President Jimmy Carter's lasting legacy was, for us at LIV, expressed best in the touching homily delivered yesterday by civil rights political icon, Andrew Young. Watch, enjoy, reflect, and learn the true character of a President who only got better after losing his second term in 1980.
Yesterday, we also read Carter's most famous speech known as "The Crisis of Confidence." This struck a chord with us:
"Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. But we’ve discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning. We’ve learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose."
Let us also not forget the real (independent) history of 1980. Carter's race for a second term was also when Congressman John Anderson (R-Illinois) left the GOP to run as an independent for President. Anderson advocated for a 50-cent gas tax hike that would build the funds for our transportation infrastructure (including mass transit) while allowing a 50% reduction in social security taxes. He was included in the first debate with only Ronald Reagan. Carter declined this debate, believing Anderson would hurt his chances for reelection. The second debate was with Reagan and Carter only.
What if Carter joined that first debate and embraced Anderson's plan? We will never know, of course.
Our reflections as independents as to Carter's greatest contribution is this. Jimmy Carter, after he left the Oval Office, modeled for the world and proved that you don't have to be President to find and give meaning to your life and the lives of millions of others.
Hello, independent voters and civic duty in remembering Jimmy Carter.
Join us at LIV to find and give meaning to our own lives by creating what it means in 2025 to be engaged in the civic life of our communities.
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