He was always known as an antisemitic person and president in my home. It was hard to feel good about the good he was doing for other people while hating the Jews!
Not to mention he foolishly boycotted the 1980 Olympics to spite Russia. In the end he only dashed the hopes of US athletes who had trained so hard to compete. Also he was impotent to rescue US hostages detained in Iran. I was around then, and grew to despise this man. Sometimes while waiting in 1/2 hour gas lines due to gasoline shortages and ridiculous prices
You too are unjustly hard on Jews and far too forgiving of so called Palestinians. Would you have Israelis negotiating a peace plan with people who won’t acknowledge a Jewish state as a fair starting place in a proposal?
They already have countries - Jordan, Syria and Egypt. They didn’t even start calling themselves “Palestinians” until 1963-1964, and it wasn’t because of shared identity. It was out of political expediency.
So, I was a teenager when Jimmy took office. My mom is from the Deep South but we lived in Massachusetts where my dad was from. I was talking to her about Jimmy and this article and whether he was an anti semite and she reminded me that a lot of southerners were because of the civil war. Which I had forgot. The carpet baggers left a strong indelible mark on the south. Not that it was right at all but it was true at one time. These of course were the democrats of the south. Remember a synagogue was bombed in Meridian Ms. I’m sure Jimmy was still a good ole boy at heart. I’m surprised him being a Christian. I don’t even know how he got elected in the first place. Great article. Back in the day I almost bought the book. I’m glad I didn’t.
Apparently some people I might have been related to, maybe….and/or might have looked like, possibly, reportedly did some bad things to some people who now hate me. Which is totally justified. That is your Mom’s position.
"Carter doubled down and instead of answering criticism just went straight to the false, anti-Jewish stereotypes of Jewish control of the media. You expect to hear that kind of cancel nonsense from David Duke — but a former president? Ok, maybe one other president comes to mind."
I *could* say I'm genuinely curious who exactly is the "one other president" Kass is referring to here. But given his other writing, we know he is referring to Trump.
This is a totally unwarranted shot at Trump, and completely unnecessary here. And truly without any basis in the context of bona fides re: Israel and Jews.
I actually thought the rest of the content about Carter was pretty good and pretty fair. But IMO it is deplorable of you to use your forum to highlight a writer with such a disgusting POV.
[And for the record, I ain't a bigly Trump lover, though I am certainly right of center]
You of course have the right to do as you see fit with your platform, Reuben, but I gotta tell you your credibility has gone down a notch with me based on this choice.
I wondered too whom he was referring to. I ended up believing it to be Obama. Not realizing the writer suffers from TDS. Accusing Trump of being anti Jewish/Israel is completely absurd. Knee jerk stupidity. (Can’t write an article without slamming Orange Hitler). But are you certain he is so far gone that he could possibly accuse Trump of this?
Jimmy Carter was a great Ex President. But like Biden after him he had a terrible record of undermining American allies. The Shaw of Iran was a case in point. Carter undermined the Shah in a delusional belief that the Ayatollah was our friend. I recently met the former head of Health in Iran, a jew no less, who confirmed Carters position that condemned Iran and its Persian government to enslavement and death under the fundamentalist government now ruling Iran.
From the Times Of Israel.
"The role of the United States in the chaos of 1979 is an undeniable reality. President Reagan repeatedly stated that America’s misguided policies in Iran caused the fall of the late Shah, calling it a historical stain in American history [Televised Debate, November 1984].
Despite the Shah’s 37-year alliance with the U.S. in the Middle East, Carter effectively undermined him [George Bush, January 26, 1979], notably by dispatching General Haig to Iran to incapacitate the military [Richard Nixon, Politique Internationale, Spring 1981]. Carter himself admitted to following the duplicitous advice of U.S. Ambassador Sullivan, a sympathizer of pro-Mossadeq forces [Carter’s Memoirs, 1982, p. 443]. American officials later condemned Carter’s policies as deceitful and Sullivan’s views as dangerously misguided [Schumer, 1980, p. 148].
