I sobbed when Jimmy Carter lost the presidential election to Ronald Reagan. I was a child. I had no understanding of what a Democrat or a Republican was. I couldn’t tell you if he was a good president, or articulate the things that I know now about his intelligence, compassion, and commitment to serving our country regardless of his political standing. But I felt those things about him even if I couldn’t put them into words, and I knew that he was a good man.
That childhood impression of him was validated by Carter’s actions throughout his life. The New York Times:
While his presidency was remembered more for its failures than for its successes, his post-presidency was seen by many as a model for future chief executives. Rather than vanish from view or focus on moneymaking, he established the Carter Center to promote peace, fight disease and combat social inequality. He transformed himself into a freelance diplomat traveling the globe, sometimes irritating his successors but earning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
May he serve as a model for us all.