DOUG SCHOEN: Jimmy Carter provided the model for the presidency

With the passing of former President Jimmy Carter at the age of 100, we can now take full measure of the man. The legacy of the 39th president is a good example for all of us, regardless of party, ideology, worldview or station in life. Simply put, Jimmy Carter lived a heroic life and, to many, represented all that is right about public service. His was a life well lived.

I say this as a fellow Democrat who disagreed with Carter on his policies in the Middle East and countries like Venezuela. But I do not mean to criticize the former president, but I emphasize his unwavering commitment to principles, integrity and unfailingly doing what he believed to be right.

JIMMY CARTER REMEMBERED FOR HIS HONESTY AND DEDICATION TO HUMANITY

Carter’s life reads like a storybook. He was a military leader and warrior, a successful farmer and businessman, and a ruler who was a champion of human rights. He did all this while understanding the concerns of what are now known as ultra-MAGA voters in America. Perhaps his greatest achievement was winning the presidency in 1976 with a simple plan to convince the American people that he was an outsider, a fresh face and someone who, in his words, “wouldn’t lie to you.”

His only time in the White House saw major successes and well-documented failures. He was very successful in the Middle East with the signing of the Camp David Accords. He restored the Panama Canal and signed a nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia. His main failure was the economic crisis that gave rise to the term “stagflation,” and, of course, the crisis of the Iranian hostages and the failed rescue attempt. His tenure also saw an energy crisis weighing on Americans with skyrocketing gas prices and long lines at gas pumps.

It is also important to know that Carter was a man of faith and God. He was private in his religious beliefs but also compassionate and devoted in very humble ways. He taught Sunday School in his hometown of Plains, Ga., before and after his presidency with little public notice or recognition.

Carter and Rosalynn’s marriage was an example for all of us. It was a partnership that lasted 77 years, apparently without stress or tension but with a shared commitment to the private and public values ​​they both shared and a desire to advance their worldview and values.

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But perhaps most important to note is that Carter’s greatest achievement, after losing to Ronald Reagan in 1980, was establishing the Carter Center, dedicated to promoting world peace. He was able to continue working on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He conducted peace talks around the world, helped oversee controversial elections and political reform and worked to end epidemics of communicable and infectious diseases.

(LR) Amy Carter, Rosalynn Carter, and Jimmy Carter pose for a photo in Plains, Georgia, during the fall 1976 presidential campaign. (Guy DeLort/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images)

This example of assuming the presidency was also something that set the stage for what others, including former President Bill Clinton, did after the presidency. After leaving the White House, Carter led a period of legislative and judicial activism that produced a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1999 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

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But as I reflect on President Carter’s life, perhaps his last significant decision, to enter hospice care in February of 2023, it sends a powerful and profound message about end-of-life care and the decisions we will all inevitably make.

By accepting the last chapter in his life with such grace and dignity, the former Carter did something that I thought was impossible: He raised his profile and served as an example for all of us, while providing a level of leadership and service that, I think it’s fair to say, is unmatched in American politics and society.

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