"the Program for Better Jobs and Income": Welfare Reform, Liberalism, And the Failed Presidency of Jimmy Carter‪.‬

For a failed president, Jimmy Carter has been well-treated by historians, political scientists, and journalists. Though most observers judged his presidency a failure in the years immediately following Carter's ignominious defeat in 1980, (1) revisionist studies now hail the thirty-ninth U.S. president for his far-sighted and misunderstood leadership. Led by Erwin Hargrove, Charles O. Jones, and John Dumbrell, (2) the revisionists' positive appraisal largely ignores the milieu in which Carter governed. Overseeing a bad economy plagued by spiraling inflation and high unemployment, coupled with the Iranian hostage crisis and a poorly defined relationship with the Soviets, Carter's domestic and foreign policies were in shambles by the end of his tenure in the White House. If his record was the only criteria for evaluating his performance as president, this friendly assessment of Carter offered by revisionists would be inexplicable. Though conservative scholars, like Steven Hayward, believe this friendly historiography to he evidence of the left-liberal slant of academics, (3) revisionist treatments are more influenced by Carter's admirable post-presidential career than political agendas. Using the Carter Center as an organizational base, Carter's post-presidential career consists of observing elections and negotiating with regional and world leaders to promote democracy and peace. A diplomat of international renown, Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his body of diplomatic work. In addition, Carter has authored a number of best-selling books on topics ranging from Middle East diplomacy (The Blood of Abraham, 1985) to Revolutionary War fiction (The Hornet's Nest, 2003). The former president's benevolent activities have seemingly placed him above the political fray and almost beyond reproach. (4)