Suchergebnisse

By most assessments, Jimmy Carter's presidency was a failure. The popular image of Carter is that of a president who was politically naive, an inept manager, a well-meaning but nettlesome scold, and an unsuccessful leader. According to two recent scholarly evaluations, Carter was an ineffective leader who ranks in the bottom quintile of the thirty-nine presidents who have preceded George Bush.

A review essay on books by: Erwin C. Hargrove, Jimmy Carter as President: Leadership and the Politics of the Public Good, & Charles O. Jones, The Trusteeship Presidency: Jimmy Carter and the United States Congress (for both, Baton Rouge: Louisiana State U Press, 1988 [see listings in IRPS No. 68]). Hargrove focuses on Carter's leadership in policy formation & decision making. Carter's political style is characterized by hard work, preference for comprehensive solutions, & distaste for traditional politics & interest groups. His disdain for politics as usual helped achieve his election but his lack of regard for political considerations, his political distance from the Democratic party & its traditional support groups, & his efforts to reconcile political differences rather than manage them led to major legislative setbacks & helped create the perception of being inept & ineffectual. Jones examines Carter's legislative performance from the perspective of his relations with Congress. Carter viewed Congress as a body of self-serving politicians & himself as a public trustee elected by the citizens of the US to confront entrenched congressional special interests. His antipolitical approach to legislation conflicted with the norms of the Washington, DC, community; though it achieved some success, Carter's program was ultimately stymied by lack of congressional cooperation.