Hey everyone and welcome back, ready to jump into another deep dive.
Always ready to dive in.
Today we're tackling a figure who I feel like gets simplified in the history books.
You're ready to explore the life of Jimmy Carter.
Absolutely.
He's definitely a fascinating guy with a lot more going on than just peanuts in the presidency.
That's what we're here to uncover.
We're going way beyond the usual talking points today.
Right.
And to do that, we've got some incredible excerpts from 10 short stories about Jimmy Carter.
This book is packed with surprising stories.
Okay, I'm hooked already.
Okay.
The intro mentions some pretty intriguing stuff, like his birthplace is unusual.
And something about a nuclear reactor.
Oh, you're in for a treat.
And there's even a connection to Elvis Presley.
It's going to be a wild ride.
I am so ready.
Let's get started.
So, about that birthplace thing, I have to admit, I don't know a lot about Carter's early life.
What's so unusual about where he was born?
Well, get this.
Jimmy Carter was the very first US president born in a hospital.
What?
Really?
That never even crossed my mind.
It seems so commonplace now.
I know, right?
But back then, things were different.
Before World War II, hospitals were mainly for poor folks.
Interesting.
So, wealthier families would have doctors make house calls.
Exactly.
They could afford that luxury.
But Carter's family, they lived in rural Georgia.
No electricity, no running water.
Hospitals were their only option.
Ah, makes sense.
So, it was more about their economic situation than anything else.
It was.
Plus, his mom, Lillian, was a nurse at the local hospital.
Giving birth there meant she'd recover quicker and lose less income for the family.
It really highlights how different his upbringing was compared to many other presidents.
Absolutely.
It gives you a whole new perspective on his background.
It definitely does.
Speaking of early influences, there's that incredible story about young Jimmy and the Joe Louis Maxx-smelling fight.
Oh, yeah.
The fight that captivated the whole nation.
Carter always remembered listening to that radio broadcast with his family and some of their black neighbors.
And I think this is where things get really interesting, right?
Because after the fight, which Joe Louis, a black boxer, won, Carter observed something pretty profound.
He did.
You see, despite the shared excitement of Louis' victory, Carter's black neighbors, who didn't even own a radio themselves,
stuck to the rigid social norms of segregation.
They thanked his father politely and then headed back home to celebrate on their own.
It's crazy to think about how a seemingly simple event like that could leave such a lasting impression.
It did.
That experience stayed with him.
It shaped his views on racial equality and influenced his actions later on as governor and president.
It's a powerful reminder of how childhood experiences can have a lasting impact on our worldview.
Okay, shifting gears a bit.
I was surprised to learn about Carter's early involvement with the Sumter County Library Board.
A future president passionate about books.
That's cool.
His love of reading and learning definitely started early.
And get this, as a teenager on that board, he helped create a traveling library, a bookmobile basically,
bringing books to folks in his rural community.
That's amazing.
And clearly, that passion stayed with him.
He's written over 30 books himself.
Do we know which one he considered his favorite?
He often said,
Let us now praise famous men was the one. It's a really powerful look at poverty in the American South during the Great Depression.
Given his own upbringing, I can see why that would resonate with him.
Absolutely.
It's speaks volumes about his values and how he viewed the struggles of others.
Now, for a little bit of a curveball, did you know Carter wasn't his high school's valedictorian?
Wait, really? What happened?
Senior Ditch Day.
Getting zeros for that day knocked him out of the talk spot.
Oh, wow. Guess even future presidents aren't immune to the temptation of Senior Skip Day.
Nope. Looks like everyone falls prey to that one.
But even with that little detour, he still graduated the top 10% of his class at the US Naval Academy.
So clearly, the guy was brilliant.
Okay, from academics to something a bit more intense.
Carter's time as a nuclear engineer, he had a pretty harrowing experience, right?
Yeah, he was part of a rescue mission after a reactor explosion in Canada.
It was incredibly dangerous. We're talking about serious radiation exposure.
How much exposure are we talking about?
It's scary to think about, but he basically absorbed a year's worth of radiation in just 89 seconds.
Wow, that's intense.
It really speaks to his courage and sense of duty.
Okay, let's shift to Carter's political journey now.
He's often seen as this honest, straightforward politician,
but his stance on civil rights is a bit more complicated than that.
It is. He was always personally against racism.
But in the South, during the 60s and 70s, he had to walk a fine line politically.
