Carter continued at least two agenda items from his predecessor, President Gerald R. Ford, whom Carter defeated in the November 1976 election. Upon taking office in January 1977, Carter embraced both Ford’s affection for deregulation and Ford’s commitment to take an unwavering stance in support of human rights.
In the transportation sector, Carter achieved some milestones of deregulation, as historian Kai Bird writes:
Despite his aversion to political machinations — such as cutting deals with smarmy congressmen — Carter was an effective and extraordinarily productive president. He deregulated the airline industry, making it possible for middle-class Americans to fly.
He was willing to contradict one of his party's major allies: organized labor. The Democratic Party had significant support from labor unions at the time. Carter risked their dissent:
Trade unions opposed his deregulation of airlines, trucking and railroads.
Although deregulation ultimately proved to energize the economy and help working-class families, the move was one factor in Carter’s loss in the November 1980 election. Many union members voted for Carter’s opponent, President Ronald Reagan.
Carter maintained President Ford’s focus on human rights. During the Ford, Carter, and Reagan administrations, this focus must be understood in the context of the Cold War. More and more evidence was coming to light, revealing the ongoing violation of human rights by the Soviet Socialists, spanning decades from the 1930s to the 1980s.
President Ford drew international attention to the question with a document known as the Helsinki Accords. Carter continued Ford’s pattern. A global consensus among many nations emerged, and international sentiment was against the USSR. During Carter’s administration, Kai Bird notes,
The principle of human rights became a cornerstone of America’s foreign policy.
Jimmy Carter was the first president to use his nickname in an official capacity. Rarely, if ever, was he referred to as “James,” but routinely as “Jimmy.” This was a departure from two centuries of precedent.
Gerald Ford was never officially listed as “Jerry,” and John Kennedy was never officially cited as “Jack.” The nicknames were only for the closest friends and family. But Jimmy Carter was known universally by that name.
Some later presidents would follow Carter’s pattern: Bill Clinton was never cited as “William,” and Joe Biden was never listed as “Joseph.”
Although Carter failed to get reelected, and was thereby limited to four years in office, his presidency nonetheless merits attention.
