A decades-old court order that blocked the federal government from using tests to measure job applicants&#8217; skills was terminated by a D.C. judge on Friday, setting the stage for an overhaul of the federal workforce that could be one of President Donald Trump&#8217;s most lasting achievements.
In 1981, Angel Luevano sued the federal government over the Professional and Administrative Career Examination, a test that helped identify the best and brightest out of the tens of thousands who apply for government jobs each year. Luevano argued that the test kept too many blacks and Hispanics out of government, and, in the waning days of President Jimmy Carter&#8217;s administration, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) agreed to pause the test for five years.
Forty-four years later, the &#8220;Luevano Consent Decree&#8221; was somehow still intact. In January, the Trump administration filed a brief <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/feds-cant-hire-for-competence-because-jimmy-carter-said-it-was-racist-trump-wants-to-fix-that">challenging the agreement</a> — a feat which required reopening a decades-closed court case in which the original judge had died. The administration argued that it was doubtful the decree was ever appropriate, and that, with Supreme Court case law outlawing affirmative action, it was certainly not now.
Angel Luevano is still alive, and agreed to terminate the consent decree, <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69731384/luevano-v-director-office-of-personnel-management/">court papers</a> show. Luevano was represented by lawyers from Hispanic and black civil rights groups, two of whom did not return a request for comment.
For almost half a century, the federal government has operated like a college that didn&#8217;t look at SAT scores when admitting students. Rescinding the Luevano Consent Decree could take the government from safety-school status to Ivy League.
&#8220;We&#8217;re making civil service great again,&#8221; OPM Director Scott Kupor told The Daily Wire Friday.
The move opens the door to technocratic hiring assessments that allow the government to hire applicants who objectively demonstrate the most aptitude. Kupor told The Daily Wire in an interview that the move means Americans may start getting better service at government agencies, with government being more helpful and responsive.
&#8220;The lasting opportunity here is: can we change the culture of the workforce in the federal government? Can we make it a high-performance culture? That will definitely be the president&#8217;s legacy, if we can make that successful,&#8221; he said.
After the demise of the Professional and Administrative Career Examination and similar tests, the government began relying on &#8220;self-assessments&#8221; to sift through job applicants, as it was the only measure that saw a sufficient number of minorities enter government. Applicants simply declared how good they were at a task, with no attempt to verify it or compare them to other applicants. That led to a hiring process that rewarded boasting and fabrications as much as merit.
Kupor said the de facto prohibition on government checking people&#8217;s competency before hiring them had become crippling in the modern age, with people using artificial intelligence or simply copy-and-paste to take a job advertisement&#8217;s requirements and send an application asserting that they had all those skills.
The inability to use objective measures to sort the most qualified applicants from a large pool — as virtually all other large employers do — has profoundly impacted the caliber of government employees. The Luevano Consent Decree was perhaps one of the largest applications ever of the philosophy known as &#8220;disparate impact,&#8221; which holds that anything that produces racially unbalanced outcomes must inherently be racist. But the fallout went beyond just minorities, leaving little way to differentiate a brilliant white job applicant from an incompetent white applicant.
The government was represented by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Department of Justice&#8217;s Civil Rights Division.
OPM General Counsel Andrew Kloster told The Daily Wire in an interview that the government did not make any concessions to reach the agreement. &#8220;They just flat out agreed,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It would not have happened without the original named plaintiff agreeing to it and the judge agreeing to accept it.&#8221;
&#8220;This is really kind of an understanding that disparate impact as a way to measure things is not the law of the land anymore. You have to actually show real discrimination. The explicit argument was that the objective tests themselves were racially biased, and obviously that&#8217;s bogus.&#8221;
It is yet to be decided whether OPM will institute a general aptitude test across agencies. But many specific job categories are likely to have their own tests. If the government is hiring, say, computer programmers, it won&#8217;t simply ask them how good they are at a programming language. Instead, it will administer a coding test to rank applicants on a uniform scale.
The hiring process used by government agencies for decades resulted in hiring that was, at best, random, and at worst, allowed the sort of cronyism and favoritism that the consent decree was supposed to avoid, Kupor said.
&#8220;We&#8217;re going to be able to attract really, really good people, because they&#8217;re going to be fairly tested for their merit,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It also really does eliminate a lot of potential for a bias in the hiring process if you actually use objective standards.&#8221;
&#8220;This is a win for fairness, as well as a win for getting American people the ability to get people with the appropriate skills into the right jobs.&#8221;

Scott Kupor And Eric Matthew Ueland Testify In Their Senate Nomination Hearing

For The First Time In 40 Years, The Federal Government Can Judge Applicants By Merit

Donald Trump

Federal Government

federal workforce

Jimmy Carter

Office of Personnel Management

Racial Bias

Racism

Former first lady <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/michelle-obama" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michelle Obama</a> does not plan to attend President-elect <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a>&#8216;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/inauguration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inauguration</a> for his second term next week in Washington, D.C., her office said on Tuesday.
Her spouse, former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/barack-obama" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barack Obama</a>, is expected to be there.
&#8220;Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration,&#8221; the Office of Barack and Michelle Obama said in a statement given to news outlets.
Barack Obama will be joined by former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton at the ceremony, according to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-inauguration-obama-bush-clinton-f7212766dc0f69444d8a4537a736c2d2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Associated Press</a>. Their wives, former first ladies Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton, are slated to attend, too.
While no reason was given for why Michelle Obama will not attend Trump&#8217;s inauguration on January 20, there was a reported explanation for why she did not show up at former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jimmy-carter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jimmy Carter</a>&#8216;s funeral in D.C. last week.
&#8220;I&#8217;m told by her advisers that she had a scheduling conflict. She&#8217;s actually still in Hawaii from an extended holiday vacation. So she&#8217;s missing there,&#8221; CNN chief affairs correspondent Jeff Zeleny <a href="https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/se/date/2025-01-09/segment/02" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on <a href="https://x.com/_johnnymaga/status/1877399916449845733" target="_blank" rel="noopener">air</a>.
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Barack Obama, Trump and his wife Melania, the Clintons, and the Bushes were all in attendance at Carter&#8217;s funeral, as were President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and their spouses.
During the funeral, Trump and Barack Obama were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-and-obama-seen-chatting-at-jimmy-carter-funeral-earn-glare-from-kamala" target="_blank" rel="noopener">caught on camera</a> having a chat, which appeared to elicit a glare from Harris, who lost to Trump in the 2024 election. Trump later <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-didnt-realize-how-friendly-interaction-with-obama-looked" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quipped</a> that he &#8220;didn&#8217;t realize how friendly&#8221; his exchange with Obama looked, adding, &#8220;We just got along.&#8221;
On January 20, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance are set to be sworn into office at noon.
The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-how-trumps-spending-inauguration-weekend" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Trump is expected to attend a number of events before and after the inauguration, including a &#8220;Victory rally&#8221; at the Capitol One Arena in D.C. on Sunday and inaugural balls on Monday evening.
Trump is &#8220;dedicated to uniting the country through the strength, security, and opportunity of his America First agenda,&#8221; Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee co-chairs Steve Witkoff and Kelly Loeffler said in a statement. &#8220;The 2025 inaugural celebrations will reflect President-elect Trump’s historic return to the White House and the American people’s decisive vote to Make America Great Again.&#8221;

