Jimmy Carter

Barack Obama And The Bush Tax Cuts: If Extended For The Rich, A Political Disaster For The Democratic Party! :(

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President Obama will meet next week with Republican and Democratic leaders of Congress after his return from his Asian trip, and he MUST stand strong against the GOP demand for continuation of tax cuts for the top two percent of Americans, who already have too much of the entire national income!

Just because the Democrats lost approximately 60 seats in the House of Representatives, the most since 1938, does not mean that we need a Democratic Party which acts as if it is the step sister of the Republican Party!

If Obama caves in on this matter, he will lose much of the base of his party, and endanger future economic recovery, and cause the likelihood of a challenge in the Democratic Presidential primaries in 2012!

If that happens, while Obama would almost certainly win the nomination–as William Howard Taft did in 1912 over Theodore Roosevelt, Gerald Ford did in 1976 over Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter did in 1980 over Ted Kennedy and Jerry Brown, and George HW Bush did in 1992 over Pat Buchanan–it would certainly weaken him for the election campaign, and likely cause his defeat, as it did for all four of the above Presidents challenged in the past century for the nomination of their party!

No one can seriously consider that Obama intends to do anything about the burgeoning national debt, if he permits an additional $700 billion to be added to the debt over the next ten years, just to keep “peace” with the Republican party, as that party has no interest in cooperation, and has made clear their major goal is to cause Obama to be a one term President!

So, Mr. President, show some guts and courage, and do NOT cave in to the GOP! Refuse to go along with tax cuts for the wealthy who do not need it! Show principle and conviction, and know that loyal Democrats will be there defending you, and know that the average middle class American, including many Independents, who are struggling to survive and keep his or her employment and housing, will regain their senses by 2012, and reward you and your party for being truly the party of the middle class, unwilling to continue the GOP plot to enrich the top two percent at the expense of the rest of the population!

Tax Cuts For the Wealthy: David Stockman Vs. Mike Pence!

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This past weekend, former Reagan Budget Director David Stockman debated the Republican party demand for a continuation of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy with Indiana Congressman Mike Pence, who has been one of the most hard line conservatives insisting on that issue, despite the fact it would add $700 billion to the national debt over ten years, at a time when it is clear that there is dire need to avoid adding to the national debt, which is already over $13 trillion! 🙁

Stockman gave an excellent presentation, and called such a demand for the wealthy to continue to have tax cuts as totally irresponsible and unrealistic in the present economic climate! He made it clear that the Reagan Administration was wrong to allow a tripling of the national debt during the 1980s, and it was recalled that he had resigned early in the administration over the reckless defense spending which caused most of that overwhelming addition to the debt!

Stockman made it clear that the Bush tax cuts in the past decade had been a mistake as well, as it caused a doubling of the national debt, with much of it because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also starting the Medicare prescription plan for senior citizens without taxing to pay for it!

Stockman’s appearance on the interview showed how far the GOP has gone since the 1980s–willingness to be totally reckless in the name of the wealthy, despite the fact that the stratification of American society with the wealthy having such a large portion of the total national wealth, as compared to the middle and lower classes, is the greatest it has ever been!

Pence showed total irresponsibility over the issue of the long range effect of GOP tax policy, and also demonstrated that he has no concern over the effect of budget cuts on domestic needs in the midst of the greatest economic downturn in 80 years!

It again must be recalled that MOST of the national debt increase has been due to Republican Congresses and Republican Presidents, with Jimmy Carter only adding a comparatively small amount to the debt, and Bill Clinton actually balancing the budget in his last years in the White House, and leaving a surplus for George W. Bush, who proceeded to double the national debt, on top of Ronald Reagan tripling the national debt in his time! Reagan added $2 trillion, and George W. Bush $5 trillion to the national debt, meaning seven of the nine trillion added to the debt since Jimmy Carter left office was due to these two Presidents and their administrations alone! 🙁

And the first President Bush added a good portion of the remaining two trillion, leading up to the $10 trillion plus debt when Barack Obama came into office in 2009! This is not what one hears on conservative talk radio and Fox News Channel, however! 🙁 But it is the truth!

So the GOP has a record of total recklessness in the name of the wealthy, while the country flounders economically, and David Stockman was effective in delivering a warning as to the danger of following GOP economic doctrine! 🙁

“Back To The Future”!: California Governor Jerry Brown!

