The hopeful legacy of Jimmy Carter

As a harsh January wind blew outside, I sat in my cozy armchair and watched, often teary-eyed, as the state funeral of President Jimmy Carter was celebrated inside the magnificent Washington National Cathedral.

Snow blanketed the capital lawns and despite the solemnity, it was hard to forget the fires raging in Los Angeles. Or forget the fire raging in many hearts in our divided nation. But there’s one thing we do well in the U.S., and that’s funerals, especially funerals of presidents.

As five living presidents and other dignitaries gathered to honor Carter, there was a warmth inside the cathedral, as well as a feeling that is rare and hard to capture these days — a sense of hope.

Jimmy Carter has been the subject of countless retrospectives since his death on Dec. 29. For some years, we’ve had an unfair image of his one term in office as a “failed” presidency, yet a universal acknowledgement that his post-presidency was an extraordinary example of a life well-lived.

Under scrutiny, however, his presidency itself seems more inspiring. He was before his time in acknowledging global warming and trying to lessen the impact of fossil fuels. He worked tirelessly with Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin at Camp David to secure a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel that endures today. A son of the Deep South, Carter was committed to civil rights.

What most acknowledge is that Carter lacked the political skills to push forward his agenda. He couldn’t inspire the crowd. He was no John F. Kennedy, and he had no Ted Sorenson putting his ideas into eloquent speech.

In a CNN special, “Jimmy Carter: Rock and Roll President,” Carter enumerated the things that did not happen in his presidency — no shots fired, no missiles launched, no wars entered. He was proud of this, and invoked “the Prince of Peace” in his conversation. There was Carter’s heart, a true Christian, a man who, as someone once described Dorothy Day, lived his life “as if the Truth were actually true.”

Of course, funeral viewers were intrigued by who was there, and how they acknowledged each other. It was fascinating to watch Barack Obama and Donald Trump, seated together, chatting as if they were old friends. Trump and former vice president Mike Pence, the man Trump pressured to violate the Constitution by not accepting the vote of the electoral college in 2021, exchanged a brief handshake while Pence’s wife sat staring ahead.

Later, with friends, we discussed this. I thought the Obama-Trump encounter strengthened our tradition that political enemies can be civil to each other and that it was good for people to see that. Others thought it was hypocritical.

Nevertheless, by day’s end, Truth Social and Twitter (now “X”) were full of lies about the Los Angeles fires and other vitriol. Fortunately, I’ve never been on Truth Social, and I’ve helped my emotional health by deactivating my Twitter account. But it’s hard to avoid the hatred and lies.

The wealth of most modern presidents, including Carter, increased after their time in office and most of our congressional “public servants” are far wealthier after serving. But I find hope in Carter, who lived in the same humble house in smalltown Plains long after he left the White House.

During his homily at Carter’s funeral, the Rev. Andrew Young said, “Jimmy Carter, for me, was something of a miracle.”

During this Jubilee Year of 2025, when Pope Francis has urged us to be “Pilgrims of Hope,” I cling to miracles. I cling to the hope that if this great country produced Jimmy Carter, we’re not done yet.

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