Carter Elaborates On Racism Charge

Below is the Carter video. Fox News' Brit Hume comments upon the misguided charges of racism here - charges that always seem to surface whenever Obama's poll numbers go down. If one didn't know better, they might think Democrats are intent on blackmailing America into supporting Obama regardless of how badly he screws up. But couldn't it also be due to arrogance, incompetence and a lack of experience coming into the job which the media never bothered to explore at all prior to the election last Fall? Just a thought.

Mickey Kaus briefly sums up Carter's presidency as "smug moralizing". h/t Instapundit. After dealing with Carter's racism charge, I've included an excerpt of his infamous Malaise, or Crisis in Confidence speech at bottom if you think you can handle the worst presidential address in History without throwing up.

MSNBC has placed an inadvertently deleted portion of the racism transcript back in.

Brian Williams: But President Carter, Sir. If you'll forgive me. Some have suggested that, at least early on, the Obama presidency seems to be almost mirroring yours in some important ways. Would you agree? And, if so, obviously, you're not black, Mr. President. Yet, unfortunately, and if you'll forgive me, Sir. The American people did also reject you after four years. How would you explain that, if you don't mind my asking, Sir? And doesn't that at least suggest that the American people are capable of rejecting a president for reasons other than race?

Former President Carter: Well, well, yes, Brian, you do raise a valid point, I suppose. But, but things are very different today. Very different in my view, Brian, if you'll permit me to explain. Back then, you see, well, I was simply an incompetent, ineffective, self-righteous dick who crashed a helicopter in the desert killing several men, while clinging to my Mother, Miss Lillian, God rest her cranky soul. And I, ... I also had a drunken little brother who kept pissing all over the White House lawn when he ran the dogs while Americans remained hostage overseas in Iran and I didn't have a clue what to do about it. Who wouldn't reject that? It did work out pretty well for Ted Koppel, though. So I know at least one guy in America was thrilled to have me there.

Brian Williams: Thank you, Mr. President. You do raise some interesting points.

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Read or listen to the absolute worst presidential speech in history here provided you're not ill after reading the excerpt below. Yes, it was that bad. America was left dumbfounded looking at this idiot and his family we had in the White House while American citizens remained captive abroad. What an ineffective man. National leader doesn't even enter into the game.

Ten days ago, I had planned to speak to you again about a very important subject -- energy. For the fifth time I would have described the urgency of the problem and laid out a series of legislative recommendations to the Congress. But as I was preparing to speak, I began to ask myself the same question that I now know has been troubling many of you: Why have we not been able to get together as a nation to resolve our serious energy problem?

It’s clear that the true problems of our nation are much deeper -- deeper than gasoline lines or energy shortages, deeper even than inflation or recession. And I realize more than ever that as President I need your help. So, I decided to reach out and to listen to the voices of America.

I invited to Camp David people from almost every segment of our society -- business and labor, teachers and preachers, governors, mayors, and private citizens. And then I left Camp David to listen to other Americans, men and women like you. It has been an extraordinary ten days, and I want to share with you what I’ve heard.

First of all, I got a lot of personal advice. Let me quote a few of the typical comments that I wrote down.

This from a southern governor: “Mr. President, you are not leading this nation -- you’re just managing the government.”

“You don’t see the people enough anymore.”

“Some of your Cabinet members don’t seem loyal. There is not enough discipline among your disciples.”

“Don’t talk to us about politics or the mechanics of government, but about an understanding of our common good.”

“Mr. President, we’re in trouble. Talk to us about blood and sweat and tears.”

“If you lead, Mr. President, we will follow.”

Many people talked about themselves and about the condition of our nation. This from a young woman in Pennsylvania: “I feel so far from government. I feel like ordinary people are excluded from political power.”

And this from a young Chicano: “Some of us have suffered from recession all our lives.”

“Some people have wasted energy, but others haven’t had anything to waste.”

And this from a religious leader: “No material shortage can touch the important things like God’s love for us or our love for one another.”

And I like this one particularly from a black woman who happens to be the mayor of a small Mississippi town: “The big shots are not the only ones who are important. Remember, you can’t sell anything on Wall Street unless someone digs it up somewhere else first.”

This kind of summarized a lot of other statements: “Mr. President, we are confronted with a moral and a spiritual crisis.”

Several of our discussions were on energy, and I have a notebook full of comments and advice. I’ll read just a few.

“We can’t go on consuming forty percent more energy then we produce. When we import oil we are also importing inflation plus unemployment.”

