Jimmy Carter and the DNC Con

The Empire uses presidents of different stripes to fulfill its ends at different times, weaponizing their attributes for various purposes.

I didn’t become seriously politically active till the late 80s. So most of my crit of the Democratic Party begins during that period. But it should go back much further.

Pivotal was the presidency of Jimmy Carter, who turns 100 shortly. I wrote a lengthy piece about him — “When Jimmy Carter Lied to Me (Twice) and the Weaponization of Most Everything” — below last year which includes video of my questioning him about Israeli nukes (one of my few pieces behind a paywall because I hate restricting access to content, but please support my writing if you can.)

The DNC’s “lesser evil” con which I’ve been addressing exceeds my lifetime.

I ended my piece on Carter thus:

I’ve grown to see the US establishment as an Empire. And it uses presidents of different stripes to fulfill its ends at different times, weaponizing their attributes for various purposes. This goes for ostensible “America Firsters” like Trump, outright warmongers like the Bushes — and alleged humanitarians like Carter.

I put this out today via accuracy.org which focuses on Carter’s economic policies —

Jimmy Carter Began the Free Market Revolution Before Reagan, New Historical Evidence Shows

Jimmy Carter was born October 1, 1924. 

DAVID GIBBS, dgibbs@arizona.edu

    Gibbs is professor of history at the University of Arizona, as well as affiliated faculty in Africana Studies there. He is the author of the recently published Revolt of the Rich: How the Politics of the 1970s Widened America’s Class Divide (Columbia University Press).

    Gibbs, who has been studying the Carter presidency for the past 15 years, said today: "My research has found that Carter was far more conservative than previously recognized. Evidence from newly opened archives show that Carter initiated the deregulation of U.S. industry and finance, reduced the power of organized labor, lowered taxes on business, and imposed austerity measures that intentionally raised unemployment among working people. Carter also augmented military spending for the first time in a decade, diverting resources from domestic programs, while increasing U.S. interventions overseas. He reoriented the Democratic Party in a free market direction, a change that endured for the long term. America’s right turn in domestic and foreign policy really began during the Carter presidency, not -- as is widely believed -- during that of his successor, Ronald Reagan. Carter should also be remembered for his support of racial justice and his many impressive achievements after he left the presidency. But we must not whitewash his central role in overturning FDR’s New Deal and concentrating wealth among the top 1 percent of the U.S. population."

But even Gibbs’s positive remark about Carter supporting racial justice warrants scrutiny. As MLK put it shortly before he was killed: “I fear I am integrating my people into a burning house.” Carter helped ensure an insidious sort of corporate integration.

Here’s my piece which focuses on Carter’s foreign policy: