Jimmy Carter’s life after the presidency set a bar that few others have followed | Jan-Werner Müller

Carter was a man of extraordinary integrity. No president after him succeeded at doing as much post-White House good

Jimmy Carter’s presidency has been etched into historical memory as a failure. That judgment is curious, particularly when it comes from American conservatives; many of the right’s favorite policies – deregulation and a ruthless fight against inflation, no matter the cost in unemployment – were actually started under Carter. Of course, the more that malaise can be associated with the peanut farmer from Georgia, the shinier becomes his successor, Ronald Reagan, conservatism’s greatest 20th-century hero.

What should be beyond dispute is that Carter was the most successful ex-president of the postwar period, and perhaps the greatest former president, period. That has a lot do with his sheer integrity. But the fact that no former chief executive after Carter managed to emulate his model – using their skills and access to do genuinely important things in politics, rather than mostly cashing in – says much about our times.

Topics

US Teenager Fighting for His Life After Father and 2 Others Killed in Mexico

Jason Peña, now 14, was shot in the head on a highway in the state of Durango, a family spokeswoman said. His father and uncle, both U.S. citizens, and a Mexican relative were also killed.
The New York Times - 5h
Former President Jimmy Carter to be honored over 6-day funeral schedule

Preparations have started for the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at age 100. Events are set in Carter's hometown of Plains, Georgia, and in Washington, D.C. Mark ...
CBS News - 1d
Jimmy Carter's grandson talks former president's life, legacy

Former President Jimmy Carter died at age 100 on Sunday.
ABC News - 1d

More from The Guardian

New Orleans: local authorities say they believe ‘multiple people are involved’ in attack – latest updates

House fire in New Orleans home also believed to be ‘connected to this event’, says Louisiana attorney general Liz Murrill. Shamsud-Din Jabbar , the 42-year-old US citizen from Texas identified ...
The Guardian - 25m
South Korea plane crash: police raid Muan airport and Jeju Air office

Pressure builds on authorities to establish cause of crash which killed 179 people. Police in South Korea have raided Muan international airport, the scene of Sunday’s plane crash , in which 179 ...
The Guardian - 3h
One dead after Tesla Cybertruck explodes outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas

Cybertruck was stuffed with firework mortars and camp fuel canisters, with authorities working to determine the motive of the incident. One person died and seven others were injured after a Tesla ...
The Guardian - 14h
Middle East crisis live: 18 killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza including in al-Mawasi ‘safe zone’

Airstrike hit tent encampment sheltering displaced families in southern Gaza Strip and also killed director-general of Gaza’s police department, say medics. Lebanon ’s National News Agency reports ...
The Guardian - 20m
South Korea’s impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol vows to ‘fight until end’

Yoon issues letter to supporters as he faces arrest over declaration of martial law and alleged insurrection. South Korea’s impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has rallied his supporters in a ...
The Guardian - 4h

More in World

Elon Musk’s calls for Tommy Robinson release angers Labour MPs

Billionaire ally of Donald Trump also accuses Keir Starmer on X of failing to prosecute child rapists in Oldham. Elon Musk has caused anger by calling for the release of Tommy Robinson and accusing ...
The Guardian - 18m
Middle East crisis live: 18 killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza including in al-Mawasi ‘safe zone’

Airstrike hit tent encampment sheltering displaced families in southern Gaza Strip and also killed director-general of Gaza’s police department, say medics. Lebanon ’s National News Agency reports ...
The Guardian - 20m
Wholesale gas price at highest level in more than year as Russian supplies stop

Prices highest since October 2023 after transit deal ends as storage supply levels in Europe fall at fastest pace since 2021. Business live – latest updates The wholesale price of gas has ...
The Guardian - 21m
Kenya urges end to secondhand textile misinformation

Yahoo News - 22m
New Orleans: local authorities say they believe ‘multiple people are involved’ in attack – latest updates

House fire in New Orleans home also believed to be ‘connected to this event’, says Louisiana attorney general Liz Murrill. Shamsud-Din Jabbar , the 42-year-old US citizen from Texas identified ...
The Guardian - 25m

}