“We’ve got to use what we have. The Middle East has only five percent of the world’s energy, but the United States has twenty-four percent.”

And this is one of the most vivid statements: “Our neck is stretched over the fence and OPEC has a knife.”

“There will be other cartels and other shortages. American wisdom and courage right now can set a path to follow in the future.”

This was a good one: “Be bold, Mr. President. We may make mistakes, but we are ready to experiment.”

And this one from a labor leader got to the heart of it: “The real issue is freedom. We must deal with the energy problem on a war footing.”

And the last that I’ll read: “When we enter the moral equivalent of war, Mr. President, don’t issue us BB guns.”

These ten days confirmed my belief in the decency and the strength and the wisdom of the American people, but it also bore out some of my longstanding concerns about our nation’s underlying problems.

I know, of course, being President, that government actions and legislation can be very important. That’s why I’ve worked hard to put my campaign promises into law, and I have to admit, with just mixed success. But after listening to the American people, I have been reminded again that all the legislation in the world can’t fix what’s wrong with America. So, I want to speak to you first tonight about a subject even more serious than energy or inflation. I want to talk to you right now about a fundamental threat to American democracy.

I do not mean our political and civil liberties. They will endure. And I do not refer to the outward strength of America, a nation that is at peace tonight everywhere in the world, with unmatched economic power and military might.

The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways.

It is a crisis of confidence.

It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation.

The erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and the political fabric of America.

Comments

[xerocky]

Let's face the facts: the democrats knew that there would be opposition and criticism of the president. They also know that there are a good number of people that harbor ill feelings toward black people. So what exactly did they expect to happen?

That the president wouldn't ever face any criticism? To put it another way, does Jimmy Carter expect everyone in the world to roll over and play dead because it's wrong to possibly offend Obama?

The democrats are doing this simply so that they can shut down legit debate. It's obvious.

[dependent on the kindness of crazed weasels]

I looked it up. "Racism" in Swahili means "death to the unbelievers."

[james]

I love being a minority. No matter how much I criticize Obama almost NO ONE calls me racist.
Seriously if Thomas Sowell were president I don't think to many of us would complain at all.

[Krys]

Why is it that when Carter is always sticking his comments into situations it is fine, but when other former officials do, then the media and lefties say why don't they be quiet, they had their time?
Also why is it okay for Venezuela and Iran to develop nuclear energy and still the left screams when the US tries to?
Such double standards are becoming all to apparent to the American public.

[rrpjr]

I covered Carter's reelection campaign as an intern reporter. I was soon rooting for Ted Kennedy. A more vicious, petty and ugly group of people I'd not seen. To a young person it was starling. I puzzle where people like this come from, marvel at how they can endure so long, and shudder sometimes at how close we always are in America to losing everything we prize.

[crosspatch]

Do people realize how many people have died and are dying due to Carter's incompetence? Had Carter not mishandled Iran, there would have been no Iran/Iraq war, Iraq would not have invaded Kuwait, Russia would not have invaded Afghanistan, we would not have invaded Iraq, there would be no Hezbollah in Lebanon, there would have been no dead Marines, there would have been no 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel. There would be no al Qaida and would have been no 9/11.

Jimmy Carter should be hanged for mass murder and crimes against humanity.

[Bob]

Dan, methinks you protest too much . . .

[Neo]

Jimmy Carter demeans himself and the office he former held by this kind of stupid partisan remarks meant only to inflame hatred. He in no way advances the debate or the cause for which he may espouse. Shame on you Mr. Carter.

[Liz]

Apparently, Carter has forgotten that it was the Republican Party that
begged General Powell to be our presidential candidate for '96.
Just google General Powell+ 1995+Presidential candidacy and
link to the official announcement he was forced to make stating he
would not be running. We are also honored to count among our
supporters Thomas Sowell, Condaleeza Rice and many other
brilliant people who happen to be African American.

Then, of course, there is the small matter of Carter's anti-Semitism
about which he was very clear in his most recent book. Perhaps
that is why his book has just made bin Laden's recommended
reading list!

[joyMc]

Carter is senile. Was that ageism?

[Mikey NTH]

“If you lead, Mr. President, we will follow.”

Jimmy Carter would not recognize leadership if it stole his lunch money, spun him around, gave him an atomic wedgie, and stuffed him in his locker.

[Amy]

It seems like no matter what happens, there will always be an issue of racism to some degree.