Recollecting Carter

Journalist and Author Jonathan Alter published His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life in 2020. Despite coming out a full four decades after Carter left office, it was the first independent, full-length biography of our 39th President. On this episode of Recollecting Carter, I got a chance to talk with Alter about his experience writing the book and ask why he was inspired to write it now in this historical moment.

You can find Jonathan's book at: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/His-Very-Best/Jonathan-Alter/9781501125546

Understanding President Carter’s fraught relationship with the press is key to understanding his Presidency. On this Episode of Recollecting Carter, I talk once more with Dr. Amber Roessner about the historical context behind two news stories that exemplify press coverage of Carter’s time in office. Understanding this history can uncover a lot about how news media help to create the uniquely American version of political theater we experience today.

Washington D.C is a city bustling with activity and rich with history. On this episode of Recollecting Carter, I take a tour with public historian Rebecca Fachner of some historical sites that highlight Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter around America's Capitol.

You can hear more from Rebecca on her podcast Tour Guide Tell All: https://freetoursbyfoot.com/tour-guide-tell-all/

President Carter’s Crisis of Confidence speech is considered one of the most iconic moments of his Presidency. So how did we come to profoundly misremember it today? On this Episode of Recollecting Carter, I talk again with Dr. Amber Roessner, author of Jimmy Carter and the Birth of the Marathon Media Campaign, about Carter’s speech and why our collective memory of it is so stubbornly inaccurate.

For a video and transcript of the entire speech, originally delivered on July 15, 1979, visit: https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/july-15-1979-crisis-confidence-speech

Carter and his political appointees undertook a systematic dismantling of government regulation in a wide variety of industries ranging from air travel to alcohol. On this episode of Recollecting Carter, I talk with Dr. Paul Matzko about the effects of deregulation during Carter's presidency. While Dr. Matzko is a professional historian employed by the Cato Institute, the views expressed in the interview are his own.

You can find Paul's book at: https://academic.oup.com/book/33642

Carter took office during a time of significant economic and cultural upheaval. On this episode of Recollecting Carter, I talk with Dr. Rachel Grant about Carter's place in the history of the Civil Rights Movement. Backlash to Carter's progressive policies on race relations contributed to his failed reelection campaign in 1980 and still reverberate in American politics today.

Carter's genuine love for popular music was used to great effect during his political career. On this episode of Recollecting Carter, I talk with Dr. Randall Stephens about his book The Devil's Music: How Christians Inspired, Condemned, and Embraced Rock 'n' Roll. Our conversation revealed unexpected and interesting intersections in faith, race, and American popular culture.

You can find Randall's book at: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674980846

Today, there is a widespread belief that news media have an inherent bias toward liberal points of view. On this episode of Recollecting Carter, I talk with Dr. A. J. Bauer about research for his forthcoming book Making the Liberal Media. Interestingly, Bauer has found that much of the way we remember Carter's presidency today is connected with the rise of conservative talk radio in the 1980s and the vested interest that figures like Rush Limbaugh had in denigrating Carter to build their audience.

There are competing historical narratives about the relationship between Jerry Falwell Sr.'s Moral Majority movement and social issues like racial equality, equal rights, and religious freedom. On this episode of Recollecting Carter, I talk with Dr. Gillian Frank about the politicization of abortion during Carter's presidency. While this episode focuses on historical facts about abortion as opposed to political or religious viewpoints, be aware that some listeners may be sensitive to this content.

You can hear more from Gill on his podcast Sexing History: https://www.sexinghistory.com/

Jimmy Carter is widely viewed to be the most authentically Christian president that America has ever had. On this episode of Recollecting Carter, I talk with Dr. Neil J. Young about Carter's faith and why many Christian voters turned instead towards Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential election. Young's book We Gather Together: The Religious Right and the Problem of Interfaith Politics unpacks the complicated relationship between belief and political action.

You can find Neil's book at: https://academic.oup.com/jcs/article-abstract/59/1/135/2965507

You can hear more from Neil on his podcast Past Present: http://www.pastpresentpodcast.com/episodes