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The return to the Governorship of California for Jerry Brown after 28 years is quite an amazing “resurrection”! 🙂

The son of Governor Edmund (Pat) Brown who served two terms as Governor from 1959-1967,and beat Richard Nixon in 1962 and lost to Ronald Reagan in 1966, Jerry succeeded Reagan as Governor, serving two terms from 1975-1983!

The youngest Governor in California history at age 35, Jerry Brown also ran for President in 1976 and 1980, making Jimmy Carter one of a long list of “enemies” of the overly ambitious California Governor!

Later, Jerry Brown surfaced as Mayor of Oakland and state Attorney General before deciding to run for Governor again this year, and by winning over Meg Whitman, former CEO of Ebay, becoming the oldest Governor in the history of the state!

He also ran for President again in 1992, making Bill Clinton an enemy, although to Clinton’s credit, the two men made up and Clinton campaigned for Brown this fall.

So it does indeed feel like the movie of 1985 with Michael J. Fox–“Back to the Future”! LOL

Brown has a major challenge, of course, leading a state with the seventh largest economy, in the midst of one of the highest unemployment rates and foreclosure rates in the nation, and the state will need all the skills Brown has to deal with this major crisis, one of the worst, if not the worst, in the history of the Golden State!

Divided Government: More Typical Than Atypical Since World War II!

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The fact that the 112th Congress will not be of the party of the President in at least one house, and historically often in both houses, is actually typical more than atypical, when one looks at the history of Congressional-Presidential relations since World War II!

In 38 of the past 66 years, we have had a divided government, with the only years it was not being: 1945-1947 and 1949-1953 under President Harry Truman; 1953-1955 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower; 1961-1969 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson; 1977-1981 under President Jimmy Carter; 1993-1995 under President Bill Clinton; 2003-2007 under President George W. Bush; and 2009-2011 under President Barack Obama!

So divided government has been much more common, basically 60 percent of the time since 1945, and therefore, is not the tragedy some think it is!

However, having both parties controlling one chamber each has only, as stated in an earlier entry, occurred in the first six years of Ronald Reagan (1981-1987), in the years since 1945, and that IS the problem–a divided Congress, more than a divided government where both houses are in the hands of the party opposing the President!

Former Vice President Walter Mondale In Memoir: Proud To Call Himself A Liberal!

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Former Vice President Walter Mondale, who was influential in shaping the growth of that office while serving under President Jimmy Carter from 1977-1981, has just published his memoir, THE GOOD FIGHT: A LIFE IN LIBERAL POLITICS, at a time when he is nearing 83 years of age in January, which also marks 30 years since he and Carter left the White House!

Carter and Mondale have already set a record for the longest joint retirement of a President and Vice President!

Mondale made the Vice Presidency a very significant office, with the cooperation of President Carter, who had him share in all decisions and did not see Mondale as a threat to his own ego!

Mondale went on to run for President against President Ronald Reagan in 1984, and told the truth when he said he would have to raise taxes, and so would Reagan. He was truthful, and Reagan misled, as taxes did indeed go up in 1986!

Mondale also chose the first woman candidate for Vice President, Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro of New York!

Although Mondale lost the race to Reagan in a landslide, winning only Minnesota, his home state, and Washington, DC, he went on to serve with distinction as Ambassador to Japan under President Bill Clinton!

Mondale, in an interview on CNN with Wolf Blitzer, stated that he was proud to call himself a liberal in the 1960s and 1970s, when he served with distinction in the US Senate, and he still is proud to say that today!

In that, the author joins him, as it is liberal and progressive ideas that brought about all of the great political, social and economic reforms in the 20th century, and now, in the early part of the 21st century! 🙂

The California Of Jerry Brown, 1974 and 2010!

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Imagine yourself in a time capsule, going back to 1974 and examining the race for California Governor, and then fast forwarding it to 2010!

What would you discover? A state government official, Jerry Brown, son of former Governor Edmund G. (Pat) Brown, is running for Governor! 🙂

In 1974, Jerry Brown was Secretary of State for the state, and in 2010, he is the Attorney General!

In 1974, Jerry Brown is running to succeed a former actor, Ronald Reagan, who had served two terms as a Republican Governor! In 2010, Jerry Brown is running to succeed a former actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had served almost two complete terms (minus nine months) as a Republican Governor!

