President Carter lays down his cards

President Carter lays down his cards

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in Opinion

Thursday, September 17. 2009

Comments (41)

In light of the Joe Wilson / Kanye West debates that rage on regarding public outburst I have begun to think about all the residual damage that can occur.

One such example is the public playing of the "race card" by former President Jimmy Carter.

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#1 Avinash Machado on 09/17/09 at 08:58 AM

Might be misguided loyalty to Obama. Interestingly some are claiming that Obama is Carter II.

#2 WI John Galt on 09/17/09 at 09:40 AM

Recall when Jimmy Carter was President his brother Billy (remember Billy Beer) was always embarrassing him with his comments and antics.

One evening during his monologue Johnny Carson was commenting about Jimmy Carter and quipped; “the more Jimmy talks, the better Billy sounds”.

Ah so true…even now, some 35-40 years later, Jimmy still talks a lot and says very little!!!

Quite like some our local elected officials.

#2.1 Watching as America Spins out of Control on 09/17/09 at 10:48 AM

How so true! What amazes me is that some members of congress have always disagreed with previous Presidents, but now since Obama, any disagreement turns racial...how sad! Name calling has always been a part of politics. Jimmy Carter should know that better then any of the past Presidents, after all look how many military members lost their lives in the blotch rescue attemp of the Iran hostages. Politics will be Politics, we as americans need to get off of the Race Card and tackle the real issues, like lack of experience for one.

#3 Lulabelle on 09/17/09 at 09:53 AM

Jimmy Carter sees the truth & speaks it. That's why he remains my number 1 hero.

#4 Anonymous on 09/17/09 at 10:04 AM

I don't always agree with Uncle Jimmy, but I have asked the same question recently of many people. I believe that there is an underlying racist issue with some. I moved to GA when I was in 4th grade and didn't know we were supposed to "hate blacks" until I moved to GA. Of course, that was not my mother's rule and so we did not follow it, but it is a very strong legacy that will be hard to break.

#4.1 Anonymous on 09/17/09 at 08:06 PM

i responded to this comment but they didnt post it.. Too bad. Lots of people needed to read it. It was the realest and most trueful thing ever wrote on here. It didnt violate anything as far as rules on this blog so thank the mods for it. There shouldnt be an Opinion column if you cant post your real opinion that isnt racist.

#5 Anonymous on 09/17/09 at 11:03 AM

"When a radical fringe element of demonstrators and others begin to attack the president of the United States as an animal or as a reincarnation of Adolf Hitler or when they wave signs in the air that said we should have buried Obama with Kennedy, those kinds of things are beyond the bounds. I think people who are guilty of that kind of personal attack against Obama have been influenced to a major degree by a belief that he should not be president because he happens to be African American." - Jimmy Carter

#5.1 grandma3 on 09/17/09 at 11:44 PM

IT SEEMS TO ME THE MEDIA IS STARTING UP WITH THIS RACIST MESS-IF YOU DISAGREE WITH THIS PRESIDENT YOU ARE A RACIST-IF YOU DISAGREED WITH BUSH WHAT WERE YOU-I WAS AT THE DC MARCH ON 9-12-THEY HAD A BLACK SPEAKER-HE SAID HE WAS NOT AN AFRICAN AMERICAN-HE WAS AN AMERICAN-WHY DO PEOPLE HAVE TO LABEL THEMSELVESSEEMS TO ME THEY WANT TO MAKE A DISTINCTION-AND KEEP THE POT BREWING

#5.1.1 Anonymous on 09/18/09 at 08:00 AM

I saw quite a few pictures from the march in DC and did not see any black people in the crowd. Kinda hard to ignore that. It's most definitely a racist movement to "take our country back." BTW, I'm white, middle-aged, voted for Obama and am proud of it.

It's scary to see people foaming-at-the-mouth angry over the so-called "issues" regarding our president. The issue is within you...not him.

#5.1.1.1 John Boy on 09/18/09 at 11:51 PM

NO My issue is with him...he is a marxist and a socialist. Maybe you should do a little economics homework and understand a few things about Obama and his ideals and what he is trying to do with his bills. Healthcare is going to get worse when it becomes Gov't run....it is not a public option like it says...read the actual bills that are proposed. Think the banks are better since the gov't took it over? How about GM? Do we get a profit share since the taxpayers own that...When the goverment is in control what happens( i.e. Soviet Union, China). As far as Carter...he is just trying to stay relevant....Go build a house or something Jimmy

#5.1.2 Anonymous on 10/24/09 at 01:36 AM

If you diagreed with Bush,you were a Smart American.

#6 Anonymous on 09/17/09 at 11:38 AM

Just another retired politician trying to stay relevant by making controversial statements.
I'm not sure he really believes himself.
Why doesn't he comment on Healthcare, Acorn,
Government Motors, the economy, Afganistan?
Why? Because he knows no one will listen.
He has to bring up race so he can see his name back in the news.
Dear Mr. Carter,
Please retire and stay retired!