Former US First Lady Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama To Skip Trump 2.0 Inauguration

Barack Obama

Inauguration

Michelle Obama

Politics

When President-elect <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> and Vice President-elect <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jd-vance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JD Vance</a> are sworn into office on Inauguration Day, flags at the U.S. Capitol will fly at full-staff, House Speaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mike-johnson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Johnson</a> (R-LA) announced on Tuesday.
Flags at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., had been <a href="https://x.com/ABCPolitics/status/1873799350150631675" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lowered</a> to half-staff at the end of December for a 30-day mourning period after former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jimmy-carter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jimmy Carter</a> died at the age of 100.
&#8220;On January 20th, the flags at the Capitol will fly at full-staff to celebrate our country coming together behind the inauguration of our 47th President, Donald Trump,&#8221; Johnson said in a <a href="https://x.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1879195077446389850" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. &#8220;The flags will be lowered back to half-staff the following day to continue honoring President Jimmy Carter.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
On January 20th, the flags at the Capitol will fly at full-staff to celebrate our country coming together behind the inauguration of our 47th President, Donald Trump. 
The flags will be lowered back to half-staff the following day to continue honoring President Jimmy Carter.
&mdash; Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1879195077446389850?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On X, Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-TX) <a href="https://x.com/RepNateMoran/status/1879201691947655299" target="_blank" rel="noopener">thanked</a> Johnson, writing: &#8220;Inauguration Day should be a day of celebration &#8211; NOT a day when our nation’s flag is flown at half mast.&#8221;
Moran also noted that he is a &#8220;proud&#8221; co-sponsor of a bill from Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX) that would mandate American flags fly at their <a href="https://delacruz.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2355" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;highest peak&#8221;</a> on Inauguration Day.
The speaker&#8217;s move comes after governors in some states ordered flags to return to full-staff at their state capitols and state buildings for Inauguration Day.
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&#8220;Inauguration Day is a day of celebration for America,&#8221; Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott said in a <a href="https://x.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1878826334396580075" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> to X on Monday. &#8220;Today, I ordered flags raised to full-staff at the Texas Capitol &amp; state buildings for President Trump’s inauguration. While we honor President Carter’s service, we also celebrate an incoming President &amp; our bright future.&#8221;
Among the others who did the same were Alabama Republican Governor <a href="https://x.com/GovernorKayIvey/status/1878940382953922763" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kay Ivey</a> and North Dakota Republican Governor <a href="https://www.governor.nd.gov/news/armstrong-directs-full-staff-jan-20-celebration-president-elect-trumps-inauguration-flags" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kelly Armstrong</a>.
The Associated Press <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-flies-mar-a-lago-flag-at-full-height-before-end-of-mourning-period-for-carter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that a large flag at Trump&#8217;s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida was lowered to half-staff but had been raised to full height in recent days before the end of the 30-day mourning period for Carter.
Trump and other dignitaries traveled to Washington, D.C., last week to pay their respects to Carter, where the late president laid in state at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. His <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jimmy-carters-funeral-living-presidents-together-national-cathedral/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">funeral</a> was held in the National Cathedral.

Inauguration Ceremony Rehearsal Takes Place In Nation’s Capital

Speaker Johnson Orders Flags At U.S. Capitol To Fly At Full-Staff For Trump’s Inauguration

Capitol Hill

Congress

Executive

House Speaker

Mike Johnson

President-elect Donald Trump discussed his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-and-obama-seen-chatting-at-jimmy-carter-funeral-earn-glare-from-kamala" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interaction</a> with former President Barack Obama, which was caught on camera at the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter Thursday morning. Trump, however, did not answer what the two political rivals talked about.
Trump took questions from reporters at a gathering of Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago later in the day and told Fox News&#8217; Peter Doocy that his chat with Obama &#8220;did look very friendly, I must say.&#8221; Trump and Obama sat next to each other and talked — even laughing together at one point — before the funeral service began.
&#8220;I didn&#8217;t realize how friendly it looked. I saw it on your wonderful network,&#8221; Trump told Doocy. &#8220;And I said, &#8216;Boy, they look like two people that like each other.&#8217; And we probably do. We have a little different philosophies, right? But we probably do.&#8221;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know, we just got along,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;But I got along with just about everybody, you know, we met backstage before we went on, and I thought it was a beautiful service, but we all got along very well, which is good.&#8221;
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Trump Asked Point Blank What He Discussed With Obama At Jimmy Carter&#039;s Funeral" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-EkHQqnl8iQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
All living former presidents and vice presidents, along with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, attended Carter&#8217;s funeral at the Washington National Cathedral and sat next to each other. While the spouses of the former presidents and vice presidents also attended the service, former first lady Michelle Obama was absent.
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After Trump challenged the results of the 2020 election, Obama <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/08/politics/barack-obama-donald-trump-democracy/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> CNN&#8217;s Anderson Cooper in June of 2021 that Trump&#8217;s supporters and Democrats &#8220;occupy different worlds,&#8221; adding, &#8220;And it becomes that much more difficult for us to hear each other, see each other.&#8221;
Even while Trump was still in office, Obama warned that he represented an existential threat to America&#8217;s political system.
“This administration has shown it will tear our democracy down if that’s what it takes to win,” Obama <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-barack-obama-speaks-at-the-2020-dnc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> at the Democratic National Convention in 2020.
In October, Trump blasted Obama for campaigning for Harris in battleground states just ahead of the election.
“I think he’s a real jerk because I’ve watched him campaign over the last couple of days. &#8230; What a divider he is,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4948048-trump-slams-jerk-obama/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;He divides this country. He couldn’t care less, him and his little group of people.”

