When Carter called out America

Today, Explained

Vox

Daily News, Politics, News

4.4 • 9.5K Ratings

🗓️ 30 December 2024

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 1979, Jimmy Carter delivered his “Crisis of Confidence” speech, a tirade against American individualism and consumerism. Historian Kevin Mattson says the speech helps make sense of Carter the president, Carter the American, and even the state of the US today. This episode was produced by Jillian Weinberger, edited by Matt Collette and Miranda Kennedy, fact-checked by Serena Solin and Laura Bullard, engineered by Paul Robert Mounsey and Rob Byers, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram. Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast Support Today, Explained by becoming a Vox Member today: http://www.vox.com/members President Jimmy Carter about to address the nation from the White House on his energy proposals. Photo credit: Bettmann/Getty Images. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	President Jimmy Carter lived long enough to imagine how he'd be remembered and then some.
0:06.5	He was the first president to make it to triple digits, but that's a weird accomplishment.
0:10.9	Former peanut farmer comes up pretty quickly in all the obits, kind of meh in office, pretty much goat status post-presidency,
0:18.8	and just about every obituary mentions one speech he gave.
0:23.7	It wasn't an inauguration or a farewell or a state of the union.
0:28.3	Most people referred to it as the malaise speech, even though he never says the word.
0:33.7	Well, here was a president taking on the central issue of the problems of consumerism
0:38.5	and pointing to Americans that something had to be changed in the way that they'd behaved on a daily basis.
0:43.9	It is a crisis of confidence.
0:48.7	It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national world.
0:54.2	We're dedicating this whole episode of Today Explained to that one speech.
1:00.2	Thumbtack presents the ins and outs of caring for your home.
1:05.1	Out. Indecision. Overthinking. Second-guessing every choice you make.
1:11.4	In.
1:12.2	Plans and guides that make it easy to get home projects done.
1:16.9	Out.
1:17.9	Beige.
1:19.0	On beige.
1:20.5	On beige.
1:22.5	In.
1:23.3	Knowing what to do, when to do it.
1:25.6	And who to hire.
	...

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