Why shouldn’t the president talk about morality?

Jimmy Carter couldn’t keep his hands still. As he began addressing the nation on the evening of July 15, 1979, one hand rested on top of the other on the resolute table. But soon he clenched his fist and slashed the air in his chest. He had a confession to make: he was planning something else. But it was another speech about the fifth energy crisis. When he realized he couldn’t He changed plans, he tore up the script, and now he’s going to talk about the problem. “Deeper than that,” “Deeper than a gasoline pipe or a power shortage. It’s deeper than inflation or recessions.”

News of Carter’s death today at age 100 will no doubt revive memories of that infamous speech. The “awkward” speech, as it was known—though Carr Thor himself never used this word. America is in decline. People were losing the ability to connect with each other and strive for things bigger than themselves, like overcoming our dependence on foreign oil, a time when Carter’s preachy tendencies took hold. would become—after he lost his re-election bid—symbolic of everything that was doomed about his presidency: voters’ impression of him as a man of morals and Weak leader pessimist who are pointing the finger and accusing the American people “I experience no national malaise,” Ronald Reagan responded when accepting the Republican presidential nomination a year later. “I don’t find anything wrong with Americans.”

The legends surrounding Carter’s speech are not entirely true. For one thing, it was very well received—his approval grew incredibly. 11 points immediately after And because he is very far from the president’s office This speech thus appears to sum up what made Carter a bad president. It’s more than what makes him a strange person. In his speech that night was a desire that his leadership meant more than passing laws or commanding an army. He sincerely wanted to speak to people’s souls. It’s not just cloudy and dishonest bromides. He wants to push Americans to think about who they are and what they expect from life.

At the start of his speech, he read from his “notebook of opinions and suggestions,” offering quotes from those he spoke with. After he decided to abandon his planned speech. The words were full of criticism—to him. “You don’t see enough people anymore,” he read, smiling sadly to himself. Then he turned and looked sheepishly at the camera. He continued like this. By telegraph it was not just his own humility. Can we imagine Donald? Trump shares his concerns about staying out of touch with the American people—but also listening to others.

Then comes Carter’s conclusion: “In a country that prides itself on hard work, strong family close-knit community and our faith in God Many of us are now prone to self-indulgent worship and consumption. Human identity is no longer determined by what we do. But by what people own But we discovered that owning things and consuming things cannot satisfy our desires in a meaningful way. We have learned that collecting things It cannot fill the emptiness of life in which there is no confidence or purpose.”

Our desires in the sense The emptiness of life.

Carter abandoned policy proposals that he would have received. and went to speak in another register instead It’s an offer that American presidents often don’t reach. Under the energy crisis He sees humans as having lost the ability to think beyond their own needs. And it is damaging them. Is this moral? Yes, but why shouldn’t leaders talk about morality?

He also asked for specific sacrifices. Things Americans were never asked to do in the post-war era, like rideshare or use public transportation. Follow the speed limit. and set the temperature lower You can wear a sweater, he said.

“Every gallon of oil that each of us saves is a new type of production,” Carter said. “It gives us more freedom. Be more confident and have more control over our own lives.”

What made this speech extraordinary was Carter’s explicit connection of government work to people’s everyday existence. Americans had heard this type of language during the war. But Carter currently does not apply to weapons production. but for freedom both personal freedom for individuals reduced to mere consumers and national freedom from the thirst for foreign oil. His vision is one in which government and citizens must work together.

Carter looked the country in the eye and said, “All the laws in the world can’t fix what’s wrong with America.” The problem is “virtually invisible” and can only be fixed by confronting it. “This has only increased doubt about the meaning of our own lives.” This is not Carter avoiding responsibility. The president is doing the hardest thing. acknowledging that he is ultimately just a citizen among citizens. And all he had to offer when deeper issues arose was his words and his compassion.

Much can be said and will be said in the coming days and weeks about Carter’s presidency. Even if I remember these words But this statement did not diminish his re-election chances. That has to do with high inflation and unemployment. and the Iran hostage crisis that dragged down his campaign – it’s only in retrospect that the words seem like the cherry on top. Carter was unlucky in many ways and got into the same bad hands as the president at times. But he should be remembered for trying to speak to the American people. Not just in an abstract and impersonal sense, like “American,” but in an existential and individual sense. As we are small humans and we seek It made him look weak. But that was a risk he took—the kind of risk we should hope any true leader would take.