In 1974, Jerry Brown ran for Governor at the young age of 36, while in 2010, he ran for Governor at the advanced age of 72, exactly double in age!

In 1974, California was affected by a major recession under President Gerald Ford but originally occurring under President Richard Nixon, with nine percent unemployment, while in 2010, California was harmed by the Great Recession under President Barack Obama, who inherited it from President George W. Bush, with a 12.4 percent unemployment rate!

In 1974, California had a half billion dollar surplus in its state budget, while in 2010, it accomplished a balanced budget only after budget cuts of $19 billion!

In 1974, the population of California was just over 21 million people, while in 2010, it is at 37 million people!

In 1974, Brown was described as a “flaky” bachelor, but in 2005, he finally married, but is still regarded by many as “flaky” in personality. 🙂 He went on after eight years as Governor of the largest state, to become Mayor of Oakland and California Attorney General!

Brown also sought the Presidency three times, in 1976, 1980, and 1992, and alienated future Democratic Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton!

Even now, at age 72, and with a Democratic President in the White House, Brown has been asked if he would run for President again! 🙂 He deflected the question, but some might wonder if he would consider it, since we have had a former California Governor who served as President in his 70s (Ronald Reagan), and being Governor of California puts Presidential disease into your veins (Arnold Schwarzenegger wished there would be an amendment to the Constitution that would allow foreign born nationals eligibility to run for President)! 🙂

So California has changed, or has it? 🙂

A final thought: Jerry Brown won in 1974 by a small margin, and many think it will be that close against Meg Whitman, the GOP nominee and former Ebay CEO,who has spent more than $120 million of her personal fortune! So the more time passes, the more it remains much the same! 🙂

Jimmy Carter: Time For Re-Evaluation Of The Man And His Presidency!

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Former President Jimmy Carter turned 86 today, and thankfully, left the Cleveland hospital where he had been admitted a few days ago after taking sick on an plane flight from Atlanta, on his way to a book signing of his newly published Diary of his Presidential years from 1977-1981!

Carter is often portrayed as a “failed” President, who has become regarded as a very successful, active, accomplished former President, way beyond most Presidents!

Carter has been intimately involved in promoting world peace, fighting hunger, promoting housing for the poor through Habitat for Humanity, and witnessing the legitimacy of elections all over the world! His Carter Center in Atlanta, and his Presidential Library have been active participants in advocating social justice and human rights! He has also become controversial in his statements and actions, particularly regarding Middle East peace between Israel and the Palestinians!

Carter has never avoided those who are critical of his ideas and actions, has been unafraid of his detractors, and with his nearly thirty years of retirement, he is nearing a record for the longest post Presidency, with only Herbert Hoover having lived in retirement longer!

In September 2012, he will break the record of 31 years, 7 months and 16 days of Hoover! Around Labor Day in 2012, we will be celebrating the longevity of a man who deserves a new revision of his time in the Presidency!

With Carter’s Diary and Vice President Walter Mondale’s Memoirs coming out, and the short volume in the American Presidents series by Henry Holt and Company also being published, it is time for historians to dig into the records of the Carter Library and other archives and reassess the impact of his Presidency on America!

Despite the harsh criticisms visited on Carter during and since his Presidency, it is likely that his reputation over time will grow, and he will be regarded as a much better President than most think of him in the present!

Barack Obama Hits New Low In Public Opinion Polls! :( What Does It Mean?

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President Barack Obama has just hit a new low in popularity in public opinion polls, an alarming statistic for him and the Democratic Party!

Obama has dropped down to 42 percent, with 54 percent unhappy with his performance as President!

This is, obviously, not good news for him or his party, with every indication that the party will lose a large number of seats in Congress, and possibly lose the majority in one or both houses to the Republicans!

But it is not a guarantee by any means of what will happen, as polls have not been proved to be always an accurate reflection of what people will do on Election Day!

It also is a poor barometer of what will happen in the next Presidential election as shown by the following statistics:

September 1946–Harry Truman 32 percent rating
September 1978–Jimmy Carter 42 percent
September 1982–Ronald Reagan 42 percent
September 1994–Bill Clinton 42 percent

Realize that all of the above Presidents, despite their low public opinion rating at this point of their first term, went on to win another term as President, with the exception of Jimmy Carter!