Obama/Trump

Trump ‘Didn’t Realize How Friendly’ Interaction With Obama Looked

Trump Discusses Interaction With Obama: 'I Didn't Realize How Friendly It Looked'

funeral

Washington D.C.

President-elect <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> called out Democrats on Friday, saying that they are &#8220;giddy&#8221; about the American flag being flown at half-staff on Inauguration Day due to President Jimmy Carter&#8217;s death.
A proclamation signed in 1954 calls for flags to be flown at half-mast for 30 days after the death of a sitting or former president. Carter died at his home in Georgia on December 29, meaning flags won&#8217;t be raised to full-staff until sunset on January 28, more than a week after Trump is sworn into office.
&#8220;The Democrats are all &#8216;giddy&#8217; about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at &#8216;half mast&#8217; during my Inauguration,&#8221; Trump wrote on Truth Social. &#8220;They think it’s so great, and are so happy about it because, in actuality, they don’t love our Country, they only think about themselves. Look at what they’ve done to our once GREAT America over the past four years &#8211; It’s a total mess!
&#8220;In any event, because of the death of President Jimmy Carter, the Flag may, for the first time ever during an Inauguration of a future President, be at half mast,&#8221; he <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113765847370756395" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a>. &#8220;Nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it. Let’s see how it plays out. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!&#8221;
Some leftists have rejoiced over the fact that flags will be flying at half-staff when Trump is sworn into office. Jon Cooper, former Long Island, New York, campaign chair for President Barack Obama <a href="https://x.com/joncoopertweets/status/1873771921965494664" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>, &#8220;Jimmy Carter left one last parting gift for Trump after his death. Since the American flag flies at half-staff for 30 days at all federal buildings after the death of a former president, on Trump’s inauguration on January 20 all flags will be at half-staff in Carter&#8217;s honor.&#8221;
The highly-followed leftist X account &#8220;BrooklynDadDefiant&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/mmpadellan/status/1873723211969429818" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>, &#8220;Good morning and Happy Monday to everyone who is saddened by the loss of the great President Jimmy Carter, but glad to know that flags must now be flown at half staff during Felon 47&#8217;s unholy inauguration. Carter is a hero, even on his way out.&#8221;
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at Friday&#8217;s press briefing that the White House is not considering raising the flags to full mast for Inauguration Day. The flag code is not enforced by federal law, so Trump could order the American flag to be raised to full-staff after he is sworn in on January 20.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
When asked if President Biden will consider reversing or reevaluating the order to have flags flying at half-staff for President Carter on Inauguration Day.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a>: &quot;No.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/UAI4LWnLxM">pic.twitter.com/UAI4LWnLxM</a>
&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1875260038488436984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Carter&#8217;s funeral will be held at Washington National Cathedral on January 9 where President Biden will deliver a eulogy and Trump will be in attendance. Shortly after Carter&#8217;s death, Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113738366140404718" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>, &#8220;The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude.&#8221;
&#8220;Melania and I are thinking warmly of the Carter Family and their loved ones during this difficult time,&#8221; he added. &#8220;We urge everyone to keep them in their hearts and prayers.&#8221;

Trump Says Dems Are ‘Giddy’ About American Flag Being Flown At Half-Staff During Inauguration

Trump Says Dems Are 'Giddy' About American Flag Being Flown At Half-Staff During Inauguration