Right. Like when he first ran for governor of Georgia,
he was very open about refusing to join the White Citizens Council in his hometown
and campaign on a pro-civil rights platform.
And he lost. Badly. A tough lesson in Southern politics at the time.
So when he ran again a few years later, he changed his approach.
He even criticized his opponent for supporting Martin Luther King Jr.,
which is mind-blowing to think about now.
Wild, isn't it?
But it shows you the tough decisions politicians sometimes face.
The thing is, after he won that election, Carter made a bold statement in his inaugural address.
He declared that racial discrimination was over in Georgia.
He even hung a portrait of MLK in the governor's mansion.
Wow. Sounds like he was trying to thread a very difficult needle.
Appealing to voters while staying true to his principles,
it seems he was finally able to champion racial equality once in office.
He was.
It reminds us that context matters.
And political journeys rarely follow a straight path.
Okay, ready for something a bit lighter?
Let's talk about Carter's love of movies.
Oh, this I like.
I knew about his love of reading, but a movie buff, too.
Big time.
I'd say he's right up there with Reagan and Clinton in his passion for cinema.
Remember, deliverance, that movie was huge in Georgia.
And actually inspired Carter to create the Georgia Film Office.
That's incredible.
And get this, during his presidency,
he watched over 400 films in the White House screening room.
What was his favorite, you think?
He said all the presidents meant.
Interesting choice given his own journey in politics.
Okay, this next one might surprise some people.
Carter and rock and roll.
I know, right?
You don't picture him rocking out.
Not exactly.
So tell me, what's the connection?
His campaign team realized how powerful rock music could be in reaching young voters.
Especially since this was the first election where 18-year-olds could vote.
Smart move.
So who did they get involved?
Think Southern Rock royalty.
The Almond Brothers Band, Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffett, even Charlie Daniels.
They held benefit concerts for Carter.
That's wild.
Definitely breaks the mold of how we usually imagine him.
It does.
He was definitely willing to try unconventional ways to connect with people.
Right, now for a story that caused quite a stir back in the day.
The infamous Playboy interview.
Oh yeah, the one where he talked about lust in his heart.
I remember that making headlines.
But beyond the attention-grabbing stuff, what was the lasting impact?
Well, it definitely shook things up with evangelical voters.
Before that interview, they were solidly behind Carter.
But the Ford campaign, they were savvy.
They used the controversy to their advantage.
They held events with evangelical leaders and made sure to emphasize Ford's faith.
Exactly.
It was a turning point.
The Republican Party realized the power of faith-based campaigning.
Some even call it Southern Strategy 2.0.
Wow, that's a pretty significant ripple effect from one interview.
Okay, this next one is a total curveball.
Carter's tech savviness.
Are you telling me he was a secret tech geek?
Maybe not a geek, but he was definitely ahead of his time.
Especially during his 1976 campaign.
They had a pretty sophisticated setup on his campaign jet for data analysis and communication.
All powered by computers.
The computer-driven candidate, they called him, right?
We got it.
It just shows his forward-thinking approach in how he wasn't afraid of new technology.
Speaking of defying expectations, Carter was really determined to maintain a down-to-earth image as president.
I've heard stories about that.
Being sworn in as Jimmy, walking in the inaugural parades, selling the presidential yacht.
He did all that, and he was always mending his own clothes, carrying his own briefcase.
Famously, he never owned anything from Brooks Brothers.
Okay, gotta admit, that's pretty endearing.
But I wonder, did this common man approach always work in his favor?
It's a tough balancing act.
It made him relatable to a lot of people.
But some folks thought it made him seem, well, not presidential enough.
Makes you think about the image we expect from our leaders.
Okay, this next story really highlights a different time in American politics.
Carter's ability to stay respectful with political opponents.
Something we don't see much of today.
It's true.
In his inaugural address, he even thanked Gerald Ford for healing the nation.
He was referring to the controversial Nixon, pardon.
Wow, that's incredible.
They even developed a close friendship and worked on a policy report together.
You just don't see that kind of collaboration anymore.
It was a different era.
Okay, I'm dying to hear about this Elvis Presley connection.
How on earth are those two linked?
It's a wild story.
Picture this.
A phone call from Graceland.
Elvis, apparently not entirely sober, calls Carter looking for a pardon for a friend,
and help with perceived threats.
Wait, was Elvis a Carter supporter?
Actually, his politics were more aligned with Republicans, but he had met Carter before
and tried to use that connection.
