Jimmy Carter

Percy writes:

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There was also the gas shortage with incredible lines at the pumps

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I think you're confusing Carter for Nixon. There was a gas shortage in 1979 due to the Iranian Revolution and the Iran/Iraq war which brought the oil production of both countries to a halt, but that was nothing compared to the shortage under Nixon. OPEC instituted an embargo on the US.And prices stayed high.They collapsed after the 79 oil shock.

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plus inflation was up way above 10% and mortgage interest rates above 15%.

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Yes, due to the economic collapse during the Nixon administration, or have you forgotten about that? Rates were going down and GDP was recovering at the end of the Carter administration...until Reagan came in and cut taxes on the top end.And yet, despite all that, the economy fared better in the 70s than in the 80s. Carter's economy was one of the most robust we had seen. From the end of WWII to Obama, there have been just as many Republican administrations as Democratic administrations...and the economy has always done better under the Democrats.Job creation, for example: Of the 12 presidents, the top six are the Democrats. Reagan's the best Republican, but he boosted his numbers by expanding the public sector. Now, in and of itself, that's not a problem, but let's remember that the Republicans think that public sector jobs are what's killing the country.[Bureau of Labor Statistics: Job Growth per Year: Carter 3.1%, Reagan 2.1%
Private-sector jobs/year: Carter 2.3 million, Reagan 1.8 million]Carter was one of the best presidents we've ever had. If the Reagan campaign hadn't literally committed treason and convinced Iran to not release the hostages until after the election, there was a good chance he would have won and we wouldn't have the disaster that we see now.

Percy responds to me:

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I don't think most people see him that way.

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They may not "see him that way," but not because of anything he did. He had one of the most successful presidencies in the modern era.

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He was a man who became president and found the job too big for him.

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(*blink!*)You did not just say that, did you?Again, the man had one of the most successful presidencies our country has seen and you can say with a straight face that "the job was too big for him"? It's because he was so successful in his presidency that his "true calling," as you put it, was so beneficial.You've fallen for the lies, Percy. The Nixon/Ford legacy was one of the worst periods the country had been through and Carter brought us back from the brink. And because of him, the 70s were a more successful time for the country than the 80s. And yet somehow, people think that Reagan was a good president and Carter was a lousy one.I don't deny that people *think* that Carter was lousy.Just as I don't deny that people *think* that evolution is a crock.But just because two million people think a dumb thing, it's still a dumb thing.

Percy responds to me:

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Clearly you and many others think very highly of Jimmy Carter's presidency, but I think the Wikipedia section on Carter's public image and legacy is a pretty fair assessment, and it's pretty much in line with my own opinion.

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Wikipedia is not a source.But that said, you seem to be confusing popularity with reality.You did read my post before responding, didn't you? You seem to have missed the end: You do understand what that means, yes? When Bush II left office, his approval numbers were down around 30% and now it's about 50%. Do you really think his popularity has changed anything regarding the effects of him being President?The reason I think highly of Carter's presidency is because the things that he accomplished and the policies he worked to institute were good and effective. Not everything, of course. But on the whole, he was in the right direction. We needed more of it, not less.