Consider This from NPR - Jimmy Carter's complex legacy

Episode Date: December 30, 2024

Former President Jimmy Carter has died at the age of 100.He was the nation's 39th president, in office from 1977 to 1981.He will of course be remembered for his accomplishments in office. But also for all that he accomplished in the four decades after he left the White House. Host Andrew Limbong speaks about Jimmy Carter's legacy with two NPR journalists who have covered the White House for years: national political correspondent Mara Liasson and senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at [e-mail] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The 39th president of the United States has died at his home in Plains, Georgia. Jimmy Carter was 100 years old. He'd been in hospice care since February of 2023. As soon as he heard the news, NPR Stephen Feller headed for the Carter Center in Atlanta, home to his presidential library. In a lot of ways, it's a lot like his legacy, kind of understated behind the scenes. There's a steady stream of Atlanta traffic going by. Somebody just came by, dropped off a jar of peanut butter and lit a candle because Jimmy Carter

was the peanut farmer from Plains. And there's going to be several days of remembrances and events in Georgia, in Plains, where Carter's from, and in Washington, D.C. So things for now are quiet. Carter will, of course, be remembered for his achievements in office. The Camp David Accords, for example, where he helped Israel and Egypt seal a historic peace deal or the agreement he signed with Panama to transfer control of the Panama Canal to the Central American nation. But it was maybe after he left the White House that Carter seemed to come into his own. He did more in his time and his decades out of office than in his four years in the White House.

I'm at the Carter Center where he was known for waging peace through things like fighting diseases. He monitored democracy and elections across the world. He fought for equality in human rights and he worked for Habitat for Humanity, building houses and volunteering well up into his advanced age. So, consider this, Jimmy Carter's legacy is complex. And coming up, we turn to a couple of NPR political correspondents who have spent years covering the White House to hear their take on Carter's legacy. From NPR. Former President Jimmy Carter has died at the age of 100.

He spent a single four-year term in the White House and went on to live more than 40 years after he left office. To hear more on Jimmy Carter's legacy as president and a former president, we turn to two NPR correspondents who have spent years covering the White House. In a moment, we'll hear from national political correspondent Marlaiison, but first, here's senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, describing a statement on Carter's passing issued by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.

They talk about over six decades of friendship with Jimmy Carter, calling him a dear friend. And they talk about his legacy. They also in this statement, the part that stands out to me, and I'll just read you this quick paragraph, it says, to all the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning, the good life. Study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith and humility. He showed that we are a great nation because we are a good people, decent and honorable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong. Wow. That's a strong statement. What kind of relationship did the two of them have? Yeah, so they go back many, many, many years. President Biden was a young senator when Jimmy

Carter ran for president, and he was one of the first people to endorse Jimmy Carter way back when. And then they have continued to be in public life together. President Biden visited Jimmy Carter and his now late wife Rosalynn early in the Biden presidency. And they had a strong relationship. And there's this idea of President Carter as a one-term president, as maybe not someone you would want to associate with as a one-term president, as maybe not someone you would want to associate with as a politician, but that certainly wasn't the case with President Biden and certainly

wasn't the case with Jimmy Carter, simply because his legacy, his post presidency is something that essentially every president aspires to and none can quite achieve. He had a 40 year post presidency that really redefined life after the White House. Yeah. Mara, what do you see as Jimmy Carter's lasting impact on politics? Well, I think that Jimmy Carter's lasting impact

on politics is going to be how he conducted himself as a citizen. He had an incredibly long post-White House career where he devoted himself to public service, to eradicating diseases, to building homes for people who couldn't afford them, and for basically living a life that was rooted in simple American values. He taught Sunday school almost his entire life. He lived in the same small town that he grew up in.

