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I like beer.
A lot.
I blame – no, make that thank – Jimmy Carter.
The best man who has ever held the office of Presidency of this country in my lifetime died last week. He lived a life we should all emulate. It was a life filled with love.
A devout Christian, he didn’t hide his love for the Lord. He didn’t ram it down your throat, either. He showed that love by example. It sort of worked during his Presidency; but it worked brilliantly afterwards. His ratings among Presidents is low. His post-Presidential ratings are high.
Yes, he was a Southern Baptist. We all know what that means. Yet he managed to successfully negotiate with people of different faiths, even called many of them friends. He recognized their faith as legitimate while not going backwards on his own beliefs. That’s a rare trait, one that earned the respect of people sitting across from him at the table. And after his Presidency, that trait earned him respect from just about everyone on the planet.
A devoted husband, he loved his wife and showed it at every chance imaginable. They were often seen holding hands. A goodbye kiss was common. You could tell he genuinely respected her opinion. There wasn’t even a hint that he would cheat on his beloved Rosalynn. Or was there? One of Carter’s faults – if you could call it a fault – was that he was brutally honest. He almost didn’t win the 1976 Presidential election because of an interview with Playboy magazine that turned to the subject of sex. Carter admitted he had lusted after other women, saying he had committed adultery in his heart. Those Southern Baptist Evangelical Christians – of which he was one – turned away in droves. That interview was quite interesting, with Carter supplying Bible quotes to back his opinion that he could be forgiven for his thoughts, and that no man should look down on another who does commit such sins.
Jimmy Carter loved his family. He turned away from his own aspirations to return to the family farm to keep it running.
Jimmy Carter loved his community. He lived there most of his days, taught a lifetime of Sunday schools there and considered himself as just another resident doing what they could to help the family and community succeed.
Jimmy Carter loved his state. He even became governor of Georgia. He loved The Allman Brothers (from Georgia). He loved the Atlanta Braves (And yes, he ate peanuts while watching the action.) He loved everything Georgia.
Jimmy Carter loved his country. He served in the military, and truly wanted what was best for America.
Jimmy Carter loved the world. He loved all people, even the broken and misguided ones.
Yes, Jimmy Carter lived a life we should all emulate.
His presidency wasn’t the greatest, some his own doings, and some that could have happened under anyone’s watch. But he did his best with integrity.
My first presidential vote was cast for Jimmy Carter, and I still don’t regret it. Barely 18, I proudly cast my ballot (paper only back then) for Jimmy Carter. Not that I thought that Gerald Ford would have done a terrible job, he was a good guy, too. But Jimmy Carter was a true southerner. He talked like us. He was a farmer. He was a Washington outsider. He liked The Allman Brothers (That my have been the clincher in my 18-year-old brain.) and the Atlanta Braves (case closed).
And he had this brother named Billy. Most southern families have at least one brother like Billy (It’s probably me in my family.). Billy wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, and when the cameras came to rural Plains, Ga. during his brother’s run for President, he got plenty of chances. Usually, he had a beer in his hand. A “Billy Beer” was even marketed, and I saved an unopened six-pack for good measure (It was lost long ago.). The beer was about as good as historians rated his brother’s Presidency.
But between the two, they started that lifetime love of beer. And I still look for candidates – party affiliation aside – who are honest and fair.
Thanks, Jimmy Carter. And Billy, too.
– Mike Barnhardt