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Episode 207 JOHN JENRETTE OUR CONGRESSMAN and JIMMY CARTER too (Part 17) A Look back at the Crisis of Spirit speech of President Jimmy Carter (Special Edition)
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“This is not a message of happiness or reassurance,’’ Carter said in his remarks 40 years ago, “but it is the truth and it is a warning.’’
In a speech given in July of 1979, witten about here in an article titled "Jimmy Carter and the meaning of Malaise" from JSTOR Daily:
"Carter proclaimed that the nation was suffering a “crisis in confidence” which struck “at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will.” He called upon the nation to reflect upon its meaning and purpose, and critiqued American materialism.
The immediate response was generally favorable. “No president since Abraham Lincoln had spoken to the American people with such sincerity about matters of the spirit,” gushed presidential historian Theodore White. Polls indicated that 61 percent of the public said the speech inspired further confidence. Seventy-two percent said they were willing to sacrifice to help solve the energy crisis, which had been Carter’s major policy plea. The president’s approval ratings went up twelve points."
But it was in fact, the beginning of the end of the Carter years. With in the next few months he would be challenged by Ted Kennedy, have Sky Lab fall out the sky, have gas lines throughout the country and have the biggest crisis of his term begin in Iran. This speech about "A Crisis in Confidence" in america would come to symbolize the lack of confidence Americans were growing to have in Jimmy Carter.
Carter would reshuffle his cabinet and try to provide leadership for the nation instead, as one Southern Governor put it " :“Mr. President, you are not leading this nation — you’re just managing the government.’’ Which is an image Jimmy Carter could never really shake with the American public. Despite many accomplishments Jimmy Carter had during his term much of the feeling that the President was a dour, pessimistic leader, really began with this speech. Though the speech itself was really a call to action to deal with the energy problems the nation had and that Carter believed could be corrected, and that given the proper leadership we as a nation could become an export and energy leader rather than be myriad in problems created by competitors who wanted to hurt the American economy.
The fact is Jimmy Carter was right. Years later we would become the number one energy producer in the world. This speech actually aged well, long after it could no longer do any good for a President who would be turned out of office after only a single term.
Questions or comments at , [email protected] , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcasts
Thanks for listening!!
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By Randal Wallace
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Send us a text
“This is not a message of happiness or reassurance,’’ Carter said in his remarks 40 years ago, “but it is the truth and it is a warning.’’
In a speech given in July of 1979, witten about here in an article titled "Jimmy Carter and the meaning of Malaise" from JSTOR Daily:
"Carter proclaimed that the nation was suffering a “crisis in confidence” which struck “at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will.” He called upon the nation to reflect upon its meaning and purpose, and critiqued American materialism.
The immediate response was generally favorable. “No president since Abraham Lincoln had spoken to the American people with such sincerity about matters of the spirit,” gushed presidential historian Theodore White. Polls indicated that 61 percent of the public said the speech inspired further confidence. Seventy-two percent said they were willing to sacrifice to help solve the energy crisis, which had been Carter’s major policy plea. The president’s approval ratings went up twelve points."
But it was in fact, the beginning of the end of the Carter years. With in the next few months he would be challenged by Ted Kennedy, have Sky Lab fall out the sky, have gas lines throughout the country and have the biggest crisis of his term begin in Iran. This speech about "A Crisis in Confidence" in america would come to symbolize the lack of confidence Americans were growing to have in Jimmy Carter.
Carter would reshuffle his cabinet and try to provide leadership for the nation instead, as one Southern Governor put it " :“Mr. President, you are not leading this nation — you’re just managing the government.’’ Which is an image Jimmy Carter could never really shake with the American public. Despite many accomplishments Jimmy Carter had during his term much of the feeling that the President was a dour, pessimistic leader, really began with this speech. Though the speech itself was really a call to action to deal with the energy problems the nation had and that Carter believed could be corrected, and that given the proper leadership we as a nation could become an export and energy leader rather than be myriad in problems created by competitors who wanted to hurt the American economy.
The fact is Jimmy Carter was right. Years later we would become the number one energy producer in the world. This speech actually aged well, long after it could no longer do any good for a President who would be turned out of office after only a single term.
Questions or comments at , [email protected] , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/
Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcasts
Thanks for listening!!
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