So it is not time to write off Barack Obama by any means for 2012, and also at this point, there is no GOP potential nominee that has the backing or credentials that can be seen as presenting a real threat to the President!

But also recall that trying to predict the winner of the next Presidential election this far ahead of the contest is a losing proposition, as no one thought these future possibilities were reality at this point of a Presidential term:

Woodrow Wilson in 1910
Warren G. Harding in 1918
Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1930
Harry Truman in 1946
John F. Kennedy in 1958
Richard Nixon in 1966
Jimmy Carter in 1974
Ronald Reagan in 1978
Bill Clinton in 1990
Bill Clinton in 1994
Barack Obama in 2006

So the Presidential campaign truly begins right after the midterm elections are over on November 2, and there will be plenty to talk about, write about, and analyze about the perennial race for the White House!

Jimmy Carter Diary Becomes Public: Center Of Controversy!

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Former President Jimmy Carter, now nearly 30 years out of office, only behind Herbert Hoover in years of retirement, has decided to reveal his diary entries from his years in the White House, rather than wait till his passing!

Carter was interviewed on Sixty Minutes on CBS last night and will do the book tour for the next few weeks, including on Larry King Live on CNN tonight.

Carter certainly is not avoiding controversy now, any more than he did while in office!

Often considered a “failed” President, despite many accomplishments, a lot of the reputation due to his defeat by Ronald Reagan in 1980, Carter makes the assertion that he accomplished more of his agenda in four years than any other one term or two term President who followed him, and including Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon before him!

In other words, he had the highest rate of success in his agenda than anyone since Lyndon Johnson!

That assertion seems hard to prove, and actually very startling, and will require scholars to examine the Carter record in greater detail as to the validity of his assertion, which the author finds hard to believe!

Carter also shows an ugly streak of resentment and bitterness by attacking Senator Ted Kennedy, who died last year, accusing him of not wanting Carter to accomplish health care reform, which Carter claims could have been done thirty years ago!

Again, it is hard to imagine such a scenario as being possible in the late 1970s, with a growing conservative movement by 1978, which would have made such an accomplishment impossible!

Jimmy Carter has loved being controversial in his post Presidential years, and his newly published Diary only will add to that image he seems to pursue!

If nothing else, it will provoke historians and other scholars to focus on Carter, who has not been as much investigated as his successor, Ronald Reagan, and certainly deserves more analysis!

Carter’s longevity may have delayed much research, but it is likely much more will be published sooner, rather than later, due to this publication of his Diary!

Gerald Ford’s Pardon Of Richard Nixon, 36 Years Ago Today!

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On this day 36 years ago, probably the most controversial Presidential pardon in US history occurred, when President Gerald Ford, in office just one month, announced a full and unconditional pardon of former President Richard Nixon for his involvement in the Watergate scandal!

The Ford pardon caused an uproar nationally, was bitterly condemned by Senator Ted Kennedy and most other Democrats, and is seen as having undermined Ford’s later bid for a full term as President in the 1976 election, leading to the victory of Jimmy Carter by a two point popular vote margin, with the belief that Ford lost at least five percent of the vote due to the controversial pardon!

It was disturbing to many that others involved in the Watergate scandal did not receive pardons and served time in prison, while the former President seemingly escaped punishment!

However, 25 years later, Senator Kennedy arranged for a special award from the John F. Kennedy Library for former President Ford, and Kennedy declared that upon reflection, what Ford did back in 1974 was the right thing to do under the circumstances!

It still remains an area of debate today however, but it must be said that President Ford’s reputation improved in the nearly 30 years that he lived beyond his Presidency, and he is seen now, a few years after his death, as having served the country in an honorable way, and was indeed a “Profile In Courage!”

Richard Nixon’s reputation has been revived somewhat due to his insightful domestic policies, but the Watergate Scandal and questionable success in foreign policy (once thought to be his great strength) have contributed a great deal to the reality that Nixon still is seen as primarily negative in his impact on American history!

The unbelievable reality though is that after the many failures of George W. Bush, and his abuses of power much greater in many ways than Nixon, all of a sudden Richard Nixon looks a lot less evil than he has been seen in the past! 🙁

What a sad commentary on the decline of faith and belief in the American Presidency! 🙁