[lbryce]

I've never seen any discussion on the fact that I believe that Carter's victory in 1980 owed a lot to the fallout due to Watergate in having faced a very weak Republican candidate as political fluke that Gerald Ford was as first ever non-elected President. Ford ascended to the presidency after Nixon resigned, chosen by Nixon to replace Agnew forced to leave office due to corruption charges. He further weakened himself after deciding to run for office after pledging not to seek the presidency on his own. So despite the apparent flaws, weaknesses the Democratic candidate as president that Carter was, the political times overwhelmingly favored Carter even though he was not of presidential caliber.

So Jimmy Carter, I say to you, your presidency was not only merely a failure, your very electability was a political fluke as well.

As far as what the author has to say that the word "malaise" not being uttered by Carter during his infamous speech, the word "malaise" is, will forever be inextricably linked to him because it is the very distillation for, of what his presidency was all about.

Jimmy Carter will always be known as having lust in his heart, malaise within his spirit, soul

[Red Badger]

Carter’s victory in 1980?............1976.............

[DM1]

Even with Watergate and Ford’s inexperience and pathetic debate performance he still barely lost to Carter. heck his campaign narrowed something like a 30 point gap to under 2 i think.
Carter was an idiotic anomaly which in retrospect wound up doing the nation a favor by creating conditions for a Reagan win.
I think Obama is Carter part 2

[Jacquerie]

Election of the 1976 democrat nominee, no matter who it was, was a certainty.

[cartoonistx]

In my lifetime, with the exception of JFK, no dem president was chosen by the electorate (re-election doesn’t count). Both Truman and Johnson were chosen by the Grim Reaper. Carter was chosen by Woodward and Bernstein. Clinton was chosen by Ross Perot. Obama was chosen by Lehman Bros.

[gogeo]

So Jimmy Carter, I say to you, your presidency was not only merely a failure, your very electability was a political fluke as well...

Well, no. Else why would we be enduring Carter's second term?

[sickoflibs]

You see, it’s not Obama’s fault there are no jobs now, it’s all Reagan’s fault who left office over 20 years ago.

[B Knotts]

For a laugh, click the link and read the comments.

There are NY Times readers who still think Jimmy Carter was right.

I’m not sure if they were not born yet, and did not live through the Carter years, or if they are simply too stupid to comprehend Carter’s total failure.

[Reeses]

too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption.

Too many of us now tend to self-indulge in vanity and envy. The left shouldn't concern themselves how much their neighbors choose to work and consume. We don't need to live as Cubans to appease the envious left. Their dream of destroying America will not bring them or anyone else any happiness.

[massmike]

[Cyber Ninja]

....excesses that are very much still with us today,
and contributed in varying ways to our current economic
dislocations.

The author is correct!

Carter called it "The Community Reinvestment Act."

[Oratam]

Carter’s narcissism led him to blame his fellow Americans for the failures of his administration. He has spent the last 30 years punishing the American people for turning him out of office.