Jimmy Carter: Family, Religion & Inflationary Economy - Essay Sample

Introduction

J. Brooks Flippen in, Jimmy Carter, the Politics of Family and the Rise of the Religious Rights, the inflationary economy was apparent even before Jimmy Carter came into office. Therefore, as depicted by J. Brooks Flippen, Carter went into the office to appease the economy but was faced with numerous struggles. Despite the efforts, he submitted a bill that acted as an economic stimulus, and it included a reduction in permanent taxes, a jobs program for the public service, more expenditure on public works and a $50 tax rebate.

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J. Brooks Flippen was more critical in his analysis of the Carter administration in the light of how the 39th president handled matters of the American economy. President Carter typically implemented unusual methods of influencing his government, such as letting a Baptist minister named Maddox to liaise with the religious communities in the country. However, his job was seen to be more difficult because the administration of Carter never understood how much trouble the religious issues were presenting. This is because, in the sense of economic policy and choices, the Carter administration failed to put into consideration the intensity and numbers of the conservatives as well as their anger and opinion.This is because religion during Jimmy Carter's tenure was very vocal and opinionated and had a significant influence on matters of economic development.

On the contrary, Flippen also argues that the complacency of the Carter administration could be understood because Carter was believed to be a man of faith and this made him famous because his faith was even replicated in his political ideologies. His belief is deep-rooted from the time he was unsuccessful in securing the governorship of Georgia and eventually became born again. Flippen states that the Carter administration had good intentions of bolstering the American economy, but he failed due to his political immobility.As a result, Flippen proposes that Carter had a golden chance to placate evangelicals towards the democrats but due to his miscalculation he failed to appease what had been his main source of support. Also, Carter unwittingly steered off the growing disconnection among Democrats, by refusing to engage in healing the schism that were appearing within the party's core.

Mary E. Stuckey, in Jimmy Carter, Human Rights and the National Agenda argues differently in regards to Carter's administration. She typically referred to Jimmy Carter as a caretaker president as his short tenure falls between two presidents who are famous, albeit for different reasons. Stuckey, however, argues that despite Carter's tenure being undramatic unlike those of his predecessors and successors, he still had some interesting agendas regarding human rights. Stuckey's proposes that Carter believed his human rights agenda was the basis on which he could impact change in the, including ushering in economic prosperity.

In agreement with Kalman, Perlstein, and Flippen; Stuckey points that Carter's tenure occurred at a time when a significant percentage of the Americans cared more about the economic issues that hampered them, which resulted in the public being more attentive to local activities as opposed to foreign news. However, Carter was not the typical politicians. As such, Stuckey points to the unconventional nature of his presidency as she argues that despite the public being concerned with economic issues, Carter stuck on his ideologies, regarding choices and politics that had a significant impact on the public policy.Stuckey gives adeeper insights on how Carter's administration was more concerned and insisted that they should be interested in the welfare of foreign countries. More so, she detailshow Jimmy Carter believed that all nations are interdependent in one way or another as this relation spans over to the well-being of the American economy. All this was deep-rooted to protecting their supply of energy as it was all affected by peace and war.

In a famous statement, Carter stated that his administration could not afford to be narrow in vision, have a selfish purpose, and foresight that is limited. Stuckey notes that the central fact of the interdependence of nations in the world from the international context. Also, considering and stressing the importance of observing human rights, made it easy for the Carter administration to navigate global interdependence in ways that the prior administrations could not successfully. More so, this navigation of global relationship as facilitated by human rights, ensuring that the United States was leading in an essential global movement that was the main driver of its economic development.

Stuckey details how Carter saw neoliberalism as a source of economic growth, and free trade as the primary driver of social development, individual choices, a free and fair market, minimal regulations from the government and an evolutionary model that can be applied to the global market to support social development. Carter, thus, believed that the American economy would experience numerous benefits. Therefore, his administration aimed at being part of the worldwide economy, and this was the only way that this administration could share the economic interests with the world.Concerning human rights and the national agenda as depicted by Stuckey, the Carter administration was aiming at setting morality standards for others and also making America the centerpiece for the concern on human rights all over the globe. Worldwide, people saw the U.S. capitalist economy as a beacon of free people - ones who have assurance as to the protection and enforcement of their rights.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Flippen, Kalman, Perlstein, and Stuckeybooks illustrate that Jimmy Carter's time at the white house was challenging to him due because he inherited a deteriorating economy, primarily because of the energy crisis that crippled America. In his attempt to fix these problems, Carter outsider mentality failed to win him the necessary political support that he needed to implement his agenda. His ways were unconventional for the Washington insiders' taste. He did not make matters easy as his disapproval forWashington's political red tape caused animosity between him and other policy-makers, especially the Congress. Stuckey, however, takes a different approach to describe Carter's unique approach to politics and his failure to correctly predict where the political wind is blowing. For instance, despite the American public urgent need for economic reprieve, Carter she presents Carter in his ideological dreamland pushing for the embrace of universal human rights. Thus, Stuckey paints Carter as an anti-establishment, albeit a bit politically naive.

Thus, the authors'argument intertwinesin their assessment of President Carter lack of political awareness, and his failure to devise a strategy to compromise with Congress and other policymakers, deprived his administrat...