Democrats

People are widely praising President Jimmy Carter’s Christian faith after his passing, a reaction that reveals a telling double standard in how elites treat different expressions of Christianity.
For example, a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2025/01/01/jimmy-carter-evangelical-baptist-faith/">Washington Post</a> writer declared, “For Jimmy Carter, faith was inseparable from politics and life.” The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/5060618-jimmy-carter-christian-example/">wrote</a>, &#8220;Jimmy Carter was the Christian most politicians pretend to be.” And The New York Times<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/12/30/us/carter-on-death.html"> profiled</a> how Carter’s faith defined his activities and outlook in public life.
By all accounts, Carter’s Christianity was a particularly pietistic expression of Mainline Protestantism. This is a faith whose doctrinal core has been hollowed out for decades by theological liberalism. It’s a modernized Christianity that sheds the most controversial and supposedly outmoded elements of biblical doctrine to placate the spirit of the age.
For example, Carter is on record celebrating same-sex marriage and defending abortion. He publicly opposed Southern Baptist conservatives as they sought to return the denomination to a more biblically faithful position, ultimately departing it altogether.
Carter’s faith resonates with liberal ideals — service, humility, and social justice. His Christianity embodied what one of my old professors called “BOMFOG” (Brotherhood of Man and Fatherhood of God). This version of Christianity wins praise. 
Of course, service, humility, seeking justice, and loving your neighbor are beautiful and vital parts of Christianity. But Christianity also addresses sin, human nature, family structure, the exclusivity of Christ for salvation, sexual morality, repentance, and absolute truth. These are the harder truths of the faith that don’t play well in progressive circles.
When conservative Christians act on their faith, public opinion and media framing shift. Suddenly, Christianity becomes a problem. When conservative Christians act in line with their beliefs on issues like life, family, or religious liberty, they are met with criticism and labeled intolerant or regressive. It’s a threat to democracy and an illiberal force in society. 
Just look at the past eight years. Evangelicals have been relentlessly vilified in the media, even by fellow Christians at elite publications. Yes, there’s some nutty behavior out there among evangelicals. But on the whole, if you take your Christian faith seriously and it becomes a threat to the cultural comfort zones of progressivism, you are persona non grata. Consider the ominous media analysis of Sen. JD Vance’s supposed “post-liberal” Catholicism. The tone makes it seem like his faith is as sinister as Darth Vader’s theme song.
The difference? Carter’s faith comforted the cultural Left. It posed no threat to the dominant liberal order.
To be fair, his faith motivated many good works for which I will not criticize him. But Carter’s Christianity ultimately allowed him to serve as a chaplain to progressive America. It represents the convergence of religious sentimentality with progressive moral values. In effect, Carter’s faith symbolizes the one form of church-state establishment that liberalism will tolerate: a Christianity stripped of its harder truths, its calls to repentance, and its moral clarity.
Biblical, orthodox Christianity, on the other hand, confronts the liberal order with truths it refuses to hear. And when those truths are voiced, orthodox faith is sidelined or castigated as intolerant. Liberalism will not accept a Christianity that proclaims Jesus Christ as the only way to God, that defends unborn human beings discarded as medical waste, or that challenges the decadent sexual deviancy now treated as routine.
The lesson? Our culture tolerates a Christian faith that aligns with its values but resists a Christian faith that challenges it. This dynamic reveals something fundamental about true Christianity: it is to do both, comfort and confront.
If your Christianity is celebrated in the highest echelons of culture, maybe that’s a sign something is amiss. That doesn’t necessarily mean compromise is present, but it should at least raise questions. On the other hand, being so hard-edged and “prophetic” that you’re unbearable to be around is also a problem. Authentic faith should embody love and truth (1 Corinthians 13:6), reasonableness (Philippians 4:5), and sober-mindedness (1 Peter 5:8).
Carter’s life invites us to examine how faith is understood and celebrated in public life. The irony is clear: society embraces a faith that serves its agenda while rejecting a faith that stands apart from it. True Christianity, however, is neither a servant of the age nor its unrelenting critic. Instead, it provides both the comfort of grace and the challenge of repentance, which our culture desperately needs.
So, let’s not selectively celebrate faith only when it fits a preferred narrative. If faith matters, it matters in full, whether it aligns with our politics or not. That’s the beauty of Christianity. It’s the one worldview that provides both comfort and confrontation, truth and grace, and it’s what we need in this moment of cultural upheaval. 
Andrew T. Walker is Associate Professor of Christian Ethics and Public Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Managing Editor of WORLD Opinions. He is a Fellow at The Ethics and Public Policy Center.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Former President Jimmy Carter Teaches Sunday School

Jimmy Carter And America’s Double Standard For Celebrating Christianity

Abortion

Christianity

Same-Sex Marriage

Southern Baptists

CNN commentator Scott Jennings, the token conservative among CNN’s well-established leftist anchors and commentators, offered a different perspective on former President Jimmy Carter’s legacy than the hagiographic perspectives given by his colleagues.
Carter died on Sunday at the age of 100.
“Let me preface my take by offering condolences to the Carter family on his death. He was obviously one of the most unique post-presidencies we&#8217;ve ever had because he lived so long and he did so much,” Jennings began.
Then he segued into his assessment of the damage Carter had wrought during his presidency and political life: “That having been said, he was a terrible president. That&#8217;s why he lost in a landslide after his one term. And if it&#8217;s possible, I think he was even a worse ex-president because of his meddling in U.S. foreign policy, because of his saddling up to dictators around the world, because of his vehement views, anti-Israel views, and more than dabbling in anti-Semitism over the years.”
Carter <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/3181150/jimmy-carter-friend-dictators-and-champion-terrorists/">befriended dictators</a> such as arch-terrorist PLO chairman Yasser Arafat, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, and Daniel Ortega. His anti-Semitism has been amply documented in a spate of reports.
In 2002, Jay Nordlinger noted in “<a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2002/10/carterpalooza-jay-nordlinger-2/">Carterpalooza!</a>” that “No one quite realizes just how passionately anti-Israel Carter is. William Safire has reported that (Carter’s Secretary of State) Cyrus Vance acknowledged that, if he had had a second term, Carter would have sold Israel down the river.” Nordlinger noted of Carter’s close friendship with Arafat, “At their first meeting — in 1990 — Carter boasted of his toughness toward Israel, assuring Arafat at one point, ‘. . . you should not be concerned that I am biased. I am much more harsh with the Israelis.’”
Carter claimed Israel was an apartheid state; Holocaust scholar Deborah Lipstadt <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/2007/01/20/jimmy-carters-jewish-problem/05a69cfc-c43b-4d54-96df-452a7734a86d/">wrote</a> how Carter had “repeatedly fallen back &#8230; on traditional anti-Semitic canards.”
“He often vexed Democrats. Obama didn&#8217;t even have him speak at his &#8217;08 convention,” Jennings continued. “He put Bill Clinton in a terrible foreign policy box on a North Korea nuclear issue. I think he was a guy who had a huge ego and believed that he was uniquely positioned to do all these things even after the American people had roundly and soundly rejected his leadership.”
“So, I respect people who run for president and get elected president, but in his particular case, I think he, time and again proved, why he was never suited for the office in the first place,” Jennings stated, then added, “In the run-up to the Persian Gulf War, he wrote letters to all of our allies and to Arab states asking them to abandon their cooperation and coalition with the United States of America. If it&#8217;s not treasonous, it&#8217;s borderline treasonous.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
My thoughts on Jimmy Carter’s legacy last night on <a href="https://twitter.com/CNN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cnn</a>: terrible president, soundly rejected by the American people. Even worse ex-president, whose meddling in US foreign policy &amp; virulent anti-Israel/anti-Semitic views must not be forgotten. Undermined US interests repeatedly. <a href="https://t.co/kbBupU0K7O">pic.twitter.com/kbBupU0K7O</a>
&mdash; Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottJenningsKY/status/1874062472384307315?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 31, 2024</a></blockquote>
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USA-CARTER-PORTRAIT

