Jimmy Carter a bad president?

Question

I have seen time and time again people comparing which candidate would be a horrible president to Jimmy Carter. Why do you people think that Jimmy Carter was a bad president?

He was a good and honorable man who stuck by his beliefs and principles and refused to play the "game" in washington. While this made him ineffective i think anyone who is willing to stick with what they believe is right makes them a good president. Does anyone agree?

Answer 1

He was ok...but he is regarded as bad for his weakest link:

Fiscal Policy.  And by "fiscal policy" I mean "Jimmy Carter knows as much about economics as a 15 year old."  He caused massive inflation because his fiscal policy was too focused on what worked for the middle class...and not once took into account the business owners.  Even small business owners were derailed by Carter's policies.  He wasn't the worst president, but his economic strategies are one of the worst...ever.

Answer 2

I think he was d**n good. In his position I might have been tempted to be more forceful with Iran when the "nice guy" rescue effort failed to get the hostages. That would have been a justified use of extreme force and could have got him reelected.

Answer 3

He had no balls when it came to the our enemies abroad, his long gas lines were a real pain to wait in, his economics about broke the usa  

Answer 4

A good man at a bad time

Answer 5

Your assesment is correct, but I disagree with your conclusion.  Being a 'good guy' and accomplishing nothing does not make you a good president.  The President is judged by his actions or in this case inaction.  As such Carter's Presidency was a complete and utter failure.  

But he's still a nice guy.

Answer 6

Do mean the go along to get along if we disarm they might person He was and is loved over here

You say he made peace in the middle east Job well done Do you read playboy and say she wants me

Answer 7

Jimmy Carter was a total idiot. He implemented a windfall profits tax on the oil companies and guess what they did. They  moved out of the United States and/or stopped producing gas. Hence, we had 18% inflation, almost 15% unemployment, and we could not even rescue our own people from a hotel in Iran. He could not realize that hostile actions sufficient enough to declare war were being perpetrated upon us throughout the world. He was a wimp.

As for the "peace" he established, it was between 2 countries who were simply tired of killing each other. And if you read careful through history, it was the Egyptian president, who was eventually assassinated, that was the driving force in establishing the peace. Carter simply got the Israeli president to the table for talking.

If you were not alive during that time, you cannot imagine how difficult that time was. Carter was the worst president in my lifetime and probably ever.

And most of Hussein Obama's platform re-initiate those same policies. And you wonder why I cannot stand the man.

I just read your second additional post, what are you Carter's secret lover or something? The only thing the guy did that was the least bit successful was Habitat for Humanity. And even that was rocked with corruption. Get a clue man. You are embarassing yourself.

Answer 8

He had an alternative energy plan but Reagan trashed it.

Answer 9

He was honorable but no not a good president. He didn't broker any peace, sadat stated he wanted peace and all carter did was provide a forum. His foreign policy was a failure resulting in the russians pushing into Afghanistan, and iran holding men hostage for a year. His idea of returning the panama canal was absolutely a bone headed wilsonian ideal. Yes he did reduce foreign imports of oil by 50 percent in response to opec however he had no idea on how to deal with the massive fuel shortages. Honorable yes very much...a good leader...no one of the worst.

Answer 10

The guy was an idiot. That's why.  Double digit unemployment.  Double digit inflation.  Gas lines.  Iran hostages.

Answer 11

good point the worse thing carter did was let gas get too high and bush let it get even worse while do nothin good at all

Answer 12

He did not cause inflation, he inherited it. Since then the fed has been manipulating our money as not to reflect what the real inflation rate even is, which is worse? Our money has been dropping in value since 1973. He had many great ideas but people weren't willing to conserve and they voted for Reagan and the false boom took off.  We are only now beginning to realize the fix we are in, but it began with deregulation that sent corruption to record heights. The rich got richer off the backs of hard working people, "trickle down" was a fraud and it ain't over yet! Just think where we'd be had we taken his advice on energy 30 years ago, there would be no war in Iraq, that's for sure! We'd be all green!

Answer 13

No, he wasn't a bad president.  He made one big mistake supporting the Shaw of Iran for too long and came into bad circumstances with international oil production conflict and economic troubles, but he inherited those problems.  He was working in the right direction.

We had relative peace during his time, and that counts for a lot.

Answer 14

So was Nixon & George Bush(both of them) but Carter is a great humanitarium though

Answer 15

Carter was an idiot.  He still is one.  Have you listened to any of his views lately?  Do some research on how he feels about Israelis.

He is the typical Liberal; appeaser, tree-hugger, favors high taxes, handout crazy, clueless.

Answer 16

Carter lacked the political skills that Clinton had.  He didn't have savvy handlers like W and Reagan.  Overall to say he was a worse President than Bush 1 just depends on your ideology.  He did keep the hostages alive and preached energy consumption 30 years before it became popular.  Playing the game is just part of being a successful President.

Carter was a good man but needed James Carville to say it's the economy stupid!

  

Answer 17

yeah and Regan was perfect so was Nixon -  

Answer 18

No, ineffective is a better word for his Presidency.

It is too bad his energy policy was thrown out by Reagan though. We would not be "dependent on foreign oil" as some like to say.

Jimmy Carter delivered this televised speech on April 18, 1977

The first principle is that we can have an effective and comprehensive energy policy only if the government takes responsibility for it and if the people understand the seriousness of the challenge and are willing to make sacrifices.

The second principle is that healthy economic growth must continue. Only by saving energy can we maintain our standard of living and keep our people at work. An effective conservation program will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs.

The third principle is that we must protect the environment. Our energy problems have the same cause as our environmental problems -- wasteful use of resources. Conservation helps us solve both at once.