Years later, Brzezinski acknowledged that the political uprising against the Shah had U.S. backing [Power and Principles, 1983, p. 356], which ultimately led to his removal from power [Kissinger, The Economist, February 10, 1979]. This policy miscalculation not only caused the Shah’s downfall but also plunged Iran into chaos, leaving it a victim of history [Alexander Haig interview].
Carter observed the 1979 crisis in Iran from a distance, while his State Department displayed overt hostility toward the Shah [Brzezinski, ibid, p. 355]. The Shah soon realized that neither Carter nor the U.S. had any intention of supporting him, and he described America’s policy as delusional [Sullivan’s Memoirs, 1981, p. 336]. The Carter administration repeatedly instructed its ambassador to warn the Shah about human rights issues [Encounter Report, November 1984]. History has since recorded Carter’s administration as confused, hypocritical, and paralyzed in the face of Iran’s escalating crisis [Michael Ledeen, Failure in Iran, 1980, p. 231]. At the height of the turmoil, the Shah was abandoned [Nixon, Leaders, 1984, p. 360]."
Sadly, in foreign policy, Carter was ideologically naive, intersectional and delusional.
Given a) the reality of his naive-at-best, hatefully wrong in reality anti-Israel post presidency, b) what Kass wrote and c) what you yourself wrote, how can you claim that “Jimmy Carter was a great Ex President.”
Unless you were going for sarcasm - which did NOT come through - and solely emphasizing the “Ex-“ point that his ceasing being President was the only actually “great” thing here…
A minor comment about the economic situation during Carter's presidency: High inflation and petrol prices weren't confined to the US, and seemed to be almost universal in the late 70s and into the early 80s. Double-digit inflation and queues at petrol stations also feature in my memory of New Zealand at the time.
Carter was an antisemite. Was this a genuine question? He openly blamed the Jews for his failure to secure his second term as president.
As for the author’s own opinion, “It’s not Jew-hating to point out that in 1977, when Carter was president, there were only about 5,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank but today that number is past 500,000, which by any calculation makes a peace deal that much more difficult. Shame on Israel.” Huh.
Anyone who genuinely understands the Middle East should know that even if Israel built zero settlements in Judea and Samaria, it would have not made any difference for those whose goal is to destroy Israel. The “peace deal” that never was. Shame on you, Kass, for failing this very basic moral litmus test.
Settlements do limit possibilities for peace. How are Palestinians supposed to piece together a functional state if Israel has sliced it into thousands of enclaves? Of course, the whole point was to make a Palestinian state impossible, a fact that the Right is very open about. Just mention that fact and people screech that you love terrorism and hate Jews.
Israel has demonstrated in the past that it is willing and able to remove Jews when it is deemed necessary. Look no further than Yamit and Gush Katif. There is no reason to think that they wouldn't be willing to do it again if they thought it would bring about peace. It does, however, beg the question of why Jews couldn't live in a Palestinian state.
If you say so. There were only around 9,000 settlers in Gaza and Israelis today still grouse about what a horror moving that many people was. Now imagine how Israel would move 500,000 people.
If there were actually to be a peaceful, 2-state agreement it's highly probable that Israel would in any case retain the large population blocs, so moving 50,000 people is an unlikely scenario. But you haven't addressed the question of Jews living in a peaceful Palestinian state. If it was truly peaceful why couldn't they? And why should Israel agree to give up strategic assets for anything less than a peaceful neighboring state?
Sure it would be possible for 500,000 Jews to be annexed by a peaceful Palestinian state, but again that's a difficult choice for Israel to make. And again, making a Palestinian state more difficult to establish is an explicit goal of settler leaders.
Yes, these difficulties could theoretically be overcome. But why should Israel make things more difficult for itself for the sake of violent nationalist bigots like settlers?
Peaceful Palestinian state? Where is it? No Jews live in the territories controlled by PA. Why? As you rightfully noted, Jews left Gaza completely - did it bring peace? Of course not. Jews live on 0.2% of all the Middle East, having been purged from pretty much the entire Arab world. However controversial the settlements are, they are not the impediments to “peace” rejected by the Arabs.
