From White house to wheelhouse

Former President of the United States Jimmy Carter is just as concerned about the NSA’s spying practices as you are. Earlier this week he told the Associated Press that he now handwrites his correspondence because “there are some things I just don’t want anybody to know.”

Far from the senile paranoia of an aging man, Carter’s choice represents a real concern for Americans today. And among politicians, Carter’s candor is refreshing.

Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush are tied as the oldest currently-living presidents of the United States — both turn 90 this year — and while the first President Bush has gone into a relatively quiet retirement, President Carter is still kicking.

The hardest part of watching a presidential inauguration for me is always knowing that somewhere in those bleachers behind all the pomp and circumstance is a man who has peaked.

For Carter, a one-term president who only received 49 electoral votes in his re-election campaign and was handily defeated by Ronald Reagan, a demi-god of the American right, it must have been all the worse.

And, for better or worse, Carter regularly chimes in on American affairs in ways few former presidents do, perhaps because, unlike Bill Clinton or other former presidents, he no longer has skin in the game. Because of this, I’m much more inclined to listen to what he says than any other former president.

Carter, whose post-White House legacy has largely been focused on human rights, has negotiated on behalf of the United States with multiple foreign leaders, including those of North Korea and Syria.

Like anybody, he has his share of unpopular thoughts. During the scandal last summer over racist comments made by Paula Deen, Carter appeared on CNN defending Deen’s humanitarian work in poverty-stricken southern Georgia, although he also condemned her use of language.

Carter regularly publishes videos on Big Think, a website that aggregates expert opinions on world issues.

In his videos, Carter has the luxury of being more honest than any other contemporary politician.

His videos include admissions few others could make and stay in office, including China’s geopolitical position in relation to the United States, the reliance of our culture on consumption and the belligerent tendencies of American hegemony.

He gives the American people honest, real talk about what’s going on in the world. In a world of spin, he is a refreshing voice precisely because he is now on the outside looking in.

Parodoxically, it’s only once you’re out of the game for good that you can actually start playing the game for the good of the people.

dlreed@indiana.edu