Jimmy Carter & Joe Biden, a Tale of Two Departures
In Macbeth, Shakespeare describes the hanging of a man for treason, saying that he acquitted himself by confessing his sins before he died. “Nothing in his life became him,” one eyewitness tells the king of Scotland, “like the leaving it.”
I’ve been thinking of that line lately as I watch the leave-taking of two Democrat presidents whose entry onto the political scene was separated by only a few years.
Jimmy Carter had a good heart, maybe too good for politics. He tried to appease the Mullahs in Iran, instead of playing hardball. He offered the pivotal Panama Canal to the country of Panama, despite what it cost the US in blood — an estimated 38,000 Americans died or were severely injured in building it — and treasure. The $1 sale was part of his vision of spreading world peace instead of nuclear proliferation. He was a Sunday school teacher, who sought to import Christian values to the world stage.
His funeral at the National Cathedral was a celebration of a man of principle, who won election on a 1976 campaign slogan of making America “as good and honest as its people.” Coming after the twin nightmares of Vietnam and Watergate, with public confidence in government at an all-time low, his message resonated. Pushing for energy conservation, he once appeared in the Oval Office wearing a cardigan sweater, to lead by example, encouraging Americans to turn down their thermostats as he had.
His grandson Jason Carter spoke about his grandparents’ humility. He called the 39th president a regular “PawPaw” from the “tiny village” of Plains, Ga. (population 572) who as president and later in his work for Habitat for Humanity and at the Carter Center advocating for world peace and disease prevention was able to connect with marginalized people around the world. Of former President Jimmy and First Lady Rosalynn Carter, Jason said, “They were small-town people who never forgot who they were and where they were from, no matter what happened in their lives.”
Even President Trump —who criticized the high inflation and flawed foreign policy of Carter’s presidency — in a statement honored his memory, and legacy.
“While I strongly disagreed with him philosophically and politically, I also realized that he truly loved and respected our Country, and all it stands for,” Trump wrote. “He worked hard to make America a better place. For that I give him my highest respect.”
The contrast to Joe Biden’s departure from the White House could not be greater.
In a scorched earth strategy, the 46th president is doing everything he can to undermine and handicap the 47th.
Aware of Trump’s commitment to sealing the US southern border and deporting illegals who have been convicted of crimes, Biden and his DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have, by executive action, extended amnesty to nearly 1 million illegal migrants from El Salvador, Venezuela, Ukraine and Sudan.
Mindful of Trump’s promise to reverse the Dems green enviro policies that have hurt the US economy — and arguably California’s very existence — Biden banned oil drilling on all federal waters off the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and portions of the northern Bering Sea in Alaska —625 million acres.
Having pardoned his son Hunter for all crimes he may have committed over the past 11 years, Biden and his Atty Gen Merrick Garland are considering charging another 200 January 6 protestors for their role in the protests with a week before the inauguration. This while knowing that Trump and his MAGA supporters view the DOJ’s persecution as overreach in a political, partisan witchhunt.
None of this should surprise. When it comes to Trump, Biden has been like one of his snarling dogs that bit Secret Service agents and were banished to Delaware. He has called him Hitler, castigated him as a racist, decried his supporters as garbage. After the election, Biden invited Trump to the White House, promising a smooth transition.
Instead he has shown his true colors, the measure of his character. I hope history will remember him for efforts to thwart democracy, censor citizens, mandate their healthcare choices and destroy the fabric of their lives — and dishonor our history — with policies that allowed men into women’s sports and racism into America’s schools.
In any event, it’s only one more week.
Trump's inauguration can't get here fast enough!
A very thoughtful comparison and contrast of these two presidents. It sounds like Captain Marco saying, "Raymond Shaw is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life" when I hear about people talking about the Carter presidency and his sainthood in the years following his presidency. In fact, Carter's meddling in foreign affairs were borderline treasonous.
He sure looks good next to Biden who has been a marionette since the late 80s. Learning from you Biden's latest moves in these final days just rock me with disgust. As always, great job. I always learn something from you! Keep up the great work!