I met the president for the first time Jimmy Carter in a sports bar in 1996 at the Atlanta Olympics. I was interning at the Carter Center in the same summer class as Jason Carter, his grandson. President Carter made it a point to speak to each intern. He told us that he loved the Olympic Games because they represented hope for peace and diplomacy. For a 19-year-old, son of immigrants, this meeting was exhilarating. I left the internship impressed by American politics.
Jimmy Carter represented politics in its highest calling. He reminded me of my grandfather, Amarnath Vidhyalankar, an Indian freedom fighter who served in prison as part of Gandhi’s independence movement. They both shared a commitment to upholding principles.
American politics is different these days. Ridiculousness is in fashion, as are outlandish statements that go viral on social media. Colleagues on both sides shout at each other in hearings and cling to power far beyond their mental and physical capabilities. In a frivolous political age like ours, Carter is a refreshing reminder that it is possible to have politics based on dignity and statesmanship.
In 2019, I went to Georgia to visit Carter with Rep. Barbara Lee and see him teach Sunday school. From the pulpit, Carter spoke about what he thought it meant for America to be a superpower enlightened by its own faith. He explained that a country’s power is not determined by its military, but rather by its ability to be a peacemaker.
It’s no wonder he won by cutting the defense budget and investing instead in our infrastructure and people. When he took office, he brought a new approach to foreign policy centered on universal human rights. He negotiated the historic peace agreement between Egypt and Israel, signed the Panama Canal Treaty, normalized relations with China, and negotiated the SALT II arms control agreement between the United States and the Union Soviet.
After his presidency, Carter continued to advocate for diplomacy on the world stage. I was attracted to interning at the Carter Center because they were working against structural adjustment programs for developing countries, economic reforms that a country is required to implement before receiving loans from the Bank World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. This was in the 1990s, long before it was widely accepted that imposing draconian conditions on countries by financial institutions did not lead to sustainable development.
As my career progressed, Carter remained a source of inspiration. He was a leading opponent of the Iraq War, calling it a “war based on lies.” This courageous stand propelled my first run for Congress at age 27 on an anti-Iraq War agenda. Years later, in 2016, I had the honor of receiving his rare statement in support of my candidacy. adage“Ro has the type of idealism, energy and deep commitment to public service that we desperately need in Congress.” I wasn’t the only candidate he supported that year. It was no surprise when I discovered he voted for Bernie Sanders, another revolutionary leader whose 2020 campaign I co-chaired.
Even in recent years, Carter has remained a forceful voice for peace. When I introduced a resolution Calling for a final settlement of the Korean War, I sat down with Carter to discuss developments on the Korean Peninsula and seek advice on how the next generation of policymakers can best pursue a pro-diplomacy agenda for the ‘America. During our interview, Carter recalled his meeting with Kim Jong Un’s grandfather, Kim Il Sung, and the principles they agreed on for denuclearization and peace. He also spoke about his time as a Navy officer during the Korean War and why peace there felt personal to him. He asked me to convey this to the Trump administration and encourage them to pursue peace.
I once asked Phil Wise, Carter’s close confidant, if Carter had thought he would be president when he first announced his candidacy. Wise laughed: “Of course he did.”
“Even when he was completely unknown? I asked.
Wise said yes. Carter believed he would succeed in whatever he did. I remember visiting his elementary school classroom in Plains where they showed him his desk and marveling that America had produced not only a young man with such unwavering ambition, but also a man who put it to good use. our highest ideals.
In an age where rudeness, flippant comebacks, and finesse are rewarded, Carter reminds us that true ambition, what Aristotle called “greatness of soul,” rests in the determination to live a dignified life and leave the world fairer. President Carter’s life is what still gives me hope for our nation.