On domestic policy, yes, but I’m not sure what liberals would love about his record there. IMO, his deregulation policies were his most important legacy. Carter deregulated industries that never had any business being so tightly controlled in the first place, like beer and trucking.
On foreign policy, the criticisms of Carter were accurate then. Perhaps even understated, given how delusional his view of the world has become since then. As Pat Moynihan said, Carter adopted our enemies’ view of the world. His foreign policy was the worst of both worlds: our enemies didn’t respect us an our friends didn’t feel they could rely on us.
I wasn’t even alive in 1980, but the lessons I’ve gleaned from history & the Reagan consequences that we’re STILL fucking dealing with today have never made me feel anything about Ronnie other than that he was a colossal jackass. So yeah, assuming that I’d have had the same views as I do now, I would’ve gladly voted for Carter.
I really have no idea why Reagan continues to get such love in the GOP nowadays anyway. Even forgetting all of the scandals during his term, his policies would paint him as a certifiable RINO in today’s Republican party.
There’s more than just issues, there’s also character. Reagan also signed a bill expanding abortion rights in California. But he didn’t flip-flop without explanation or for expediency, and he was direct in his explanations for departing from conservative orthodoxy.
Plus, as another poster mentioned, he made us proud to be Americans again. He gave the country its confidence back. Plus he actually persuaded. That’s why he’s the Great Communicator and Barack Obama is just a guy who gives nice speeches with no lasting effect.
I do think that people should be educated and aware of our country’s sins and failings. However, I don’t see much difference between America and other countries in this regard. We are different in that we seem to be more nationalistic than other Western countries, but the end result seems to be the same: we paint a picture of a glorious America while downplaying our sins, and other Western nations paint a picture of a humble(insert country here) that always tries to do the right thing, so it nothing’s our fault because our intentions are always good.
I voted for Anderson, and was a volunteer in his campaign. But if I were to go back in time, knowing what I know now, I’d vote for Carter in a heartbeat.
Hell, I’d even vote for the killer rabbit to keep Reagan out of office.
The collective-cultural psychopathology known as American Exceptionalism is exceptional. Sure, other countries got it bad, but we got it worse, a lot worse, and we really need, very badly, to get past it.