When would have been the best time for a Jimmy Carter comeback?

I've heard people say things like: "Jimmy Carter has become so wise over the years, I'd totally vote for him now!" So what do you think? Is there a way how Carter could have "pulled a Grover Cleveland" if he had chosen the right moment? When would this moment have been?
 
I doubt he ever would make a comeback. His opponents in both parties (His opponent in the primaries) would constantly point out how his administration was an epic failure.
 
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Carter floated a comeback in 1984. He was shot down by the Party Establishment very, very quickly - even in a year they knew they'd lose.

A Carter comeback needs a narrow 1980 loss (actually pretty possible if you tinker with the debate), and a Reagan who screws up his term. Even then, you have the fundamental problem that Carter never learned to work well with his own party in Congress - in fact, without the Rally Around the Flag effect of Iran, it's entirely possible he'd have lost the primary to Ted Kennedy.
 
In 2016, Carter decides what the hell and goes for an independent campaign with also very old Walter Mondale. Or maybe John McCain. #GeezersForAmerica




Or heck, one libertarian group is saying now that Jimmy Carter is the kind of person Democrats should nominate in 2020.
 
In 2016, Carter decides what the hell and goes for an independent campaign with also very old Walter Mondale. Or maybe John McCain. #GeezersForAmerica

When I read an article about a potential Jerry Brown 2020 campaign a bit ago I thought of all the elderly Democrats (including Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton) and then thought why not other elderly Democrats like Mondale (or other failed candidates like Dukakis or Kerry or especially Gore who will no doubt have people urging him to run until the day he dies) or especially ol' Jimmy Carter? Trump campaigning against Jimmy Carter would be beyond hilarious.

Problem with any Carter comeback is that he's popularly considered as weak and ineffective and a symbol of a "bad Democrat" (at least until Bill Clinton took over that title). He can't make a comeback for quite a while, at least not until he has another popularly hated Democrat, like Bill Clinton, which he can point to and campaign that he's a real Democrat and not Bill Clinton. Which Carter has had a lot of disputes with Slick Willy over the years, so might not be too implausible. But this means he'd need to run in 2000 (at age 76) for his best chance, where he'll face Al Gore especially as his primary rival. That would be his best chance.
 
In a way, Carter's post-presidency already was his "comeback," and it's probably the best he could've done under the circumstances. By 1980 Carter was a widely unpopular President, even among liberal Democrats who supported Ted Kennedy over him. Maybe after a few years he could've run for Congress or Governor again, but the chances of rebuilding his political career would be slim at best. IMO he made the right choice by sticking to humanitarianism instead of re-entering politics.
 
I think a Carter comeback is sort of like a "Reagan third term"(Repubs around '87 talking about somehow amending the Constitution to allow Reagan to run again, because he was so popular): it's the kind of thing that sounds good as a fantasy, but would fall apart if actually tried.

Apart from the Republican wet dream, Reagan in '88 would have been noticably incapacitated on the campaigh trail, and would almost have certainly been trounced by any Democrat put forward. By the same token, as others have said here, Carter's home-building good-guy image would vanish overnight if he ran again, and be replaced by endless footage of rioting Iranians, Soviets in Afghanistan, etc.
 
I think a Carter comeback is sort of like a "Reagan third term"(Repubs around '87 talking about somehow amending the Constitution to allow Reagan to run again, because he was so popular): it's the kind of thing that sounds good as a fantasy, but would fall apart if actually tried.

Apart from the Republican wet dream, Reagan in '88 would have been noticably incapacitated on the campaigh trail, and would almost have certainly been trounced by any Democrat put forward. By the same token, as others have said here, Carter's home-building good-guy image would vanish overnight if he ran again, and be replaced by endless footage of rioting Iranians, Soviets in Afghanistan, etc.

The economy would be the big killer: Double-digit inflation, unemployment, and interest rates all at the same time. Almost no one will vote for that.
 
Carter floated a comeback in 1984. He was shot down by the Party Establishment very, very quickly - even in a year they knew they'd lose.

A Carter comeback needs a narrow 1980 loss (actually pretty possible if you tinker with the debate), and a Reagan who screws up his term. Even then, you have the fundamental problem that Carter never learned to work well with his own party in Congress - in fact, without the Rally Around the Flag effect of Iran, it's entirely possible he'd have lost the primary to Ted Kennedy.

Even then he has the baggage of his own presidency. Almost ANY Democrat would have beaten Carter in the Democratic Primaries. Picking Walter Mondale was already epic stupidity, picking Carter would be even worse.
 
Reagan assassination succeeds. President Bush does not go for Reaganomics so much. Will Dole be his VP? So Bush wins in 1984 because inflation drops, but not as much as OTL. Maybe a Carter/Glenn ticket in 1988? Dole was easily attacked in 96, so his chances in 88 might not be so good. A second Ford-Carter election is possible but not likely.
 
