Jimmy Carter

It was stupid. Especially in the wake of the Miracle on Ice.

 

Yeah, but then they boycotted 1984 in LA so we won a lot more medals and everyone could chant USA!!! a bunch more times.

 

I don't agree with the phony part, but I do think there's evidence to suggest that Carter was as self-centered as any president of recent vintage. It was rather infamous that scheduling for the White House tennis court went directly through the President's desk. Some of his early stances on race (and subsequent unwillingness to talk about it) reflect an attempt to position himself in a favorable manner. His unwillingness to work with Congress probably hastened the end of conservative Democrats because the gap between his agenda and their agenda was so wide. He's taken several pot-shots at later presidents because he couldn't resist defending his legacy. I still have a ton of respect for his faith and his works, but I'm guessing he's harangued more than a few people at dinner parties over the last 40 years. I'm guessing there's an Angry Carter, and he was probably dreaded not because he was scary but because he was a pain in the ass.

On the flip side, it seems to me like post-presidency GWB seems mostly content to paint, go to ballgames and make up nicknames for people. Iraq war crimes aside, he almost seems like pleasant company.

As for the Habitat thing, I do kind of wonder what a nonagenarian can really do at a Habitat build, but I imagine the publicity he's netted that organization has been worth its weight in gold even if he pounded in all the nails backwards for five minutes and then shook hands.

 

This is true. He didn’t have many friends in DC. He alienated a lot of people.
To his credit, he apparently changed for the better upon losing and being cast out of office.

 

And load up on free McDonalds

 

I'm gonna spit on every 10th hamburger.

I like those odds!

 

I was gonna post about this with something I remembered, but I wasn't sure of the facts.
A female Olympian from the boycotting 1980 Team USA was on a flight that Carter was also on. Carter, as I recall, used to move around the plane chatting with people. The woman told him that she was among those not allowed to go to Russia. He told her that boycotting the Russia Games was the biggest mistake he made as President.

 

It might have been, but that was a no-win scenario. Either you're portrayed as kow-towing to the Commies in an election year or you're ruining the hopes and dreams of a bunch of fresh-faced young Americans. Some countries allowed their athletes to compete but didn't use their flag, but that wasn't even really available to Carter et al, because if you're not going to go whole hog on the boycott, who will?

 

We. Went. To. Nazi. Germany.

"Kowtowing" would have been had they made some unattractive ultimatum and we gave in.

 

That perspective also left us unprepared when someone like Trump strode onto the stage, though.

 

Boy, that was the truth. McD's lost a lot of money on that promo. I ate a Big Mac on Mary Lou.

 

You lucky sonofabitch.