Wow, that's crazy.
What did Carter do?
He tried to reason with Elvis, explaining that a party before a trial wasn't possible,
but the calls kept coming, getting more and more incoherent.
That's so sad.
Knowing what we know about Elvis' struggles at the time.
It is.
And when Elvis passed away a couple of months later, the White House issued a statement,
praising his contributions to American culture.
Okay, on to another aspect of Carter.
His famous attention to detail.
Ah, yes, this guy was meticulously detail-oriented, almost to a fault.
Like, he actually personally managed the White House tennis court schedule.
No way.
The president of the United States scheduling tennis matches.
Apparently.
But sometimes this attention to detail actually work in his favor.
Like, his super detailed knowledge of Alaska's geography helped him catch some major flaws
in a proposed conservation bill.
Those were flaws that would have benefited real estate developers at the expense of the environment.
And he lied on.
He used that knowledge to block the bill from passing.
So, it was a double-edged sword.
Sometimes helpful, sometimes a bit obsessive.
Okay, another surprise.
Carter was pretty progressive on marijuana, wasn't he?
Especially for his time.
He was.
Remember, this was the height of the tough-on-crime era, but Carter had a different perspective.
He even mentioned legalization on the campaign trail.
You're kidding.
That's pretty bold.
It was.
He also invited John Lennon and Yoko Ono to his inauguration, which was a symbolic move
given their advocacy for drug policy reform.
And in 1977, he formally urged Congress to lower or even eliminate penalties for marijuana possession.
His argument was that the punishment shouldn't be worse than the drug itself.
Wow.
It's fascinating to think about how things might have unfolded differently if his efforts had been successful.
Right.
What a different world it could be.
Even though he didn't achieve full-scale reform, there was a small win in this area.
Remember that bill that legalized home beer brewing?
Oh, right.
I'm sure his brother Billy was thrilled about that.
Absolutely.
So, even though his big vision for drug policy change didn't happen, he secured a win for home brewers.
Every little bit counts.
Okay, last one for this section.
Carter and Outer Space.
What's the connection with the Voyager program?
Ah, this is one of my favorite Carter stories.
He was such a big supporter of Voyager, which sent those probes out with the golden records filled with info about Earth.
It's basically a message in a bottle for the cosmos meant to travel for billions of years.
Okay, that's just incredible.
What exactly is on these golden records?
You name it.
Pictures of people, animals, nature, diagrams explaining science, greetings in 55 languages.
They even put the sound of a baby crying on there.
Wow, it's like a little snapshot of what it means to be human.
What about music?
Did they send music out into space?
Oh yeah, they included classical music, folk music from all over the world.
And knowing Carter, I'm guessing he pushed for some rock and roll as well.
You know it.
He really wanted American blues and rock to be represented.
Initially, they were going to use Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles, but their publisher wouldn't give permission.
Oh, that's a bummer.
So what did they choose instead?
They went with Johnny Be Good by Chuck Berry.
Nice.
That's a classic.
It's amazing to think about that song floating out there in the vastness of space.
It's mind-blowing.
And get this, Carter also wrote a message that they etched onto the golden records.
Okay, I have to know.
What did he say to these potential alien civilizations?
It's a long one, but here's a little piece.
This is a present from a small distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts, and our feelings.
We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours.
We hope someday, having solved the problems we face, to join a community of galactic civilizations.
This record represents our hope and our determination and our goodwill in a vast and awesome universe.
That's beautiful.
It's so hopeful and aspirational.
It makes you realize how small we are in the grand scheme of things.
It's a powerful message.
All right, let's bring things back down to earth for a minute, literally, with the story that resonates strongly in today's world.
Carter's decision to cede control of the Panama Canal.
That was a pretty controversial move, right?
It was.
It generated a lot of debate and divided opinions, although not necessarily a long party lines as we see with many issues today.
Why would he give up something as strategically important as the Panama Canal?
For Carter, it was all about doing what he felt was ethically right.
He believed it was wrong for the US to hold onto the canal, which we built under some pretty questionable circumstances.
He was adamant that Panama should have control over its own land.
So it was a matter of principle for him, not political strategy or economic gain.
It was.
And to pull it off, he had to maneuver through some difficult political situations and even went over some unexpected allies.
You're talking about John Wayne, Frank.
Yep.
John Wayne, the ultimate symbol of American conservatism, became a major supporter of the Panama Canal treaties.
