Photo/Illutration The late former U.S. President Jimmy Carter at a news conference in May 2015 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter must have been so profoundly alarmed by the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, that he wrote an op-ed piece for The New York Times the following year.

Headlined “I Fear for Our Democracy,” it was published on Jan. 5, 2022.

The 39th president warned, “Our great nation now teeters on the brink of a widening abyss. Without immediate action, we are at genuine risk of civil conflict and losing our precious democracy.”

He lamented the reality of America’s “toxic polarization” and the relentless spread of disinformation that led to the violent insurrection aimed at overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election.

And what Carter must have found most unconscionable was that the instigator of all that was none other than the defeated incumbent president himself.

Carter died on Dec. 29. He was 100.

One media obituary referred to him as a mediocre president but a great former president. It sounds a bit rude, but I presume this was the image many Americans held.

Carter came to win genuine respect after he recovered from his re-election defeat and embarked on humanitarian pursuits, advocating for human rights and fighting infectious diseases.

Proudly declaring that he would never lie, Carter spoke of his ideals and preached peace, just like the old-time American liberal that he came to personify.

“Americans must set aside differences and work together before it is too late,” he concluded in his 2022 NYT op-ed essay.

Perhaps his urgent plea did not reach the hearts of the American people.

With the inauguration of the 47th president drawing near, Washington, D.C., is now blanketed with snow.

And the state funeral for the 39th president will be held on Jan. 9, local time.

—The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 9

* * *

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

Related News