CNN’s Scott Jennings Offers Harsh View Of Jimmy Carter’s Legacy

Anti-Semitism

Legacy Media

Media

Scott Jennings

President Joe Biden said on Sunday that all Americans could do better if they aspired to be like the late 39th President, Jimmy Carter, who passed away over the weekend — and George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley suggested that Biden might do well to heed his own advice.
Biden spoke to the nation on Sunday after reports confirmed Carter&#8217;s death, saying in part, &#8220;Some look at Jimmy Carter and see a man of a bygone era with honesty and character. Faith and humility mattered, but I don&#8217;t believe it&#8217;s a bygone era. We&#8217;d all do well to try to be more like Jimmy Carter.&#8221;
Turley responded to Biden&#8217;s challenge by pointing out one very specific instance in which Biden had not practiced what he preached: the sweeping pardon he&#8217;d issued to his embattled son Hunter Biden, despite repeatedly stating that he would not do so.
&#8220;President Biden is offering lessons on what presidents could learn from the late President Carter. He is certainly right about setting the standard for civility and decency, but here is one that Biden missed: Carter did not pardon his brother Billy in a corruption scandal,&#8221; Turley began.
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&#8230;While criminal charges were not brought, there were lingering questions about the $200,000 &quot;loan&quot; from Libya and allegations that he paid back only $1000. There were also allegations of other payments in influence-peddling allegations. Sound familiar?&#8230;
&mdash; Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonathanTurley/status/1873671663386231055?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Turley then laid out a series of &#8220;questions&#8221; that had been raised regarding foreign entanglements that could have landed Carter&#8217;s brother Billy in hot water: &#8220;While criminal charges were not brought, there were lingering questions about the $200,000 &#8216;loan&#8217; from Libya and allegations that he paid back only $1000. There were also allegations of other payments in influence-peddling allegations. Sound familiar?&#8221;
&#8220;Unlike President Biden who lied repeatedly to the voters in denying that (1) Hunter had any dealings with the Chinese, (2) he ever met his son&#8217;s clients, and (3) knew of any of these dealings, Carter told the truth to the American people,&#8221; Turley continued, laying out several instances in which Biden had been caught lying to cover up his own involvement in Hunter&#8217;s business dealings.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&#8230;Here is Carter&#39;s statement at the time: &quot;I am deeply concerned that Billy has received funds from Libya and that he may be under obligation to Libya. These facts will govern my relationship with Billy as long as I am president. Billy has had no influence on U.S. policy or…
&mdash; Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonathanTurley/status/1873672372319830223?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Turley then noted that Carter had addressed the situation head on, sharing the late president&#8217;s statement regarding his brother: &#8220;I am deeply concerned that Billy has received funds from Libya and that he may be under obligation to Libya. These facts will govern my relationship with Billy as long as I am president. Billy has had no influence on U.S. policy or actions concerning Libya in the past, and he will have no influence in the future.&#8221;
Turley proceeded to compare the two directly, adding, &#8220;Instead of showing Carter&#8217;s honesty, Biden lied for years and then pardoned his own son after repeatedly denying that he would ever do so during the campaign. He pardoned his son for any crimes committed over a ten-year period, including potential crimes that many believe implicated the President himself in the multimillion influence-peddling operation.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&#8230;That record is precisely why &quot;Some look at Jimmy Carter and see a man of a bygone era with honesty and character.&quot; They look at Biden himself and say &quot;We&#39;d all do well to try to be more like Jimmy Carter.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/pkNZaYBrjv">https://t.co/pkNZaYBrjv</a>
&mdash; Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonathanTurley/status/1873673751247913101?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;That record is precisely why &#8216;Some look at Jimmy Carter and see a man of a bygone era with honesty and character.&#8217; They look at Biden himself and say, &#8216;We&#8217;d all do well to try to be more like Jimmy Carter,'&#8221; Turley concluded, making it clear that he believed Biden would have done well to heed his own advice.

House Judiciary Committee Holds First Impeachment Inquiry Hearing

Jonathan Turley Torches Biden In Brutal Comparison To The Late Jimmy Carter

Joe Biden

Jonathan Turley

President Joe Biden faced backlash on Monday for using the passing of former President Jimmy Carter to attack President-elect Donald Trump.
Biden made attacks Sunday night at a press conference where he delivered remarks about Carter.
When asked by a reporter what lesson Trump should take from Carter’s legacy, Biden responded: “Decency.”
“Decency, decency, decency,” Biden said. “Can you imagine Jimmy Carter walking by someone who needed something and just keep walking? Can you imagine Jimmy Carter referring to someone by the way they look or the way they talk? I can’t. I can’t.”
NewsBusters&#8217; Jorge Bonilla posted the video on social media, writing: &#8220;The unmitigated gall of the corrupt Biden lecturing Americans on decency off of Carter&#8217;s death.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The unmitigated gall of the corrupt Biden lecturing Americans on decency off of Carter&#8217;s death <a href="https://t.co/B0kTiVfaFq">pic.twitter.com/B0kTiVfaFq</a>
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) <a href="https://twitter.com/BonillaJL/status/1873547097905025162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
Radio host Hugh Hewitt <a href="https://x.com/hughhewitt/status/1873742185050587554">fired back</a> at Biden on X: &#8220;Is it &#8216;decent&#8217; to have deceived the American public for years about your condition and to do so via a complicit and complacent legacy media? The greatest cover-up in modern American political history, and the greatest media scandal as well, is still unacknowledged on the record by anyone around President Biden and by almost all legacy media figures.&#8221;
&#8220;Their sunk costs are enormous but they won’t cut them loose and own the cover-up or the complicity,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;If the @WSJ, me and others like @bethanyshondark and @jimgeraghty on today’s program, are wrong about the president’s infirmity, just have him sit for a single one hour or more interview with one semi-serious journo. Easiest thing in the world to prove is mental acuity.&#8221;
&#8220;Until he has, put the references to decency in the pile marked &#8216;indecent invocations of decency,'&#8221; he concluded. &#8220;Americans should be shocked and then angry at the cover-up and its devastating consequences which continue to roll out in Afghanistan, Ukraine and across the globe and at home.&#8221;
Political commentator Stephen L. Miller <a href="https://x.com/redsteeze/status/1873794548914413848">posted</a> on X: &#8220;At the very least, Donald Trump does recognize and spend time with all of his grandchildren. Miller followed up and <a href="https://x.com/redsteeze/status/1873794692225368139">said</a>, &#8220;Biden&#8217;s decency act doesn&#8217;t work anymore because of that and then pardoning his son after repeatedly telling the country he wouldn&#8217;t.&#8221;
Federalist Senior Legal Correspondent Margot Cleveland <a href="https://x.com/ProfMJCleveland/status/1873757305038426461">responded</a>: &#8220;Biden, yet again, proves he is not a decent man.&#8221;
David Limbaugh, brother of the late Rush Limbaugh, responded to Biden&#8217;s remarks by sarcastically <a href="https://x.com/DavidLimbaugh/status/1873758754883477962">posting on X</a>: &#8220;Biden &#8212; such a sweet, sweet man. Decent. Honorable. Incorruptible.&#8221;