What? Really? That's so surprising.
I know. It's one of those things that makes you scratch your head at first.
But when you dig a little deeper, it makes a bit more sense.
Wayne was a strong patriot, but he was also practical and concerned about America's image in the world.
So how did Carter convince him?
It involved a carefully orchestrated meeting with the Panamanian president, Omar Torrisos.
He was quite the charmer and a skilled diplomat.
Torrisos appealed to Wayne's sense of fairness, arguing that it was only right for Panama to have control of its own territory and destiny.
That's pretty clever.
It was.
And to really seal the deal, Torrisos set up a meeting between Wayne and some American soldiers stationed in Panama.
They argued that giving up the canal was actually the best way to ensure it kept running smoothly and didn't fall into the wrong hands.
So it was kind of a strategic maneuver to protect the canal in the long run?
Exactly.
That argument really resonated with Wayne, who was a pragmatist at heart, despite his conservative leanings.
It's amazing how Wayne's support helped to sway public opinion.
It was a game changer.
And once he was on board, it paved the way for the Senate to approve the treaties.
Remarkably, it tasked with bipartisan support.
It's an incredible story.
It shows you that even in the midst of massive challenges and disagreements, people can find common ground and unexpected alliances can bring about real change.
Well said.
Okay, ready to explore a side of Carter that many people might not know about?
His subtle sense of humor.
I'm all ears.
Carter wasn't none for being a comedian, right?
He often seemed serious, even a bit somber.
But as we've seen already, there's often more to the story than meets the eye.
So you're telling me he did have a sense of humor after all?
He did.
It was a dry wit with a touch of self-deprecation that often went unnoticed.
Okay, I need some examples.
Give me the best of Carter's comedy.
All right, well, there's that story about him meeting Alex Haley, the author of Roots.
Afterward, Carter joked that he'd never ask anyone about their family again.
Ah, I can see how his delivery might not always land a joke.
Right.
And then there's his response to a reporter who asked how he'd feel if his seven-year-old
daughter, Amy, had an affair.
He deadpanned.
I'd be shocked and overwhelmed.
Classic dad joke.
Any other gems?
Oh, yeah.
While visiting Egypt and touring the Great Pyramid, he was told it took 20 years to build.
Carter quipped back, I'm surprised a government organization could do it that quickly.
Okay, that one's actually pretty good.
It sounds like he found humor in the unexpected poking fun at himself and the government.
He did.
And it reminds us that even the most serious people can have a lighter side.
It definitely makes him more relatable.
It's those little moments that show their humanity.
I agree.
And that's one of the things that makes Jimmy Carter so fascinating.
There's always something new to discover, another layer to uncover.
We've already covered so much ground, but we're just getting started.
There's still a ton to explore about this intriguing and often misunderstood man.
That's right.
Still so much to unpack about Jimmy Carter.
Let's dive into a topic that was really important to him, but also caused a lot of controversy.
His relationship with the Jewish community.
Ah, yes.
It was definitely a relationship with a lot of layers, full of support, but also fraught with tension.
Exactly.
On the one hand, you've got Carter's long history of supporting Israel and Jewish causes around the world.
He was instrumental in the Camp David Accords.
A huge moment, a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt.
Right.
And beyond that, he was a strong voice for Soviet Jews, pushed for more funding for Holocaust research and remembrance,
and even held the first Hanukkah celebration and Passover cedar at the White House.
He was a true ally in many ways.
Many prominent Jewish leaders saw him as a close friend and praised his commitment to Ticolom, the idea of repairing the world.
But then things got complicated, didn't they?
What happened?
Well, Carter's always been someone who believes in open dialogue, even with people he disagrees with.
As he learned more about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he started criticizing some of Israel's actions,
especially the occupation of Palestinian territories.
And that led to the big controversy around his book, Palestine, Peace Not Apartheid, right?
Exactly.
In the book, Carter argues that what Israel was doing in the West Bank and Gaza Strip amounted to a form of apartheid.
He didn't deny Israel's right to exist or defend itself, but he was very critical of what he saw as widespread discrimination against Palestinians.
And a lot of people in the Jewish community felt betrayed by that.
They did.
Many accused him of anti-Semitism, which he strongly denied.
Some people who had been close to him even resigned from the Carter Center to protest.
And Alan Dershowitz, the legal scholar we discussed earlier, went so far as to call Carter an anti-Israel bigot.
