Carter’s Total Legacy Mixed, Remembered As Outsider

A Tennessee Tech Political Scientist said Jimmy Carter’s legacy as a political outsider will be a prominent part of his legacy.

Carter buried in Plains, Georgia Thursday after a state funeral in Washington. Political Science Department Chair Lori Maxwell said Carter’s platform ran into issues, in part, because of his dislike of the Washington ways.

“He was running as an outsider, not having previous a lot of previous experience in Washington D.C.,” Maxwell said. “And we have seen that approach on both side of the aisles including the current incoming President Trump, who before his first term ran as essentially an outsider.”

Maxwell said while Carter rebranded himself in many ways, it remains important to look at his entire legacy. She said Carter will be remembered not only for his accolades but also for the economic challenges of his time. Maxwell also said that during the late 1970s, stagflation, a combination of high inflation and high unemployment, was a major issue under Carter’s administration.

“Most of the time when we teach President Carter, or when we discuss President Carter, in many instances, history has recorded components of his presidency as not entirely successful,” Maxwell said.

Maxwell said one of the challenges Carter’s administration faced was the handling of the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis, which lasted up until Ronald Reagan’s election. Maxwell said that Carter’s response to the hostage crisis was heavily criticized at the time.

“For President Carter, that is not largely considered a successful handling,” Maxwell said. “Indeed, his Secretary of State, Cyrus Vance, had to retire over the issue.”

Maxwell said Carter’s key accomplishments include the signing of the Camp David Accords and the transfer of the Panama Canal back to Panama. In his life outside Washington, Maxwell said Carter had an impact with the World Health Organization and helped eradicate Guinea Worm Disease. She said Carter’s dedication to environmental conservation, particularly in his home state of Georgia, will be remembered.

“His third most significant post-presidency legacy is his focus on conservation,” Maxwell said. “Which was deeply rooted in his faith, as you know he taught Sunday school every Sunday right up until he was put in hospice care.

Maxwell said the events of Wednesday and Thursday show Americans still have reverence for those who serve as president.

“Everyday American citizens are pausing to thank, be thankful we had him for so long,” Maxwell said.