Jimmy Carter

Term: 1977-1981

Party: Democrat

Nickname: Jimmy, Peanut.

Short Bio:
Carter perhaps was the most "outsider" president to enter the White House in the 20th century. By outsider, I mean that he was not like all the politicians in Washington, he was an average joe. With people having less and less faith in the government, Carter seemed like a perfect fit. He wasn't business as usual. Carter sought to have a people friendly White House. He also sought to open the government to the underrepresented groups through appointments of African Americans in high posts. Congress, under Carter, created the Department of Education, deregulated the airline, trucking, and railroad industries, and a billion-dollar super fund was established to clean up abandoned chemical waste sites. Carter's own achievements came in the form of foreign policy initiatives, such as the Panama Canal treaty, the Camp David Accords, and the human rights policies abroad. However, he could not handle the increasingly sour relations with the Soviet Union when it invaded Afghanistan in December, 1979, and the hostage crisis in Iran, which dragged on for 444 days.
Carter's presidency is rated as one of the ten worst in U.S. history, and he is often described as an ineffective and miserable president, who alienated many Washington insiders and members of Congress. During his term, inflation and interest rates were at record highs, and the president was seen as ineffectual in domestic affairs and weak in foreign affairs. On the other hand though, Carter gave the country and administration that was marked by integrity and high-mindedness, despite severe constraints.

Grade: D+
Cater was a nice guy, but America doesn't necessarily need a nice guy to run the country. He ended up being too much of an outsider, who alienated important people in Washington. The Iran Hostage Crisis was mishandled and the hostages were let go as soon as Reagan was voted in, which just shows that Iran really didn't like Carter. There was an energy crisis and inflation was through the roof, all of which made Carter look like a bad president. Carter, though he wasn't successful in office, has gained much popularity since then. He works extensively with Habitat for Humanity and helps with other humanitarian organizations.