US-POLITICS-BIDEN-CARTER

Biden Slammed For Using Jimmy Carter’s Passing To Attack Trump

In the wake of former President Jimmy Carter’s death, he has been hailed as a bringer of peace, with tributes often mentioning his role in the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt.
But Carter’s animus for Israel was on display for much of his entire professional career. It&#8217;s a stark contrast to former and soon-to-be president Donald Trump, whose record of support for Israel is unmatched by any other president, and includes moving the American Embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing Israeli sovereignty of the Golan Heights, and brokering the historic Abraham Accords.
Although Carter was not reticent to claim credit for the Camp David Accords, in which Israel and Egypt made peace with each other, the truth is that Israel’s Menachem Begin and Egypt’s Anwar Sadat had already essentially agreed to make peace, and had their meeting brokered by Romania’s dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu. Sadat had been speaking about making peace with Israel since 1971; he flew to Israel and made a historic speech there in 1977. Carter wanted the PLO, led by arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat, to be part of a Geneva conference with Egypt and Israel.
As Yossi Alpher wrote in a 2008 piece titled, “<a href="https://forward.com/opinion/13212/how-jimmy-carter-almost-derailed-peace-with-egypt-01709/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://forward.com/opinion/13212/how-jimmy-carter-almost-derailed-peace-with-egypt-01709/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1735664176398000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0VWCjvca5FlKdDVyxYK6Qs">How Jimmy Carter Almost Derailed Peace With Egypt,</a>” “By December 1, 1977, three weeks into the Sadat peace initiative, the Carter administration had offered only the faintest approval for the Egyptian president’s visit to Jerusalem, and had not yet abandoned its support for Geneva in favor of the bilateral Egyptian-Israeli process that Sadat, Begin and Dayan were actively proposing.”
Sadat suggested that an Israeli serve in the American embassy in Cairo who could communicate between Israel and Egypt.
“Sadat’s liaison initiative spoke volumes about his reasons for wanting to make peace with Israel,” Alpher noted. “He wanted an alliance with the American superpower and he wanted to kill Carter’s Geneva initiative. His trip to Jerusalem signaled a major reorientation of Cairo’s place in the global scheme of things, from the Soviet to the American camp. Carter’s acceptance of the proposed liaison scheme would have signaled American backing for Sadat’s unprecedented peace initiative. But Carter said no. Try as he might, though, Carter couldn’t thwart the Israeli-Egyptian peace push.”
In 2002, Jay Nordlinger noted in “<a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2002/10/carterpalooza-jay-nordlinger-2/">Carterpalooza!</a>” that “No one quite realizes just how passionately anti-Israel Carter is. William Safire has reported that (Carter’s Secretary of State) Cyrus Vance acknowledged that, if he had had a second term, Carter would have sold Israel down the river.” Nordlinger noted of Carter’s close friendship with Arafat, “At their first meeting — in 1990 — Carter boasted of his toughness toward Israel, assuring Arafat at one point, ‘. . . you should not be concerned that I am biased. I am much more harsh with the Israelis.’” Carter even “drafted on his home computer the strategy and wording for a generic speech Arafat was to deliver soon for Western ears,” Carter biographer Douglas Brinkley noted in “The Unfinished Presidency.”
In 2015, Carter <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/carter-says-hamas-leader-committed-to-peace-netanyahu-not/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.timesofisrael.com/carter-says-hamas-leader-committed-to-peace-netanyahu-not/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1735664176399000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2MjfNJ35hvRw1kQ-3YjzpV">said</a> of Hamas terrorist leader Khaled Mashaal, “I don’t believe that he’s a terrorist. He’s strongly in favor of the peace process.” Carter declared he wouldn’t meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu because it would be “a waste of time.”
Twelve days after the Hamas massacre of 1200 Israelis, Mashaal was <a href="https://www.memri.org/tv/hamas-leader-abroad-khaled-mashal-october-seven-israeli-civlians-no-apologies-hizbullah-arab-countries-do-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.memri.org/tv/hamas-leader-abroad-khaled-mashal-october-seven-israeli-civlians-no-apologies-hizbullah-arab-countries-do-more&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1735664176399000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3gqLXwW_QlelGY809EDdcd">asked</a> to comment about Hamas’ slaughter of Israeli civilians by an interviewer, who said, “What the people in the West have seen on their TV screens, was transgressions by Hamas against Israeli civilians. You are responsible for Hamas&#8217;s image abroad. Hamas is now being compared to ISIS.&#8221;
“This is an accusation fabricated by Netanyahu, and unfortunately, the West is collaborating with this,” Mashaal answered.
In 2006, Carter published his book, “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid,” which charged Israel with imposing apartheid on Palestinians.

