AHC: Jimmy Carter does well on ‘79 crisis energy, citizens more anti-corporate than anti-gov?

For a variety of reasons, I think Americans have long been more anti-gov’t than anti-corporate.

But the possibility that it could have been different . . .

In reference to the 1979 energy crisis, Americans were suspicious of the oil companies. And with the Ford Pinto, and the company deciding that it was cheaper to pay out settlements than fix the problem—Holy Shit!—Lee Iacocca could have been, and should have been, the all-time poster boy of corporate irresponsibility.

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And Carter doesn’t need to do great, he doesn’t need to “excel” (in fact, that may be part of the problem). He just needs to show himself not a flake, and instead very much a steady eddie in responding to and working the problem.
 
https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1979/7/23/the-seminars-on-the-mount

‘ . . . he [Pres. Carter] had seen more than 150 people ranging from civil rights leader Jesse Jackson to Senator Henry Jackson, from New York’s mayor, Edward Koch, to New York cardinal Terrence Cooke. He had also made a bizarre side trip to Martinsburg, West Virginia, to hear from some ordinary people.

Those who went to Camp David—in shifts by helicopter from the White House lawn—found a casually dressed president seated at a large oak table. After some brief opening remarks, Carter opened the floor to his guests. As they spoke he made notes with a blue, felt-tipped pen on a yellow, legal-size note pad. . . ’
What people tend to forget about Carter’s “Crisis of Confidence” speech on Sunday, July 15, 1979, is that he first cancelled a speech scheduled for July 5 and went to the mountain top (Camp David) where he talked with a number of famous Americans, and even made, not one, but two trips by helicopter to speak with small groups of ordinary non-famous Americans.

And the speech almost lived up to expectations, . . . at least initially.
 
https://www.nytimes.com/1979/07/15/archives/in-the-nation-jimmy-carters-crisis.html

‘ . . . Twice this week, Mr. Carter ventured out of Camp David for brief back‐porch visits with downhome folks in Carnegie, Pa., and Martinsburg, W. Va. . . . ’
This is the kind of thing which he should have done earlier in the process.

It’s his job to serve as a bridge person between the concerns of regular people, which can often be rather sophisticated concerns, and the knowledge and information held by economists, business people, labor union people, and other professionals.
 
Yes, American citizens were skeptical toward the oil companies. In early May ‘79, 54% didn’t even believe the energy crisis was real!
There was a crisis, but it was from the leftover Price Controls, and then Congress and thier various bandaid fixes to that with "New Oil" and "Old Oil" had different taxes and restrictions. There was Oil, but couldn't be used without incurring ridiculous fees and taxes. Carter started deregulation, but that was finished under RR, and the Market could resolve things better. Too late for Peanut.
 
There was a crisis, but it was from the leftover Price Controls, and then Congress and thier various bandaid fixes . . .
I really think that when people hear “price controls” and the 1970s, they think of what Nixon introduced in phases starting in 1971,

and then lifted in phrases starting around (?) 1973.
 
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. . . bandaid fixes to that with "New Oil" and "Old Oil" had different taxes and restrictions. . .
Would you generally agree with the statement that Shell Oil, Texaco, Exxon, Chevron, etc., was (and largely still is) an oligopoly with muted and semi-competition, and not any kind of purist free-enterprise competition?
 
youtube: Jimmy Carter's Full "Crisis of Confidence" Speech (July 15, 1979)

https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jimmycartercrisisofconfidence.htm

Good Evening:

This a special night for me. Exactly three years ago, on July 15, 1976, I accepted the nomination of my party to run for President of the United States. I promised you a President who is not isolated from the people, who feels your pain, and who shares your dreams, and who draws his strength and his wisdom from you.

During the past three years I’ve spoken to you on many occasions about national concerns, the energy crisis, reorganizing the government, our nation’s economy, and issues of war and especially peace. But over those years the subjects of the speeches, the talks, and the press conferences have become increasingly narrow, focused more and more on what the isolated world of Washington thinks is important.