#7 Enoc Siuol on 09/17/09 at 12:05 PM

President Carter is entitled to his opinion. I believe racism is still prevalent in the US and has just until recently gone underground. Now it’s just expressed in a less obvious manner and is demonstrated in a more covert way. President Carter is not in any way playing the race card because he hasn’t anything to gain by what he has expressed. Recent events show that racism is not restricted to any people and by any people. Joe Wilson’s comment, “You lie!” was more than just a passionate difference of opinion. His blatant lack of respect for office of the Presidency was motivated by perceiving President Obama as less than worthy to hold the office. Pres. Obama was duly elected by the people and by a sizable margin so Wilson’s contempt could have only have been fueled by a subconscious mindset bigotry.

#8 Ant on 09/17/09 at 12:14 PM

Jimmy Carter has ruined any chances for someone from Ga to be Pres. and no one can disagree with the pres without being called a racist. So I guess I'm racist then!

#8.1 Anonymous on 09/17/09 at 07:57 PM

They don't need to! Listen at all the Fools talk on here!

#9 the truth on 09/17/09 at 01:00 PM

mr peanut was the worst president we ever had,but the one now is holding a close third behind slick willie.how much longer will people continue to put up with this crap of everytime somebody critizes obama its racist?i thought the whole thing behind having a half-breed in the white house was to help racial issues in this country.well folks,i hate to tell you it ain't working,and it never will.you can dance around that love tree holding hands singing kum ba ya all you want and keep saying to your self "we all just love each other" but sooner or later you realize that some things are never going to change.

#10 H B on 09/17/09 at 01:35 PM

This was moving along like any other event, until some person plays the race card. I fail to see how the race card could be played.
It is my opinion, Jimmy Carter sould crawl back under his rock in Plains, GA and stay there.

#11 Anonymous on 09/17/09 at 02:54 PM

Why anyone would listen to a single word that comes out of Jimmy Carters mouth is beyond me. He was one of the worst presidents this country has had. He took both intrest rates,and inflation into the double digits. I disagree with what he says about Joe Wilson anyway, and I think that it was a stupid comment from a stupid man. I think that Wilson's comment was simply a passionate response that was said in the heat of the moment, with little thought behind it. I do not think that he made the comment with the intent to disrespect the president...and certainly not because the "president is an african american". While I believe that racism is alive and well, I do not think that this was an example of it. It seems more like the attempts of some of the people who comment on this blog--they look for racism where there is none. They achieve exactly what they want, they stir up racist comments.

Could anyone PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE explain how exactly our president is considered an African American? I still after all this time have no idea how or why we call him our first Black President.

#12 Anonymous on 09/17/09 at 02:56 PM

I am tired of seeing comments about "lack of respect for the office of presidency" what kind of respect has Obama and other Dem leaders shown the concerned citizens of this United States? We have been called terrorist, racists, rebel rousers, among others.You damn right, I dont respect him! You damn right, he is a liar!

#12.1 GM on 09/17/09 at 04:47 PM

It is possible to have respect for the office of president and not have any respect for the person occupying that office. You see, respect for the office would be considered automatic while respect for the person must be earned. Honesty and integrity would be a good way to start earning that respect but in my opinion has yet to be demonstrated. He has fully demonstrated an inability to be a leader although he works very hard at presenting the appearance that he is. In simple terms, the American people elected an unqualified person to lead, and that has nothing to do with his race.

His ability to do the job seems to always have the racial bias curve thrown in to every opposing view. I guess that those of us, who are white and didn’t agree with Clinton, didn’t like white people either. The thought of disagreeing with the policies equals racism is absurd.

There is a much more visible display of racism attached to the Obama administration which never seems to raise its head. This racism was not committed by whites yet it is so obvious to me that it is racism in a pure form and committed by our black accusers. More blacks voted in this election than ever has. A large percentage of these black voters voted for Obama only because they considered him black. It made no difference on who was running for what office, skin color got the nod. So many of the black voters couldn’t even answer question about who the people were on the ballot. Therefore, these voters could be considered racist because they did not want to understand who could run the country best, only what color skin the individual had running it. They voted for color over qualifications and that is obvious racism.

Let me emphasize that I am not accusing every black voter of racial bias. These are just my opinions. And one other opinion that I have is that the majority of whites have grown beyond racism and blacks cannot accept it and insist on keeping it alive.

#13 max on 09/17/09 at 07:38 PM

SHAME on Carter for this! He should be above this kind of race baiting! I've never agreed with him politically but I used to have a great deal of respect for him. But this is truly sad. What he's basically laying the ground for is the claim that ANY dissent is not racially motivated. This is not only un-presidential, its DANGEROUS!! Again, shame on you James Earl Carter, Jr. SHAME!