Wow.
Those are strong words, especially giving Carter's past support for Jewish causes.
It was a really charged and emotional situation.
Dershowitz's views don't represent everyone, of course,
but his reaction shows just how much pain Carter's words caused.
It's a difficult situation.
There are no easy answers.
It really forces us to think about how complicated the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is
and accept that even people we admire can hold views we disagree with.
Absolutely.
And it shows how even someone like Carter, who had such a strong moral compass and commitment to peace,
could cause division on a sensitive issue like this.
Speaking of Carter doing what he believed was right, even when it was unpopular,
let's go back to that story about Trees and how he took on the chemical industry.
It's a great example of how he was willing to fight for what he thought was right,
even when it meant going up against powerful forces.
Exactly.
It also shows how complicated government regulations can be
and how unintended consequences can pop up even when the goal is to protect people.
Okay, just to recap, Trees was a flame retardant they were putting in children's clothing,
but it turned out to cause cancer and Carter tried to ban it.
That's right.
And the chemical companies, well, they weren't happy about it.
They stood to lose a lot of money if they couldn't use Trees anymore, so they fought back hard.
They actually managed to get the ban paused while they came up with a plan for what to do with all the Trees they already had.
And then instead of getting rid of it safely, they decided to export it to other countries.
Yeah.
They shipped those dangerous products overseas, mostly to developing nations instead of destroying them.
They put profits ahead of people's health, especially in places where people might not have known the risks.
That's just wrong.
It was a terrible example of corporate greed.
And Carter was furious when he found out.
He called it a circle of poison and issued an executive order to stop American companies from exporting any chemicals that were banned in the U.S.
Wow.
He took action.
How did the companies react to that?
They sued to try to overturn the ban, but they lost in court, but they got their way eventually.
I'm guessing this is where Reagan enters the picture.
Yep.
One of Reagan's first moves was to overturn that export ban.
He said it was excessive regulation.
And didn't he actually give money to those companies to make up for their losses?
He did.
A few years later, Reagan signed a bill giving millions of dollars to companies like Monsanto and Dow
to compensate them for what they lost because of Carter's ban.
So they were rewarded for trying to sell a cancer-causing chemical overseas.
It's pretty messed up.
It shows how corporations can sometimes have too much influence.
It's a tough reminder to stay aware of what's happening and hold companies accountable.
Okay, let's move on to something that might seem less serious, but it's actually pretty revealing about Carter, his obsession with details.
Oh yeah, this guy was detail-oriented, sometimes too extreme.
He would personally oversee things that most presidents would just delegate.
Like managing the White House tennis court schedule, right?
That's the one.
He was involved in every little detail, from who got to play to when.
Seriously?
The president of the United States worried about tennis matches.
It seems a little funny.
It does.
But this intense focus on details wasn't always a laughing matter.
It could be frustrating for the people working with him.
I bet.
It probably felt like he was always looking over their shoulders.
Exactly.
Some felt micromanaged and said he had trouble letting go of even small tasks.
But sometimes that attention to detail actually worked in his favor.
Like, remember when his knowledge of Alaska's geography helped him spot those sneaky problems in that conservation bill?
Right.
The bill that was secretly designed to benefit real estate developers.
That's it.
He was able to stop that bill because he knew the details.
So it was a double-edged sword, I guess?
Sometimes helpful, sometimes annoying.
Exactly.
Now, let's go back to 1976 again when Carter was running for president.
This is a story that shows how he wasn't afraid to embrace new technology.
He was actually one of the first politicians to really use computers in a big way for his campaign.
No way.
That's surprising.
It's true.
They even called him the computer-driven candidate because of how his campaign used computers for data analysis and communication.
Wow.
That was cutting edge for the time.
It was.
He was ahead of the curve.
Speaking of being ahead of the curve, Carter was surprisingly progressive on drug policy.
Especially when it came to marijuana.
We touched on this earlier, but it's worth revisiting.
It seems pretty radical for that era with all the tough-on-crime rhetoric.
It definitely was.
This was the post-Watergate era.
Trust in government was low.
The war on drugs was ramping up.
But Carter was willing to question the status quo.
So he actually talked about legalization during the campaign.
He did.
Which was a pretty bold move, even in places where decriminalization was already being considered.
That's gutsy.
And I remember he invited John Lennon and Yoko Ono to his inauguration.
They were really outspoken about changing drug policy.