.

.

.

And at first, the President’s speech was well-received.
 
Would you generally agree with the statement that Shell Oil, Texaco, Exxon, Chevron, etc., was (and largely still is) an oligopoly with muted and semi-competition, and not any kind of purist free-enterprise competition?
The Oil Shocks was the result of regulations that dated back to the Texas RR Commission, multiplied under Nixon and by time of the '70s, the rules ,fees and taxes were interacting in ways that gave the opposite effect, of independent refiners having to get imported oil for gasoline supplies to keep up with demand. The original goal of many of those regulations was to prevent too much Oil being on the market at one time, that would depress prices. That was a bad boomerang come 1973

While there is collusion going on, that isn't why you had shortages in '73 and '79. Not only would there be no profit, but actually lose money from producing more of that 'New Oil', and that's before that 'Windfall Profit Tax' that was more an excise tax, applied on all oil, not just the 'profitable' Oil
 
Maybe better push for fracking since 73, so there were not more oil crisis as everything got fracked?
Instead, and it wasn’t just the big, nasty oil companies or the big car companies (big cars = big profits),

it was mainly us, the plain ol’ regular American citizens, who wanted to go back to “normal” just as soon as we could.

———————

* and if you live elsewhere in the (post-)industrialized world, you probably recognize the pattern
 
The Oil Shocks was the result of regulations that dated back to the Texas RR Commission, multiplied under Nixon and by time of the '70s, the rules ,fees and taxes were interacting in ways that gave the opposite effect, of independent refiners having to get imported oil for gasoline supplies to keep up with demand. . .
I'm a mixed economy guy, and it sounds like you're not, and that is perfectly okay.

We can still discuss and perhaps learn from each other.

These days two of my issues are:

1) the East Asian Miracle (1960 - present) as a realistic example of what's possible, and

2) the ongoing decline of the American middle class (with the transition to a post-manufacturing economy not going well, at least not in my book)

I'd probably also be interested in hearing what a couple of your issues are.
 



https://books.google.com/books?id=n...ne terrible moment, Maxwell was sure"&f=false

' . . . There was going to be one terrible moment, [Charley] Maxwell was sure, when the price would simply shoot up, out of anyone's control, the oil seeking its true market value. . . '
Maybe if we had taken the attitude in 1973 that, yes, it is lousy for the Arab nations to boycott us because of what side we're taking in a war [when Israel was sneak-attacked by two nations!], but it was bound to happen sooner or later.

And then '79 was more complicated, both interruption of Iranian oil and shenanigans of major oil companies.
 
I'm a mixed economy guy, and it sounds like you're not, and that is perfectly okay.

We can still discuss and perhaps learn from each other.

These days two of my issues are:

1) the East Asian Miracle (1960 - present) as a realistic example of what's possible, and

2) the ongoing decline of the American middle class (with the transition to a post-manufacturing economy not going well, at least not in my book)

I'd probably also be interested in hearing what a couple of your issues are.
1. Is pretty simple, new factories with a motivated workforce, both Managment and Workers, had low labor costs while having higher quality product. And that product was a desired item, like the design of home electronics and by mid '70s, autos.

Mid and Late '60s Japanese autos were totally a joke. By 1972, they were not, a solid value. They were listening on consumer and Dealer feedback, and changed things for the US Market.

2. It isn't. US botched it. West Germany kept up manufacturing. US productivity improvements delinked with wage increases in the mid '70s, wages for middle class stagnated, while upper class did the opposite, they soared.
 
. . . Mid and Late '60s Japanese autos were totally a joke. By 1972, they were not, a solid value. They were listening on consumer and Dealer feedback, and changed things for the US Market. . .
And I think rapid-cycle feedback can, quite literally, change the world.

The Civil Rights movement during its heyday, the Gemini space program as it ramped up for Apollo, putting together a rock band, putting together a softball team, etc.

I’m surprised there are not multiple business books written on the subject! :)
 
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