The Conversation -- December 30, 2024
Peter Baker of the New York Times: "Former President Jimmy Carter's state funeral at Washington National Cathedral will be held on Jan. 9, featuring a eulogy by President Biden and culminating more than a week of ceremonies and honors, organizers said on Monday. Mr. Biden also ordered the federal government to close on Jan. 9 and declared it a national day of mourning. Because of the New Year's holiday, the eight-day plan that organizers had long envisioned for Mr. Carter's memorial services will not kick off until later this week. The former president will be brought to Atlanta by motorcade and lie in repose on Saturday and Sunday at the Carter Center, which was the home of his post-presidential humanitarian work.... Mr. Carter ... will then be flown on Monday, Jan. 6, to Washington. He will lie in state at the Capitol." The NBC News report is here.
~~~ Marie: It may not be a fortunate accident that President Carter died just before Donald Trump assumed the presidency*.
Peter Baker of the New York Times: "Former Vice President Walter F. Mondale thought he would still be around to speak at the funeral for Jimmy Carter, who was a little more than three years his senior. But even though Mr. Mondale died first, in 2021, he left behind the eulogy he planned to deliver, which will be read at Mr. Carter's memorial service at Washington National Cathedral on Jan. 9 by his son Ted Mondale. Former President Gerald R. Ford, who died in 2006, likewise left a eulogy that will be read by his son, Steven Ford. In the tribute he left behind, Mr. Mondale hailed Mr. Carter especially for making human rights the centerpiece of his foreign policy, for promoting environmental measures long before the term climate change became widely known and for placing more women in high office than any of his predecessors -- including an appeals court judge named Ruth Bader Ginsburg."
In today's world, some may look at Jimmy Carter and see a man of a bygone era -- with honesty and character, faith and humility.... But I don't believe it's a bygone era. I see a man not only of our times, but for all times. Someone who embodies the most fundamental human values we can never let slip away.... We may never see his like again. But we would all do well to try to be a little more like Jimmy Carter. -- President Biden, to reporters in St. Croix, Virgin Islands ~~~
~~~ Matt Viser & Yasmeen Abutaleb of the Washington Post: "It was half a century ago when Joe Biden and Jimmy Carter met in Atlanta.... Biden was in town to deliver a speech, and Carter -- then the governor of Georgia -- invited Biden to stay at his home.... '... He actually asked my advice about running a long-shot campaign [for president]. Biden would ultimately be the first sitting U.S. senator to endorse Carter, quickly becoming perhaps his most important political ally at a time when many saw Carter's presidential ambitions as a joke. The young senator was the first major political figure outside of Georgia to back Carter, and he would campaign for him in 30 states during the 1976 election. It was the start of a decades-long friendship and political partnership, in which the two men clearly saw something of themselves in each other."
Paul Krugman on President Carter's bad luck. Also see Ken W.'s commentary, about the 8th post in today's thread.
Helene Cooper of the New York Times: "The United States is sending nearly $2.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, as the Biden administration continues to rush military aid to Kyiv in the weeks before President-elect Donald J. Trump takes office. The aid will include air defense, artillery and other critical weapons systems, President Biden said in a statement on Monday morning."
Maggie Haberman & Jonathan Swan of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump endorsed Mike Johnson for another term as House speaker on Monday, roughly two weeks after Mr. Trump helped put Mr. Johnson's chances in jeopardy by sinking a bipartisan spending bill that the speaker had negotiated to avert a government shutdown. The announcement from Mr. Trump on his website, Truth Social, ended days of private discussions by the president-elect and his allies about whether to try to save Mr. Johnson or find another option, as some conservatives have been agitating for. The House is set to choose a speaker on Friday, just three days before Mr. Trump's Electoral College victory is certified by a joint session of Congress, and Mr. Johnson needs to cobble together a majority to keep the job." The AP story is here.
Perry Stein & Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "A federal appeals court Monday upheld a $5 million New York civil trial jury verdict that found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll. The ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in Manhattan said that Trump did not demonstrate that the district court 'erred in any of the challenged rulings.'... In response to the appeals court's ruling, Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement that the decision would be appealed and that the case should be dismissed." The AP report is here.
