The Incorruptible Man

Remembering James Earl Carter Jr.

Jimmy Carter will never be remembered as a great or transformative president. Historians consistently place him near the bottom of the rankings, Republicans still use him as a punchline, and the word most responsible for making him a one-term president—malaise—is a dogeared page in our political lexicon. More than forty years have passed since his loss to Ronald Reagan, but somehow Jimmy Carter is no worse for the wear. If anything, he looks better than ever. Of course, it is notable that he was our oldest living and longest-lived president. And his reputation as a great humanitarian is well deserved, but to a troubled world awash in decay, Jimmy Carter will be remembered first and foremost as the incorruptible man.

At his inauguration in 1977, Carter departed from a longstanding tradition within the first sentence of his address. Rather than describe the majesty of the moment or flatter his constituents, Carter thanked his opponent: “For myself and for our Nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land.” This was not mere lip service, it was a peace offering and a genuine expression of gratitude. America needed healing. After years of bitter fighting over abortion, budget deficits, civil rights, and Vietnam, Americans were still traumatized. And then came revelations of government corruption.

Beginning in 1970, Americans learned that the US Army had been spying on the population. Watergate broke in 1972, Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned the following year, and by August 1974, Richard Nixon fled the White House in disgrace. Months later The New York Times published a shocking expose of the CIA, alleging assassinations and regime change abroad, as well as decades of surveillance of ordinary Americans at home. Then in 1975 the Church Committee was formed, and even more damning information spilled out, including evidence of widespread wiretapping and government watch lists. Saigon fell the same year, and to make matters worse, gas prices and inflation were beginning to gnaw their way into the middle class.

Just thirty years after a triumphant victory in World War II, Americans had lost their confidence—confidence in government, military, markets, and even themselves. In such trying times, it is not uncommon for people to retreat to the past for comfort and perspective, or search for guidance just off the beaten path. By 1976, these desires found their embodiment in James Earl Carter, a candidate that could put progressives and traditionalists alike at ease—a man who could restore their confidence.

Carter was called an enigma from the beginning. He was the quintessential outsider: a seventh-generation Georgian, peanut farmer-turned-politician, and God-fearing gentleman in a godless town. But to people all across the South and beyond, who came to trust and admire him, Jimmy Carter was the upright Everyman. He wore his “peanut clothes” campaigning, publicly thanked God, invited stock car racers to the White House, and eschewed all pomp and circumstance.

To some, Carter’s humility was embarrassing. Others believed it was all an act. But years later we can thumb through the pages of history and see how dearly he paid for his modesty. Having promised to never lie, Carter was often too honest, like the time he admitted to committing adultery in his heart. Even his infamous “malaise speech,” in which he never uttered the word “malaise” at all, was simply too candid. He may have promised to never lie to the American people, but the American people were not prepared to hear their “profound distress” described in such detail. Many of Carter’s fiercest battles happened behind closed doors with distressed advisors and aides, who correctly saw his personal integrity as a political liability. He was not a nasty adversary, even to those who might have deserved it. But Carter could be dogged and stubborn with his own team, especially when it came to ethical quandaries… and just about everything looked like an ethical quandary to Jimmy.

Looking back now, we might say that Jimmy Carter failed. By the end of his presidency the economy was still in shambles and Tehran’s hostage situation appeared hopeless. He had been serious about restoring accountability and eradicating waste and corruption, but the cerebral Carter struggled to conceal the burden of his task. He appeared stiff and gloomy, especially when sparring against a sunny dreamer like Ronald Reagan. And when the slings and arrows came, he did not shrink from his wounds but took it like a Christian. He asked Americans to sacrifice, not because he was desperate to deflect, but because he, too, was willing to sacrifice—and already had. He had stepped forward to tame the maelstrom, and he would not deny the danger. To do otherwise would be dishonest, possibly even deadly.

In hindsight, Carter’s emphasis on process prevented him from realizing his full potential as president. This quintessential outsider who refused to lie, who rarely hesitated to spend precious political capital on ethical quandaries, quickly found himself mired in the methods and procedures of policymaking. After all, right is right, and like a plow it ought to be heavy and sharp. Mostly right, even a few inches off, leads to wrongs; and too many wrongs will spoil a crop.

Carter was elected to restore confidence in the nation, but in the end he lost the confidence of his country. His fall was not the result of some great scandal or disaster but a tragic consequence of being inadequate to the task. Even Carter’s most devoted admirers will admit this—just before reminding you that he was probably too honest and upright for the job. And they are probably right.

It may be cliché to say that Jimmy Carter is our greatest former president, but that does not make the statement untrue. As we contemplate our own malaise today, which extends beyond gas prices and inflation to resemble something akin to a profound spiritual crisis—if we are humble enough to admit it—does the 39th president not seem just a little more sympathetic? Perhaps even admirable? As the gimmicks and distractions of the past forty years melt away, and our heroes and saviors are shown to have feet of clay, to whom do we turn?

Jimmy Carter might just have an answer. We ourselves now stand before a violent maelstrom, the very same that left our 39th president so deeply troubled. He was unable to tame it—and arguably, no one has since—but upon reckoning with the danger, he lifted his eyes to the heavens. To many, Carter was the victim of a vicious system and impossible odds. Some believe he left the White House a failure. Today few seem to find his presidency particularly instructive, but I think this is shortsighted. Jimmy Carter willingly contended with decades of error, deceit, and betrayal—sin, if you will—and struggled against the titanic forces of moral corrosion. He did not emerge unscathed, nor did he conquer sin—can we ever? But he fought a good fight and never disgraced himself. And when he returned to his hometown of Plains, Georgia, he picked up right where he left off—still in the palm of His hand.

Time will continue to be kind to the Peanut President. And as we pass through our own failures and afflictions, I hope we can learn to follow Jimmy Carter’s example and come hell or high water, put our trust in the Lord.