Why Carter?
I always wonder at the lack of political understanding of people who think Carter was all that bad.
So he screwed up the Iran hostage rescue. No biggie.
He didn’t sink the nation into a recession. No political scandals. He was malaise personified. Just a placeholder till The Gipper came along. He did no real harm to the US.
You could write a book on everything Carter screwed up. Just a couple things off the top of my head:
1) He gave radical Muslims a country because the Shah wouldn’t pay him a multi-billion dollar bribe (leading to the hostages being taken).
2) He gave away all of our nuclear technology advantages to the Soviets without getting anything in return.
3) He created stagflation. He had high inflation and recession at the same time. Then he blamed Americans for it (the Malaise Speech)
4) He gave away the Panama Canal. Now the Chinese manage the canal.
5) He pardoned draft dodgers (including someone named Bill Clinton).
6) He created the Department of Education.
7) Blocked veterans pay cuts and benefits.
Inflation reached 21%/year in 1980.
Carter lost seven countries to Communism.
Filled the bureaucracy with REDS.
All judicial appointees were pro-abortion.
Gutted the military.