Exactly.
He aligned himself with people who wanted to see change.
And then, in 1977, he officially asked Congress to reduce or even eliminate penalties for marijuana possession.
He said the punishment shouldn't be worse than the drug itself.
It makes you wonder what would happen if more people had listened to him back then.
It's a good what if to ponder.
Full-scale marijuana reform didn't happen under Carter.
But he did have a win in this area.
Do you remember that bill legalizing home beer brewing?
Right.
His brother Billy must have been happy about that.
For sure.
So even though Carter's larger drug policy goals didn't succeed, he did get something done.
A win's a win.
Okay, let's talk about something totally different.
Carter and Outer Space.
Tell me about his connection to the Voyager program.
This is one of my favorites.
Carter was really into Voyager.
The program that launched those probes with the golden records full of information about Earth.
It's like a giant message in a bottle floating through space for maybe billions of years.
I love that idea.
So remind me again what they put on those golden records.
Everything you can think of.
Pictures of humans, animals, landscapes, scientific diagrams.
They even included spoken greetings in 55 different languages and the sound of a baby crying.
It's like a capsule of human experience for anyone who finds it.
What about music? Was there music on the record?
Oh, tons of music.
Classical music, folk music from all over.
And I'm betting given Carter's love of rock and roll, he had some input there, right?
Of course.
He was a big advocate for including American blues and rock and roll.
They originally planned to use Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles,
but the publisher wouldn't give permission.
Oh, that's too bad.
What did they use instead?
They settled on Johnny B. Good by Chuck Berry.
Good choice.
It's mind blowing to imagine that song out there traveling through the vastness of space.
Right.
And you know, Carter also wrote a message that's on the golden records.
Okay, I've got to hear this.
What did he say to these potential alien life forms?
It's a pretty long message, but here's a part of it.
This is a present from a small distant world,
a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts and our feelings.
We were attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours.
We hope someday, having solved the problems we face,
to join a community of galactic civilizations.
This record represents our hope and our determination and our goodwill in a vast and awesome universe.
Wow, that's beautiful.
It really captures a sense of hope and possibility,
even in the face of such a huge unknown universe.
It really does.
Okay, let's come back down to Earth now, literally.
We've got to talk about Carter's decision to give up control of the Panama Canal.
That was a really big deal back then.
It was.
Why would he give up something as strategically important as the Panama Canal?
Doesn't seem like a typical political move.
For Carter, it was about doing the right thing, even if it was hard.
He felt it was wrong for the US to continue controlling the canal,
especially since we built it under some pretty shady circumstances.
He believed that Panama should have the right to govern its own territory.
So it was about morals and ethics, not politics or economics.
Exactly.
And to get it done, he had to be really strategic and get support from some unlikely allies.
Like John Wayne, right?
You got it.
John Wayne, the symbol of American conservatism,
was actually a major supporter of the Panama Canal treaties.
Wait, seriously, that blows my mind.
I know, right?
It's pretty wild.
But when you look at the whole picture, it kind of makes sense.
Wayne was a patriot, but he was also a pragmatist.
He cared about America looking good in the world.
So how on Earth did Carter convince him?
It all started with a meeting with a Panamadian president, Omar Tarihose.
He was the charismatic guy and a really skilled negotiator.
He appealed to Wayne's sense of fairness,
arguing that it was only fair for Panama to be in charge of its own destiny.
That's smart.
It was.
And to really drive the point home,
Tarihose arranged for Wayne to talk to American soldiers stationed in Panama.
They convinced Wayne that giving up the canal was the best way to keep it running smoothly
and prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.
Wow, so letting go was actually seen as a way to protect the canal in the long run.
Exactly.
And that was an argument that resonated with Wayne,
who was very pragmatic despite his conservative views.
It's crazy how much influence John Wayne had in swaying public opinion.
It was huge.
And once he was on board, the Senate was much more likely to approve the treaties,
and they did, with support from both Democrats and Republicans.
What a story.
It shows you that even when things seem impossible,
people can find common ground and make a difference.
It's a reminder that dialogue and open-mindedness can lead to real change.
Okay, ready to talk about something that might seem a bit lighter,
but it's actually really telling about Carter's personality, his sense of humor.
Bring on the jokes.
Well, Carter wasn't exactly known for being a comedian.
He was seen as a serious guy, even somber sometimes.
But as we've seen throughout this deep dive, there's always more to discover.