#14 dennis akins on 09/17/09 at 09:18 PM

max y u lost respect carter him the truth max u wrong

#15 Anonymous on 09/17/09 at 09:51 PM

"When a radical fringe element of congress and others begin to attack the citizens of the United States as astroturf or as a brownshirt or a reincarnation of Adolf Hitler or when they wave arms in the air and say we are like Timothy McVeigh, those kinds of things are beyond the bounds. I think people who are guilty of that kind of personal attack against U.S. citizens have been influenced to a major degree by a belief that he we should not be allowed to voice our opinions because we disagree with them." - NOT Jimmy Carter

#16 Anonymous on 09/17/09 at 09:58 PM

Jimmy Carter needs to rest in his rocking chair, keep his disgruntled mouth closed and stay out of everyone's business. He had his chance.

#17 Anonymous on 09/18/09 at 02:14 AM

you rule GM. I dont like any president that isnt as smart as a man like me. everyone knows obama is a socialist born on some island half way around the world. whens the last time he wanted to do something for the middle class. he raised our taxes and only helps people of color. carter is as black as he is. He sould go get some of the pigment that michael jackson had removed so he could turn black. pretty soon we will be the minority.

#18 Anonymous on 09/18/09 at 09:02 AM

NOW we all know- Billy Carter was the brains in the family !!

#18.1 anonymous on 09/18/09 at 05:01 PM

I have lived in lamar county all my life from milner school to lamar co high.what mr.carter said was the truth but white people can't handle it becuse they are trained to hate at a early age.not all of them but most are.

#18.1.1 Anonymous on 09/18/09 at 11:01 PM

Another mind reader bordering on stupid. How does it feel to know what everybody thinks.

#19 Anonymous on 09/18/09 at 01:08 PM

Carter was right and you know it. Next he should discuss all these people who love their country so much but do everything they can to divide it. That'd be ya'll.

#19.1 Anonymous on 09/18/09 at 11:05 PM

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh it feels good to count to ten before getting mad at somebody with their head stuck where the sun don't shine. I almost forgot that it's impossible to argue with an idiot.

#20 Anonymous on 09/18/09 at 06:00 PM

I'm a white male and I think Carter is correct. Most of the comments here show it.

#20.1 Anonymous on 09/18/09 at 10:59 PM

You and 19 are shining examples of you can't cure stupid.

#20.2 Anonymous on 09/18/09 at 11:06 PM

I bet you are gay too.

#21 Linda Walker on 09/18/09 at 09:42 PM

As a great majority of white people voted for and elected Obama as president, how can we say all his opposition is based on race. I think it is his policy and his radical associations.. I just wish I could figure out what his final agenda is.

#22 MM on 09/19/09 at 02:23 AM

I remember Carter running for governor as a liberal, losing the demo primary to Lester Maddox in 1966. Four years later he sounded like a segregationist and won. Presto, he goes back to being a moralistic whining left-winger who lectures the rest of us on how to behave.
Carter reinvents himself to suit the audience. It was nice to see Ronald Reagan run him out of town in 1980. In a word, Carter was overrated and that's being nice to him.

#23 MM on 09/19/09 at 02:28 AM

Actually, Obama failed to get a majority of the white vote. The last Democrat running for president to do so was Lyndon Johnson in 1964, who took about 60 percent of the total vote.
To me LBJ was a horrible president, corrupt, vile, crude and to top it off, he was ugly. He was the media's man in '64. The Kennedys foisted Johnson on us. Never vote for the media candidate. Yes, I voted for Goldwater.

#24 Anonymous on 09/19/09 at 08:32 PM

I actually think that they should divide the USA down the middle and have 2 different presidents. Democrats on the west coast and republicans/conservatives on the east coast. You choose who or what govnt style you want to live under. Each side has a budget that they go by. Do this for about 12 years and see how things pan out. The whole west coast would basically look like N.O. before Katrina hit. Ill bet my life on that.

#25 Anonymous on 09/19/09 at 08:36 PM

If blacks only make up for 18% of votes, why is there such a high number of them in prison. Go to each states department of corrections webpage and look it up for yourself. Keep in mind that most states consider you white if you are not black. They dont have time or want to fool with each ethnic group. Black or white. They may have another section or two but it isnt accurate. I did it for years. I know what im talking about. See for yourself.

#26 anonymous on 09/19/09 at 10:16 PM

once apone a time are rather many times....we had many presdents who we all voted in.after we voted them in...nobody belived them ..everyone put them down.when papa bear fixed the pourage he tried to explain to his children that the presdent is nothing but a scape goat.he cant do anything..nothing..without congress..no matter what COLOR he is....The reason i am talking to you like children....when you are talked to like ADULTS...YOU DONT LISTEN....

#26.1 Linda Walker on 09/20/09 at 02:39 PM

George Bush has been blamed for everything under the sun (and we had a democratic congress for the past two years of his presidency) so, does this scenario apply to him?

#27 Anonymous on 09/19/09 at 11:45 PM

what happens when congress gets overtaken. Isnt there a such thing as veto proof or something of that nature.

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