Carter lost the Presidency to Ronald Regan in a landslide in 1980, garnering just 49 Electoral College votes against Reagan’s 489. Despite the overwhelming nature of his loss, Carter blamed American Jews. “At times, he would express to me and others that if American Jews had not abandoned him, he would have beaten Reagan,” recalled Prof. Kenneth Stein, Pres. Carter’s primary Middle East advisor until 1994 and a former fellow of the Carter Center, who later broke with Carter.
Carter’s belief that Jews cost him the 1980 election was reaffirmed in 2018 when his former Domestic Affairs Advisor Stuart Eizenstat published his memoir President Carter: The White House Years and blamed Jewish leaders for torpedoing Carter’s chances of reelection because of policy disagreements. In the complex world of American politics, it seems strange to focus single mindedly on the role that Jews play. Yet in the Carter White House, it seems that Jews were given extra scrutiny, and Pres. Carter was often incensed when he felt American Jews were not sufficiently grateful.
Yes
Absolutely! Not sitting shiva in my house!
He was always known as an antisemitic person and president in my home. It was hard to feel good about the good he was doing for other people while hating the Jews!
In short, Carter was a disaster with few redeeming qualities. R.I.P. antisemite, probably not in heaven
Not to mention he foolishly boycotted the 1980 Olympics to spite Russia. In the end he only dashed the hopes of US athletes who had trained so hard to compete. Also he was impotent to rescue US hostages detained in Iran. I was around then, and grew to despise this man. Sometimes while waiting in 1/2 hour gas lines due to gasoline shortages and ridiculous prices
Mr. Kass,
You too are unjustly hard on Jews and far too forgiving of so called Palestinians. Would you have Israelis negotiating a peace plan with people who won’t acknowledge a Jewish state as a fair starting place in a proposal?
They already have countries - Jordan, Syria and Egypt. They didn’t even start calling themselves “Palestinians” until 1963-1964, and it wasn’t because of shared identity. It was out of political expediency.
And people whose stated goal is to kill them.
Great reality check, thank you!
One more foe vanquished
So, I was a teenager when Jimmy took office. My mom is from the Deep South but we lived in Massachusetts where my dad was from. I was talking to her about Jimmy and this article and whether he was an anti semite and she reminded me that a lot of southerners were because of the civil war. Which I had forgot. The carpet baggers left a strong indelible mark on the south. Not that it was right at all but it was true at one time. These of course were the democrats of the south. Remember a synagogue was bombed in Meridian Ms. I’m sure Jimmy was still a good ole boy at heart. I’m surprised him being a Christian. I don’t even know how he got elected in the first place. Great article. Back in the day I almost bought the book. I’m glad I didn’t.
Apparently some people I might have been related to, maybe….and/or might have looked like, possibly, reportedly did some bad things to some people who now hate me. Which is totally justified. That is your Mom’s position.
Also, according to ChatGPT….not always right…the majority of Carpetbaggers were NOT Jewish. Some were. Most weren’t.
"Carter doubled down and instead of answering criticism just went straight to the false, anti-Jewish stereotypes of Jewish control of the media. You expect to hear that kind of cancel nonsense from David Duke — but a former president? Ok, maybe one other president comes to mind."
I *could* say I'm genuinely curious who exactly is the "one other president" Kass is referring to here. But given his other writing, we know he is referring to Trump.
https://jeffreykass.medium.com/trumps-victory-proved-white-privilege-4a584182904e
https://momentum.medium.com/racism-is-the-reason-not-to-vote-for-trump-b3f96078c9ee
This is a totally unwarranted shot at Trump, and completely unnecessary here. And truly without any basis in the context of bona fides re: Israel and Jews.
I actually thought the rest of the content about Carter was pretty good and pretty fair. But IMO it is deplorable of you to use your forum to highlight a writer with such a disgusting POV.
[And for the record, I ain't a bigly Trump lover, though I am certainly right of center]
You of course have the right to do as you see fit with your platform, Reuben, but I gotta tell you your credibility has gone down a notch with me based on this choice.