~~~~~~~~~~
President Jimmy Carter Dies at 100
Washington Post: "Jimmy Carter, a no-frills and steel-willed Southern governor who was elected president in 1976, was rejected by disillusioned voters after a single term and went on to an extraordinary post-presidential life that included winning the Nobel Peace Prize, died Sunday at his home in Plains, Georgia, according to his son James E. Carter III, known as Chip. He was 100 and the oldest living U.S. president of all time." (Also linked yesterday.) The AP report is here.
President Carter's New York Times obituary is here.
The New York Times is live-updating news related to President Carter's life & death. (Also linked yesterday.)
The Carter Center's announcement of President Carter's death is here.
Kyle Melnick of the Washington Post: "Former president Jimmy Carter's death Sunday prompted condolences and praise from current and former leaders in the United States and across the world. Many of them complimented Carter's human rights activism, conflict-resolution work and kindness from his presidency and the following decades." An ABC News story is here.
President Biden made a proclamation announcing the death of President Carter and ordering federal government officials to pay tribute & honor to him by flying the American flag at half-staff over their facilities for 30 days. He also proclaimed January 9 as a National Day of Mourning.
Here is the statement by President Joe Biden & Dr. Jill Biden on President Carter's passing. Via the White House.
Here is the statement from Vice President Kamala Harris regarding President Carter's passing, via the White House.
President Barack Obama's statement is here.
Elvia Limon of the Hill cites Donald Trump's remarks. Most of it isn't even embarrassing; well, there is that part where Trump writes, 'Those of us who have been fortunate to have served as President understand this is a very exclusive club, and only we can relate to the enormous responsibility of leading the Greatest Nation in History.' MB: Obviously, many people who have never been president are aware of "the enormous responsibility" of the presidency. Some, like spouses & staff, have intimate knowledge of what those responsibilities entail. Sadly, Trump is not one of those who is aware, or if he is aware, he decided to shirk those responsibilities.
Samantha Power, in a New York Times op-ed: "Jimmy Carter's elevation of human rights in U.S. foreign policy offers many urgent lessons for today. Whatever challenges he faced consistently applying the principles he championed as the 39th president, he made a radical break with decades of foreign policy tradition, changed the world's understanding of America's aspirations, showed deep empathy for individuals who had suffered human rights abuse and in so doing, made a lasting impact on both the United States and the world.... In doing something so radical for his time -- elevating attention to the plight and dignity of individuals in U.S. foreign policy and then living those values until his final days -- he changed our world for good."
Dan Rather on Substack: "Carter was far ahead of his time on many issues, especially the environment. He was an early advocate for green energy and energy conservation, famously installing solar panels on the White House. Imagine where the world would be today if it had followed his lead instead of mocking him.... He was an early ally to what was then called the gay rights movement. Trained as a naval engineer on nuclear submarines, he realized that technology could transform our military and set out to do it. He recognized that America could be a leader for human rights around the world. He championed consumer protection and created the Department of Education to expand federal support for schools. He helped broker peace between Israel and Egypt. "
~~~~~~~~~~
My Governor Went on National Teevee & Made a Fool of Himself. Michael Mechanic of Mother Jones: "A news clip making the rounds Sunday morning had CNN's Dana Bash talking with Chris Sununu, New Hampshire's Republican governor, about Elon Musk's potential conflicts of interest. Here, after all, we have a hecto-billionaire with massive federal contracts via SpaceX -- and whose carmaker, Tesla, likely wouldn't have survived without generous state and federal subsidies -- serving as an advisor to an incoming president on how the government should be spending its money, or not. Sununu told Bash he liked that Musk is an 'outsider' -- an interesting choice of words -- who is 'not looking for anything.' When she challenged that notion, he responded, 'The guy is worth $450 billion' and therefore is 'so rich he's removed from the potential financial influence.... I don't think he's doing it for the money,' Sununu said. 'He's doing it for the bigger project and the bigger vision of America.'... Musk's wealth, at least on paper, on a very steep upward trajectory.... One month prior to the election, Elon Musk's estimated net worth was about $263 billion. Now, at year's end, it is $437 billion.... So Sununu can spare us the 'greater project' nonsense."