So you're saying he did have a funny side?
He did. He had this dry wit, a little self-deprecating, that often went unnoticed.
All right, give me some examples.
What were Carter's best jokes?
Okay, well, there's this one about when he met Alex Haley, the author of Roots.
Afterwards, Carter joked that he'd never ask anyone about their family again.
Ah, I can see why people didn't always get his humor.
I know, right?
And then there's his response to a reporter who asked him how he'd feel if his 7-year-old daughter, Amy, had an affair.
He just said, totally straight-faced, I'd be shocked and overwhelmed.
That's hilarious. Total dad humor. Any others?
Oh, yeah.
When he was visiting Egypt and touring the Great Pyramid, he was told it took 20 years to build.
And Carter said, I'm surprised a government organization could do it that quickly.
Okay, that one's actually pretty funny.
He had a way of finding humor in unexpected places.
He did.
It's a good reminder that even the most serious people have a lighter side.
It definitely makes him more human.
Those little moments of humor make all the difference.
I agree. And that's what makes Jimmy Carter so interesting.
There's always more to uncover, another layer to peel back.
This deep dive has been quite a journey, but we're not done yet.
We've got even more surprising stories to share about this complex and often misunderstood man.
That's right. We've only just scratched the surface.
So much more to uncover about Jimmy Carter.
Let's pick up where we left off with that surprising sense of humor we were discussing.
Yeah, those little moments of humor really add a new dimension to how we see him.
They do.
It's a good reminder that even the most serious figures can have a lighter side.
But for now, let's shift gears and go back to a story that really highlights Carter's strong moral compass.
His battle with the chemical industry over Triss.
Ah, yes, Triss.
It's a story that reveals so much about his character and his commitment to doing what's right, even when it's hard.
Exactly.
And it really exposes the complexities of government regulations, corporate greed, and the unintended consequences that can happen,
even when the goal is to keep people safe.
Right. Triss was that flame retardant they used in kids clothes and it turned out to be really dangerous, right?
It did. It turned out to be carcinogenic.
Carter tried to ban it, but the chemical companies weren't having it.
They stood to lose a ton of money if they couldn't use Triss anymore.
So they fought back hard.
They actually got the ban temporarily put on hold while they supposedly came up with a plan to deal with all the Triss they already had.
And then instead of safely disposing of it, they decided to just ship it off to other countries.
Yep. They sent those dangerous products overseas, mostly to developing nations.
Instead of destroying them like they should have, they basically put profits ahead of people's health,
especially in places that might not have had strong safety regulations.
It's just a terrible example of putting profits before people.
It is. And when Carter found out about this circle of poison, as he called it, he was angry.
He took action, issuing an executive order to prevent U.S. companies from exporting chemicals that were banned in the U.S.
He didn't mess around. What did the companies do?
They weren't happy. They tried to fight the ban in court, but they lost. Unfortunately, it didn't last.
Let me guess. Reagan came in and reversed it.
Dingo. It was one of Reagan's first acts as president.
He overturned the export ban, claiming it was a case of the government overreaching.
And didn't he end up giving those companies money to compensate for what they'd lost?
He did. A few years later, Reagan signed a bill that gave millions of dollars to those companies,
including Monsanto and Dow. It was supposed to cover the money they lost because of Carter's ban.
It's crazy that they were rewarded for trying to sell a cancer-causing pemicle in other countries.
It really is a messed-up situation. It shows how much influence corporations can have.
It's a good reminder to stay informed and hold corporations accountable.
Okay, let's move on to something a little less heavy.
We were talking about Carter's attention to detail earlier.
Oh, yeah. He was definitely a detailed guy.
Sometimes it was almost too much. He'd get involved in things that most presidents wouldn't even think about handling themselves.
Like, personally managing the White House tennis court schedule.
Exactly. He was involved in every detail. Who got to play? When they could play? The whole nine yards.
I can't imagine a president these days being that hands-on with something like that.
It's definitely a different time. And while it might seem amusing,
that kind of laser focus on details could be tough for the people working with him.
I bet. It probably felt stifling.
Yet did for some. Some staff members said he micromanaged and had trouble letting go of even small tasks.
But sometimes that attention to detail really paid off.
Remember when his knowledge of Alaska's geography helped him catch those shady things hidden in that conservation bill?
You mean the bill that was secretly designed to help real estate developers?
That's the one. He knew enough about the details to stop that bill from passing.