These are almost bygone values. I think in terms of his presidency, it will be remembered that he governed at a time of stagflation, high unemployment, high inflation. That's one of the main reasons that he lost. We just saw another president lose under a similar economic situation. But also there was the hostage crisis. His presidency was held hostage by Iran, basically, who waited until he was out of office to release

the hostages. So I think he will be considered a much more successful ex-president than he was as a president. And we happen to have a metric in this country that you can't really be considered a successful president if you don't serve two terms, which he did not. Hmm. Tim, I want to hit on that point a little bit that Marja said that how successful of a record he has, you know, after leaving the Oval Office. Does that kind of color his legacy with Democrats?

Hmm. Yeah, I mean, I do think that because Jimmy Carter had 40 years to have a post-presidency, because he had all of this time to really make a difference in the world, win a Nobel Peace Prize, to really make a difference in the world, win a Nobel Peace Prize, and dedicate himself to public service, it in a way allows him to have, you know, maybe the first line is one-term president, but then the second line becomes Nobel Peace Prize winner, man who did all of these incredible things. One thing I was talking to a historian about this last week in looking at the parallels between President Biden and President Carter is that President Biden will now also only be a one-term president, but unless he vastly overperforms all actuarial tables, he's not going to be able to have a post-presidency

like Jimmy Carter. President Biden's legacy is going to be tied very much to his presidency in a way that Jimmy Carter's isn't as much. Yeah. Have we heard any other notable reactions so far since learning of President Carter's death? Yeah, absolutely. They have been rolling in. There is a post on Truth Social from President Elect Donald Trump, who said that he had just heard the news of Jimmy Carter's passing and said that, those of us who have been fortunate to have served as president understand this is a very exclusive club and only we can relate

to the enormous responsibility of leading the greatest nation in history. He adds the challenges Jimmy faced as president came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of Americans. For that we all owe him a debt of gratitude. Another statement that came in that stood out to me was from Mitch McConnell, the Republican from Kentucky, former or yeah former majority leader in the Senate. And he talked a lot about Carter's simple life, his faith, his American dream, going from being a devoutly religious peanut farmer from a small town in Georgia to someone who was

president of the United States and then made a real stamp on the world in his post presidency. He says President Carter served during times of tension and uncertainty both at home and abroad, but his calm spirit and deep faith seemed unshakable. Jimmy Carter served as our commander-in-chief for four years, but he served as the beloved unassuming Sunday school teacher at Marantha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia for 40. And his humble devotion leaves us little doubt which of those two important roles he prized the most. That was from Mitch McConnell. You know, these are all very kind, measured responses. Mara, what's the usual view of

Carter from the Republican side of the aisle? Well, I think that Republicans would say he was a one-term president, he failed, he didn't bring the hostages home while he was still in office. But I think that history has a wide angle view. And I think there are already been a couple of books written that re-examine Carter's legacy. And one of them actually by Jonathan Alter says that Carter was the most misunderstood president in American history.

And that historians of Jimmy Carter say he was ahead of his time. He put a solar panel on the White House roof. Of course it was a symbolic solar panel. But he also, he was focused on reducing fossil fuel use way ahead of his time. He expanded the number of people of color who had federal judgeships.

But the other thing that was interesting is when Jimmy Carter ran for the presidency, his motto or his tagline was, I'll never lie to you. And that was very significant because the country had just gone through the experience of Richard Nixon who lied to the country and He ran that he would never tell a lie that seems absolutely quaint looking back now because truth is is not telling the truth is not a prerequisite for being president and lying flagrantly is not a

You know something that disqualifies you from being president. Yeah, that's national political correspondent Mara Leysen. Also with us was MPR's White House correspondent Tamara Keith. Thank you so much to you both. You're welcome. This episode was produced by Brianna Scott, Mia Venkat, and Jordan Marie Smith. It was edited by William Troup and Timby Ermias. Our executive producer is Sammy Yennegan.

It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. Wanna hear this podcast without sponsor breaks? Amazon Prime members can listen to Consider This sponsor free through Amazon Music. Or you can also support NPR's vital journalism and get Consider This Plus at plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org.