Carter’s Greatness

With the Mighty Wurlitzer spinning away, we sometimes lose track of the truth. The truth is, according to American President: An Online Reference Resource, President Jimmy Carter was one of the most successuful presidents we’ve seen:

“Carter gained a reputation for political ineptitude, even though his actual record in dealing with Congress belied that image. His success rate in getting presidential initiatives through Congress was much higher than that of his predecessors Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, and successors Reagan and Bush. One might expect a president with a majority in Congress to do better than presidents facing the opposition party majorities. But Carter was also close to Johnson’s success rates, and higher than Kennedy’s record. Carter did not like to bargain and appeared arrogant and aloof, but at the end of the day, he usually wound up with much of what he sought from Congress. His major problem was that the perception of his leadership did not correspond with the reality of his performance.” [emphasis added]

You won’t read about this in the NYTIMES or in the Post, but American President: An Online Reference Resource presents “In-depth information reviewed by prominent scholars on each President and administration.”

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Carter’s Greatness

With the Mighty Wurlitzer spinning away, we sometimes lose track of the truth. The truth is, according to American President: An Online Reference Resource, President Jimmy Carter was one of the most successuful presidents we’ve seen:

“Carter gained a reputation for political ineptitude, even though his actual record in dealing with Congress belied that image. His success rate in getting presidential initiatives through Congress was much higher than that of his predecessors Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, and successors Reagan and Bush. One might expect a president with a majority in Congress to do better than presidents facing the opposition party majorities. But Carter was also close to Johnson’s success rates, and higher than Kennedy’s record. Carter did not like to bargain and appeared arrogant and aloof, but at the end of the day, he usually wound up with much of what he sought from Congress. His major problem was that the perception of his leadership did not correspond with the reality of his performance.” [emphasis added]

You won’t read about this in the NYTIMES or in the Post, but American President: An Online Reference Resource presents “In-depth information reviewed by prominent scholars on each President and administration.”

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