re: #70 Blind Frog Belly White

It’s important to remember that Carter was coming across as stern and pessimistic, that we all needed to come to terms with more limited expectations - 55 mph speed limits, sweaters in the White House to reduce energy consumption, etc. It was a fucking drag. It suggested that the American System was only marginally better than the Soviet System.

Reagan, OTOH, expressed confidence in America and the American System, that we were ‘The Shining City On The Hill’, and it was ‘Morning In America’.

This is the difference between Reagan and Trump. Yes, Reagan was divisive, but he believed America as an idea could work. Trump’s selling the idea that America DOESN’T work and that we need to give up some of our most cherished notions of who we are in order to survive - we can no longer be the beacon of freedom to the world; we can no longer be the land of opportunity where anyone can come and succeed; we can no longer be the one essential country that holds it all together. Instead, we have to cower behind walls and oceans, pull back from the world, save what crumbs we have for ourselves. It’s a profoundly different vision.

Yeah Carter was pretty grim his whole presidency. Not particularly an endearing figure in the 70’s. Can see why he lost. But he’s had a great post-presidency.