It’s REALLY jarring that as one of the worst, most corrupt, least ethical, nastiest, etc. individuals in the United States – Donald Trump – is about to be inaugurated as president again, after he tried to destroy our democracy the last go-around, we just lost someone – Jimmy Carter – who dedicated his entire life to DEFENDING our democracy, to trying to do what was moral/ethical, to being a good person who cared about others, to working towards making the world a better place, etc. And while Carter led a long, full, rich, productive life, it’s very sad that the last major US political development during his life was the election of someone as heinous as Trump – the antithesis of Carter in terms of ethics, morality, intelligence, humanity, you name it. Ugh.
Anyway, rest in peace to former President Jimmy Carter, who unfortunately lost Virginia 49%-48% to Gerald Ford (a VERY different/better type of Republican that Trump, Youngkin, DeSantis, etc, etc.) in 1976 (Carter narrowly won the presidency that year), then lost Virginia (and the country overall) in a landslide (53%-40%) to Ronald Reagan (a sharp move towards the right compared to Gerald Ford, but I’d still take him in a heartbeat over Trump!) in 1980. Carter then went on to lead one of the most productive, consequential POST-presidencies of anyone who’s ever held that office; truly impressive, with so much great work around the world and here in the United States on multiple fronts (e.g., see here – “served as a sort of diplomat without portfolio in various conflicts in a number of countries”; “efforts on behalf of international peace and his highly visible participation in building homes for the poor through Habitat for Humanity“; “Carter also became a prolific author, writing on a variety of topics”; etc).
Also, see below for reactions from Virginia politicians, starting with Sen. Mark Warner, who writes:
“Jimmy Carter blazed a trail from the peanut fields of Plains, Georgia to the Navy, the Governor’s Mansion, the White House, and to a remarkable post-presidential career – modeling leadership, philanthropy, and love of country every step of the way. We lost a giant.
“Jimmy Carter gave me my first job out of law school, and I have deeply admired his service since leaving the Oval Office. His dedication to building homes through Habitat for Humanity has always brought back warm memories of my father, who also volunteered with the organization well into his eighties. Like much of the Greatest Generation, President Carter will be remembered by what he built and left behind for us – a model of service late into life, a tireless devotion to family and philanthropy, and a more peaceful world to call home.”
I’ll add more reactions as I see them.
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