Was Jimmy Carter a Good President of the United States?

When reflecting on American presidents, each leader's legacy is inevitably a mix of achievements, challenges, and enduring questions. One of the most debated figures in recent history is Jimmy Carter, whose presidency spanned from 1977 to 1981. While he has been celebrated as a moral and compassionate leader, his time in office was also marred by significant challenges. So, was Jimmy Carter a good president? This analysis attempts to answer that question by examining his policies and achievements.

Yes, He Was

People who think nothing good happened during the Carter administration tend to focus on the Iranian Hostage situation or were 12 years old back then and just parroted what others have told them. Meanwhile, here are some thoughts from the Foundation for Economic Education.

And despite his personal big government sympathies, Carter's most lasting legacy is as the Great Deregulator. He deregulated oil, trucking, railroads, airlines, and beer. As Derek Thompson from The Atlantic chronicles, the dramatic and almost unnoticed impact of Carter's airline deregulation over the last thirty years is striking: per-mile ticket prices fell by over fifty percent. These results have transformed American social life and travel:

In 1965, no more than 20 percent of Americans had ever flown in an airplane. By 2000, 50 percent of the country took at least one round-trip flight a year. The average was two round-trip tickets. The number of air passengers tripled between the 1970s and 2011. In 1974, it was illegal for an airline to charge less than 1442 in inflation-adjusted dollars for a flight between New York City and Los Angeles. On Kayak just now, I found one for 278.

The impact of beer deregulation has been similarly overlooked: In 1978, the U.S. had just 44 domestic breweries. After deregulation, creativity and innovation flourished in the above-ground economy. Today, there are 1400 American breweries. Home brewing for personal consumption is also now legal.

Civil Liberties and Other Achievements

As for civil liberties, Carter also signed the most significant reform of government surveillance powers since World War II in the original FISA Act. In 1979, he called for the decriminalization of marijuana, well ahead of the cultural and political curve. His legacy is also significant for what he did not do: he did not start any wars.

Why Do People Hate Carter So Much?

Gene Healy suggests that it's a case of perception over reality. Carter-bashers seem obsessed with style over substance: that Mr. Rogers sweater, the “malaise” speech, Carter's sanctimonious, unlovable public persona—the way he seemed to personify national decline.

People want the illusion of control: a comforting, competent father-protector at the helm of our national destiny—and Carter couldn't fake that role as well as most presidents before or since.

Liberals downgrade the Carter presidency as one short on transformative visions: it brought no New Deals, no New Frontiers. Instead, at its best, the Carter legacy was one of workaday reforms that made significant improvements in American life: cheaper travel and cheaper goods for the middle class.

Ironically enough, the president you'd never want to have a beer with brought better beer—and much else besides.