I wondered too whom he was referring to. I ended up believing it to be Obama. Not realizing the writer suffers from TDS. Accusing Trump of being anti Jewish/Israel is completely absurd. Knee jerk stupidity. (Can’t write an article without slamming Orange Hitler). But are you certain he is so far gone that he could possibly accuse Trump of this?
Also, a number of Presidents were anti semitic I am pretty sure. Openly. Wasn’t Roosevelt? Johnson?
Nixon
Read the two links I included, especially the 2nd, and I think you will have no doubt as well.
In it he half-acknowledges that Trump is pro-Israel, but quadruples down on the anti-Jewish.
So yeah, no doubt.
Trump is pro-himself. That’s pretty much it.
Jimmy Carter was a great Ex President. But like Biden after him he had a terrible record of undermining American allies. The Shaw of Iran was a case in point. Carter undermined the Shah in a delusional belief that the Ayatollah was our friend. I recently met the former head of Health in Iran, a jew no less, who confirmed Carters position that condemned Iran and its Persian government to enslavement and death under the fundamentalist government now ruling Iran.
From the Times Of Israel.
"The role of the United States in the chaos of 1979 is an undeniable reality. President Reagan repeatedly stated that America’s misguided policies in Iran caused the fall of the late Shah, calling it a historical stain in American history [Televised Debate, November 1984].
Despite the Shah’s 37-year alliance with the U.S. in the Middle East, Carter effectively undermined him [George Bush, January 26, 1979], notably by dispatching General Haig to Iran to incapacitate the military [Richard Nixon, Politique Internationale, Spring 1981]. Carter himself admitted to following the duplicitous advice of U.S. Ambassador Sullivan, a sympathizer of pro-Mossadeq forces [Carter’s Memoirs, 1982, p. 443]. American officials later condemned Carter’s policies as deceitful and Sullivan’s views as dangerously misguided [Schumer, 1980, p. 148].
Years later, Brzezinski acknowledged that the political uprising against the Shah had U.S. backing [Power and Principles, 1983, p. 356], which ultimately led to his removal from power [Kissinger, The Economist, February 10, 1979]. This policy miscalculation not only caused the Shah’s downfall but also plunged Iran into chaos, leaving it a victim of history [Alexander Haig interview].
Carter observed the 1979 crisis in Iran from a distance, while his State Department displayed overt hostility toward the Shah [Brzezinski, ibid, p. 355]. The Shah soon realized that neither Carter nor the U.S. had any intention of supporting him, and he described America’s policy as delusional [Sullivan’s Memoirs, 1981, p. 336]. The Carter administration repeatedly instructed its ambassador to warn the Shah about human rights issues [Encounter Report, November 1984]. History has since recorded Carter’s administration as confused, hypocritical, and paralyzed in the face of Iran’s escalating crisis [Michael Ledeen, Failure in Iran, 1980, p. 231]. At the height of the turmoil, the Shah was abandoned [Nixon, Leaders, 1984, p. 360]."
Sadly, in foreign policy, Carter was ideologically naive, intersectional and delusional.
You really should try writing a long note about this. Thank you
The Shah was no saint, either, but he was better than Khomeini.
Given a) the reality of his naive-at-best, hatefully wrong in reality anti-Israel post presidency, b) what Kass wrote and c) what you yourself wrote, how can you claim that “Jimmy Carter was a great Ex President.”
Unless you were going for sarcasm - which did NOT come through - and solely emphasizing the “Ex-“ point that his ceasing being President was the only actually “great” thing here…
Of course he hated Jews. This a serious question?
“Arab” is not a race; it’s a linguistic designator.
All of which is why, as a liberal, I did not shed a tear at his passing.
A minor comment about the economic situation during Carter's presidency: High inflation and petrol prices weren't confined to the US, and seemed to be almost universal in the late 70s and into the early 80s. Double-digit inflation and queues at petrol stations also feature in my memory of New Zealand at the time.
And bad leftist policies were likely in place there.
Obviously oil price hikes were not contained to the U.S., they were global.
And in the U.K., e.g. it took Margaret Thatcher to pull that country out of worse problems than even the U.S. had.
