Opinion | In memory of Jimmy Carter
By Tom Fowdy
It was announced on Sunday evening in US time that former President Jimmy Carter had passed away.
Having reached the golden milestone of a century, President Carter had been in hospice care since early 2023 due to the irreversible complications of his cancer and undoubtedly defied the odds by surviving a lot longer than he expected, including outliving his late wife, Rosalyn.
The passing of Jimmy Carter will be mourned throughout the world. During a time when politics has become contentious, toxic, and divisive, Carter stands out as a rare exemption of a US President who seems to command universal respect and admiration. This is because he is seen as a humble and loving man who rose from the modest background of a farmer and deeply devoted himself to humanitarianism in his post-presidency. He was perhaps the only living former US President who areas of the public did not have some form of grudge against.
This high esteem was humorously satirized in the Simpsons episode "Marge in Chains" where a budget shortfall led to Mayor Quimby failing to afford a designated statue of Abraham Lincoln and thus paid for one of Jimmy Carter instead, provoking a town riot after someone proclaimed he was "History's Greatest Monster!" Of course, behind such a joke lies the more obvious reality that Jimmy Carter was a man who meant tremendously well, despite the generally vindictive, dishonest, and aggressive nature of the political arena, especially so in America.
His inability to win a second term in the 1980 US election is not so much his personal failure as it were the challenging economic conditions of that era, as well as him simply being too nice, too well-meaning, as opposed to being ruthless, "political" and decisive enough. This would prove to be a significant shortfall when he came up against the smooth-talking and media-savvy Ronald Reagan who would go on to define a whole new era of American politics and Conservatism. Sometimes, politicians are unfairly scapegoated for things out of their control, and the stagnation of the 1970s certainly shined undeserved scrutiny on Carter in the heat of the moment. Thus, it is no surprise that his light truly shined through after his time in office.
Carter will be undoubtedly be remembered for a "pro-peace" foreign policy which saw a continuation of détente with the Soviet Union, and for his subsequent attempts at continuing that sentiment of peace upon leaving office, such as through a visit he paid to North Korea. In China, Carter will certainly be remembered favorably, as he was a key player again in the subsequent normalization of relations which was spearheaded by Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger. Hence on January 1st, 1979, Jimmy Carter would officially open diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, even if Congress hit him with the "Taiwan Relations Act" some time later.
Given the pathway this opened to China's integration into the wider world and development, he will certainly be looked at favorably in Beijing and act again as a symbol of an era in US-China ties that was defined by hope and optimism. On a smaller note, Carter is also the last US President to have visited my hometown, Sunderland. Carter's visit to Wearside in 1977 was designed to commemorate the historic roots of the Washington family to the area, which later secured a sister city agreement between Sunderland and D.C. The "Jimmy Carter Centre" was opened near my home, although it later became a Morrison's supermarket! As the news broke that Carter passed, I looked upon a photograph of him meeting and shaking hands with factory workers in Sunderland as another part of that visit, which once again manifested his kindness and sincerity.
Thus, the century of Carter's life leaves a great legacy behind in American politics. None of the living men who have served as President of the United States will be met with such universal respect when they pass, even if it is the national duty to honor those who led their country. In the climate of these days, Carter's life stands as a reminder that we should devote ourselves to doing good for others, and remember that kindness, respect, and decency go a long way. I sincerely hope that he gets the final sendoff that he deserves and that his state funeral is a worthy tribute to his life.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
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