His biographers say that Jimmy Carter cried the night he lost re-election in 1980. He was convinced that he was suffering a great injustice, certain that he still had much to do to save the nation and the world. However, he said goodbye as he arrived and as he governed: reproaching others for not being up to his standards. That perspective explains the brilliant career he had as former president, where he was able to excel in what he was truly passionate about: helping, rather than leading. Carter did much better building houses in Haiti or supervising elections in Sudan than facing the challenges of his presidency, such as reducing the price of gasoline or freeing the 66 hostages held by the ayatollahs in Iran. One of the most memorable speeches of the Carter’s presidency went down in history as a half-hour reprimand addressed to the entire nation. It was July 1979, in the midst of the economic crisis: inflation was around 11% and queues at gas stations were lengthening due to the collapse of the Iranian oil sector after the Islamic Revolution. Carter had spent ten days imprisoned at Camp David to reflect on the direction of the country. During that time, he consulted with politicians, academics and advisors, seeking answers about why Americans rejected his calls to save energy, be more caring and consume less. From this introspection arose the famous “malaise speech”, in which he partially blamed society for the national deterioration, pointing out that the United States was suffering from “a spiritual evil” marked by consumerism, superficiality and a lack of values. “There is no way to avoid the necessary sacrifices,” he warned. Shortly after, in a desperate attempt to change course, he fired his entire cabinet en masse. However, this gesture failed to reverse public perception or stop the decline of his Administration, already headed towards failure. Related News standard If “We owe him gratitude”: Trump and the other US presidents fire Carter David Alandete | Correspondent in Washington The funeral of the former president will be in Washington, there will be official mourning at the swearing-in on January 20. In those final months of his presidency, Carter assumed the role of the anti-politician: the Georgia peanut farmer who, after a brief term as governor, arrived to Washington with the promise of transforming politics. In a country still shaken by the Watergate scandal and the resignation of Richard Nixon, Carter embodied a new way of governing, more austere and close. He was the first populist president of the White House, more committed to symbolic gestures than addressing the deep crises that were brewing: he carried his own briefcase on the plane, wore a wool cardigan in his office so as not to turn on the heating, and personally turned off the radiators. This rejection of the traditional forms of the Presidency took its toll on him. Carter avoided cultivating relationships with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, whom he depended on to approve his budgets. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tip O’Neill, never forgave him when, at a breakfast with deputies in the White House, Carter omitted to serve the essentials: a decent breakfast, with eggs and toast, or whatever. Details like these, easily remedied, fueled his unpopularity, especially in his own party. Carter was also known for his obstinacy. According to his biographers, he was convinced that his way of thinking and acting was correct, which made it difficult to persuade him. This stubbornness fueled a growing isolation, which contributed to the weakening of his presidency and his eventual defeat. That same tenacity, however, allowed him to achieve his greatest achievement, perhaps the only one that still endures: getting two leaders as opposite as night and On the day, Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Menachem Begin of Israel will sign a diplomatic agreement of mutual recognition that still stands. During the ceremony at Camp David, Sadat joked: “Your tenacity, President, surpasses even that of the fathers of my nation, and they built the pyramids.” Iran was the broken stepping stone that precipitated Carter’s fall. Although initially reluctant, he eventually allowed the Shah of Persia, Reza Pahlavi, to enter the United States for medical reasons following the Islamic Revolution. The response was immediate and brutal: a mob took over the American Embassy in Tehran. Carter suspended almost his entire agenda, including his election campaign, naively trusting that he could negotiate with the zealous religious students occupying the embassy. Far from showing mercy, the occupiers toyed with him mercilessly. Desperate, Carter ordered a rescue mission with eight helicopters, a poorly planned operation that ended in disaster: a crash between aircraft and the death of eight soldiers. Contrite, Carter publicly took responsibility for his failure. Only after their electoral defeat did the ayatollahs agree to release the hostages. In a final act of calculated cruelty, they waited until minutes after Ronald Reagan was sworn in as president and occupied the Oval Office to do so.
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