Jimmy Carter, American Moralist Hardcover – April 1, 2017 by Kenneth Morris (Uniiversity of Georgia Press)

Jimmy Who? That was the question many American asked themselves during the 1976 presidential campaign. Who was this obscure southern governor positioning himself into the highest office in the land? Twenty-five years later, many Americans find themselves asking this exact same question despite a presidential term and a prominent life in volunteer work. While a full understanding of Jimmy Carter is impossible, Mr. Morris provides a fine introduction to his life. The author puts a strong emphasis on the role morality played both in Carter's private life and public image. 

The book is especially strong in exploring Carter's childhood and early political career - a topic that is neglected in every other Carter book. Less emphasis is placed on Carter's presidential term. Major incidents that shaped the late 1970s receive only a few pages each. What are we to make of Jimmy Carter's presidency? Even though the Southern Baptist may have been the most ethical and decent man to occupy the White House this century, the record is wanting, at best, miserable at worst. This is because Carter lacked any core vision of where he wanted to take his country. He never explained to voters or to himself the direction he wanted to take us. Further, in cases where Carter was more assertive, like energy policy, he was inexperienced in how Washington politics worked. He stumbled badly in his Congressional relations and he never constructed a loyal constituency out of the American public. 

There were some positives, such as the Egypt-Israel peace accords and legislation deregulating the airline and trucking industries. The Iran Hostage affair was a perplexing situation that would have frustrated any leader. But on economics and Cold War relations, the most important issues of Carter's term, his administration was especially inept. Even though Carter had private misgivings about Keynesianism, he couldn't bring himself to repudiate the tenets of social liberalism. Government spending surged under Carter's term. Inflation proved resistant to his wage and price contols. Under Carter's foreign policy team, detente continued to be a one-way street working to Moscow's advantage. It took a man with a far different perspective of the world, Ronald Regan, to reverse Carter's shortcomings. It is unfair to label Jimmy Carter a failure. Only the harshest critic can label a man who rose to the highest office in the land - and served with honesty and integrity- as a "failure." But Carter's presidency was constrained by a lack of vision, competence, and a failed ideology. The responsibility for this situation lies solely with this farmer's son from Plains.