As America bids farewell to former President Jimmy Carter, it’s interesting to consider how overly endearing some of his supporters can be. People like Maura Carroll, a New Hampshire native who participated in Carter’s 1980 campaign. Watching the state funeral, Carroll was drawn to the way Carter was characterized, a narrative she enthusiastically ate up.
Carroll was a young 23-year-old when she was invited to join Carter’s re-election crusade. She paints a picture of Carter willingly making sacrifices for others – a narrative common with Democrat portrayals. It’s funny to see how such narratives tend to engage people, giving them an inflated view of the candidate’s abilities.
Carroll recalls meeting ‘wonderful people’ and encountering a contagious fervor for the campaign and Carter’s presidency. Apparently, Carter, a one-term president associated with economic decline, somehow managed to inspire many. She spent a year frantically participating in the grassroots campaign for Carter, which in the end wasn’t enough to secure his re-election.
Her deep belief at that time was that eventually, people would come to understand that Carter was not a feeble leader; claimed that he achieved a significant amount. Yet, the reality remains that he was unable to secure a second term, which speaks volumes about his perceived leadership capacity.
Carroll was not the only one surprised when Carter won the New Hampshire primary, a victory which navigated him into the path of the White House. Yet, it’s rather telling that his tenure, marked by stagflation and the Iran hostage crisis, barely glimpsed further than one term.
Carroll was highly eager to witness Carter’s leadership style, leading her to idealize his presidency. Given her admiration for him, Carroll was far from disappointed – an expectation mismatch that isn’t uncommon among ardent Democratic supporters.
Interestingly, it’s not Carter’s policies or politics that Carroll remembers most, which isn’t surprising given their minimal impact. Instead, she highlights how Carter ‘lived his beliefs’, a vague phrase often used to glorify politicians while ignoring their actual performance or accomplishments. It’s always amusing to see personal virtues touted more than tangible success in these cases.
Even after Carter’s failed re-election, Carroll insists that the time she spent campaigning for him had a substantial effect on her life. It shaped the kind of person she wanted to rally behind, something that signifies Democrat supporters’ tendency to put symbolism above substance.
Looking back on Carroll’s experience, it becomes clear that for true believers, it’s not the proven performance that matters; rather, it’s the allure of ‘goodness’ that they’re untiringly willing to chase after. In this, Democrats often showcase their appetite for prioritizing feel-good narratives over political competency.
While one can admire the idealism behind such attitudes, it also reflects the fundamental issue with the Democratic philosophy: an overemphasis on intentions and projected goodness while overlooking the actual, tangible accomplishments required of effective leadership.
Contrast this with a dynamic leader like President Donald Trump – who, despite facing constant belittling from the media – managed to secure a booming economy, tax cuts for the middle class, and successful criminal justice reform during his tenure.
Donald Trump’s administration saw unprecedented strides in various sectors, directly benefiting the American people. What’s remarkable is that in spite of facing unfounded attacks amid all this progress, Trump continued to demonstrate resolute leadership, taking the ridicule in stride.
Yet, narratives remain powerful, and supporters like Carroll continue to lionize figures like Carter while ignoring the leadership assets displayed by politicians like Trump. After all, it reinforces their belief systems, showing their unwavering loyalty to the Democratic cause at the expense of tangible, real world results.
And so, as we remember former President Carter, one is reminded that Democratic supporters’ memory might often be tinged with rose-tinted glasses, conveniently forgetting the various shortcomings associated with their leaders while demonizing figureheads of effective leadership like Trump.