your head trying to understand why.
I’m not lost on it. Lower income Americans feel displaced and unheard. And are easily lured into the idea of blaming others besides themselves for their (lack of) fortune. They then grab onto the promises of a false prophet touting cars and money and prosperity that will fall upon them in the greatest wealth distribution ever seen, “It will be beautiful.”
Nothing like the promises of oligarchs that they will shower you with money if only you believe in them. Pretty much right up there with televangelists promising salvation for a $5 pledge.
In four years this segment of the population will see that it was all for nothing. They will still be making $14 an hour at the Dollar Store. Immigrants will still be coming in and working harder. And their cable tv, internet, and processed food groceries are still going up in price as the corporate world grows bigger and more empowered to control everything.
We are not lost on it, Santastico, it’s the uneducated that are. And the educated who are controlling it all love that. Meanwhile, the rest of us are going to sit back and watch you all make a mess of this. Because you will.
Enjoy the show…
The prosperity gospel sellers prey on the public. Grifters, the lot of them — whether they be a tax-exempt “religious” establishment players, oligarchs or wealthy politicians preying oh fools who think the wealth of the wealthy will make them wealthy too if they support the prosperity gospel sellers.
Not scratching my head at all. I said Trump was going to win the 2024 election all throughout 2024 and even earlier. 😉
The Biden economy is going from strength to strength and Trump will be riding in on the coattails of the strong Biden economy:
A Labor Department report showed job growth unexpectedly accelerated in December (2024) while the unemployment rate fell to 4.1% as the labor market ended the year on a strong note.
These morons (a.k.a. the usual suspects) claiming that Carter and Biden were “the worst” are pathetic, knowing they have done ZERO comprehensive research comparing all 46 Presidents. Nobody is buying your weak flex here. Real Americans are LAUGJING at you trashing Biden, when we know the FACTS: The stock market is at a record high, unemployment is at a near record low, and the U.S. has THE strongest post-Covid GDP of any developed nation on earth. Was Biden the BEST POTUS? Probably not. But trashing him as some sort of “disaster” just puts your idiocy on full display.
“have done ZERO comprehensive research comparing all 46 Presidents.” Yeah, because the first thing they’d learn is there are 45 to date. Trump45 was the 44th (Cleveland got counted twice, just like Trump is called 45 and 47).
And Harrison was only president for 30 days, so perhaps we’ve only had 44. You’re correct, but I think you’re missing the point here.
I didn’t miss the point: 45 or 46 is really unimportant. I was more poking fun at someone who confidently suggests others’ opinions have no merit because they’ve done “ZERO” research, yet gets the number of presidents wrong. It’s much like correcting the grammar of someone who has used improper grammar while correcting someone else’s.
Eww…