The fourth principle is that we must reduce our vulnerability to potentially devastating embargoes. We can protect ourselves from uncertain supplies by reducing our demand for oil, making the most of our abundant resources such as coal, and developing a strategic petroleum reserve.

The fifth principle is that we must be fair. Our solutions must ask equal sacrifices from every region, every class of people, every interest group. Industry will have to do its part to conserve, just as the consumers will. The energy producers deserve fair treatment, but we will not let the oil companies profiteer.

The sixth principle, and the cornerstone of our policy, is to reduce the demand through conservation. Our emphasis on conservation is a clear difference between this plan and others which merely encouraged crash production efforts. Conservation is the quickest, cheapest, most practical source of energy. Conservation is the only way we can buy a barrel of oil for a few dollars. It costs about $13 to waste it.

The seventh principle is that prices should generally reflect the true replacement costs of energy. We are only cheating ourselves if we make energy artificially cheap and use more than we can really afford.

The eighth principle is that government policies must be predictable and certain. Both consumers and producers need policies they can count on so they can plan ahead. This is one reason I am working with the Congress to create a new Department of Energy, to replace more than 50 different agencies that now have some control over energy.

The ninth principle is that we must conserve the fuels that are scarcest and make the most of those that are more plentiful. We can't continue to use oil and gas for 75 percent of our consumption when they make up seven percent of our domestic reserves. We need to shift to plentiful coal while taking care to protect the environment, and to apply stricter safety standards to nuclear energy.

The tenth principle is that we must start now to develop the new, unconventional sources of energy we will rely on in the next century.

Answer 19

Please, sir, Yahoo Answers is a place for serious questions only.  Thank you for your cooperation.  The following is a violation of the new common sense standard.

"He was a good and honorable man who stuck by his beliefs and principles and refused to play the "game" in washington."

Consider this a warning, however future nonsensical questions will be subject to removal.

Thank you

Undercover Yahoo Detective William H Lumbergh

Answer 20

I GUESS YOU ARE TOO YOUNG TO REMEMBER THE HORROR THAT WAS THE JIMMY CARTER PRESIDENCY. THE MISERY INDEX WAS COINED DURING HIS ADMINISTRATION. IF YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT THE PRICE OF GAS & LEAST THERE IS GAS RATHER THAN ODD OR EVEN DAYS TO GET GAS. THE INTEREST RATES WERE AT 18% INFLATION & UNEMPLOYMENT WERE BOTH AROUND 10%. HE ALLOWED THE SHAH OF IRAN TO BE OVERTHROWN WHICH HAS GIVEN RISE TO A MANIAC RUNNING THAT COUNTRY TODAY. HE ABANDONED SOMOZA IN NICARAGUA. HIS RESPONSE TO THE SOVIET INVASION & OCCUPATION OF AFGHANISTAN WAS TO BOYCOTT THE MOSCOW OLYMPICS IN 1980. ALSO LET'S NOT FORGET HIS ENCOUNTER WITH A KILLER RABBIT.

Answer 21

You think gas is too expensive; we had lines because there was no gas.

Try 18% home mortgages.

The absolute worst man in a hundred years; can Obama top him?

I don't want to find out.

Answer 22

12% unemployment, 15% inflation, 18% prime interest rate.  And when he caused oil rationing by price control and the price went thru the roof, his best advice was to turn down your thermostat and put on a sweater (I swear to God, I heard him myself).  He then assured us all that America's best days were behind her, and we would just have to get used to it.

Kinda like whats-his-name telling me to check the air in my tires.

Answer 23

It always cracks me up when a carter supporter brings up the nobel peace prize

the same award terrorist king pin and carters pal Yassir Arafat won

Carter was horrible. Either you were too young to remember or you are just a biased democrat that refuses to blame anyone from your party for anything

Answer 24

Unfortunately being a "good" man, does not always equate to being a good president.  He had the moral values that did him in unfortunately.

I served in the Army when he was president and could see the good, the bad, and the ugly, that was going on during his time in office.

I felt at the time, and still do today that he was undermined by Ronnie and the PNAC during his last days in office.  What had been done to him during that time I felt was immoral, but then the PNAC does have quite a track record of questionable actions right up to and including this present (mis) administration.

Answer 25

So by your example - Bush believes he is right and is sticking by it! - I agree btw.. As far as Jimmy Carters economic program... it really was terrible.

Carter was great at foreign policy but not so good on economics... Obama want to use the same Carter style economics. That is why you are seeing alot about the man as of late.

Answer 26

He is a good person but he was a horrible president. His own people in Congress couldn't get along with him.

Answer 27

The most common thing you hear is that "he was a good person and a bad President..."

I am going to go "off the reservation" and give a different take:

As President he was in a near-impossible situation trying to balance the Cold War, a failing economy, and a Washington still tainted by the stink of Watergate....I would almost be willing to give him a pass....but...

I believe the whole "good person" thing is a carefully crafted image designed by Carter in order to re-define his legacy.  If you take a fresh look at his Presidency you will find that this near-obsession with his own image is actually what doomed him in the Oval Office...

Yes he was an "outsider"...but wasn't it his inflexibility that blocked so many legislative roads?  Yes he brought Israel and Egypt together....but at what cost?  Remember that he was, in today's lingo, an "evangelical Christian"...he wanted to be THE guy who brought peace to the Middle East...and was willing to overlook domestic policy in order to achieve it.  It was Carter, the Baptist President and friend to Israel, who fueled the anti-Americanism of Radical Islam.

In short, I'm not going to say he was a "bad person"....I just think he was the WRONG person for the job....He was the "Feel Good" candidate of his era, and the nation paid for giving into cynicism and baseless hope....A lesson to voters still.