No to the leftist policies - a National (right of centre) government was in place in NZ from 1975 to 1984.
Carter was an antisemite. Was this a genuine question? He openly blamed the Jews for his failure to secure his second term as president.
As for the author’s own opinion, “It’s not Jew-hating to point out that in 1977, when Carter was president, there were only about 5,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank but today that number is past 500,000, which by any calculation makes a peace deal that much more difficult. Shame on Israel.” Huh.
Anyone who genuinely understands the Middle East should know that even if Israel built zero settlements in Judea and Samaria, it would have not made any difference for those whose goal is to destroy Israel. The “peace deal” that never was. Shame on you, Kass, for failing this very basic moral litmus test.
Settlements do limit possibilities for peace. How are Palestinians supposed to piece together a functional state if Israel has sliced it into thousands of enclaves? Of course, the whole point was to make a Palestinian state impossible, a fact that the Right is very open about. Just mention that fact and people screech that you love terrorism and hate Jews.
Israel has demonstrated in the past that it is willing and able to remove Jews when it is deemed necessary. Look no further than Yamit and Gush Katif. There is no reason to think that they wouldn't be willing to do it again if they thought it would bring about peace. It does, however, beg the question of why Jews couldn't live in a Palestinian state.
If you say so. There were only around 9,000 settlers in Gaza and Israelis today still grouse about what a horror moving that many people was. Now imagine how Israel would move 500,000 people.
If there were actually to be a peaceful, 2-state agreement it's highly probable that Israel would in any case retain the large population blocs, so moving 50,000 people is an unlikely scenario. But you haven't addressed the question of Jews living in a peaceful Palestinian state. If it was truly peaceful why couldn't they? And why should Israel agree to give up strategic assets for anything less than a peaceful neighboring state?
Sure it would be possible for 500,000 Jews to be annexed by a peaceful Palestinian state, but again that's a difficult choice for Israel to make. And again, making a Palestinian state more difficult to establish is an explicit goal of settler leaders.
Yes, these difficulties could theoretically be overcome. But why should Israel make things more difficult for itself for the sake of violent nationalist bigots like settlers?
Peaceful Palestinian state? Where is it? No Jews live in the territories controlled by PA. Why? As you rightfully noted, Jews left Gaza completely - did it bring peace? Of course not. Jews live on 0.2% of all the Middle East, having been purged from pretty much the entire Arab world. However controversial the settlements are, they are not the impediments to “peace” rejected by the Arabs.
I didn't say they were an impediment to peace, but thanks for the long angry answer that doesn't address anything I said at all.
Not angry at all. “Settlements do limit possibilities for peace,” you said. Hmm
“He openly blamed the Jews for his failure to secure his second term as president.”
I am NO fan of Carter, but do you have evidence for this claim??
Carter lost the Presidency to Ronald Regan in a landslide in 1980, garnering just 49 Electoral College votes against Reagan’s 489. Despite the overwhelming nature of his loss, Carter blamed American Jews. “At times, he would express to me and others that if American Jews had not abandoned him, he would have beaten Reagan,” recalled Prof. Kenneth Stein, Pres. Carter’s primary Middle East advisor until 1994 and a former fellow of the Carter Center, who later broke with Carter.
Carter’s belief that Jews cost him the 1980 election was reaffirmed in 2018 when his former Domestic Affairs Advisor Stuart Eizenstat published his memoir President Carter: The White House Years and blamed Jewish leaders for torpedoing Carter’s chances of reelection because of policy disagreements. In the complex world of American politics, it seems strange to focus single mindedly on the role that Jews play. Yet in the Carter White House, it seems that Jews were given extra scrutiny, and Pres. Carter was often incensed when he felt American Jews were not sufficiently grateful.
Thanks!
The worst POTUS ever. He launched Islamist terrorism as a geopolitical weapon. To ask if he was a Jew hater is akin to ask if the pope is catholic.
Gas prices peaked at $1.19/gallon under Carter, which would be around $4.05 today. The highest interest rate during his presidency was 19.08%.