Jimmy Carter
Former President Jimmy Carter, our 39th president, left us yesterday at age 100. He was an extraordinary leader who gave so much to this country and the world. His post presidency was rich in contributions to decency, kindness, and service.
President Carter brokered the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel. That was a huge deal.
Carter was also president when Iranians took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held hostage 53 Americans. The embassy takeover was played out every evening and gave birth to ABC’s “Nightline” that was hosted by Ted Koppel. Every night, folks would watch to see how bad it was going on getting the hostages released.
Carter’s presidency was also marred by an energy shortage crisis that resulted in long lines at gas stations. I remember it well.
President Carter got beat badly by Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential election.
I ran across this recently:
Former President Jimmy Carter is known for many accomplishments, including building homes for Habitat for Humanity, brokering a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, advocating for human rights, and winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. What may not be as widely known is that America’s 39th president helped the craft beer industry succeed in the United States.
Carter, who served as president for one term from 1977 to 1981, said he did not drink alcohol during his presidential campaign. (In fact, he didn’t even allow hard liquor to be kept in the White House.) This was not the standard for previous presidents who were known homebrewers, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams. However, brewing beer at home became illegal in all 50 states during and after Prohibition.
With Carter’s reputation as a man who did not imbibe often, it may come as a surprise that Carter helped America’s craft beer industry become reputable during his presidency.
Homebrewing was illegal in the U.S. for decades, with the government fearing that brewing grain would be used to make potent, sometimes dangerous, moonshine versus beer. For those who continued to make beer at home despite the regulations, they hoped to have it legitimized, and in 1976 they approached California Senator Alan Cranston. The senator worked to get the measure passed and incorporated the craft brewing legislation into a transportation bill (H.R. 1337). In 1978, it got to President Carter’s desk.
The president signed the bill, making homebrewing legal in the U.S. without federal taxation. With the bill passed, those interested in experimenting with homebrewing felt empowered. According to the Brewers Association, it’s estimated that there were 1.1 million homebrewers in 2017. The bill also spurred the creation of small breweries nationwide, reaching about 9,118 in operation in 2021 (via Statista).
Here is the entire read: Jimmy Carter’s Important Role In The Craft Beer Industry’s Rise.
Now you know.
I had the honor of meeting with President Carter during his presidency here in Houston at the Downtown Hyatt Regency. He met with a few H-Town Latino leaders. I was also invited to the White House along with other Democratic Party leaders for a briefing on the Panama Canal Treaty.
I have mentioned before that Jimmy Carter was the last Democrat to carry Texas in a presidential election. That was in 1976, and I was the number two operative in the Texas Democratic Party’s get-out-the-vote effort for that campaign.
It has been obvious that Gov. Greg Abbott’s office is a third-rate operation. See this from KVUE in Austin:
AUSTIN, Texas — After former president Jimmy Carter died at 100 years old, several politicians shared condolences, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
However, Abbott’s statement included extending condolences to the late Rosalynn Carter. The former First Lady died in 2023 at the Carter family home in Plains, Georgia.
Gov. Abbott’s office released a full statement on Sunday shortly after news of Jimmy Carter’s passing. In the statement, Abbott said Americans owe Carter gratitude for his service as the 39th president of the United States and extended prayers and condolences to the entire Carter family. But Abbott mistakenly extended condolences to Jimmy Carter’s late wife, whose service Carter himself attended on Nov. 29, 2023.
“Cecilia and I send our prayers and deepest condolences to First Lady Rosalynn Carter and the entire Carter family,” the statement reads.
What a moron. Dumbarses for sure.
In the featured photo are campaign badges I possess from the two Jimmy Carter presidential campaigns and his inauguration that I attended.
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2025 is in a couple of days.