What if he becomes a Vice President, Governor, Senator, Secretary of State, or Congressman?

Could he improve his image?

Not enough, nothing will compare to his presidency. He was already Governor of Georgia and that didn't help. People might see a governorship or the senate the most he can handle. He was already president and it sucked.
 
Reagan assassination succeeds. President Bush does not go for Reaganomics so much. Will Dole be his VP? So Bush wins in 1984 because inflation drops, but not as much as OTL. Maybe a Carter/Glenn ticket in 1988? Dole was easily attacked in 96, so his chances in 88 might not be so good. A second Ford-Carter election is possible but not likely.

Ford would win that one if the Democrats were stupid enough to put Carter against him. Frankly anyone this side of Khomeini or Quadaffi would have beaten Carter.
 
Carter should not have ran in 76. The country was broken with political polarization, post-Vietnam economy, and third rate powers were eager to challenge American power.

Democrats in general have a history of getting elected to fix the economic catastrophe of the previous Republican administration; only to be the fall guy and place holder for the next Republican president who inevitably back deficit spending that a GOP Congress would never pass under a Democrat. He wasn’t a great leader but Americans hated him for the country’s weakness at the time.
 
When I read an article about a potential Jerry Brown 2020 campaign a bit ago I thought of all the elderly Democrats (including Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton) and then thought why not other elderly Democrats like Mondale (or other failed candidates like Dukakis or Kerry or especially Gore who will no doubt have people urging him to run until the day he dies) or especially ol' Jimmy Carter? Trump campaigning against Jimmy Carter would be beyond hilarious.

Problem with any Carter comeback is that he's popularly considered as weak and ineffective and a symbol of a "bad Democrat" (at least until Bill Clinton took over that title). He can't make a comeback for quite a while, at least not until he has another popularly hated Democrat, like Bill Clinton, which he can point to and campaign that he's a real Democrat and not Bill Clinton. Which Carter has had a lot of disputes with Slick Willy over the years, so might not be too implausible. But this means he'd need to run in 2000 (at age 76) for his best chance, where he'll face Al Gore especially as his primary rival. That would be his best chance.

I'm not sure what you mean by Bill Clinton being perceived as a "bad Democrat". Bill Clinton was extremely popular when he left office, while Jimmy Carter was extremely unpopular when he left office.
 
Carter should not have ran in 76. The country was broken with political polarization, post-Vietnam economy, and third rate powers were eager to challenge American power.

Democrats in general have a history of getting elected to fix the economic catastrophe of the previous Republican administration; only to be the fall guy and place holder for the next Republican president who inevitably back deficit spending that a GOP Congress would never pass under a Democrat. He wasn’t a great leader but Americans hated him for the country’s weakness at the time.

While Republicans claim the opposite. ;)
 
Or heck, one libertarian group is saying now that Jimmy Carter is the kind of person Democrats should nominate in 2020.

My love for Jimmy Carter is intense and Jimmy Carter is like Trump IF he actually cared about people and wasn’t an idiot. Unfortunately, Jimmy Carter had no idea the workings of the national government although the international crisises of the late 70s were unlike anything in living memory at that point. Anybody elected President in 1976 would not have come out unscathed four years later.
 
When I read an article about a potential Jerry Brown 2020 campaign a bit ago I thought of all the elderly Democrats (including Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton) and then thought why not other elderly Democrats like Mondale (or other failed candidates like Dukakis or Kerry or especially Gore who will no doubt have people urging him to run until the day he dies) or especially ol' Jimmy Carter? Trump campaigning against Jimmy Carter would be beyond hilarious.

Problem with any Carter comeback is that he's popularly considered as weak and ineffective and a symbol of a "bad Democrat" (at least until Bill Clinton took over that title). He can't make a comeback for quite a while, at least not until he has another popularly hated Democrat, like Bill Clinton, which he can point to and campaign that he's a real Democrat and not Bill Clinton. Which Carter has had a lot of disputes with Slick Willy over the years, so might not be too implausible. But this means he'd need to run in 2000 (at age 76) for his best chance, where he'll face Al Gore especially as his primary rival. That would be his best chance.

Carter making a comeback in 2000 would be a hell of a timeline. I think it'd require Gingrich succeeding in forcing out Clinton. Come 2000 Gore is weak and disliked and Gingrich is the GOP nominee after having claimed his Arkansas scalp. Ol' Jimmy comes in on his white horse to bring some good character back to the White House, just as he did in 1976.

And for the running mate? Colin Powell! Although Lieberman also sort of fits the bill, having criticized Clinton OTL.
 
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