NOBEL-CARTER-PALESTINE

Unlike Donald Trump, Jimmy Carter Was No Friend Of Israel

Israel

History has an interesting way of softening the hard edges of a past president’s term of office. Time, combined with more information coming to light as well as a more complete verdict re: the long-term impacts, good and bad, of policies will do that. As such, the placement along the scale of best to worst of those who sat in the Oval Office is always shifting.
But 39th President James Earl Carter, Jr., who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jimmy-carter-americas-39th-president-dead-at-100?topStoryPosition=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed away</a> at age 100, is a presidency difficult to encapsulate. Peruse the media obituaries and a common theme will no doubt emerge. That he was a man of personal character and decency, the “real deal.” Indeed, his will be hailed as “the ideal former-presidency” given his image of skating above politics and keeping his focus on initiatives more beneficial to mankind, whether it be building a house for the poor or monitoring elections abroad. It will be said of him that he lived out his Christian virtues staying faithful to the same woman for 77 years.
But this does not alter the fact that his term in office from 1977 to 1981 was, to put it bluntly, a failure.
From a foreign policy standpoint, Carter attempted to affect statecraft grounded in the promotion of “human rights”. But what many in this country at the time may have seen as noble ambitions, especially coming in the aftermath of Vietnam, was read by enemies abroad as weakness arising from an almost quaint naiveté. This perceived weakness gained validation when in November 1979 anti-American Islamists overthrew the Shah of Iran and stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran — sovereign U.S. territory as per international law. 52 embassy staff were taken hostage and subsequently held in very public and humiliating captivity for 444 days.
<div id="attachment_851055" style="width: 862px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-851055" class="size-large wp-image-851055" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2669616-852x576.jpg" alt="An American hostage being paraded before the cameras by his Iranian captors. Following the Iranian revolution over fifty American hostages were taken and only released after four hundred and forty-four days. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)" width="852" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2669616-852x576.jpg 852w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2669616-300x203.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2669616-768x519.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-2669616.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 852px) 100vw, 852px" />MPI/Getty Images</div>
This affront to our national honor was made ever more acute when six months into the crisis, after fruitless diplomatic overtures, a mission to rescue the captive U.S. citizens resulted in a humiliating failure in the Iranian desert. The mission was scrubbed due to equipment breakdowns and eight servicemen were killed when a helicopter collided with a transport plane during the evacuation. Images of the charred bodies of our dead troops were splashed across headlines around the world, and a somber Carter took to the airwaves to accept responsibility.
The botched raid was not just a shameful blow to our national pride, it underscored a deeper sense that U.S. power was eroding, and that our best days were behind us. The military that once defeated the war machines of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan couldn’t even get out of its own way in the desert? Maybe we really were in decline? The hostages would languish for all the world to see — and the anti-U.S. forces from Moscow to Beijing to Tehran to gloat over — for another 270 hapless days.
When in 1980 the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, Carter’s boycotting the Olympic games in Moscow seemed a tepid, and largely symbolic response that only served to punish our own athletes while not changing Russian actions one iota. Whether or not there was more the Carter administration could have done given the Soviets’ nuclear arsenal is a matter for round tables to discuss. At the time, however, this was viewed as yet another anemic response to flagrant enemy aggression; Americans came to believe we had a lamb in the White House when a lion was needed. And as not-so-clandestine support for the Mujahadeen throughout the Reagan era demonstrated, the U.S. did have more capacity to put the thumb on the scales in the region than Carter seemed willing to do.
The thing about Carter, however, is that not only was he unable, or unwilling to recognize certain bad actors on the world stage, he failed to understand who were the true friends to the U.S. as well. One must consider his double-standard leveled against Israel vis-à-vis the Palestinians. In particular the PLO, which by any impartial definition was a terror organization. And its leader, the vile, murderous kleptocrat Yasser Arafat, a bona fide terrorist. It was the Israelis, however, whom Carter targeted for restrictions and even grotesquely drew an analogy between their efforts to combat terrorism and the growling hounds of Bull Connor. Certainly if the recollections of respected columnist William Safire and former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance are to be believed, Carter was rabidly anti-Israel. For the Israelis, it was very fortunate Carter did not win a second term.
But what about the Camp David Accords? Certainly they were a worthy effort and seem to be among the only such accords between ancient enemies that have survived more or less intact. But, as Jay Nordlinger writes in National Review, Sadat and Begin had already hammered them out prior to inviting Carter in to provide the carapace of legitimacy — and financial support — only the U.S. could offer. It is not a stretch to say that no matter who was president, Camp David would have still occurred.
<div id="attachment_851047" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-851047" class="size-large wp-image-851047" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-1826042-864x576.jpg" alt="WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 18: (NO U.S. TABLOID SALES) (L-R) Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin join hands after the Camp David Accords September 18, 1978 in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC. (Photo by David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-1826042-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-1826042-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-1826042-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-1826042.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images</div>
At least the Carter presidency promoted the legitimate democratic process, right? Well, it did in that he even went so far as to praise Yasser Arafat’s election. Indeed, Carter was perhaps the PLO chairman’s biggest fan in the halls of the U.S. government. Although as CIA director Jim Woolsey once joked, “Arafat was essentially ’elected’ the same way Stalin was, but not nearly as democratically as Hitler, who at least had actual opponents.”
And, of course, given Carter’s wish to be remembered as the champion of the downtrodden and oppressed (although it depends on who is wearing the jackboots, as Carter seemed to have a look-the-other-way affinity for Marxist dictators whether in Beijing, Havana, or Managua) then it is natural that he would side with the weaker, if morally depraved, Hamas and Hezbollah. As his Bull Connor comparison shows, he would be quite at home today among the throngs of Intifada wannabes on the college campus who view the Arab-Israeli conflict not through the lens of morality but power. In 2014, Carter wrote of Hamas: “Only by recognizing its legitimacy as a political actor—one that represents a substantial portion of the Palestinian people—can the West begin to provide the right incentives for Hamas to lay down its weapons.” Seems a bit optimistic since October 7. Even though the body may change, the intransigent mind of the true believer may remain fixed in place,but this is the disastrous Carter naiveté in the main.
And then there was the economy.
Since the mid-1980s, even with the occasional recession (often of our own making) the U.S. has experienced a sustained economic boom that makes it hard to remember the years leading up to this age of prosperity. But when Carter was in office things were quite different. The middle class especially was hammered with inflation that surged from <a href="https://data.bls.gov/pdq/SurveyOutputServlet">6.3%</a> in November 1976 when Carter was elected to a peak of <a href="https://data.bls.gov/pdq/SurveyOutputServlet">13.6%</a> in June 1980. Rising interest rates saw 30-year mortgages balloon from 8.8% in November 1976 to briefly touch 18.44% in October 1981, only months into Reagan’s first term. Although there is a lingering misconception that unemployment also soared during the Carter years the data shows this is not the case. In fact, unemployment would not peak until 1983, well into Reagan’s first term. But this could be attributed to Fed policies to crush inflation with exorbitantly high rates leading to a deep recession that had a delayed effect.
I admit that such wonkish analysis gets into the weeds of economics and as the expression goes, “if you lay every economist foot-to-head around the world they couldn’t reach a consensus.” But what is certainly true is that during the Carter years, the “<a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/miseryindex.asp">misery index</a>”, economist Arthur Okun’s formula he created in the 1970s to quantify the true impacts of the economy’s performance on the lives of the average American, reached an all-time high of 21.3% in May 1980. (By contrast it currently runs at 7.2%).
As such, the most powerful argument his GOP opponent Ronald Reagan would make during the 1980 presidential campaign was simply to look into the camera and ask the American people: “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” The voters answered and Carter was defeated.
<div id="attachment_851051" style="width: 837px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-851051" class="size-large wp-image-851051" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-487170453-827x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK CITY - AUGUST 14: Walter Mondale and Jimmy Carter attend Democratic National Convention on August 14, 1980 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)" width="827" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-487170453-827x576.jpg 827w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-487170453-300x209.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-487170453-768x535.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/12/GettyImages-487170453.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 827px) 100vw, 827px" />Walter Mondale and Jimmy Carter attend Democratic National Convention on August 14, 1980 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)</div>
The common narrative of Carter’s post-presidential years is that of the farmer who returned to his humble roots in Plains, Georgia, and lived a modest life that all ex-presidents should emulate.
Well, yes and no.
Carter’s work in founding the Carter Center, a non-profit dedicated to the advancement of human rights, as well as his hands-on (literally) involvement building homes for the poor with the Habitat For Humanity project has earned him justified accolades from across the political spectrum. But at the same time he did his share of meddling in U.S. affairs, and sometimes questionably so. While in 1990 George W. Bush was cobbling together his Gulf War coalition, Carter was writing letters to the UN trying to thwart his efforts. Given that his friend Arafat sided with Saddam, one is not surprised. But considering the media’s pouncing on Trump for just weighing in (while a candidate for president no less) on the Democrats’ sham border bill, one can only see a double-standard here. There are other examples but this is the most egregious. One thing is for sure, had Trump engaged in such behavior the word “treason” would be tossed around like a football on Sunday.
And so Jimmy Carter’s story is really one compiled of two narratives. Unfortunately, being a supposedly good man (I never met him ) does not always lead to being a successful president. No man is a saint to his valet, and Carter is no exception. I have no doubt many reading this can offer up less favorable language for him. Who am I to judge? But Carter’s legacy after some five decades in politics from Georgia governor to one-term president, is starting to reveal itself, warts and all. In the end, Jimmy Carter should be remembered for leading a successful life, but a failed presidency.
* * *
Brad Schaeffer is a fund manager and author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07MQJBJSD" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three books</a>. His articles have appeared on the pages of Daily Wire, The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, New York Daily News, National Review, The Hill, The Federalist, The Blaze, Breitbart, Zerohedge and other outlets. You can follow him on <a href="https://x.com/bschaeffer123" target="_blank" rel="noopener">X</a> and <a href="https://bradschaeffer.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Substack.</a> 