Andrew Solender of Axios: "If measured by the number of bills signed into law, the 118th Congress was by far the most unproductive since at least the 1980s, according to data from public affairs firm Quorum.... The 118th Congress passed just under 150 bills over the last two years, according to the Quorum data provided to Axios. That's down from more than 350 passed in the previous Congress -- in which Democrats held control of both chambers and the White House. The 17 Congresses since the start of George H.W. Bush's presidency in 1989 have passed an average of more than 380 laws.... Every fiscal deadline [the 118th Congress faced] led to brinksmanship between the Republican House and the Democratic Senate and White House. House Republicans were also beset by infighting and palace intrigue, most notably the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Throughout the disarray, trust between House Democrats and Republicans reached a low ebb -- making bipartisan compromise rare." (MB Note: Yesterday, Axios tried to get me to sign in in order to read a post; today, I accessed this post without any impediment.)
News Lede
New York Times: "Olivia Hussey, whose performance as the female lead in a 1968 film adaptation of 'Romeo and Juliet' became its own Shakespearean tale, encompassing glory improbably achieved, helplessness with newfound power, memories that darkened over the years, yet also love of the vicissitudes of fate, died on Friday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 73."
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Reader Comments (20)
Below, I've reposted a few comments made late last night/early this morning.
Can’t wait for Fatty to crap on Jimmy Carter.
Akhilleus,
George Will sure didn't.
And I choose not to link the embarrassing excrescence..
Ken,
Thanks for that. Fuck George Will. He hasn’t been right about anything in decades. Carter must have pissed him off by helping to build homes for poor people. Republicans hate that.
Sorry, but I had to look.
After all these years, little Georgie Will, at 83, couldn’t wait until Carter’s body was cold before attacking him for Carter’s belief that Will had given his briefing book to Ronald Reagan before their only presidential debate. Waaaah! I never did! That Jimmy Carter is a big fat liar!! Waaaah.
Still a whiny little punk after all these years.
Never mind that Jimmy Carter has been a model of what ex-presidents should be, when Reagan was making bundles giving incomprehensible speeches in Japan, Bush was painting his toes after setting the world on fire, and fuckface Trump was plotting governmental overthrow. Jimmy Carter was helping to make the world a better place, but never mind all that. Georgie Will’s hurt fee-fees deserve to be front and center upon the death of an American President.
Can winger assholes get any smaller or more self-importantly whiny? Of course they can.
Tell you what I’m gonna be doing when I hear George Will has kicked the bucket. Three fingers of good Irish whiskey, down the hatch, baby.
Prick.
Wow. Trump truly does love the uneducated.
Also the idiots,
Here’s Fatty’s former national security adviser(!) Robert O’Brien, agreeing that we should just take Greenland.
In fact—and here’s his really wicked smaht idea—Greenland could merge with Alaska.
Get that? Greenland and Alaska could be stuck together. Forget those 2,500 miles separating them.
This guy was a national security adviser?? What kind of advice did he give? Certainly none that required an accurate understanding of world geography.
Dunce-O goes on to regurgitate one of Trump’s favorite lies, that the US taxpayer foots the entire bill for defending European nations, who pay nothing for their own defense.
There’s stupid, and then there’s MAGA stupid.
@Akhilleus: Oh yeah??? Well, how about Trump makes Canada the 51st state?? Then they're all connected. Now, who's wicked smaht?
Lots going on back in Carter's day, I know. Inflation, oil prices, the Iran hostage crisis and the Republican interference in same, but I'd finger a perceived amateurishness in the Carter presidency to explain his loss to the smoother Hollywoodian.
That amateurishness and Carter's genuine decency that came across so strongly that it made the elements of American society that worshipped the gild of glitz uncomfortable, almost as if by occupying the White House Carter were looking down on them, chiding them for their shallow behavior and absence of principle.
Carter, deliberately or not, rightly or wrongly, presented himself as the national conscience, and that didn't sit well with many.
I don't think that will be a problem for the next four years.
Or Donald will sign Musk to a very reasonable government contract, Sununu promises, for his Boring Company to dig a tunnel between Alaska and Greenland. It'll be just as successful as his hyperloop and just as profitable for the public.
Good Journalism
"Confronting Hate
Phil Williams: In reporting on hate and extremism, 'while the attacks are personal, so is the cause'
"Journalists like myself have a choice: surrender to the fascist mob that wants to intimidate the truth-tellers – or rededicate ourselves to doing what’s right no matter the cost.""