So his obsession with details had its ups and downs.
Exactly. Okay, let's flash back to 1976 again, to Carter's presidential campaign.
This story shows just how forward-thinking he was.
He was one of the first politicians to really embrace computers and use them in his campaign.
Really? That's fascinating.
It's true. They nicknamed him the computer-driven candidate because his campaign was so tech-savvy.
They used computers for analyzing data, figuring out which voters to target, and communication.
It was pretty revolutionary for that era.
Wow, he was ahead of the curve.
He was. And speaking of being ahead of his time, let's talk about his views on drug policy.
Specifically, marijuana.
We touched on this a bit earlier, but I'd love to hear more.
It's pretty remarkable considering the tough-on-crime atmosphere of the time.
It was. This was the post-Watergate era, remember.
Public trust in the government was low, and the war on drugs was in full swing.
But Carter dared to challenge those prevailing attitudes.
He actually mentioned legalizing marijuana on the campaign trail.
Wow, that's seriously bold.
It was. And remember how he invited John Lennon and Yoko Ono to his inauguration?
They were huge advocates for changing drug policies.
Right. He was sending a clear message.
And then in 1977, he officially asked Congress to reduce or even get rid of the penalties for having marijuana.
His argument was that the punishment shouldn't be more harmful than the drug.
It was a logical argument, and it shows how far ahead of his time he was on this issue.
Makes you think how different things might be if more people had listened back then.
It does. So, did he achieve any of his larger goals for drug policy reform?
Full-scale reform didn't happen during his time, but there was one smaller victory.
Remember that law that legalized home beer brewing?
Oh, yeah. That must have made his brother Billy happy.
Absolutely. So, while Carter didn't achieve all of his goals for drug policy reform,
he was able to get something done.
It's all about the small wins sometimes.
Okay. Last but not least, let's talk about Carter and outer space.
What's his connection to the Voyager program?
Ah, Voyager. This is one of my favorite Carter stories.
He was such a big fan of the program, which launched those probes with the golden records.
They're like cosmic messages in a bottle carrying information about Earth out into the universe.
Who knows? Maybe they'll travel for billions of years.
It's such a cool concept. What exactly did they include on those records?
They included a little bit of everything.
Pictures of humans, animals, landscapes, scientific diagrams, greetings in 55 languages.
They even recorded a baby crying and included that on the records.
Wow. It's like a tiny encapsulation of what it means to be human.
Did they include music?
Of course. There was classical music, folk music from around the globe.
And I'm guessing knowing Carter, he pushed for some rock and roll too.
Oh, absolutely. He was a huge advocate for putting American blues and rock and roll on those records.
They wanted to include, here comes the Sun by the Beatles originally, but the publisher wouldn't allow it.
Oh no, that's too bad. What did they end up choosing instead?
They went with Johnny Be Good by Chuck Berry.
Good choice. It's pretty amazing to imagine that song traveling through space maybe for billions of years.
It's mind-boggling. And if that wasn't enough, Carter also wrote a message that was etched onto the golden records.
What? I didn't know that. What did he say to these potential extraterrestrial beings?
It's a long message, but here's a part of it.
This is a present from a small, distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts and our feelings.
We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours.
We hope someday, having solved the problems we face, to join a community of galactic civilizations.
This record represents our hope and our determination and our goodwill in a vast and awesome universe.
That's really beautiful. It's such a hopeful and inspiring message, especially when you think about the vastness and mystery of the universe.
It truly is. It really captures the spirit of exploration and our desire to connect with something bigger than ourselves.
Well, we've explored so many facets of Jimmy Carter's life today, from his humble beginnings to his nuclear adventures,
his love of movies, his connection to Elvis, his dry sense of humor, his meticulous attention to detail,
and his unwavering commitment to doing what he thought was right, even when it was unpopular.
It's been a fascinating journey. We've learned about his surprising progressive stance on drug policy,
his bold decision to return the Panama Canal to Panama,
and even his message to potential alien civilizations hurtling through space aboard the Voyager probes.
It just goes to show that there's always more to learn, even about people we think we know well.
Exactly. And that's the beauty of these deep dives.
They allow us to uncover hidden layers, challenge our assumptions, and gain a richer understanding of the world and the people in it.
Thanks for joining us on this adventure into the life and times of Jimmy Carter.
We hope you learned something new and maybe even changed your perspective a bit.
Until next time.