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

1976 Democratic National Convention

Jimmy Carter’s Unavoidable Legacy

Jimmy Carter's Unavoidable Legacy

Afghanistan

Inflation

Iran

Middle East

Opinion

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President Joe Biden took a shot at President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday night after delivering remarks following the passing of former President Jimmy Carter.
“When I endorsed him for president, I told him why [I] was endorsing him and that it was not only his policies but his character, his decency, the honor he communicated to everyone,” Biden said at a press conference.
When asked by a reporter what lesson Trump should take from Carter&#8217;s legacy, Biden responded: &#8220;Decency.&#8221;
&#8220;Decency, decency, decency,&#8221; Biden said. &#8220;Can you imagine Jimmy Carter walking by someone who needed something and just keep walking? Can you imagine Jimmy Carter referring to someone by the way they look or the way they talk? I can&#8217;t. I can&#8217;t.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The unmitigated gall of the corrupt Biden lecturing Americans on decency off of Carter&#8217;s death <a href="https://t.co/B0kTiVfaFq">pic.twitter.com/B0kTiVfaFq</a>
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) <a href="https://twitter.com/BonillaJL/status/1873547097905025162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2024</a></blockquote>
In a statement released by the White House, Biden called Carter &#8220;an extraordinary leader, statesman, and humanitarian.&#8221;
Calling Carter his &#8220;dear friend,&#8221; Biden said that he had &#8220;compassion and moral clarity.&#8221;
&#8220;He was a man of great character and courage, hope and optimism,&#8221; Biden said. &#8220;We will always cherish seeing him and Rosalynn together. The love shared between Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter is the definition of partnership and their humble leadership is the definition of patriotism.&#8221;
&#8220;And to all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility,&#8221; Biden added. &#8220;He showed that we are great nation because we are a good people – decent and honorable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-obama-clinton-release-statements-on-jimmy-carters-passing">Biden, Obama, Clinton Release Statements On Jimmy Carter’s Passing</a>

Joe Biden Uses Jimmy Carter’s Passing To Take Shot At Donald Trump

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