DBWI: Jimmy Carter goes into politics instead of Billy

It has been nearly 25 years ago that Billy Carter died.

The wealthy peanut farmer served as mayor of Plains, Georgia from 1972 to 1974. In 1974, Carter was elected to the US House of Representatives. An underdog, he upset Dr. Larry McDonald who was the leader of the John Birch Society by playing up his beer-drinking good ol' boy persona in contrast to McDonald's angry rants.

As a member of Congress, Carter was nicknamed the father of "Rural Enterprise Zones" due to his support of the tax break known as the Carter-Kemp Act. A popular Congressman, Carter was re-elected with over 80 percent of the vote (and unopposed in 1980).

After four terms in Congress, Carter was elected Governor of Georgia in 1982. His best known publicity stunt was vetoing bills using a cattle-branding stick shaped into the word "VETO".

Despite his high job approval ratings, Carter announced he had pancreatic cancer and retired in 1986. He died two years later in 1988.

His brother James Earl "Jimmy" Carter served in the Navy, commanded a submarine and retired in 1989 with the rank of Admiral. Jimmy turned down all requests to run for political office and was content with his post-military career in real estate, agribusiness and history author.

Suppose that Jimmy pursued a career in politics instead of Billy. Would he have been as successful as Billy?
 
Flag rank officers usually dont go far in politics after they retire. It is not impossible, but was James Carter of Eisenhowers timber & popularity? He was more or less lost in the crowd of upper level USN managment. Well respected among his peers, but entirely off the radar in the civilian world. Now maybe if he had retired much earlier, perhaps in the 1970s or 60s he could have had some sort of long running career like his brother?
 
A lot of flag officers served in politics in U.S. history: Washington, Jackson, Grant, Eisenhower... but they all served in wartime combat before taking up politics. Admiral Carter, much as I admire him, was a submarine admiral at a time when submarines weren't seeing much action. I suppose he could have run for congress or for governor and gotten elected off the strength of his brother's name, but not seeing much more than that.
BTW, and someone off topic, have you read his book, "The Atomic Service"? It really covers the rise of the nuclear submarine navy under Rickover, something that Admiral Carter had a good view of as a junior officer.
 
I wonder if Carter would have tried for national office ?

Mo Udall was a nice enough guy but his Presidency was a disaster. Maybe Carter is elected in 76 instead ?

Then again with that we don't get President Anderson in 1980 and that would be a shame.

Though if we hand wave Udall for Carter we might see other changes.

Anderson's election helped lay the groundwork for the centrist GOP of today and the emergence of the Southern Democratic party (which i think is partly to blame for the Regular Dems having such a leftward tilt).

That could cost us President Powell in 96 and I think he probably the best POTUS of the last 100 years (then again maybe we get a minority President thorough the Dems ?)
 
I wonder if Carter would have tried for national office ?

Mo Udall was a nice enough guy but his Presidency was a disaster. Maybe Carter is elected in 76 instead ?

Then again with that we don't get President Anderson in 1980 and that would be a shame.

Though if we hand wave Udall for Carter we might see other changes.

Anderson's election helped lay the groundwork for the centrist GOP of today and the emergence of the Southern Democratic party (which i think is partly to blame for the Regular Dems having such a leftward tilt).

That could cost us President Powell in 96 and I think he probably the best POTUS of the last 100 years (then again maybe we get a minority President thorough the Dems ?)

Yep. Powell also won in '92, btw, thanks to Ross Perot. It's also a bit of a shame that John Edwards' administration in 2000-04 didn't turn out so well; nice guy, but terribly incompetent, too.
 
True Edwards was a nice enough guy but not real effective

On the other hand we got a couple good Presidents after in the form of Jodie Rell and Sonya Sotomayor.

I imagine old Abe Lincoln would be pleased his party gave us the first black President, the first female President and the first female hispanic President.

Though after 12 yrs of GOP rule the Demos might manage to win something in 2016, maybe with Kaine or Bayh (both good guys, they ought to switch sides <G>)
 
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