# Happy Birthday Mr. Carter **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 1, 2019, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-mr-carter/841116 "2019-10-01T21:22:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2019, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-mr-carter/841116/21 "2019-10-08T12:52:28Z")
> [@DorkVader](#): > > I remember watching a documentary a few years ago about how he went about getting elected, from winning the nomination to actually winning the presidency. > > IIRC, everyone was telling him he didn’t have a chance, he didn’t have much money, was unknown etc. I dunno if he was a terrible president or just unlucky, but you can’t say he wasn’t a good politician. He was a master politician, winning an election nobody thought he would using methods nobody thought would work and doing it right under everyone’s noses I don’t know about that. You can’t become President without being a good politician at least in some sense, but he ran against the guy who pardoned Nixon. And Ford botched the debate, claiming that the USSR didn’t dominate Poland. And I don’t think it is accurate to say that nobody thought Carter could win - > [@](#): > > After the Democratic National Convention, Carter held a 33-point lead over Ford in the polls [Cite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_United_States_presidential_election). His tactic wasn’t particularly unusual or novel - he ran as an outsider, untainted by the Washington scandals. He managed to win, of course, at least in 1976. Four years later, against IMO a better politician, he struggled against Ted Kennedy and then got spanked in the general election. He is a better person than he was a politician, IMO. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2019, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-mr-carter/841116/22 "2019-10-08T13:37:55Z")
One thing Carter did that forever changed presidential primaries is he made the Iowa Caucus relevant. Other candidates didn’t really take much interest seeing little Iowa as pretty insignificant but he spent a lot of time campaigning in state, visiting all the counties, meeting the people, talking with them, listening to them and yes he even earned the trust of some people that to mitigate the lack of funds in his campaign they would open their doors for him to spend the night. Two years later every one of those people who did that were invited to spend the night at the White House at his inaugural ball. It was what we now call good old retail politics and everyone does it now but he made it a big deal. And for what its worth he didn’t win the Iowa Caucus — he came second to uncommitted! However the difference between Carter in second to the third placed candidate was two-to-one therefore Carter was the “clear winner” of the Caucus and the media having pretty much ignored him for the last year suddenly latched onto him. There was a Time Magazine double page feature circa 1975 profiling about a dozen democrats who could feasibly become the next president. Jimmy Carter was not included. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2019, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-mr-carter/841116/23 "2019-11-13T01:16:05Z")
> [@](#): > > Former President Carter is recovering from brain surgery with “no complications,” according to a statement from The Carter Center released Tuesday. > > Carter underwent brain surgery Tuesday morning to relieve pressure on his brain caused by bleeding after his recent falls. > > “There are no complications from the surgery,” the statement read. “President Carter will remain in the hospital as long as advisable for observation.” > > Carter was admitted to Emory University Hospital Monday night in preparation for the surgery. The longest-living former U.S. president at 95 years old has fallen several times in the last month, including when he fractured his pelvis after falling in his home. > The president also received stitches above his eyebrow for a separate fall and worked to build homes for Habitat for Humanity in Tennessee the day after. He has additionally taught a Sunday school class within the past month. [https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/470034-jimmy-carter-recovering-from-brain-surgery-with-no](https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/470034-jimmy-carter-recovering-from-brain-surgery-with-no) Hope Jimmy reaches 100. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2019, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-mr-carter/841116/24 "2019-11-13T04:31:47Z")
Hope I’m wrong, but I just have a really bad feeling about this. When his heavenly mansion is finished, he will be called home. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2019, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-mr-carter/841116/25 "2019-11-14T23:12:01Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > When his heavenly mansion is finished, he will be called home. And he will reject his heavenly mansion, saying that he wants to build his own. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-mr-carter/841116/26 "2019-11-15T00:37:24Z")
Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalyn, have also been married longer than any other presidential couple in history, 73 years, already beating George H. W. and Barbara Bush by a month. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-mr-carter/841116.md?page=1)