In case you missed it, at the end of Krugman's eulogistic thoughts on President Carter, he linked the Vienna Philharmonic playing, in a lovely outdoor setting (Someone tell me where.), Barber's Adagio for Strings. Haunting and appropriate requiem for Jimmy (not James) Carter.
https://youtu.be/WAoLJ8GbA4Y
The comment I sent in a few minutes ago disappeared.
Short version: Fed Chair Paul Volcker was in part responsible for Carter's loss in 1980. He put the brakes on the money supply to control inflation, with Carter's unspoken acquiescence (Presidents don't tell Fed Chairs what to do). In prior elections the fed eased the money to make the incumbent look good. Carter didn't allow that. Volcker did his job and brought inflation under control. Carter lost because of the resulting econ pain, Iran hostages, Desert One, gas prices and pump lines. Reagan capitalized on the pain and started dismantling the New Deal as much as he could.
Patrick,
The location is the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. The Vienna Philharmonic often play outdoor concerts there in the summer (I’ve seen several on PBS over the years). It’s a World Heritage site. The concerts are free to the public, something that must deeply offend the likes of President Musk and First Lady Donald. Musk, because poor people should not be allowed to hear such music without someone making a profit, Trump, because what a waste of a palace that would look so much better with his name plastered all over it as part of his chain of cheesy overpriced hotels.
Both Musk and Trump would likely hate the Adagio. First, it was composed by.a gay man. Second, they couldn’t steal it to play at one of their fascist hootenannies, because it doesn’t reflect their sense of their own superior, alpha male natures, preferring to steal triumphal sounding music that will get the mob cheering.
It’s still a most beautiful piece and never fails to move one even after many hearings. An appropriate send off for a great man.
When Trump kicks, I think the appropriate “Goodbye, have fun in hell” music would be a sad trumpet sound effect followed by “Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead”. Youse guys have other ideas? Maybe the Three Stooges theme, some cartoon music? Maybe “Deutschland über alles” played on a kazoo?
Re: Fatty’s remarks about Jimmy Carter.
He can’t bear to have anyone get attention unless he’s also in the spotlight. He couldn’t just say “Jimmy Carter, good guy”… he has to also add “…of course, I’m one of the few people alive who knows all about presidenty stuff…me. Don’t forget about me.”
Douche.
Akhilleus: There will probably be a lot of "He's looking up at us now" acknowledgments just like he did to Congressman John Dingell. What a POS human being that sack of crap is.
For DiJiT's funeral, an anticipated event that justifies lifestyle changes to enhance longevity just so one can outlive it, only the best classic music will do:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2vdCm4tZDA
RAS,
An XXXL sack of crap.
Speaking of XXXL, I see that President Musk is taking Mounjaro, a Type II diabetes medication he’s using as a weight loss drug. Billionaires don’t have to waste time with healthy diet and exercise. If you can afford the $1,200 a month price tag for a drug out of reach for the vast majority of the population, why bother with exercise? I guess he must have been pissed seeing pictures of his belly flopping out under his MAGA t-shirt when he was hopping around on stage with Fatty in front of the droolers, like a demented bunny rabbit. His new found fame as a MAGA rock star must have turbocharged his narcissism gene.
I was surprised that the POS in question even penned some kind of reaction to the death of someone who was 100 times the person that the aforementioned POS is. I know he did not write it or even suggest it. His thought was: I must get in there and pretend that I cared about President Jimmy Carter before Biden gets in there.
And the Adagio for Strings has followed me since I used to play it to go to sleep to in college. Not being a string player, I was always jealous that there was not an Adagio for Winds that had that sweetness and poignancy. Some pieces become part of you. Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a theme etc, and the Elgar, I forget what part of that piece is the gorgeous one...Nimrod? Anyhow, some pieces stand alone and aren't we lucky to have them?
Jeanne,
The Fat Fascist tries, now and then, to come across as human. He fails miserably.
As a wind player, you should check out “Mozart in the Jungle” (I think it’s on Amazon). The lead character is an oboe player trying to break into a big NY orchestra. Great show. Good writing, wonderful cast, and loads of cameos by big name classical musicians like Manny Ax, Joshua Bell, Lang Lang, Placido Domingo, and composer Caroline Shaw.
You don’t have to be a classical music fan or musician, but if you are, you’ll have a blast with all the inside jokes.
The conductor is based on Gustavo Dudamel, who led the Vienna in the video of Barber’s Adagio linked by Patrick earlier today.