海角大神

How Jimmy Carter became the best ex-president

Depressed and isolated after his loss to Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential election, Carter found a new mission and changed the world

Nobody expected Jimmy Carter to have much influence after his presidency, perhaps least of all Jimmy Carter himself.

The first single-term president to be sacked by voters since Herbert Hoover, Carter left the White House in 1981 as a disgraced and isolated figure. It didn鈥檛 take long for 海角大神 to report the doubts that he鈥檇 find a worthwhile role: 鈥淲hen, they say, has a former president been forgotten so fast?鈥�

But then he found a mission. Carter created a powerful and generous life beyond the presidency, transforming the world and remaking the expectations of our retired chief executives.

鈥淗e is widely recognized as the most successful ex-president in history,鈥� writes Jordan Michael Smith in his new Kindle single Humanity: How Jimmy Carter Lost an Election and Transformed the Post-Presidency. (A Kindle single 鈥� also known as an e-single 鈥� is a story that鈥檚 too short to be a book but often too long to be a magazine article. Non-fiction Kindle singles, available via Amazon, typically sell for $1.99 or $2.99.)

Smith, who鈥檚 been a Monitor contributor, digs into memoirs, histories and newspaper archives to tell the remarkable story of the months and years after Carter鈥檚 fall. Here are 5 facts about the ex-president and his ex-presidency.

1. Carter didn鈥檛 have great role models

Prior to Carter, modern American ex-presidents didn鈥檛 tend to be paragons of generosity and do-gooding. In fact, some were the exact opposite, setting a tone of shameless self-interest.

Herbert Hoover was 鈥渟een as a partisan bruiser seeking political rehabilitation,鈥� and Richard Nixon鈥檚 attempt at "elder statesman" status seemed too much like an effort to overturn his rock-bottom reputation.

Most notably, Gerald Ford devoted himself to raking in money through paid speeches, drawing criticism from Nixon himself, who accused him of 鈥渟elling the office.鈥� Ford even hawked 鈥済reat presidential moments鈥� medals.

2. Post-White House, Carter hit bottom

The 1980 presidential election was closer than many of us remember, at least up until the final days when Ronald Reagan pulled away and walloped Carter. In the aftermath, his wife Rosalynn wandered the White House in silence, breaking it to pepper her husband with the same questions: "Why didn鈥檛 the people understand our goals and accomplishments?鈥� 鈥淗ow could God have let this happen?"

As for Carter, the infamous micromanager was left with nothing to oversee except a collapsing, debt-ridden farm business. As he wrote, he 鈥渁woke to an altogether new, unwanted, and potentially empty life.鈥�

He would drift for two years.

3. Peace Center was a bolt in bed

In 1982, Rosalynn woke up one night to find her husband bolt upright in bed. He鈥檇 figured out what to do with his presidential library: He鈥檇 make it a center for conflict resolution instead of a monument to himself.

But the Democrats had largely thrown him into the wilderness, and he wasn鈥檛 exactly a warm and fuzzy personality. The center dream remained just that. A columnist wondered: 鈥淲hat if Carter could indulge his messianic streak, utilize his many talents, and exploit his unique position as an ex-president, all without having to be a politician?鈥�

4. A stunning venture captivates Carter

Carter didn鈥檛actually create Habitat or Humanity, nor was he a fan at first. In fact, 鈥渉e was annoyed by the organization and ignored it for a year after leaving office.鈥� The problem: His people hadn鈥檛 replied to an invite from the group鈥檚 founder, who promptly made a public stink about the ex-president鈥檚 supposed lack of care of the poor.

Stung by the criticism, Carter spoke to the group. Soon, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter began eagerly repairing homes in slum-like conditions. Their energy and willingness to work and sweat captivated the press and the public; Carter called his work 鈥渢he most practical, tangible way I鈥檝e ever seen to put 海角大神 principles into action.鈥�

5. Carter鈥檚 devout dedication continues

As Smith notes, Carter hasn鈥檛 lost his stubbornness, blunt outspokenness or lack of interest in charming those in power. But decades after his post-presidency rebirth, he remains a force for peace, global health, and democracy.

He鈥檚 something else: An inspiration. We鈥檒l soon have another ex-president, and there鈥檚 talk that he may try to bring peace to war-torn parts of the world.

鈥淏efore Carter, ex-presidents didn鈥檛 work to help stop wars,鈥� Smith writes. 鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 establish foundations to help stop epidemics. Post-presidencies didn鈥檛 involve a man working tirelessly for more than three decades to finish what was left unfinished from his time in office.鈥�

Now, anything less than extraordinary generosity would be a disappointment.

Randy Dotinga, a Monitor contributor, is a board member and immediate past president of the American Society of Journalists and Authors.