Jimmy Carter was born October 1, 1924.

DAVID GIBBS, dgibbs@arizona.edu
Gibbs is professor of history at the University of Arizona, as well as affiliated faculty in Africana Studies there. He is the author of the recently published Revolt of the Rich: How the Politics of the 1970s Widened America’s Class Divide (Columbia University Press).

Gibbs, who has been studying the Carter presidency for the past 15 years, said today: “My research has found that Carter was far more conservative than previously recognized. Evidence from newly opened archives show that Carter initiated the deregulation of U.S. industry and finance, reduced the power of organized labor, lowered taxes on business, and imposed austerity measures that intentionally raised unemployment among working people. Carter also augmented military spending for the first time in a decade, diverting resources from domestic programs, while increasing U.S. interventions overseas. He reoriented the Democratic Party in a free market direction, a change that endured for the long term. America’s right turn in domestic and foreign policy really began during the Carter presidency, not — as is widely believed — during that of his successor, Ronald Reagan. Carter should also be remembered for his support of racial justice and his many impressive achievements after he left the presidency. But we must not whitewash his central role in overturning FDR’s New Deal and concentrating wealth among the top 1 percent of the U.S. population.”

For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy:
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; David Zupan, (541) 484-9167

September 23, 2024

Institute for Public Accuracy
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