Iran, Nicaragua, Afganistan, Angola, Lebanon?
2007-07-13 05:51:17 · 19 answers · asked by Bonneville P 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Politics
I would say highest inflation rate in history and failed attempt to get hostages out of Iran. Probably the more diplomatic out of all of the Presidents, but the President has to be better at many things, not just a diplomat. He is a good, honest man who just wasn't Presidential material.
2007-07-13 05:56:37 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
I wonder what would have happened if, in announcing the grain embargo, or the Olympic boycott over Afghanistan, Carter had simply uttered two words: "Evil Empire." Maybe tough girl Margaret Thatcher would also have led Britain and its commonwealth (Canada then also had a Conservative Prime Minister, Joe Clark) out of the Olympics, and the Soviets would have been left with a Warsaw Pact games with little moral heft. People would have seen Carter make the Soviets look bad, and that migh thave swayed a few people.
While we're on the subject of the Olympics, I wonder how many people think the hockey victory over the Soviets happened during Reagan's Presidency. After all, such a great victory over the Evil Empire couldn't POSSIBLY have happened under the weak, appeasing Jimmy Carter, could it? Not only could it, but Vice President Mondale was at the game. A great moment for America, if only a symbolic one, and we didn't need The Great Saint Ronald of Bel Air to do it!
That doesn't make Carter a good President. But he was better than Reagan, both ethically (Bert Lance was acquitted, you know) and economically (more jobs created per year, look it up). And he never went to a Nazi cemetery, either.
2007-07-13 06:11:12 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I know it's easy to mimmick what you've heard, but here is a little info about Carter that maybe you haven't considered.
Jimmy Carter started sanctions against the USSR.( over the Afganistan conflict) This caused great hardship with their economy. THEN he started sending covert funds to the Afganistan Freedom fighters. This caused great pain in USSR with families of USSR soldiers that were being sent home in body bags. A brilliant foriegn affairs policy that was quickly adopted by President Ron Reagan as soon as he got into office. Great dissent regarding this war was commonplace across the USSR, leading to the country's eventual dimise.
All of which, mistakenly, has been credited to Ronald Reagan.
2007-07-13 05:59:50 · answer #3 · answered by Deidre K 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
He was a weak politician, no doubt about it. He did some really important things though that unfortunately only benefited his successors like lifting the Nixon price controls, supporting the Fed in a fight against inflation, and deregulating several industries. The peace treaty with Egypt was very impressive. He also has been a very significant ex-president. However, his inability to communicate and project strength really damaged his reputation in history.
2007-07-13 06:29:58 · answer #4 · answered by Jeff P 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Oddly enough, he's accomplished more since he left office than he did while in office. He was a decent enough man who wasn't up to the task of being President. However, he left office 27 years ago, 19 of those years having a Republican in office, so whatever legacy he had has long since gone by the wayside.
2007-07-13 06:05:03 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Everything that Reagan is given credit for Carter either continued from fords term or started during his term in office. Repubs seem to forget that 8 years before and 12 years after carters term there were republicans in office all these problems did not start in the four years of Carters term.
2007-07-13 06:00:24 · answer #6 · answered by region50 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
He allowed the formation of a theocracy in Iran. The hostage crisis was how they thanked us. And ever since, Islamo-fascists have been attacking and terrorizing American citizens, both here and abroad. That's his legacy.
Just the short list -
The 1983 barracks bombing in Beirut - over 200 brave U.S. Marines, DEAD
The 1993 WTC bombing.
The U.S.S. Cole attack; Blackhawk down, Somalia;
Sept, 11th, 2001 The complete demolition of the twin towers and the destruction of part of the Pentagon - almost 3,000 Americans and foreign nationals - DEAD.
2007-07-13 06:53:48 · answer #7 · answered by mikey 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Carter's legacy by far will be remembered for three things...
Dismal domestic policies that brought us into a deep recession with double digit inflation, intrest rates, and unemployment along with the highest gas prices in modern times. I remember news reports where a company was taking applications for 50 jobs and a line of 5000 would show up.
Iran hostages along with the failed resuce attempt that killed American soliders because they were so underfunded and ill-equiped due to his massive cuts in the military.
The peace treaty he negotiated with Eqypt and Israel.
Carter by far was the worst President we have had in the last 100 years.
2007-07-13 06:10:44 · answer #8 · answered by dcjohn992 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Jimmy Carter was the smartest President we ever had (He had a PhD) but he was too hands on in his approach and the job overwhelmed him. He did get peace agreements with Israel and Egypt that was a master's stroke of diplomacy.
2007-07-13 06:16:13 · answer #9 · answered by Deep Thought 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I think it's a cross between Iran and the Panama Canal giveaway. Weakness is the common denominator.
I think he was a man with genuinely good intentions that was naive about how the world REALLY works.
2007-07-13 05:55:42 · answer #10 · answered by ? 6 · 2⤊ 2⤋